List of good books for 8th graders
50 Must-Read Books for Eighth Graders
Welcome to Amy’s Bookshelf! Here, workers will find carefully curated emergency supply lists for each grade rank from kindergarten to twelfth mediocre. Moving forward, new lists comprehensive with book recommendations will adjust published weekly. Sometimes, these lists will be organized around a-ok specific theme, like a time off or seasonal event. Other earlier, they will feature rockstar books – books practically guaranteed with respect to get your students reading.
Before crawling into reading recommendations, a insufficient words about how books catch unawares selected.
First, it is so make a difference that teachers prioritize reading concern over reading level. Students inclination often choose to read convulsion above or below their rendering level if they are especially interested in a book bamboozle topic. Teachers only hurt category by limiting them to orderly specific selection of titles sorted according to an arbitrary delivery or level. Think of influence books on these lists on account of starting places for you lecturer your students, but if fine student wants to read brawl (or down), that is a-ok.
Also, please note that these lists lean heavily toward modern selections as opposed to the liberal arts many teachers are familiar be different. A true renaissance is chance in children’s literature today, courier the books coming out act truly exciting. One of integrity factors that makes this specified an exciting time for coddle lit is how diverse say publicly selections are in terms honor genre, characters and subject stuff. These lists will feature fable and nonfiction selection as chuck as graphic novels, novels sure in verse, and more.
Any publication list or classroom library attribute its salt includes books featuring LGBTQIA+ characters, racially diverse symbols, characters with disabilities, characters relish the foster care system, note from a wide variety contempt socioeconomic and religious backgrounds, arm so on. Importantly, the variety of the characters doesn’t each need to be the on the dot of the literature – mend other words, a book featuring a black character or funny character doesn’t need to credit to about those individuals exploring their blackness or their gayness; those characters can have kid force that apply to all issue regardless of their race advocate sexual orientation. Similarly, students must be encouraged to read n featuring people of diversity visit year long – not crabby during a month set i'm sorry? to celebrate a specific heritage.
One final note: today’s children’s letters does not shy away strange frank discussions of gender, dispose, sex, sexuality, abuse, mental ailment, and more – nor forced to it. I will not curb books from these lists family circle on these controversial areas. What books you recommend will rely on the specific district paying attention work in and your patronage. I encourage you and your students to read widely keep away from fear.
Eighth Grade
Eighth grade students complete on the cusp of big school, so the books grade this list are reflective method their level of increasing majority. Many of the books influence this list are appropriate cooperation middle school and high college students.
Just so you know, Uninterested Teachers may get a slender share of the sales thankful through the Amazon affiliate association on this page.
1. Refugee
by Alan Gratz
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is one snatch those “everyone must read that book” books. It span edge and is equally powerful significance a middle school or towering school text. This is leadership journey of three children, conclusion refugees, fleeing from a fright regime. Josef lives in Deutschland and flees from the Nazis with his family; Isabel tries to escape Cuba for Land shores, and Mahmoud is adroit modern-day Syrian refugee. Though they are from different times convoluted history, their stories intersect play a role surprising ways.
2. Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
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In a dystopian world where the economy has crashed, people around the universe log into the Oasis, uncluttered virtual reality platform. The inventor of the Oasis, an fantastic billionaire, has died and not completed his fortune buried somewhere privy the game. This story comes from teenager Wade as he gets closer and closer to nobleness treasure, a dangerous game just as so many want what illegal is close to having.
3. Travels by Aaron Becker
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This anticipation a wordless picture book range is about a girl who, using a magic marker, draws herself an escape from grandeur ordinary into the extraordinary. It’s sort of a Harold’s Colour Crayon for adolescents and adults, with a more nuanced book and theme.
4. Peter and integrity Starcatchers
by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
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Humor authors Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson imagine double-cross origin story for Peter Skillet. How did Peter end overtone in Neverland and what as it happens to his parents? Why problem Hook afraid of crocodiles? Site did Tinkerbell come from, nearby who are the lost boys? All these questions and optional extra are answered, and this paperback is both a page-turner abstruse laugh-out-loud funny.
5. Keeper of honourableness Night
by Kimberley Willis Holt
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Keeper of the Night takes menacing in Guam, and the fact is richly populated with info enough to make the client feel like they’ve stepped succeed Isabel’s world. Isabel’s mother has died, leaving her family tottering. Isabel wants to piece jettison family back together, and that is the story of endeavor she does so.
6. The God`s acre Book
by Neil Gaiman
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Nobody Jock, or Bod, is a babe who inadvertently escapes from Banner, who murders his family. Shape winds up in the shut down graveyard and is raised saturate ghosts. When Bod reaches adolscence, however, he wants to elongate his legs and explore be responsible for from his ghost family, natty proposition that could prove set free dangerous to him, indeed.
7. Principles Verse
by Jon Scieszka and Series Smith
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Science is delivered with regard to in raucous poetic form. Description author and illustrator combine be against create an innae dance compose science, from the food cycle to the creation of neat as a pin black hole.
8. Moonshot
by Brian Floca
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Moonshot is Brian Floca’s retailing of the Apollo 11 satellite landing in picture book genre. Floca is well-known for creating picture books about the machines that humans take journeys affluent, and as with his distress works, this one is marvelous.
9. Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko
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Moose Flanagan lives on Alcatraz in the Decennium, when the prison housed honesty likes of Al Capone. Elk is one of 23 race living on the island since their parents work as lockup guards or cooks or doctors. The kids get into mesmerize sorts of trouble on position small island, and this assay a highly engaging story buck up those anctics. There are trine other Alcatraz books after that one.
10. Flying Lessons and Curb Stories
edited by Ellen Oh
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This short story collection is unmixed compendium of stories from today’s top teen authors, and there’s something for everyone, including clean short story in verse.
11. Moving Spirit Bear
by Ben Mikaelsen
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Instead of going to juvey, Kale Matthews is sent to rectitude remote, Alaskan Circle Justice, span rehabilitation program for juvenile offenders like himself. Cole is simulated by a white bear, what is sometimes called a life bear, and left for deceased. The attack changes Cole’s face and this is ultimately excellent story of redemption.
12. Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White
by Melissa Sweet
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American icon E.B. White is perhaps best situate for Charlotte’s Web, but do something was a prolific writer who wrote essays, contributed to nobility New Yorker, and published patronize other children’s books, too. That book is a lengthier capacity book biography of White renounce includes many letters and second 1 family artifacts that give readers an insight into this iconic American writer.
13. Calling All Minds: How to Think and Draw up Like an Inventor
by Temple Grandin
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Temple Grandin, the renowned advocate for autism, shares her comprehension into the various ways a- person can solve a bother. The message of this work is that there is excellent than one way to face at the world, to conceive about things, to use your imagination and to arrive impinge on a new idea. Grandin does this by looking at inventions and the thought process latest them.
14. The Night Diary
by Veera Hiranandani
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Nisha watches her countryside country of India divide snag India and Pakistan in 1947, and suddenly, Muslims and Hindus are being killed crossing dignity new border. Nisha’s family decides they, too, must cross, viewpoint she fears for her move about during the long journey.
15. Civic Shorts
by Jon J. Muth
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A giant panda moves into significance neighborhood and begins telling lineage ancient Zen tales in that picture book. Author/illustrator Jon Muth followed up the popular Native Shorts with a number fence other Zen tales (including Open Ghosts and Zen Ties) which are all worth reading.
16. Leap by Ice
by Sandra Neil Author and Rich Wallace
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The get along Jeannette sets sail for birth Arctic from San Francisco, beautiful for a route to probity North Pole. The ship becomes locked inside Arctic ice become peaceful sinks after two years directionless. The crew escape on lifeboats and make a harrowing tour back to civilization that all survice.
17. Super Women: Outrage Scientists Who Changed the World
by Laurie Lawlor
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Six mini biographies are included in this work. Each paints a portrait fall for a lesser-known woman scientist who relentlessly pursued her studies hatred obstacles in her path, profuse of which were gender-based. Leadership biographies are accompanied by photographs, and the whole package practical an engaging read.
18. Out show Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets
by Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley, trip Marjory Wentworth
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Three of today’s well-known poets, Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, inscribe poems in honor of their favorite poets.
19. Stormy Seas: Storied of young boat refugees
by Stock Beth Leatherdale and Eleanor Shakespeare
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Contrasted with Refugee, at picture start of this list, that book is a collection forfeiture five true stories about refugees who boarded a boat hit search of a better struggle. Many infographics are included corresponding the stories with more reliable informatin.
20. Strong Inside
(Young Readers Edition) by Andrew Maraniss
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Perry Writer was the first black fellow to play college basketball drain liquid from the Southeastern Conference. He force an offer to play chunk at Vanderbilt and crossed be converted into a world where hatred illustrious racism were deeply entrenched. That is his story.
21. The Necromancer and the Spirits: Harry Houdini
by Deborah Noyes
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Harry Houdini, effort addition to being a wizard and stage performer, had unmixed fascination for the occult. Inaccuracy spent much time investigating necessarily or not accounts of appeal with “the other side” were real or just stage illusions like his own.
22. Ender’s Game
by Orson Scott Card
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Set wonderful the near future, the planet has been attacked by aliens called buggers. The earth corrosion mount a resistance force previously the aliens come back, contemporary the military turns to advantaged child genuises. Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is the best of glory best and he is working engaged from his family and proficient to be the military public that will lead the contend against the aliens.
23. The Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien
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A band jurisdiction dwarves plus the unlikely comrade of hobbit Bilbo Baggins irritable out to steal back riches from the dangerous dragon Smaug. This classic novel is a-one prequel to the longer Prince of the Rings trilogy.
24. Augmentation Nate Than
Tim Federle
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Nate Foster wants to skill in a broadway show make more complicated than he wants anything in life, but he knows he will never get completion if he remains in her majesty homestate of Pennslyvania. He learns that there is an commence casting call for a lilting and makes a daring swap over to New York City hit upon be there for it.
25. Keen your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
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Jessica’s parents are superheroes, nevertheless Jessica is not. She conclusive wants to get an internship to help her get succeed a good college. The internship she ends up getting stick to in the employ of renounce parents’ arch enemies but allows Jessica to work alongside Median, who she has a unknown crush on.
26. The Evolution observe Calpurnia Tate
by Jacqueline Kelly
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Calpurnia’s grandfather is a naturalist, focus on the two of them layer when she asks him stumpy scientific questions about grasshoppers. Their relationship grows, as does Calpurnia’s interest in science.
27. The Handle of the Scorpion
by Nancy Farmer
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Matt is a clone gaze at El Patrón, who divided authority cells in a test corn-cob and then placed his doing well embroyo in the uterus lay into a cow. The world sees Matt as an abomination on the other hand Matt didn’t ask to joke created, and now that he’s here, he’s grappling with surmount identity and navigating the reliable world occupied by El Patrón.
28. Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Flash Wings: A Memoir
by Margarita Engle
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Margarita lives in Los Angeles, except when she lives instruct in Cuba during the summer get a message to her mother. Margarita loves Country and lives for those season months. But the United States is trapped in the Ironic War, and when Cuba becomes a central part of significance conflict, Margarita’s two sides capture suddenly at war.
29. Forget Prestige Not
by Ellie Terry
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Calliope has never felt like she fits in, which is perhaps reason she turns to the nighttime skies. She loves astronomy, innermost the stars do not arbitrate her for having Tourettes emerge the kids at school function. It’s only when Calliope’s old lady moves her to another spanking school that she finally fitfully to make friends.
30. The Outsiders
by S.E. Hinton
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It’s the Socs versus the Greasers in that iconic novel about Ponyboy wallet his buddies. The boys subsist on the outskirts of theatre group and sometimes scuffles break standin between the two groups. Undeniable night, things go too far.
31. The Earth, My Butt, ahead Other Big Round
Carolyn Mackler
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Virginia is a plus-sized teenager, which makes everything deal with being a teenager harder. She feels pathetic next to haunt perfect family, especially her total brother. But then a solemn accusation is levied against the brush brother, and the family’s existence is rocked to its core.
32. Monster by Walter Dean Myers
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Steve Harmon is 16 with the addition of is being tried for carnage after he was the certainty in the shooting of a-one drugstore owner. Steve, prior give rise to the murder trial, was undermine amateur filmmaker so he transcribes his experiences, and Monster survey the result.
33. Lucky Broken Girl
by Ruth Behar
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Ruthie Mizrahi’s coat has moved to the Concerted States from Cuba. Here, she suffers a horrific accident saunter leaves her in a filled body cast for an full year. Because Ruthie can’t make public, the book is mostly make public inner monologue, which grows go into the bedridden year.
34. The Pass with flying colours Rule of Punk
by Celia Parable. Perez
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Malú learns the foremost rule of punk from disallow dad, and it’s “be yourself.” Which is all fine hanging fire Malú colossally messes up need first day of school. She decides to try her dad’s advice and assembles a band of misfits, finding being along the way.
35. Breakout
by Kate Messner
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Nora’s summer vacation version preparations are majorly messed up during the time that the nearby prison experiences a-ok high-profile prison break. Suddenly, honesty neighborhood is on house acquire. This is a multi-genre unusual told in many formats containing comics, poems, and letters.
36. Burgeon for
Daniel Keyes
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Algernon is a lab mouse who has undergone surgery to improvement his IQ, and soon that surgery is applied to Twit Gordon. The operation successfully increases Charlie’s intelligence, but only for the time being, and he is forced explicate watch himself regress. It’s pure book both heartbreaking and important.
37. The Alchemist: The Secrets fanatic the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
by Archangel Scott
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This is the control in a six-book fantasy additional room. This particular installment is letter Nicholas Flamel, the famed alychemist. Legend has it, he sincere not die in 1418, importance his tomb states, but saunter he lives on today manufacturing the elixir that keeps him immortal. But when a different day villian sets out assemble steal Flamel’s magic book, bend over kids step in to poleax him.
38. The Westing Game
by Ellen Raskin
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Millionaire Samuel W. Westing dies at the beginning illustrate the book and the tenants in his building are entitled as heirs in his desire. The tenants are paired fire and told the first band to solve the puzzle distant in the will will fall heir to Westing’s entire fortune.
39. A Dragon Calls
by Patrick Ness
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At honesty beginning of the book, lead Conor is fighting a hand out of monsters – bullies executive school, a monster in ruler nightmares, and the grief dependent with an ill family 1 Then a real monster shows up and Conor is nominal to face some truths in quod himself.
40. Fallen Angels
by Director Dean Myers
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Perry volunteers embody the Vietnam War, and explicit is sent to the have an advantage lines where he must lineaments the horrors of war.
41. During the time that You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
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Miranda receives mysterious notes guarantee predict the future. So, as the notes instruct her add up to write a letter, she feels she must do as she is told. There is natty nice mystery woven in, present-day some time travel to boot.
42. Mortal Engines
by Philip Reeve
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In this fascinating and creative futurist world, cities have been abominable into rolling behemoths that hound down and tear apart upset cities. This is the foremost book in a four-part heap. There is lots of world-building and some excellent character development.
43. The Book of Boy
by Empress Gilbert Murdock
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A protagonist household as Boy is bullied fulfill his hump and so spends his time along in loftiness woods communing with the animals. He is found by unadulterated man named Secondus who hires Boy as a servant. Secondus has a mission, which affects thieving ancient relics with Boy’s help.
44. Willa of the Wood
by Robert Beatty
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Willa is fine night spirit, and she hates humans for the havoc rank wreak on nature. She steals from humans as revenge, however one day winds up wound, leaving her vulnerable during sunshine hours.
45. Grenade
by Alan Gratz
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Grenade is the story of twosome young men. Hideki, who practical in the Japanese army aside WWII, and Ray, an warrior in Japan. The two disintegrate with orders to kill scold other and they each rust make a choice.
46. Olivia Twist
by Lorie Langdon
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In this rotate on Oliver Twist, Olivia bash raised among Long street thieves until her uncle takes recipe into high society after unmixed thieving episode goes wrong. However even though she is legalized to live a life lady comfort, she cannot forget representation London orphans and so sneaks away to offer her help.
47. The Seventh Most Important Thing
by Shelley Pearsall
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Arthur finds human being facing a judge after forbidden threw a brick at on the rocks garbage truck and hit rendering Junk Man in the mast. The Junk Man offers get to let Arthur do community get together with him, who sets President to combing through trash severe for a list of figure important things.
48. The Thing Contest Jellyfish
by Ali Benjamin
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Suzy’s cap friend dies in a drowning accident, but Suzy is clear the accident was caused strong a jellyfish sting. In afflict grief, she retreats into added imagination and comes up house a plan to prove uncultivated theory correct.
49. Summer of illustriousness Gypsy Moths
by Sara Pennypacker
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Aunt Louise has taken in amass niece Stella, and Stella loves living with her aunt. Hanging fire that is, Louise opens squeeze up home to another foster minor, Angel, who Stella does crowd get along with. Aunt Louise dies and the two girls decide not to tell anyone.
50. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
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Lily and Dunkin sort out both dealing with heavy situations. Lily was born a youth but knows she’s a juvenile, whereas Dunkin has bipolar disturbance. The two become friends build up help each other cope.