I dunno guys, half the books on this list are not ideal for 8 year olds. An 8 year old prodigy, sure, but not your average 8 year old. There's a time for everything, and it's wonderful when the right book is found by the right child at the right age. Trying to read even a wonderful book when it's just too soon can be discouraging.

Good point. I just gave my 8 year-old FingerTip Island, which is a chapterbook but she's taking to it really well. Every now again again though I have to explain a word to her. Whichh in the end is a good thing, since she'll have better word choice for it.

Mine may not be the prototypical books for 8-year-olds, but I only added what I can recall actually reading at that age. I'll confess that I was reading over grade level, though.

to Susanna :

you may have been over grade level then (brag much?) but you are not now. "Prototypical" cannot be used the way you did, it actually means 'an early model of something, like the first car made before manufacturing, the 'example' , would be a prototype. You should know that if you're THAT smart...

"prototype: n., v. -typed, -typing -- n., 1. the original or model on which something is based or formed. 2. someone or something that serves to illustrate the typical qualities of a class; model; exemplar: She is the prototype of a student activist."

(Source: The Random House Dictionary of the American Language, Second Edition, Unabridged.)

Thanks for this list. My daughter is 8 years old and reading at an 8th grade level. Finding books that keep her interest and are appropriate for her age is a real challenge. These books might keep her going for another week or two!

Agreed. Most all of all these books are not on a 8 year old reading level. Little Women? The Secret Garden? Gosh. A little high up on the list now are we! Geez, I read Island of the Blue Dolphins in 5th grade as a class. And Caddie Woodlong in 4th... Yes, so I guess people are higher level reader than others, and I get some are slower, and some are reading exactly on level. In 4th grade I was a 12 grade eading level, and in 6th I was only on a 10th. I dropped, by...well, a copious amount. No, I'm not trying to brag. I am just making a statement. If you are in 3rd grade, read 3rd grade books. Even if your level is 8th, 9th, 10th grade, you still shouldn't read books that high. I am almost positive you won't. Unless you're some kind genuiss... Which beliveve me, I'm not, by any means. And it is really rare.

Anyway, like I said, half these books aren't suitable for an average 8 year old. Most are higher, and even then, some are lower.

Heck, I always read above grade level when I was a kid, but that doesn't mean that I didn't LOVE books meant for other ages. I read with my younger sisters, I scoured the library at my school for books with topics/subject matter that I knew nothing about. I just loved reading...
Now, I'm looking for my almost-8yr old son. Most of these are female protagonist, which is super cool for him to gain that perspective! Thanks for putting this list together, I'll go through it again later (after my book buying spree!) and vote and try to add some. :)

This is a very good list. I think content -wise all the books listed are good for 8 year olds. If they're reading isn't high-level, parents could certainly read some or all of the books to them.

Here's another great list

http://oldchildrensbooks.com/readers-...

There's a lot of overlap between these two list but some differences. Notice the list is for 2nd through 5th grade, which is 7 to 10, so again, parents reading might be the key.

I'd have to say that at least a third of this list would be too dificult for most 8 year olds.

The whole key to this list I believe is so parents can decide what they feel is appropriate for their child. My granddaughter is 8 and reading at an almost middle school level and the key here is that she is comprehending what she reads. Not all of these would I give her to read, but the main point is to keep her interest and love of reading going. Not giving her the opportunity to try different books would be holding her back.

I don't keep track of what my child reads at school but at home, we read whatever he has interest for or what I have had experience in reading. Because there are always new releases, we also review book reviews and decide which new ones he'd like to try. My child's reading and comprehension improved greatly when he was interested in the protagonist and plot. At this age he started loving book series because he felt invested in the characters and wanted to read more about them. At this age he started reading The Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Gregor the Overlanders series.

But to each his own. Every child will be different and you, as a partner, will have your own experiences and opinions growing up.

I think we can all agree that there is much more variety today in children's books than when we were little. Classics will always remain cherished classics of all time and maybe over time there will be new ones added to the list.

Leslie wrote: "I dunno guys, half the books on this list are not ideal for 8 year olds. An 8 year old prodigy, sure, but not your average 8 year old. There's a time for everything, and it's wonderful when the r..."

I totally agree. Island if the blue dolphins is over 180 pages. It's a requirement for 5th grade in my school district. The hobbit? Holy cow. I have trouble w/ that. It's a very detail orientated long novel.

I quite like this list. Yes, it varies from some quite simple reads to some very sophisticated reads, but I agree that at this age reading ability varies enormously. My son at this age was a quite advanced reader and could have devoured most of this list easily, while my daughter who is just now 8 would need most of the books in this list read to her, with some far beyond her comprehension level. Also thank you, Rowan. I was unable reply to your post, but I appreciate the link you posted. It makes for a good comparison.

Author spam has rocketed two self-published cookbooks to #3 and #5 on the list!

I Can Cook: Puddings and Desserts by Marika Germanis
I Can Cook "Cake Baking" by Marika Germanis

Also #10 "The Seven Natural Wonders of the EARTH" by constant list spammer Anna Othitis!

#13, I Can Cook "Light Lunches" by spammer Marika Germanis.

Leslie wrote: "I dunno guys, half the books on this list are not ideal for 8 year olds. An 8 year old prodigy, sure, but not your average 8 year old. There's a time for everything, and it's wonderful when the rig..."

I agree.

The books my kids loved best at age 8 were not necessarily those they read themselves, but often books like "Five Children and It" that I read to them.

it is'nt about the age of the child but 1)about their reading capability,2) bout the appropriateness of the material, 3) their capacity to understand and identify with what they are reading. My take on it is to choose the books that your child can handle right now, help them where they need it and let them set the pace.For the naysayers your children might surprise at their rate of progress to the more difficult books.

ps:to Laura,you said that in 4th grade you were reading at 12th grade but in 5th grade you had dropped to 10th; children sometimes fall back when some kind of trauma enters their life:-a new baby, an older sibling's return home,moving home, divorce,a friend moving away,a change of teacher......the lust is endless on what can trigger a childs dropping back from the higherlevel they had attained in any subject. With support and encourgement achild will usually bounce back and vontinue to excel.