Hi, I have a good friend who has a son who turns 8 this month. For his birthday, I've always given him books. Last year, I gave the first book from Winnie the Pooh series. What do you think would be a great book for an 8 year old? What do your 8 year olds love to read?
Thank you for your input!
Thank you so much for your great input! This is a great list. I'll print out the list and and bring it to a book store and browse them before I decide what to give him.
My Side of the Mountain is a nice classic for about that age.
He might also be interested in some of the Rick Riordian (sp?) books based on mythology.... (Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief--- there's a whole series).
My son is 7 and just read Misty of Chincoteague (about a horse...there is a boy in the story too) and LOVED it. He also just got Bogus and he loved that. He also loves Calvin and Hobbes.
Hmmm, when I was 8 years old, I had been reading...
Anything by Beverly Cleary (Ramona, etc. - also The Mouse and The Motorcycle)
E.B. White - Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, The Trumpet Of The Swan
Where The Red Fern Grows
Laura Ingalls Wilder - Little House On The Prairie series
Judy Blume - Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge, Freckle Juice
C.S. Lewis - The Chronicles of Narnia series
Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, etc.
Shel Silverstein - Where the Sidewalk Ends, etc.
all 8 yr olds are different, mine likes the Magic Tree House series, there are probably 50 of them. Beast Quest is also a series that he is starting to read and there are about 30 of those. I personally love to give the Judy Blume books, Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing, Blubber, SuperFudge, Fudgemania, etc were my favorite books growing up. They are hilarious! Magic Tree House is about children using their imagination and are really good books, Beast Quest is more of the Dragons, etc the Judy Blume is more of about a family and the kids are so funny, they get in trouble, etc all very good books and series! :o)
Diary of wimpy kid books:)
I remember reading The Boxcar Children at that age.
I agree with Narnia Series and any of the Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary Books
In addition to the suggestions you've already gotten, here some of the ones I loved as a kid (skewing more to the boys, though).
Books by Roald Dahl: James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, BFG
Encyclopedia Brown books
Great Brain books
Books by Shel Silverstein: Where the Sidewalk Ends, etc.
He might be a tad too young for Harry Potter. Maybe next year. :)
It really depends on his reading level, what he'll absolutely love.
3) A lot of 8yos I know are very into Percy Jackson series & The 39 Clues (both by Rick Riodan). Or Narnia books. Or the Ga'Hoole books. Or Harry Potter. Or Hardy Boys. A Wrinkle in Time. DKEyeWitness. (seriously fun chapterbooks, but not 'young adult/teen' yet.
2) Others are more Geronimo Stilton, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Encyclopedia Brown. _____ology (Egyptology, Dragonology, etc.), Choose Your Own Adventure. DKEyeWitness or DKEyeWonder. PopUp books (alice in wonderland, leonardo davinci, etc.) Solidly into chapterbooks but prefers shorter selections, some pictures/ silly writing.
1) Others are Magic Treehouse, SpongeBob (or similar 1/2 picture, 1/2 reading, similar to the old 'Serendipity' level of books), DKEyeWonder. (AKA just getting into chapter books, tends to have a strong preference for a lot of pictures but also a lot of reading. Repetive words and phrasing)
0.5) A few 8yos with reading difficulties (like dyslexia, but great cognitive abilities) do really really well with graphic novels, as they get the older concepts, but their reading level has them in preschool/K type readers.
4) A few are solidly into young adult books. Mark Twain "just about anything", Sherlock Holmes, Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Caruso, The Black Stallion... a whole list of 'Classics'. ((Next 'level' up would be standard fiction, science fiction, fantasy... and the only real "dividing line" between YA & Fic is whether or not love stories or politics/social commentary become central themes in many books. Ex: Twilight is a love story, Heinlein does the political/social thing, Dragonriders of Pern or the Belgariad do both love & politics.))
I second books by Roald Dahl! My 9 year-old daughter is enjoying those right now.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are a lot of boys' favorites.
Percy Jackson, also.
Wayside Stories from Wayside School
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
when my son was 8 he started really reading. he finished all the books that were available in the following series in the order listed
these are all series's of books
horrible harry
magic treehouse
wayside school
Hank the Cowdog (I would hear him laughing out loud with this series)
You've gotten a lot of really good suggestions already, but here's another. Try the Chet Gecko books by Bruce Hale. They're cute and fun, with lots of plays on words. My kids (9, 7, and 4) enjoy them when we read them out loud together.
My eight year old loves the Warriors books, that is what he goes to when he really wants to sit and read. But his favorite go back to and read again and again books are the Bad Kitty, they are cute, funny and a lite read.
My son also loved Hank the Cowdog, Percy Jackson, The Boxcar Children, Diary of a Wimpy Kid & others mentioned here. He LOVES graphic novels, especially Captain Underpants, which has much gross boy humor, so in my experience they are a huge hit with boys, but not so much with some moms.
My son (who is now 10) has and loves all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I'd also suggest the Boxcar Children series and any of the Judy Blume Fudge books.
My son is 7 and loves:
Geronimo Stilton books
Stink books (Judy Moody's little brother)
How to Train Your Dragon books
Hank Zipzer books, Lemoney Snickett series, C.S. Lewis's Narnia series, they made the original box car children into a series of books as well. My son got a book called The Dangerous Book for boys, it was really neat. I have seen it for a good price at TJ Max, but you would be able to find it at any reputable book store.
My nephew is turning eight too. He LOVES Diary of a Wimpy Kid and he asked for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do It Yourself book. He was super excited when he opened it and can't wait to get started.
We love the Magic Treehouse series. The stories are very entertaining and the child will learn something from each book as well.
