40+ of the Best Books for 8 Year Old Girls

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
I read this classic series so many times as a child and was delighted to see it show up as a favorite – I read it aloud to my girls a few years ago and they loved it as much as I do. A pure delight!

The Baby-Sitters Club by Raina Telgemeier
I sometimes feel like the only girl who grew up in the 90s that didn’t read 10,000 Babysitter Club books, but after 1 or 2, I didn’t really have all that much interest (Sweet Valley Kids was more my style). And then Ella discovered there were graphic novel version and  . . . surprise. She was all in. These super fun books follow four girls as they start their own club for babysitting and make new friends along the way. Each book is based on one of the original books. And if your daughter has already blown through these, I have a list of other books like The Babysitters Club Graphic novels you should check out.

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
This is the book that shot Kate DiCamillo to stardom, and it’s so sweet about a little girl who finds a dog that needs a home. My daughter just read this a few months ago and loved it.

Best Wishes by Sarah Mlynowski
Picture this: a mysterious box shows up on your doorstep, and inside is a bracelet that grants wishes. That’s exactly what happens to Becca – her wish for friends comes true, but soon she begins to wonder if this magical gift is more of a curse.

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
I’m pretty sure I’ve checked this one out from the library but never actually cracked it open (story of my life). Emily has moved to San Francisco and can’t wait to meet Garrison Griswold who created Book Scavenger (a game where books are hidden around the country and there are clues to locate them. But when she discovers that Griswold is in a coma after an attack, she takes it on herself to figure out what Griswold’s newest game was going to be.

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
I was obsessed with this chapter book series growing up and read probably a hundred of them. I like that the mysteries aren’t too scary and I really love that they showcase siblings that like each other, get along, and work together to solve problems.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
This was our first read-aloud and you better believe I sobbed through the whole last 15 pages. You really can’t pass up this classic about the relationship between a pig and spider.

City Spies by James Ponti
This book was on my 2020 Summer Reading Guide and I’m delighted that Ella enjoyed it too. City Spies is the story of five kids from all over the world brought together to operate out of a secret MI6 base in Scotland, working on cases that adults can’t get anywhere near. It’s clever and funny and fast-paced and a total kid pleaser.

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
I have such vivid memories of reading this book in grad school (not for school. . . .just when I needed a little break from my data heavy courses).

Cupcake Diaries by Coco Simon
Katie Brown feels left out when her best friend joins the Popular Girls Club, but she soon finds sweet new friendships with Mia, Emma, and Alexis. Together they create the Cupcake Club! There is also a graphic novel version of this series too!

Dragon Girls by Maddy Mara
Dragon girls Azima, Willa, and Naomi find out they have secret abilities. And to protect the Magic Forest from evil, they will need to use their newfound powers. This series does not skimp on adventure or magic!

 

El Deafo by Cece Bell
This Newbery Honor title is based on the author’s experience moving to a new school. And it’s an extra tricky transition for Cece who is deaf. But when she realizes that her super-powerful hearing aid lets her hear everything her teacher says – not just in the classroom – Cece starts to feel like a superhero!

The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler
My girls have been SUPER into this series. Ella has read them all multiple times and my younger girls love listening to the audio version of this girl who discovers that she is half mermaid.

Framed by James Ponti
Another book by James Ponti and Ella blew through this series in a week! This book follows Florian Bates who is the only kid that the FBI Director has on speed dial (and a kid that a whole lot of criminals want taken care of). After a move to DC, Florian and his new friend Margaret uncover a mystery that involves a major crime ring, the FBI and the National Gallery. It’s up to them to solve the mystery AND get their homework done.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
I have a long history of loving Harry Potter. When my mom started reading the first one to me and my sisters, we only made it through one chapter before we were completely hooked. I also have some very happy memories of snuggling my nursing baby in the my in-laws’ basement, reading the British versions of several of the books. I have read the entire series multiple times, seen all the movies, and I still never get tired of this story.

Heartwood Hotel by Kallie George, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin I’m always on the lookout for chapter books with lots of illustrations for the middle elementary crowd. This one is about a little mouse who stumbles into a hotel in a storm and takes a job as a maid. (Full review here)

Heidi Heckelbeck by Wanda Coven, illustrated by Priscilla Burris
I knew when I picked up the first book in the series for Ella that Heidi turns out to be a witch, but she didn’t know that and when she reached the end of the first volume and made that incredible discovery for herself, she went berserk with excitement, leaping around the kitchen as she told me about how Heidi was actually a witch and had magical powers.

Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows
Bean and Ivy didn’t mean to be friends – but then they accidentally become best friends and get into all sorts of fun adventures. Ella listened to the whole series last year and still checks out the books from the library when she sees them on the shelf.

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
Ella come home from school saying one of her friends was raving about this series. Happily, I happened to have a copy and Ella devoured this book about Sophie doesn’t fit in at school or in her family, in part because she can read minds. Then she meets a boy who has the same powers she does and it turns out there are a lot of secrets about herself and the world around her that she doesn’t know. But she’s going to find out pretty quickly!

Land of Stories by Chris Colfer
Alex and Conner, sister-brother twins, open up a beloved book of stories only to find themselves sucked into the book. In a mysterious land where magic runs rampant, they find themselves interacting with fairy tale characters they’ve heard about all their lives. The real question is. . . can they ever get home? This series has been especially popular in my house!

The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne
I’ve never had a child particularly interested in the Magic Tree House books until Tally who has really taken a shine to them and listens to them nearly every night as she goes to bed.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
This is one of those middle grade novels that took the world by storm – it has been SO popular and for good reason. Mr. Lemoncello is a world-famous game maker AND he’s designed the new city library. And on opening night, there will be a lock-in for kids where they have to solve the puzzles to find the hidden escape route. (You can see why it spent 100 weeks on the NYT Bestseller List). (Full review here)

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
I read this book back when I was a school librarian and have been a fan ever since. We listened to the whole 13+ hour audiobook in the car and my two older girls both LOVED it. As soon as we finished, Ella checked out the rest of the series and listened to them in a week (oh, to have that much listening time. . . ). The book begins with a strange ad in the newspaper asking super smart children to apply and when four children pass the test put before them. Now their job is to go on a secret mission at a mysterious school called the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, and puzzles, tests, and riddles will be everywhere they turn.

My Weird School by Dan Gutman
This is a silly series reminds me of the Wayside School series. This series is geared more for beginning readers, but all the adults at Ella Mentry School are just a little bit weird…maybe REALLY weird! 

Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
Ella got hooked on the Nancy Drew series because there were some included on the Amazon FreeTime Unlimited books on her new Kindle and then she discovered we had a whole set of them on my bookshelf. I grew up with Nancy Drew (my mom bought a huge set of the original yellow hardcovers from a friend for $5 or $10!). And, of course, don’t forget the equally beloved Hardy Boy series.

Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend
Morrigan Crow was born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, and thus lives a cursed life. As she awaits her fate, she is whisked away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor. She learns that to stay in the safety of Nevermoor she has to compete in four difficult trials and discover her own extraordinary talent- or have to leave the city and face her deadly fate.

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
I read this years ago and it just about ripped my heart out – then I read it aloud to my kids and we blew through it because we were all so into it. Melody is born with some severe handicaps and many people believe she has no mental abilities at all, but she’s actually extremely bright, just unable to communicate much. When she finally gets a computer that allows her to express her thoughts, her whole world is opened up, but she quickly realizes that her peers might not be as thrilled as she is that she can now speak.

Peter and the Star Catchers by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson
Whenever someone tells me they just finished listening to Harry Potter, I always recommend this audiobook. The story isn’t very similar (it’s a Peter Pan story, brilliantly and hilariously reimagined), but it’s full of magic AND it’s narrated by Jim Dale, who reads the Harry Potter audiobooks. This is a do not miss. Also there are also five books in the series, so you won’t be running out of listening material anytime soon. (Full review here)

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
My girls have listened non-stop to every Ramona book. There’s a reason they’re still so popular, all these years later. We listened to one of them on a road trip several years ago and Bart turned to me and said, “She is just SUCH a good writer.” Couldn’t agree more.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
This one scored a Newbery Honor so I knew I had to read it! Astrid falls in love with roller derby and decides to go to derby camp over the summer, while her best friend Nicole – uninterested in  roller derby – heads off for dance camp. It’s a huge change for Astrid who has spent her whole life doing things with Nicole.

The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley
I first heard about this series nearly a decade ago from my mother-in-law who read it with one of my nieces and Ella spent a year blazing through the ten books of the series. Two orphaned sisters are sent to live with their grandmother (who they didn’t even know existed) in a strange little town called Ferryport Landing. When they arrive they soon learn that they have descended from the Brothers Grimm and the book of fairy tales those brothers wrote? Is actually history. And as one fairy tale mystery after another pops up in their town, it’s up to the sisters to solve the mysteries. This series is just DANG fun, with all the characters from every fairy tale you know popping up. The question is, who can they trust and who is trying to take them down?

Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
Ben Ripley’s dream job is to work for the CIA, but since he’s only a middle schooler, it’s going to be a tough sell.  Then he is recruited for a special STEM school program, but to his shock and delight the program is actually a front for a junior CIA! Which sounds terrific until he realizes how dangerous spy school really is!

The Sugar Creek Gang series by Paul Hutchens
This series of mysteries are more than fifty years old and reading the reviews of them make me think my Boxcar Children-obsessed girls would really like these.

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
This is a super well done graphic novel, with beautiful illustrations, great characters, and a fun storyline. It’s a definite winner! Bree is excited for her first day at her new middle school, until she finds out that the only elective left open is swim team. But how can she tell her friends and coach she doesn’t know how to swim?

The Bookwanderers by Anna James
This is a book for book lovers where a young girl can wander in and out of favorite books, meeting the beloved characters that live there. Of course, when you wander into a book, you might find a few plot twists!

Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
I’m pretty sure Kate DiCamillo is a miracle worker. This book, with gorgeous illustrations, is a perfect classic story about a beloved china rabbit who, as sometimes happens to even the most loved toys, gets lost.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
I pretty much don’t care for animals (I know) and I STILL think this is one of the best kids books ever, Newbery winner or not. When a book is this sweet, funny, and well-written, who cares if it’s narrated by a gorilla? Not me. (Full review here) 

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
This series is pretty recent (in the last 15 years), but it has the feel of a classic and we all loved these stories about four sisters and their summer vacation. There’s a reason these books are BELOVED. We’ve listened to many of the books in the series on road trips and we all just love them.

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
This fun story follows five siblings who are about to lost their beloved brownstone home in Harlem, thanks to a cantankerous (and mysterious) landlord who refuses to budge.

Whatever After by Sarah Mylnowski
This is one of my kids’ FAVORITE series, and although it’s not high-brow literature, it’s a fun series of fractured fairy tales. The’ve listened to them ALL multiple times and I listened to the first one at my oldest daughter’s request.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
The girls and I listened to this fun audiobook a few years ago and I’ve heard from SO MANY families that have loved this one too. And now with the movie out, it’s a great one to read the book and watch the movie!

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by L. Pichon
Meet Tom Gates, a doodle-loving, excuse-making middle schooler whose life is basically one long series of (very funny) misunderstandings and distractions. This illustrated chapter book is similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and is laugh-out-loud!

Unicorn Academy by Julie Sykes
What if you went to a school where you were paired with your very own unicorn? This early chapter book series is pure magic, following Sophia and her unicorn Rainbow as they team up to solve a mystery and save the unicorns’ magic. This book is perfect for unicorn lovers!

Upside Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins 
This series is perfect for your littlest Harry Potter lovers who aren’t quite ready for some of the deeper themes in the later Harry Potter books. My girls listened to this series non-stop and they loved the funny stories of children with magical powers that aren’t quite regular. Basically if there is magic? My kids are in.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
This was a GREAT book about a little girl, Minli, who sets out on a quest to find the Old Man on the Moon so she can find a fortune for her poor family. It was especially fun for my girls who are in a Mandarin Chinese immersion program at school. It’s full of little side stories that weave wonderfully into the main plot and gorgeous illustrations. Highly recommend.

Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland
This middle grade fantasy fiction is a gripping tale about seven dragon tribes that have been at war for generations. A plot is hatched to finally bring an end to the fighting but the five dragonets that are at the heart have a different plan. This series is WILDLY popular!

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
I first read Wonder about a decade ago and was blown away by how good it is. And, of course, I wasn’t the only one – it’s been a wildly popular book almost since the moment it was first released, both with parents and teachers and with young readers. My girls and I listened to it a few years ago and we all really loved it.