Ella Enjoyed: Good Books for 8th Graders
Ella is more than halfway through her 8th grade year and she’s been reading more than ever lately.
She’s incredibly into art and I can often hear her audiobook playing softly in the background as she draws something complicated and gorgeous.
Here are some of the books – both audiobooks and paper books – she’s been enjoying lately!
5 good books for 8th graders
Big Tree by Brian Selznick
This is Selznick’s most recent release telling the story about two sycamore seeds looking for a place to take root and grow. Although this book is 528 pages, Selznick uses his classic format of both text and illustration to convey his story.
What Ella has to say: This book is by the author who wrote The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It’s the same format: very thick but with lots of pictures. I picked this one up just for fun a few days ago, and finished it in about two hours. It’s about two seeds who live during the Cretaceous period. They have to find their way to a safe spot to lay down roots while avoiding dinosaurs, volcanos, and asteroids. This book was so cute and delightful with beautiful illustrations.
Misfit Mansion by Kay Davault
This sweet graphic novel is all about found family and facing fears. It focuses on a home for misfit monsters as they try to find their forever family. I’ve heard this one reminds people of the animated television series, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends (which I haven’t seen).
What Ella has to say: It wouldn’t be an Ella Enjoyed without a good graphic novel. This is a fun one about monsters living together until they find an opportunity to escape to the outside world. But how can monsters fit in with a small human town? This is a fun, quick read for anyone who’s interested.
Matched by Ally Condie
I read this one quite a while ago and I couldn’t NOT like this YA dystopian novel. The Giver plus romance? Sign me up. I still can’t believe Ella is old enough to be reading some of the YA books that I have really loved. (Full review here)
What Ella has to say: Matched is kind of a stereotypical dystopian romance, but basically the only one I’ve read, so it felt new and interesting to me. I haven’t read the second or third, but the first one does end in a cliffhanger so be careful if you only want to read one book. This book is interesting and entertaining, a great choice for middle schoolers.
Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye
Ozzy’s parents go missing after they discovered a formula that enables mind control. Their top secret work makes it difficult for Ozzy to go to the police, but he needs help from someone to find his parents. He finds an ad in the classifieds section for a “Wizard for Hire” and decides to take a chance. The first two books in the series are included in your Audible membership – you can grab 3 free months here!
What Ella has to say: I listened to all these books on Audible and they are SO good. The book follows a boy named Ozzy, who has lived in the woods alone since his parents were kidnapped when he was seven. When he finally emerges into the real world, he hires a “wizard” to find his parents. Throughout the whole series, you can never quite tell if this guy is really the wizard he claims to be or just a regular guy wearing a bathrobe and fancy trousers.
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
This is a great series about two kids, Seth and Kendra Sorensen, who go to spend a few weeks with their grandparents on their very remote property. It doesn’t take them long to figure out not everything is as it appears. The butterflies and dragonflies in the garden are actually fairies! That is only the beginning of the magical creatures that inhabit Fablehaven. I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and you know that isn’t something I say often about fantasy! (Full review here)
What Ella has to say: I finally read this over the last few months after picking it up once or twice a few years ago. I actually loved them after I got over the slightly slow start. I love a good fantasy and this really hit the spot. I convinced my dad to read them too, and we’ve enjoyed discussing and predicting over the course of the five books. I would definitely recommend Fablehaven for anyone who is looking for a good fantasy and has a lot of time on their hands.
And if you’d like a printable copy of this 8th grade book list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
P.S. YOU CAN SEE ALL OF ELLA’S REVIEWS HERE!
if you liked this post about good books for 8th graders, you might also like these other posts:
- Ella Enjoyed: 5 Books for 8th Graders
- 80+ Incredible Middle Grade Audiobooks
- 15+ Romance Books for Tweens