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Realistic Fiction Books for 8th Graders

Eighth graders can be a tough crowd to choose books for. They’re still middle schoolers but their taste in books is probably somewhere in between middle grade books and young adult novels. Therefore, this list of realistic fiction books for 8th graders includes a mix of middle grade and YA books! Whether your 8th graders like historical fiction, clean romance, K-dramas, thrillers, graphic novels, or verse novels, there’s a book for them on this list!

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20 Best Realistic Fiction Books for 8th Graders

Here are 20 of my favorite realistic fiction books for 8th graders:

Published: June 28, 2022

Four eighth-grade buddies and a new tag-along (whom they’re reluctant to include) discover a posh underground bunker in the wake of a hurricane in their small town. CJ, Evan, Jason, Mitchell, and Ricky quickly begin to hang out at the fort for different reasons.

One of the boys is escaping an abusive step-parent, another is dodging his big brother and his bully of a friend, yet another loves to study there, while one just wants to stop hiding the hideout from his new girlfriend. When things get intense for the boys, their safe space becomes at risk of exposure — but maybe that’s the only way they can stay safe?

The Noh Family

Published: May 3, 2022

Chloe Chang lives a boring life in Oklahoma — with her busy single mom and her two best friends — where she loves watching K-dramas. But when her best friends gift her a 23-and-me test kit for her birthday, things take a dramatic turn. She finds out that her father was a son of the Noh family, a prestigious family in Seoul, South Korea and before she knows it, she’s off to meet them for the first time. Unfortunately, she’s thrust into a web of lies as she realizes that the family might have ulterior motives for reaching out to her.

My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding

Published: April 19, 2022

If your 8th grader likes wholesome young adult stories featuring big families and all the associated drama, this is one to have on your radar. Zurika Damani plays the violin with a sprinkle of hip hop and has just been rejected by Julliard. Her current options are to go to college for pre-law or compete in a contest judged by major college scouts (including Julliard scouts). The only problem is that the contest is during her big sister’s week-long Indian wedding.

Thankfully, her cousins band together to help her disappear during the ceremony without being discovered. But things get complicated when Zurika finds out that the group South African cousin is a fellow contestant. This is a rambunctious, chaotic story with plenty of family, music, and a swoony enemies-to-lovers romance.

The Liars Society

Published: February 6, 2024

Weatherby is a new kid to a Boston private school. She’s at the school on a sailing scholarship and immediately is thrust into a world she knew nothing about. Old school phone booths, scrambled phone service at school, friends with kids who go to the country club, and a boy who seems to hate her guts.

Jack is a rich kid at the school who is also on the sailing team who is constantly pressured by his father to be the best. When the money for a famed school trip is stolen, Jack, Weatherby, and some of their friends are invited to play a high-stakes secret game that leads to the revelation of shocking family secrets. This suspenseful mystery told from Jack’s and Weatherby’s perspectives is fast paced and high-stakes, perfect for the upper middle grade crowd.

Match Point

Published: September 19, 2023

Rosie’s dad wants her to play racquetball even though she says she wants no part and has no interest. He used to love it when he was a kid and he pushes Rosie to improve by constantly critiquing her game. But Rosie has a bad attitude about the sport because of the pressure he puts on her.

Blair is a new student with a warm family who are all into racquetball and Rosie wants her to compete in her behalf. But as Rosie hangs out with Blair’s family away from her father’s harsh supervision, she realizes what it means to play for fun.

10 Blind Dates

Published: October 1, 2019

Sophie is looking forward to getting time away from her parents for the holidays. They’re visiting her heavily pregnant sister over the holidays. But she’s especially happy because she’s looking forward to spend time with her boyfriend, Griffin. So she’s thrown for a loop when she overhears Griffin discussing his desire to break up with her — and then of course, she breaks up with him.

Sophie’s large family is very happy to have her with them for the holidays, particularly her cousins Olivia and Charlie whom she’s closest to. The family wants Sophie to enjoy the holidays and decide they will set her up on a date every day for the last 10 days of the year. 10 family members get to choose a different date — location, person, and all — for each day. She has the ability to decline one date.

In the midst of all the chaos, Sophie begins to rediscover her connection with Charlie’s friend, Wes.

The Many Meanings of Meilan

Published: August 17, 2021

After Meilan Hua’s Nai Nai dies, her extended family is split apart by a family feud with Meilan’s parents leaving Boston’s Chinatown to Redbud Ohio with her grieving grandfather. In Redbud, Meilan’s principal changes her name to Melanie, causing Meilan to delve into what her real name really means. As Meilan comes to value her name and all its meanings, she also dodges middle school bullies and works on a project than unites her and her grandfather. This is a unique story rich in connections to Chinese folktales and highlighting the importance of valuing one’s identity and fighting back against prejudice.

Bubble Trouble

Published: July 18, 2023

Since her mom died during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been just Chloe and her dad. She worries about their finances so when she has the chance to go on a school trip to Broadway, she’s hesitant to tell him. On a good note, there’s a boy she maybe likes? He works at a boba tea place in her neighborhood and things are going well until an altercation at the shop ends with Chloe being banned from the boba tea place.

What unfolds is a string of chaotic, surprising, and satisfying events including a boba making business, two lost lovers reuniting, and a new furry family member. This is a lighthearted, fun story that I think many kids are constantly looking for. It has many realistic elements but is ultimately a feel-good story with lots of information about making boba, being a good friend, and giving romance a chance.

The Davenports

Published: January 31, 2023

This is a full-on historical romance for teens, BUT it’s squeaky clean in terms of language and features four Black sisters who stumble into love in different ways. It’s also about the Davenport family business and features side characters who are dealing with compelling issues, like a maid trying to start a business and a best friend whose parents are forcing her to form a relationship with the Davenport’s only son. The Davenports is an exhilarating romance that manages to still be appropriate for older teens ages 12+

It’s 1998 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In the middle of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Kavi is dealing with her own personal upheavals. Her mother has remarried her father’s best friend after his death and is expecting a new baby. Meanwhile Kavi is getting sent to the city on a scholarship to an elite private school. There, she starts telling lies of a life of wealth and grandeur– small at first, then bigger and bigger — to fit in with the rich kids, until she begins to lose herself.

I really liked this debut verse novel. The Sri Lankan setting was rich and full of history—especially one I’ve so rarely seen in middle grade literature. Readers will see that often life goes on in the midst of war. I also liked seeing Kavi’s growth as she came to understand her mother and stepfather.

We Still Belong

Published: August 1, 2023

We Still Belong  follows young Wesley on one special Indigenous People’s Day, on which she plans to ask her crush to the Tolo dance. She’s also expecting the publication of her poem about Indigenous pride in the school newspaper. But suddenly, the day is not going to plan. Instead of her crush, she has a new lab partner, her English teacher doesn’t think her poem is all that great, and things may be changing at home.

The Queens of New York

Published: June 6, 2023

Jia, Everett, and Ariel are high school besties whose summer plans could not be any more different. Jia is a Chinese-American helping out at her family’s restaurant in Chinatown while looking after her little sister and grandmother. Everett is a Vietnamese-American off to theater camp in Ohio, while Ariel, the genius Korean-American is in pre-college grieving the death of her older sister months before.

As the summer progresses, all three girls will need their friendship to anchor them through the waves of grief, first loves, and standing up for yourself. I LOVED the depiction of friendship in this book and the way the author brings cities and characters to life. This YA book is free of profanity and other mature content, so it’s perfect for younger readers.

Published: January 12, 2021

Alone  is Megan E. Freeman’s debut survival middle-grade novel in verse. It follows 12-year-old Maddie who gets abandoned by some twist of fate when her entire town is mysteriously evacuated. Left alone with no human in sight, she bonds with a Rottweiler named George who is one of many abandoned pets. Soon after, they lose power and then water and Maddie has to fend for herself using a variety of ingenious means and the town resources at her disposal, including an empty library, grocery store, neighbors’ homes — you get the picture.

Maddie is alone for months and has to safeguard herself from wild animals, terrible weather, and dangerous intruders, on top of the fear and loneliness of being all by herself.

The Lost Year

Published: December 27, 2022

It’s 2020, and Matthew is sick of being inside with the pandemic raging outside. While reluctantly helping his great-grandmother sort through her belongings, he finds a picture of two girls. As she shares her experience during the Ukrainian famine, the story alternates between three narrators: Matthew, Helena, and Mila. A powerful, unforgettable account of historical events.

Control Freaks

Published: June 13, 2023

As the kids in Benjamin Banneker College Prep compete in their STEAM contest, two of the boys navigate complicated familial changes. Doug and T.W. are sorta brothers. Doug’s dad is T.W.’s stepfather, and Doug has a stepdad of his own too. Both boys will need to build a relationship on their own even as Doug learns to balance having two different kinds of dads. This book offers not just strong STEAM depictions, but a heartwarming examination of the challenges some blended families face.

Barely Floating

Published: August 29, 2023

Nat is a chubby 12-year-old with major swimming skills and a fiery temper. After spotting The LA Mermaids, a synchronized swimming group at a neighborhood pool, Nat is convinced that it’s the sport for her. Her parents aren’t so sure. So Nat auditions for and joins the team behind their backs, getting her older cousin to take her to practice.

This book is compulsively readable, and Nat is a well-drawn, rarely represented type of female character with many flaws and a lot of confidence. She learns how to be a good friend and why it’s important to be honest. The author also delves into discourse about body image. Readers may also want to know that a side character is disowned by her parents after coming out as gay.

The Labors of Hercules Beal

Published: May 23, 2023

Herc Beal is the smallest kid in his class and has recently lost both parents in a car accident. His older brother is now his legal guardian after moving back home to take over their family business. Hercules is feeling particularly lost when he gets into a new middle school. So when his homeroom teacher at his new middle school gives him the assignment of duplicating the mythical Hercules’s amazing feats in real life, he’s skeptical. After all, there are no Nemean Lions on Cape Cod—and not a single Hydra in sight.

Missing his parents terribly and wishing his older brother wasn’t working all the time, Herc figures out how to take his first steps along the road that the great Hercules himself once walked. Soon, new friends, human and animal, are helping him. And though his mythical role model performed his twelve labors by himself, Herc begins to see that he may not have to go it alone.

Ultraviolet

Published: April 2, 2024

This is a 2024 verse novel that captured my heart from the first page. It’s about 8th grader Elio Solis who’s in the midst of his first real relationship with his girlfriend Camelia. His Pops is always reminding him to man up but when he gets into a fight for Camelia’s honor, he gets an unexpected lesson in consent, masculinity, and what it means to be a man. Pegged as Judy Blume for boys, I’m excited to see more readers experience this story.

What Happened to Rachel Riley?

Published: January 10, 2023

When Anna Hunt moves from Chicago to Wisconsin for her mother’s new job, she soon realizes that something’s off about her new eighth-grade class. One student, Rachel Riley, who was once popular is now treated as a social pariah. So when their English teacher assigns them an un-essay — which is an exploration of a topic in any other format besides an essay — Anna decides to investigate the question: What happened to Rachel Riley? Of course, the teacher rejects Anna’s topic despite her lawyer mom’s protests. But with some hesitant help from Rachel and some other schoolmates, Anna pieces together the mystery.

Give Me a Sign

Published: July 11, 2023

In  Give Me a Sign , Lilah is a teen with hearing loss but who isn’t profoundly deaf. So she has always felt caught in the middle — not deaf enough to be part of the Deaf community and not fully hearing to fit in completely there either. But when she becomes a counselor at a summer camp for deaf and blind kids, her experiences (and the boy she falls in love with) change the way the views her disability.

There they are: 20 of the best realistic fiction books for 8th graders! Which of these have you read and loved? What did I miss?

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• About Afoma Umesi

Afoma Umesi is the founder and editor of Reading Middle Grade where she curates book lists and writes book reviews for kids of all ages. Her favorite genre to read is contemporary realistic fiction and she'll never say no to a graphic novel.

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25 Captivating Books for 8th Graders

Alison Doherty

Alison Doherty is a writing teacher and part time assistant professor living in Brooklyn, New York. She has an MFA from The New School in writing for children and teenagers. She loves writing about books on the Internet, listening to audiobooks on the subway, and reading anything with a twisty plot or a happily ever after.

View All posts by Alison Doherty

Finding books for eighth graders can be a tricky tightrope to walk. Some 8th graders are already immersed in adult books. Others might not love reading or still might be struggling to read with ease. Both of these are normal. And between middle grade fantasy , classics, romances, and graphic novels , I tried to pick 25 books that will appeal to all kinds of 8th grade readers.

With a mixture of books from middle grade, young adult, and adult categories, I searched through reviews to make sure these were all considered appropriate for 13- and 14-year-old readers. Many are also suggestions I’ve gotten from 8th grade students where I teach. Without further stalling, here are 25 books for all kinds of 8th grade readers.

Best New Books for 8th Graders

When you were everything by ashley woodfolk.

Cleo and Layla used to be best friends. But in Sophomore year, everything changes. The two drift apart until their friendship dramatically ends. Cleo is still trying to make sense of what happens as she tries to move forward making new friends, listening to jazz and reading her beloved Shakespeare. Told in two timelines, before and after, Cleo’s story of grieving for a lost friendship will be relevant for many 8th graders trying to process past middle school friend drama and looking forward to high school.

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

This is a historical fantasy novel based on Mozart’s older sister, Maria, that came out in March. Maria Anna is a musical prodigy in her own right. She travelled around Europe with her brother performing throughout her childhood. This story mixes the 18th century world they lived in with the fantasy world of Back, which the real Mozart siblings invented on their travels as children. Throughout the story Maria Anna must straddle the worlds: one full of magical fairy friends who may or may not have her best interest at heart and another where her brother’s gender means he will achieve musical accolades she can only dream of.

The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

A queer superhero story full of suspense, action, and romance. Nick Bell doesn’t have any super powers. But he writes super popular fan fiction about the heroes who do. And after a chance encounter with his favorite figure, Shadow Star, he begins a quest to turn his ordinary life into something more.

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera

Emil and Brighton are brothers living in a speculative version of New York City, where people can be born with special powers and abilities and Spell Walkers fight the specters who want to take those powers away. When Emil discovers his own powers and Brighton uploads a video of him, both brothers’ futures and their relationships are tested in a story of jealousy, loyalty, and adventure. This is a science fiction/fantasy hybrid story that came out earlier this year. It’s almost guaranteed to keep 8th grade readers turning pages.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Camino Rios lives in the Dominican Republic. Yahaira Rio lives in New York City. They don’t know about each other, or even know they have a sister, until their beloved Papi unexpectedly dies in an airplane crash, flying from New York to the Dominican Republic to visit Camino. As both grieve, they learn about each other and unravel the web of secrets their family kept from them. Told in dual perspectives, through the beautiful verse of each girl’s poetry, the Rios sisters try to figure out how to keep pursuing their dreams even when tragedy strikes.

Classic Books for 8th Graders

The house on mango street by sandra cisneros.

This 1984 novel by Mexican American writer Sandra Cisneros uses vignettes to tell the story of Esperanza Cordero. Esperanza is a middle school girl growing up in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago. Living in a poor neighborhood, she dreams of moving somewhere else. But the book explores the culture around her, both celebrating her Mexican American culture and exposing the sexist influences in her life that Esperanza tries to overcome throughout the story.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

This familiar fantasy story is a precursor to the longer and more challenging Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It’s a contained adventure story in an epic fantasy world. With dwarves, hobbits, sword fights, wizards, and dragons, the book’s plot and humor have stood the test of time. There is a reason this book has been popular with children and adult readers for more than eighty years!

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

For budding mystery readers, introduce them to a classic whodunnit. The famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Watson set out to investigate a new case in Dartmoor, England. A man is dead with enormous dog pawprints leading to his body. Some believe it is a coincidence. Others believe in a family curse and a local legend of a supernatural dog, able to frighten people to death. Holmes and Watson arrive in Dartmoor to find several unexplainable occurrences and clues. Together, they start to unravel a puzzle that defined mystery and detective fiction ever since this book was published.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This is a classic that’s great to read at almost any age. I read this in middle school and again in college. It was published in 1959 and has become a rare African book accepted into the academic cannon. The fascinating novel follows the character Okonkwo, who’s living in an Igbo village in Nigeria. His life dramatically changes as white missionaries and colonialism influence the world around him. Despite a bleak subject, the story is infused with lyrical writing and moments of humor.

Award-Winning Books for 8th Graders

Brown girl dreaming by jacqueline woodson.

Winner of the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and a Newberry Honor Book, Brown Girl Dreaming  uses poetry for the author to tell her true story of growing up Black in the 1960s and 1970s. Woodson’s beautiful, sparse language explores big ideas, while describing her family, her growing awareness of race and the Civil Rights movement, and her life split between South Carolina and New York City.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

This book won the Printz Award and is a Stonewall Honor Book. It follows twins Noah and Jude, alternating between their perspectives and two different periods of time. One, when they are 13, inseparable, their mother is still alive, and Noah is falling in love for the first time with their new neighbor Brian. The second is when the twins are 16, barely speaking, and without their mother. Along with powerful, lyrical prose, the book explores what it means to be an artist, what it means to be a family, and what it means to grow up.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

This book won the Printz award and gained several other honors and smaller awards as well. In a dystopian (or perhaps utopian) future, technological advances have eliminated death by natural causes. Society has created a new roll “Scythes” who kill people to keep the population under control. Two teenagers, Rowan and Citra, are training to become Scythes. But in the course of their training, they uncover massive corruption within the Scythe system. The secrets they uncover and their relationship with each other will change both their destinies and the course of society at large.

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

This book is the 2020 winner the Morris Award, which honors new writers making their young adult debut. In it, Norris a Black French Canadian teenager who must acclimate to a new life in Austin, Texas. He observes and categorizes everyone around him and longs to go home to Canada. And sometimes—just sometimes—Norris learns to see past his assumptions and categorizations to make friends or, at least, understand the individual people around him more clearly.

 Challenging Books for 8th Graders

The interpreter of maladies by jhumpa lahiri.

This Pulitzer Prize–winning short story collection explores the lives of Indian and Indian American characters who feel caught between the cultures of both countries. The immigrant experience is portrayed through lyrical prose and intense character study. This book does touch on adult themes, such as death, grief, and sexuality, but appears on some middle school and 9th grade curriculums. The Interpreter of Maladies will be a challenging book for advanced and mature 8th graders to read.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

With multiple perspectives, sophisticated setting descriptions, and a complicated magic system, this novel could be a good “reach” book for 8th graders. Two young magicians, Celia and Marcus, have been training for a magical duel their whole lives. The duel involves one upping each other in the creation of a magical circus. But when they meet and have feelings for each other, the competition is put at risk. But in love or not, the game keeps demanding more and more from each magician. Neither wants to lose the game or each other.

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

This nonfiction book addresses racism in America and describes Baldwin’s early life growing up in Harlem. The book consists of two essays: “My Dungeon Shook—Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation” and “Down at the Cross—Letter From a Region of My Mind.” They were written in the 1960s, but function as both a historical read and one that is unfortunately still relevant in America today. The essays were written for an adult reader, but are appropriate for mature 8th grade readers and sure to spark important discussions.

Fantasy Books for 8th Graders 

Nocturna by maya motayne.

In a Latinx inspired fantasy world, Finn is a thief with the magical ability to change her appearance and Alfie is prince with magical powers of his own. Their paths cross when Alfie unleashes a powerful dark magic in the hopes of bringing back his dead older brother. Finn just happens to be in the palace, attempting to steal a mystical cloak of invisibility. They’re pasts and personalities couldn’t be more different. But they have to work together, or their world will be destroyed forever.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Eighth graders who love mythology and Rick Riordan books (AKA pretty much every eighth grader I’ve ever taught who likes reading) will devour this new fantasy series. While spending the summer at his grandparents’ farm in Alabama, Tristan accidentally opens—punches—a portal to the magical and scary world of MidPass. MidPass weaves together African American and West African gods. To return home, Tristan must convince the trickster god Anansi to seal the hole he created in the sky. But first, Anansi asks for a dangerous favor in return.

Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

Steampunk, science-forward Cinderella retelling. Do I need to say more to convince 8th grade readers to pick up this book? I doubt it, but I’ll keep going. Nic is called Mechanica by her cruel stepsisters. They think it’s an insult, but being an inventor is one of her proudest accomplishment. She’s created impressive technology to do all the chores her stepmother pushes on her. And instead of a ball, Nic is preparing for the royal science exposition in hopes of finding funders to gain her independence. There is a prince. He is dreamy. But he is also not the only way for Nic to get the future she dreams of for herself.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Sunny was born in New York but now lives in Alba, Nigeria. This and the fact that she’s albino make her feel like an outsider. But when she’s 12, she makes friends with  Orlu and Chichi and is thrust into the magical world of the Leopard People. In this world, she learns how to perform her own magic and harness her power. She must keep it a secret from her family, but also gives her a sense of belonging. But the stakes are raised when Sunny and her friends are tasked with finding Black Hat Otokoto, a Leopard man responsible for kidnapping and hurting many children.

Romance Books for 8th Graders

I wanna be where you are by kristina forest.

Eighth graders will love looking ahead to high school in this road trip ballet romcom. Chloe’s dream is to dance at a ballet conservatory in New York City. Her mom, however, won’t let her audition. But when her mom goes on vacation, Chloe road trips down to Washington, D.C., to try out. The only problem is her ex–best frenemy and neighbor Eli finds out and blackmails her into taking him and his smelly dog Geezer along. Eli is trying to figure out his future as well. If he’ll go to the school his dad wants or follow his own dream to study art. Along the way, both characters learn lessons, gain confidence, and sparks fly between them.

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

Cal and Leon are both the sons of astronauts and meet when their fathers are preparing for a new NASA mission to Mars. For publicity, they become involved in a space-themed reality TV show. Both must deal with being thrust into the national spotlight as they figure out their romantic attraction and connection. But when Cal finds out secrets about the space program, he feels torn. He wants to world to know the truth. But he doesn’t want to hurt the people he loves.

All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani

A first love story that unfolds against the backdrop of the basketball court. When basketball players Carli and Rex meet, they fall for each other fast. But is love for each other enough when secrets, uncertain futures, and self-doubt enter the relationship? Equal parts hilarious and emotional, this book is always Romantic with a capital R. Prepare to swoon, 8th grade readers!

Graphic Novels for 8th Graders

New kid by jerry craft.

An own voices graphic novel about following your passions and fitting in. Jordan wants to go to art school, but his parents enroll him in a fancy private school where is one of the only kids of color. He appreciates the education and starts making friends, but feels like he is being split between two worlds. And he realizes that neither his neighborhood self or his school self feel like real, authentic versions of him.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Prince Sebastian’s parents want him to find a bride. But he is hiding a key part of his identity from everyone: At night, he wears the most fashionable dresses and charms the Parisian social scene as Lady Crystallia. Only his best friend and dressmaker, Frances, knows his secret. But Frances has her own ambitions beyond making dresses for just the prince. This is a romantic fairytale that embraces the power of true friendship and the truth that boys can wear dresses.

I hope there’s something here for almost every 8th grade reader, spanning interests and reading level. But of course, there are hundreds and hundreds of other wonderful books for 8th graders to fall in love with. After going through these one, this list of 100 must-read middle school books should be next on your list!

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Home » Reading lists for Middle School children » 8th grade reading books for children aged 13-14

8th grade reading books for children aged 13-14

Grade 8 books – this list of suggested reading books has been carefully selected by educators and librarians for junior high and middle school students aged 13-14. There is a range of exciting and thought-provoking books to suit all abilities in the 8th grade and over the course of a year, these titles should inspire both those who are reluctant to read, and also challenge high achieving pupils. This list of 8th grade reading recommendations includes titles by Gerald Durrell, J.R.R. Tolkien, Sharon Creech,Angie Thomas, Malala Yousafzai, Mark Twain and Mary Shelley.

Books for Grade 8 – our recommendations

Northwind by gary paulsen.

When a plague forces Leif, an orphan, to flee for his life in a canoe with barely any food, he embraces his newfound freedom and grows to love the wide open seas and the Norwegian coast. Learning to forage, and live off the land and sea, he feels at home amongst the wildlife. It’s a gripping story of resilience, determination and survival. Highly recommended.

All Summer Long by Hope Larson

When Austin returns from summer soccer camp everything is different. 13-year-old Bina cannot understand it – they used to do everything together. Will they be able to work things out, or will Bina’s new friendship with Austin’s sister change their relationship? A thought-provoking insight into the complex teen mind, growing up, and how people change. The graphic novel format and relatable characters will appeal to less confident readers.

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

Salama’s normal teenage life seems long ago as she finds herself helping in a hospital in wartorn Syria. Will she stay to help those in need, or will she flee to ensure her survival? Dealing with unimaginable fear Salama is an inspirational character and As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a brilliantly written, life-affirming, and heartbreaking story that is perfect for book club discussion.

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

Ideal for middle-grade readers, this book has won numerous awards. Hope finds herself helping her aunt to run a diner in rural Wisconsin – a long way from lively New York. Her friendship with G.T. Stoop, the diner’s owner, develops into a coming of age story of trust and truth.

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

The first in the ‘Corfu Trilogy’, this book tells the story of Gerald Durrell’s childhood experiences for five years on the island of Corfu and the wildlife and animals he keeps. His larger than life relatives and the colorful characters encountered make this a funny novel bound to appeal to middle graders interested in nature and unconventional family life.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

In this classic allegory, the animals take over the farm. They tried to create a perfect world where everybody is valued and treated equally however things don’t go entirely to plan. Written as an antithesis to controlling totalitarianism this is a book every teenager should read.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

An evocative and humorous story based on the author’s own life. When Junior, a talented artist, realizes that he wants to follow his dream, his life changes completely when he joins a new high school where he is the only Indian on the campus. A modern classic. A good book for 8th grade reading group discussion.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

A rollercoaster of a story about the life of young Huckleberry Finn and his friend Tom Sawyer and the shenanigans they get up to on the banks of the Mississippi River. This book features some controversial themes including his father’s alcoholism and the treatment of Miss Watson slave, Jim. A story, that once read, will never be forgotten.

Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Collated by her father Otto, after the second world war, this is the diary of Anne Frank who, aged between 13 and 16 wrote about being in hiding from the Nazis and Amsterdam. Poignant and moving, this is a book that should be on every high school curriculum. Arguably one of the most important books written in the 20th century.

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

A gripping and moving story about a misfit and awkward teen, Dill, who lives in a small community Bible belt Tennessee. When deals father becomes a hated figure, Dill cannot cope and relies on the support of his two best friends. A heart-rending and powerful story about forgiveness and redemption.

The Hate you Give by Angie Thomas

A multi-award-winning novel about Starr Carter, a teenager who has one foot in the exclusive preppy world of her school and the other foot in the deprived neighborhood of her home. When her best friend is shot by a police officer, she is the only person who knows what really happened. A startlingly powerful young adult novel. A great book to discuss in 8th grade reading clubs.

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

A powerful psychological and unrelenting study of growing up in an abusive environment. When the protagonist, a 14-year-old boy, realizes that his family is not all that it seems, he starts to rebel against his self-righteous preacher stepfather in this gritty landmark first novel set in Harlem.

2001 by Arthur C Clarke

When a scientist discovers a mysterious object on the Moon, mankind embarks on an expedition to the furthest reaches of space in search of an alien civilization. However, the voyage is a slowly building battle between man and computer, heading towards an inevitable catastrophe.

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

A disgraced naval officer redeems himself by protecting villagers from a local bandit. Written as a series of manuscripts told by a third party, using time shifts, this is a great book for eighth-graders to study.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

A unique and genre-defying young adult novel that is perfectly suited to grade 8 book clubs. Set in the “Elsewhere”, a world where angels battle mythical creatures, Karou and Akiva are drawn, as if by magic, from the opposite sides of the conflict into a love story – and perhaps the only hope for peace.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

A more challenging read for grade 8 students, Life of Pi chronicles 16-year-old Pi, the only survivor of a shipwreck. His only companions in the lifeboat are a hyena, and orangutan, and a huge tiger. Memorable, and beautifully written.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Destined to become an important work in the 21st century, Malala’s autobiographical story takes her from a victim of Taliban in 2012 to becoming the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. An inspirational and motivating book which is bound to appeal to middle school and junior high school students in grade 8.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Isabella’s new life in Forks, Washington takes an unexpected turn when a boy she is attracted to turns out to be a vampire. Extremely readable and popular, this five volume set is a great way to reignite the fire of reading in disenchanted teenagers.

Nimona by ND Stevenson

This is no ordinary historical story about dragons and heroes. Nimona is a classic graphic novel in the making – peppered with ironic observations and quick, pointed humor that will appeal to 8th grader readers. Stunningly illustrated.

The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo

When Sadie and Femi’s journalist father refuses to keep quiet about corruption among the military rulers in Nigeria, their mother is suddenly killed, and they have to flee to London. This study of what it is to be displaced and a refugee is a modern classic. This is a book that will stimulate discussion and debate in 8th grade reading groups.

Parrot in the Oven by Victor Martinez

14-year-old Manny wants respect, he wants to prove himself and he wants to kiss a girl. This multi-award-winning novel follows his journey in the face of discrimination and poverty. Poignant and memorable.

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

In a world of nightmares, magic dreams and demons, mermaid Seraphina has to fight for peace between warring nations. She is also set on avenging her parents and wooing a prince. Teen drama and adventure on a grand and underwater scale.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

When alchemist and scientist Victor Frankenstein misguidedly attempts to reanimate a creature from dead body parts, he creates a monster that threatens his very existence. An accessible classic gothic horror with a lightning-quick pace that will appeal to teen readers.

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Teenage Mim is forced to move across the state to live with her father after a nasty divorce. But when she learns her mother is ill, she boards a greyhound and throws caution to the wind in this epic coming of age YA drama. An ideal book for 8th grade reading groups.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

A collection of science-fiction page-turners that will prove popular with reluctant 8th-grade readers. A survivor of a crippling alien attack, Cassie is desperate to save her missing brother. She is so desperate that she is willing to go to extreme lengths to find him.

Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

A quest for a magic ring that grants the wearer huge power dominates this epic high fantasy tale of good vs evil. Popular amongst teens, this novel was recently turned into a series of blockbuster movies.

The One and Future King by TH White

An epic and spellbinding retelling of the legend of King Arthur told in five parts – King Arthur and Camelot; Merlin and Owl and Guinevere, beasts who talk and men who fly and tales of knights, wizardry, and war. Great for students interested in history, myth, and legend.

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose

A fascinating and inspirational story about a group of brave middle grade aged children and their acts of defiance in Denmark during World War Two. Based on a true story.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

A classic tale of betrayal, imprisonment and slow, beautiful revenge. Originally written for weekly serialization, this book is gripping and pacy and it might well be the first 100,000 plus story your teen will be captivated by. It’s also fantastic to listen to as an audiobook.

Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech

The prequel to Walk Two Moons, Absolutely Normal Chaos follows 13-year-old Mary Lou’s summer vacation – an unforgettable summer of adventure, gossip, and burgeoning romance. A page-turner that is ideal for more mature 8th graders.

The Rig by Joe Ducie

When serial prison escapee and 15-year-old Will gets sent to The Rig, he thinks finding a way out will be easy. That’s until he realizes The Rig is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. No one has ever come close to breaking out. Gripping and pacy, this is a perfect book for reluctant readers in grade 8.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Facing a seemingly unbeatable and ruthless alien invader, Earth needs a military genius. Teenaged boy Ender is chosen from thousands to lead the fight – but is he being manipulated? Recently made into a blockbuster movie, this book is a great easy reader for 8th graders.

The Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason

When the sister of Stoker and the niece of Holmes get together, uncovering vampire crime mysteries are a regular day’s work. This is a gripping and atmospheric drama set in a fantasy London of the past.

Beautiful Swimmers by William Warner

An evocative and interesting study of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. Brilliantly written – this is a more challenging book for grade 8 readers interested in science and natural history.

Finding Wonders by Jeannine Atkins

This is an engaging set of three biographical stories of women who changed the world. Maria Merian – who documented metamorphosis, Mary Anning, who survived a lightning strike and discovered fossils, and Maria Mitchell, who found a new comet. Presented as poems, these stories are an ideal starting point for 8th-grade writing activities.

Click the buttons below to purchase all of the books in this 8th grade book list, as well as classroom sets of any of these books and many more, from Bookshop.org. Or buy the 20 most popular titles from this list from Amazon – ideal for gifts or stocking your school library. If you are ordering from outside the US, have a look at our ‘worldwide orders’ page which makes this process easy.

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25 New Books for 8th Graders to Add to Your Classroom Library

I’m buying all of these! For my students, of course! I definitely don’t want them just for me.

Eighth graders are awesome. Complicated, but awesome. Some days, they’re ready for high school. They want to discuss more grown-up concepts, and they wonder (and worry!) about the world around them. Other times, they’re still very much the children we met at the start of the school year. They want to laugh and play and be silly. That’s why we’re excited to share this list of new books for 8th graders with you. Many of them deal with the complex ideas and struggles your students are facing in their own lives and seeing in the world. Others are fun adventures, full of laughs and silliness. We know you’re going to find more than a few to add to your classroom library or next book talk.

(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)

1. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

The first in an action-packed fantasy trilogy, this novel has it all: A fierce, female protagonist faced with tremendous challenges as she chooses to leave everything she knows behind to join an elite army of young women like her. A unique setting and plot to hook even the most reluctant reader. And the promise of a great story being carried over into two more novels. It’s the perfect novel to share with your class to introduce them to a new genre and author.

Buy it: The Gilded Ones at Amazon

2. Freestyle: A Graphic Novel by Gale Galligan

Many of our students struggle to balance their extracurricular activities with their schoolwork and social lives. Cory, the main character in this graphic novel, is dealing with the same issues. His dance team is practicing for their final competition before high school, his parents are on him to improve his grades, and the tutor they hired can do absolutely amazing tricks with a yo-yo that Cory wants to learn. How will he balance all of his interests and responsibilities? This is one of the fun, relatable books for 8th graders that’s perfect for reluctant readers.

Buy it: Freestyle: A Graphic Novel at Amazon

3. We Are Not Free by by Traci Chee

One of the most powerful aspects of historical fiction is its ability to help us connect to important events from the past. In this award-winning novel, your students will be introduced to 14 teens. They are Nisei—second-generation Japanese Americans—whose lives are turned upside down when they and their families are taken from their homes and placed in an internment camp during World War II. This would make a powerful addition to any discussion or learning unit about this period in American history.

Buy it: We Are Not Free at Amazon

4. Glimpsed by G.F. Miller

Everyone loves a good twist on a story we’ve all heard before, and this novel does it with style. Charity, the main character, is a fairy godmother. That’s right, she can grant wishes! And she does, until everything starts to go wrong and she has to work together with Noah, a classmate who is less than thrilled with her wish-giving talents. Part fantasy, part rom-com, and all fun, your students will be absolutely charmed with this one.

Buy it: Glimpsed at Amazon

5. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Perfect for our students who love puzzles, brain-teasers, and riddles. When Tobias Hawthorne dies, he leaves his entire fortune to Avery Grambs, a high schooler who has never even heard of Hawthorne. The only catch? She must move into his sprawling and mysterious mansion filled with secret passages and the furious relatives who thought they would be the ones to inherit the mysterious billionaire’s fortune. Avery will have to use all of her wits to solve the riddle of why Hawthorne chose her before it’s too late.

Buy it: The Inheritance Games at Amazon

6. Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo

Nima is a first-generation immigrant. She feels caught between the Islamic world she grew up in and the post-9/11 suburban world where she’s now living. As she tries to get through each day, she grapples with the question of what home means to someone like her.

Buy it: Home Is Not a Country at Amazon

7. Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Some 8th graders are ready for a fun, lighthearted romance, and this one is just the ticket. It’s not too surprising that 17-year-old Evie Thomas is disillusioned by love. She has the unique ability to see how all relationships will eventually break up, after all. But when she finds herself learning to fox-trot, waltz, and tango with an adventurous boy named X, she begins to wonder if she has made up her mind about love too soon.

Buy it: Instructions for Dancing by Amazon

8. Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid

James and Michelle meet in the Atlanta airport during a layover. They discover a bright-green blinking button, and they push it. What could possibly go wrong? Snowstorms in Terminal B, a jungle in Terminal C, and earthquakes splitting the group are just a few of the Jumanji- esque adventures that follow as these two teens try to find their families and end the chaos before it’s too late.

Buy it: Before Takeoff at Amazon

9. The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

The prequel to the award-winning They Both Die at the End , this novel follows two young men as they come to grips with a new technology that has just become available. Death-Cast, as it’s called, can accurately tell you when you will die. In fact, it will give you a polite phone call on the day it’s going to happen. Both young men sign up for the service, but on the first day only one receives the call. The rest of the novel follows them as they decide to spend that last day together. Heartbreaking and uplifting, the story celebrates that life is worth living to it’s fullest.

Buy it: The First to Die at the End at Amazon

10. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Have any history buffs in your classroom? Hand them this historical-fiction novel and let them learn about a time and place they’ve probably never thought of before. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu wants to become a writer, but in Romania in 1989, his chances of becoming one are slim. Because of the tyrannical dictatorship of his country’s leader, Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romanians are not free to follow their dreams. Blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, Cristian is left with only two choices: betray his loved ones and his country, or use his position to creatively undermine the dictator who’s destroying everything he believes in.

Buy it: I Must Betray You at Amazon

11. Take Me With You When You Go by David Levithan and Jennifer Niven

Fifteen-year-old Ezra wakes up to find his 18-year-old sister, Bea, gone. She’s left no clues to where she has gone except for an email address, hidden someplace only Ezra would find. As Ezra reaches out to Bea via email, the two attempt to piece together their fractured family.

Buy it: Take Me With You When You Go at Amazon

12. One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

When her sister is killed mysteriously at a social justice rally, Happi and her family are left reeling. As the community turns her sister into a martyr in the fight against police brutality, Happi wonders why only some people are deemed “worthy” of idealizing in this way. Her search for answers into what really happened and, ultimately, who her sister truly was will change everything Happi thought she knew about prejudice, sisterhood, and what it truly means to be an ally.

Buy it: One of the Good Ones at Amazon

13. These Deadly Games by Diana Urban

Perfect for your students who have already seen all the scary movies and love anything dark and spooky. Protagonist Crystal decides to try out a new app only to wind up playing a game she can’t walk away from. An anonymous kidnapper has her younger sister, and if Crystal wants her to stay alive, she’ll have to do the tasks the kidnapper requests of her. They seem harmless enough at first—baking brownies, making a prank call, stealing a test—but she quickly realizes that they all are targeting people in Crystal’s group of friends. The kidnapper knows something about the group’s past and wants to use Crystal to take their revenge.

Buy it: These Deadly Games at Amazon

14. One for All by Lillie Lainoff

A swashbuckling reimagining of  The Three Musketeers,  this story introduces students to Tania, a girl who refuses to let an illness that leaves her feeling dizzy all the time slow her down. She wants to be strong, independent, and a good fighter, just like her father was. He was a former Musketeer, and his dying wish was for Tania to attend finishing school. When she arrives at school, however, she realizes it’s not just a finishing school but a secret training academy for young Musketeers. It’s an exciting novel with a unique protagonist that will capture your students’ hearts and imaginations.

Buy it: One for All at Amazon

15. Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

One of the great books for 8th graders as they prepare to head to high school, this story is about two students who used to be friends until high school life got in the way. Bradley and Celine were inseparable in middle school, but in high school Bradley become Mr. Popular and suddenly Celine wasn’t cool enough to hang out with anymore. The two are thrown together again when they both sign up for a survival course in the woods. Will they be able to overcome their past to work together on the adventure or has too much time passed?

Buy it: Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute at Amazon

16. The Island by Natasha Preston

For all of our students who think they’re going to be the next big social media influencer, this thriller is ready to show them that it might not be all it’s cracked up to be. The story follows six teen influencers who are invited to tour a private island theme park and resort before it opens. When they arrive, everything is perfect. The hotel is luxurious and the rides are intense, but they soon discover that the only thing not on the itinerary is them leaving the island. Ever.

Buy it: The Island at Amazon

17. Gabe in the After by Shannon Doleski

Two years after a global pandemic, a group of children have relocated to a small island off the coast of Maine where they live together in a large mansion. There, they have school, grow their own food, and search the shore every day for other survivors. When Gabe finds Relle alone in the woods, he brings her back to the mansion, but he isn’t quite sure what to make of her. She is hopeful and optimistic and breathes life and laughter into the sad home the children have created for themselves. She encourages all of them to not give up on believing that there are more survivors—and maybe even a normal life—out there somewhere.

Buy it: Gabe in the After at Amazon

18. Muddle School by Dave Whamond

One of the perfect graphic novels for 8th graders when they’ve had a bad day, a terrible week, or just need a good laugh. Dave had high hopes for his new middle school, but then everything went wrong. He’s about to give up and accept that he’s just going to spend middle school as a dork, but then he gets an idea: He’ll build a time machine for the school science fair, travel back to the first day of middle school, and redo all the embarrassing mistakes he made. This is a great book for 8th graders to relate to.

Buy it: Muddle School at Amazon

19. The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe

During a visit to the bank, 18-year-old Nora O’Malley finds herself in a hostage situation alongside her girlfriend and ex-boyfriend. To help everyone survive, she taps into the various personas she developed as the child of a con artist.

Buy it: The Girls I’ve Been at Amazon

20. The Lake by Natasha Preston

Esme and Kayla were 8-year-old campers at Camp Pine Lake when something terrible happened, and they both swore never to tell anyone about it ever. Nine years later, they’re back at Camp Pine Lake as counselors-in-training … and the secret they’ve kept for all these years is coming back to haunt them.

Buy it: The Lake at Amazon

21. The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

As if life as one of the only Black students in a predominantly white prep school weren’t tough enough, Jake Livingston can also see dead people. Most of them are harmless, and he doesn’t mind helping them settle their affairs so they can move on. But one powerful, vengeful ghost has plans for Jake, and he has to hope that he can escape the ghost’s clutches.

Buy it: The Taking of Jake Livingston at Amazon

22. Lightlark by Alex Aster

Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die. One of the perfect fantasy books for 8th graders who have already read The Hunger Games , Divergent , and all the other dystopian fantasy you could find for them!

Buy it: Lightlark at Amazon

23. Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

Orphaned sisters 17-year-old Jani and 13-year-old Zosa find themselves suddenly employed at the Hotel Magnifique after most of their childhood was spent barely scraping by. Not only is the hotel magnificent, but it’s staffed by magicians who move the hotel to a new location, anywhere in the world, every midnight. Of course, things are almost never what they seem, and when Jani decides it’s time for her and Zosa to leave the hotel, she learns that the hotel might not be ready to let them leave. Ever.

Buy it: Hotel Magnifique at Amazon

24. Kings of B’more by R. Eric Thomas

When he finds out that his best friend, Linus, is moving the summer before their junior year, Harrison can’t believe it. They were supposed to do all the important stuff together—standardized testing, applying for college, everything. With the countdown to Linus leaving looming, Harrison decides to embark on one last adventure together with his best friend. From their very first Pride festival to a rooftop dance party, the two vow to do everything that scares them—even saying goodbye to someone they love.

Buy it: Kings of B’more at Amazon

25. Does My Body Offend You? by Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt

Neither Malena nor Ruby expected to be the leaders of the school’s dress code rebellion. But the girls will have to face their own insecurities, biases, and privileges, and the ups and downs in their newfound friendship, if they want to stand up for their ideals and, ultimately, for themselves.

Buy it: Does My Body Offend You? at Amazon

Love these books for 8th graders? Check out our big list of 50 Refreshing and Relatable Books to Teach in Middle School for even more great books for 8th graders to add to your classroom library.

For more articles like this one, plus tips, tricks, and ideas for teachers,  sign up for our free newsletters ., you might also like.

50 Refreshing and Relatable Books To Teach in Middle School

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Book Review Writing Examples

Examples: learn from the efforts of others.

Learning how to write strong reviews takes time and not a little effort. Reading the reviews others have done can help you get a feel for the flow and flavor of reviews.

If I Never Forever Endeavor Review by Hayden, age 4, Southeast Michigan Mensa

This book was about a bird who didn't yet know how to fly.

The bird has to decide if it will try to fly, but it was not sure if it wants to. The bird thought, "If I never forever endeavor" then I won't ever learn. On one wing, he worries he might fail and on the other wing he thinks of how he may succeed. He worries that if he tries, he may get lost in the world. That makes him want to stay in his nest where he's safe.

I think this book would help other children to learn that trying new things can be scary, but sometimes when we try, we can find things that make us happy too. And this book will help others know that mistakes are okay and part of learning.

My favorite part is that the bird tried and learned that she could fly. I also liked that I read this book because it gave me a chance to talk to mom about making mistakes and how I don't like making them. Then I learned they are good and part of learning.

Boys and girls who are 3 to 8 years old would like this book because it teaches about trying a new thing and how it's important to get past being scared so you can learn new things.

I give the book 5 stars since I think it's important for other children to learn about courage.

Flesh & Blood So Cheap Review by Umar B., age 8, Central New Jersy Mensa

I liked this book. People who are interested in national disasters and US history as well as immigration will most probably be interested in reading this book.

Readers can gain knowledge of what it was like to work in New York City in the early 1900s. One of the things that was especially interesting was that there were no safety laws at work. Also, there was a big contrast between the rich and the poor. Some people may not like this book because it is very depressing, but it is an important event in history to remember.

This book was very well written. It has black and white photos along with descriptions of the photos. These photos give us a better idea of what people's lives were like. This book is suitable for 9-20 year olds.

I give this book 5 stars.

Galaxy Zach: Journey to Juno Review by Young Mensan Connor C., age 6, Boston Mensa

Journey To Juno is the second book of the Galaxy Zack series. It is just as good as the first one. It's awesome!

Zack joins the Sprockets Academy Explorers Club at school. They fly on a special trip to Juno, a new planet no one has ever visited. Zack gets paired up with Seth, the class bully, and that's dreadful but Zack is excited when he finds a huge galaxy gemmite. A gemmite that large had not been found in 100 years! Kids will love this book!

Boys and girls will both like it. It's an easy chapter book with pictures on every page. I love the illustrations. I think ages 6-8 would like this but younger kids would like the story being read to them.

My favorite parts are the galactic blast game (it is similar to baseball except there are robots playing), recess at Zack's school where everything is 3-D holographic images, the rainbow river in a crystal cave on Juno, and the galaxy gemmite that Zack finds on Juno. I also loved when a life-size holographic image of his Earth friend appears in Zack's room because he calls him on a hyperphone. I give this book one hundred stars! There is a "to be continued" at the end so you have to read the next book see what's in store. I can't wait to find out what happens!!!

I Capture the Castle Review by Lauren W., age 17, Mensa in Georgia

Dodie Smith's novel I Capture the Castle is a journey through the mind of a young writer as she attempts to chronicle her daily life. Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain has recently learned to speed-write, and she decides to work on her writing skills by describing the actions and conversations of those around her.

Cassandra lives in a fourteenth-century English castle with an interesting cast of characters: her beautiful older sister, Rose; her rather unsociable author father and his second wife, artist-model Topaz; Stephen, the garden boy; a cat and a bull terrier; and sometimes her brother Thomas when he is home from school. One fateful day they make the acquaintance of the Cotton family, including the two sons, and a web of tangled relationships ensues.

While I definitely recommend this book to other readers, I would recommend it to older teenagers, mainly because it will resonate better with them. The writing is tame enough that younger teens could also read it, but most of the characters are adults or on the verge of adulthood. Older readers would take the most from it since they can not only relate, but they may also better pick up on and appreciate Cassandra's sometimes subtle humor.

Over the course of the novel, Cassandra undergoes a definite transformation from child to mature young adult, even though it's only over the course of several months. I love that I could see into her mindset and read exactly what she was feeling when she thought out situations. Her thoughts flowed well and moved the book along very quickly.

Cassandra's narrative voice is wonderful. She is serious at times, but also very witty, which makes for an engaging read. It feels absolutely real, as though I'm reading someone's actual journal. Sometimes I forget that I am reading a story and not a real-life account. Her emotions and the dialogue are so genuine, and they are spot-on for a seventeen-year-old girl in her situation.

Cassandra has many wonderful insights on life, on topics ranging from writing to faith to matters of the heart. I personally have had some of the same thoughts as Cassandra, except Ms. Smith was able to put them into words.

Capture the Castle should be essential reading for aspiring writers, those looking for historical fiction or romance, or anyone who loves reading amazing classic books. Dodie Smith is an exceptional writer, and I Capture the Castle is a book that will never become obsolete.

Frankenstein's Cat Review by Zander H., age 12, Mid-America Mensa

I appreciated Frankenstein's Cat for its fascinating explanation about the often baffling subject of bioengineering and its sister sciences. Emily Anthes explains the many sides of today's modern technology, such as gene modification, cloning, pharmaceutical products (from the farm), prosthesis, animal tag and tracking and gene cryogenics. This book provides a well-rounded summary of these complicated sciences without being boring or simply factual. Her real world examples take us on a journey from the farm, to the pet store and then from the pharmacy to the frozen arc.

Have you ever wondered if the neighborhood cat is spying on you? Read about Operation Acoustic Kitty and find out if this feline fantasy fiction or fact. Do you think bugs are creepy? What about a zombified cyborg beetle? Is Fido so special that you want two of him? Money can buy you an almost exact copy of your pooch BUT don't expect the same personality. Emily Anthes makes you crave more information. She makes you want to know the future of Earth's flora and fauna, as well as humanity itself.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who desires a guide to the future of biological science and technology. Frankenstein's Cat is best read by the light of a glow-in-the-dark fish, while cuddling your favorite cloned dog and drinking a glass of genetically modified milk.

About Marsupials Review by Connor C., age 6, Boston Mensa

About Marsupials is the title so the book is about...marsupials, of course. It's non-fiction. I really think everyone would like the book. I think someone who likes animals would especially like to read it.

The glossary of facts in the back of About Marsupials is the most useful part. I thought the most interesting parts were that some marsupials have their pouch at their back legs and one marsupial, the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby, is very small but can jump 13 feet wide!

Kids in the 4-8 age range would like this book. Even though it's not a story book, 4 year olds would like the few words on each page and they would love the beautiful pictures. But older kids would like it because of all the facts in the back of the book. There's a lot of information for each animal. I think boys and girls (and parents) would enjoy reading it. This book is very interesting. I give it 4 stars.

Mapping the World Review by Umar A., age 10, Central New Jersey Mensa

Every day, people around the world use maps. Whether it is an airplane pilot or businessman, housewife or museum group, maps have always and will continue to provide useful information for all.

Mapping the World talks about the uses of maps, as well as how to differentiate between the type of map projection and type of map.

In this series, we travel to the past and learn about historical mapmakers, from Claudius Ptolemy (who stated the idea that the Earth is at the center of the universe) to Gerardus Mercator (who created one of the most widely used map projections) and more. This series goes into tremendous detail on the cartographer's life and maps. We then journey to the present era to learn about map projections and the diverse types of maps used today. You might ask, "What is the difference between the two? They sound the same to me." No map projection is perfect, because you cannot really flatten a sphere into a rectangle. An uncolored projection could be used in many ways. We could use it for population concentration, highways, land elevation, and so many other things!

For example, we could make a topographic map of the U.S., which shows land elevation. We could make it a colorful map that shows the amount of pollution in different areas, or it could be a population map, or it could even be a map that shows the 50 states, their capitals and borders! Our last step in this amazing excursion is the near future, where we see some hypothetical solutions as to what maps will be used for. Currently, we are working on better virtual map technology.

Now, scientists have been able to put maps on phones. Back in the early 1900s, people had to lug a lot of maps around to find your way from place to place, or just keep asking for directions. Now, all the information is on a phone or global positioning system (GPS). It is amazing how much maps have changed technology and the world in this century.

The Mapping the World 8-book set goes into amazing levels of detail. It is a long read, but it gives an immense range and amount of information that you would not find in any other book or series on maps. The flowing way the chapters and books are organized makes it easy to link passages from different books in this series together. Mapping the World is a treasure box, filled with the seeds of cartography. Collect and plant them, and you soon will have the fruits of cartography, beneficial to those who want to be cartographers. Use this series to the utmost, then the fruits of mapping will be sweet for all who endeavor to succeed in cartography.

This series of lessons was designed to meet the needs of gifted children for extension beyond the standard curriculum with the greatest ease of use for the educator. The lessons may be given to the students for individual self-guided work, or they may be taught in a classroom or a home-school setting. Assessment strategies and rubrics are included at the end of each section. The rubrics often include a column for "scholar points," which are invitations for students to extend their efforts beyond that which is required, incorporating creativity or higher level technical skills.

How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide

WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

Traditionally, book reviews are evaluations of a recently published book in any genre. Usually, around the 500 to 700-word mark, they briefly describe a text’s main elements while appraising the work’s strengths and weaknesses. Published book reviews can appear in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. They provide the reader with an overview of the book itself and indicate whether or not the reviewer would recommend the book to the reader.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A BOOK REVIEW?

There was a time when book reviews were a regular appearance in every quality newspaper and many periodicals. They were essential elements in whether or not a book would sell well. A review from a heavyweight critic could often be the deciding factor in whether a book became a bestseller or a damp squib. In the last few decades, however, the book review’s influence has waned considerably, with many potential book buyers preferring to consult customer reviews on Amazon, or sites like Goodreads, before buying. As a result, book review’s appearance in newspapers, journals, and digital media has become less frequent.

WHY BOTHER TEACHING STUDENTS TO WRITE BOOK REVIEWS AT ALL?

Even in the heyday of the book review’s influence, few students who learned the craft of writing a book review became literary critics! The real value of crafting a well-written book review for a student does not lie in their ability to impact book sales. Understanding how to produce a well-written book review helps students to:

●     Engage critically with a text

●     Critically evaluate a text

●     Respond personally to a range of different writing genres

●     Improve their own reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Not to Be Confused with a Book Report!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REVIEW AND A BOOK REPORT?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are clear differences in both the purpose and the format of the two genres. Generally speaking, book reports aim to give a more detailed outline of what occurs in a book. A book report on a work of fiction will tend to give a comprehensive account of the characters, major plot lines, and themes in the book. Book reports are usually written around the K-12 age range, while book reviews tend not to be undertaken by those at the younger end of this age range due to the need for the higher-level critical skills required in writing them. At their highest expression, book reviews are written at the college level and by professional critics.

Learn how to write a book review step by step with our complete guide for students and teachers by familiarizing yourself with the structure and features.

BOOK REVIEW STRUCTURE

ANALYZE Evaluate the book with a critical mind.

THOROUGHNESS The whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. Review the book as a WHOLE.

COMPARE Where appropriate compare to similar texts and genres.

THUMBS UP OR DOWN? You are going to have to inevitably recommend or reject this book to potential readers.

BE CONSISTENT Take a stance and stick with it throughout your review.

FEATURES OF A BOOK REVIEW

PAST TENSE You are writing about a book you have already read.

EMOTIVE LANGUAGE Whatever your stance or opinion be passionate about it. Your audience will thank you for it.

VOICE Both active and passive voice are used in recounts.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

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ELEMENTS OF A BOOK REVIEW

As with any of the writing genres we teach our students, a book review can be helpfully explained in terms of criteria. While there is much to the ‘art’ of writing, there is also, thankfully, a lot of the nuts and bolts that can be listed too. Have students consider the following elements before writing:

●     Title: Often, the title of the book review will correspond to the title of the text itself, but there may also be some examination of the title’s relevance. How does it fit into the purpose of the work as a whole? Does it convey a message or reveal larger themes explored within the work?

●     Author: Within the book review, there may be some discussion of who the author is and what they have written before, especially if it relates to the current work being reviewed. There may be some mention of the author’s style and what they are best known for. If the author has received any awards or prizes, this may also be mentioned within the body of the review.

●     Genre: A book review will identify the genre that the book belongs to, whether fiction or nonfiction, poetry, romance, science-fiction, history etc. The genre will likely tie in, too with who the intended audience for the book is and what the overall purpose of the work is.

●     Book Jacket / Cover: Often, a book’s cover will contain artwork that is worthy of comment. It may contain interesting details related to the text that contribute to, or detract from, the work as a whole.

●     Structure: The book’s structure will often be heavily informed by its genre. Have students examine how the book is organized before writing their review. Does it contain a preface from a guest editor, for example? Is it written in sections or chapters? Does it have a table of contents, index, glossary etc.? While all these details may not make it into the review itself, looking at how the book is structured may reveal some interesting aspects.

●     Publisher and Price: A book review will usually contain details of who publishes the book and its cost. A review will often provide details of where the book is available too.

BOOK REVIEW KEY ELEMENTS

As students read and engage with the work they will review, they will develop a sense of the shape their review will take. This will begin with the summary. Encourage students to take notes during the reading of the work that will help them in writing the summary that will form an essential part of their review. Aspects of the book they may wish to take notes on in a work of fiction may include:

●     Characters: Who are the main characters? What are their motivations? Are they convincingly drawn? Or are they empathetic characters?

●     Themes: What are the main themes of the work? Are there recurring motifs in the work? Is the exploration of the themes deep or surface only?

●     Style: What are the key aspects of the writer’s style? How does it fit into the wider literary world?

●     Plot: What is the story’s main catalyst? What happens in the rising action? What are the story’s subplots? 

A book review will generally begin with a short summary of the work itself. However, it is important not to give too much away, remind students – no spoilers, please! For nonfiction works, this may be a summary of the main arguments of the work, again, without giving too much detail away. In a work of fiction, a book review will often summarise up to the rising action of the piece without going beyond to reveal too much!

The summary should also provide some orientation for the reader. Given the nature of the purpose of a review, it is important that students’ consider their intended audience in the writing of their review. Readers will most likely not have read the book in question and will require some orientation. This is often achieved through introductions to the main characters, themes, primary arguments etc. This will help the reader to gauge whether or not the book is of interest to them.

Once your student has summarized the work, it is time to ‘review’ in earnest. At this point, the student should begin to detail their own opinion of the book. To do this well they should:

i. Make It Personal

Often when teaching essay writing we will talk to our students about the importance of climbing up and down the ladder of abstraction. Just as it is helpful to explore large, more abstract concepts in an essay by bringing it down to Earth, in a book review, it is important that students can relate the characters, themes, ideas etc to their own lives.

Book reviews are meant to be subjective. They are opinion pieces, and opinions grow out of our experiences of life. Encourage students to link the work they are writing about to their own personal life within the body of the review. By making this personal connection to the work, students contextualize their opinions for the readers and help them to understand whether the book will be of interest to them or not in the process.

ii. Make It Universal

Just as it is important to climb down the ladder of abstraction to show how the work relates to individual life, it is important to climb upwards on the ladder too. Students should endeavor to show how the ideas explored in the book relate to the wider world. The may be in the form of the universality of the underlying themes in a work of fiction or, for example, the international implications for arguments expressed in a work of nonfiction.

iii. Support Opinions with Evidence

A book review is a subjective piece of writing by its very nature. However, just because it is subjective does not mean that opinions do not need to be justified. Make sure students understand how to back up their opinions with various forms of evidence, for example, quotations, statistics, and the use of primary and secondary sources.

EDIT AND REVISE YOUR BOOK REVIEW

As with any writing genre, encourage students to polish things up with review and revision at the end. Encourage them to proofread and check for accurate spelling throughout, with particular attention to the author’s name, character names, publisher etc. 

It is good practice too for students to double-check their use of evidence. Are statements supported? Are the statistics used correctly? Are the quotations from the text accurate? Mistakes such as these uncorrected can do great damage to the value of a book review as they can undermine the reader’s confidence in the writer’s judgement.

The discipline of writing book reviews offers students opportunities to develop their writing skills and exercise their critical faculties. Book reviews can be valuable standalone activities or serve as a part of a series of activities engaging with a central text. They can also serve as an effective springboard into later discussion work based on the ideas and issues explored in a particular book. Though the book review does not hold the sway it once did in the mind’s of the reading public, it still serves as an effective teaching tool in our classrooms today.

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BOOK REVIEW GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (TEMPLATE)

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Book and Movie review writing examples (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of book reviews.  Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail.  Please take a moment to both read the movie or book review in detail but also the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the key elements of writing a text review

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of book review writing.

We would recommend reading the example either a year above and below, as well as the grade you are currently working with to gain a broader appreciation of this text type .

BOOK REVIEW VIDEO TUTORIALS

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BOOK REVIEWS

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How to Write Excellent Expository Essays

The 57 Best Chapter Books For 8th Graders To Read (In 2022)

When you pick books for 8th graders, it can be challenging to walk the line between middle-grade and young adult books. Not to mention, eighth graders can vary in their reading levels, with some well into their young adult book phases and others struggling to finish a book.

So, how do you challenge avid readers and motivate reluctant ones? The secret is a mix of upper middle-grade novels, younger YA picks, modern classics, and accessible classics. And we’ll give you tons of recommendations for your 8th-grade reading list.

1. I’ll Give You The Sun

“I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson. This modern classic is one of our favorite coming-of-age stories, and it’ll make eighth-graders and adult readers laugh and cry.

In it, we follow the perspectives of the twins, Jude and Noah. When tragedy strikes, it flips their world upside down.

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2. The Diary Of A Young Girl

It’s a powerful story that teen readers will learn a lot from.

3. The Hate You Give

Her poor neighborhood and her fancy prep school. When a police officer shoots her best friend, she’s the only one who knows what went down. This BLM-inspired novel is a must-read for 8th-grade kids.

4. Clap When You Land

The National Book Award-winning and New York Times Bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo takes our breath away with her novel-in-verse, “Clap When You Land.”

Let your eighth grader see how grief brings Yahaira, from New York, and Camino, from the Dominican Republic, together.

5. The Hobbit4

If you’re looking for a challenging book, Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” is one of the best books for eighth-grade avid readers. Those who love fantasy books will love the epic adventure that Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, goes on.

6. Brown Girl Dreaming

Jacqueline Woodson’s “Brown Girl Dreaming” is a multi-award winning book. This powerful own voices story, told in verse, depicts Woodson’s childhood, her experience as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, and her awareness of the Civil Rights movement.

One of the best eighth-grade books set in a dystopian world is “Scythe” by Neal Shusterman.

So, to keep the population under control, “Scythes” are appointed to kill people.

Your middle school kids follow two teenagers as they train to become scythes. What happens when they discover the system’s corruption?

8. The Night Circus

Erin Morgenstern’s “The Night Circus” is an atmospheric fantasy novel.

Celia and Marco, who duel in a bigger game than they can imagine. The complex magic system and detailed setting descriptions make this an enticing challenge for eighth-graders.

Jerry Craft brings us the perfect story for tween readers, an own voices graphic novel.

And Jordan doesn’t feel like he can fit in his new school or even his neighborhood. So, can he juggle both worlds, make friends, and stay true to himself?

10. A Long Walk To Water

Based on a true story, “A Long Walk to Water” is about two Sudanese children and the dangers they face to create better lives for themselves and others. Linda Sue Park’s moving story showcases the value of perseverance and hope, so your middle school kids will undoubtedly get something out of it.

11. The Book Thief

She steals them and transports herself and others away from the bombing raids. Markus Zusak’s masterpiece, “The Book Thief,” is one of the best 8th-grade books, but it’s also excellent for parents and older kids.

12. The Giver

He learns the memories and secrets of his community, so what happens when the blind goes off? That’s what Lois Lowry explores in “The Giver.” After reading it, you can have a movie night with your 8th-grade kids and watch the adaptation!

13. The Outsiders

We follow Ponyboy from the Greasers, who seems to have it all figured out. But when his friend shoots a member of their rival gang, the Socs, everything is turned upside down. Some readers think this novel is too violent to be a middle-grade novel, but we’ll leave that to your judgment.

14. Long Way Down

Jason Reynolds brings us a more modern story about teenage gun violence. Fifteen-year-old Will is about to avenge his dead brother. He gets on an elevator with a gun, and several people step in on his way down. Do they influence his decision?

15. The Cruel Prince

In it, Jude, a mortal, is desperately trying to fit in the High Court of Faerie. But, then, she gets involved in a web of royal faerie intrigue, which isn’t made easy by Prince Cardan who hates mortals!

16. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

After her older sister, Olga, passes away, Julia is constantly reminded that she’ll never be the perfect daughter Olga was. But was she really that perfect? Julia’s determined to find that out with her best friend, Lorena, and first love, Connor.

17. The Maze Runner

James Dashner’s “The Maze Runner” is one of the most famous 8th-grade chapter books.

Their only hope is this message: “Remember. Survive. Run.”

18. The Hunger Games

Some consider this series too violent for middle school, so keep that in mind. In it, 12 representatives from the districts fight till death on live TV while the wealthy Capitol’s people watch.

19. A Wrinkle In Time

Meg’s father was a scientist who disappeared while working on a secret program for the government. So, Meg, her younger brother Charles, and a popular jock called Calvin O’Keefe go on a journey to find him.

20. The Voting Booth

Marva Sheridan has always dreamed of making a difference. So, when Duke Crenshaw is turned away from the polling place, she’s determined to do everything in her power to get him to vote.

21. With The Fire On High

“With the Fire on High” by the bestselling and beloved author Elizabeth Acevedo tells the story of Emoni Santiago.

However, this book does have some mature conversations, so you can decide if they’re appropriate for your tweens or not.

22. The Poet X

Our heroine, the Afro-Latina Xiomara Batista, joins the school’s slam poetry club to make her voice heard. Acevedo’s debut is one of the best books for eighth-graders to examine identity, religion, societal expectations, and more.

23. Let Me Hear A Rhyme

To do that, they pretend he’s alive, but how long will it be before the lies catch up to them? Your 8th graders will want to know!

24. House In The Cerulean Sea

Our main character, Linus Baker, is a caseworker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. When he’s summoned to an orphanage with six “troubled” kids, Linus uncovers numerous secrets and has to make a difficult decision.

25. Harbor Me

Once a week, six children meet for a chat without parents or adults! They open up about issues that touch them, from racial profiling to deportation of immigrants and more.

26. Animal Farm

Do you want your kids to develop a more realistic worldview? Why don’t you pick George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” for your middle school children to read?

Orwell’s timeless allegory satirizes totalitarianism.

27. Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

So, let your kids join Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer on their boyhood adventures along the Mississippi River.

28. Daughter Of Smoke And Bone

In its world, angels and mythical creatures are at war. So, what happens when fate brings Karou and Akiva, who are on opposite sides of this war, together?

29. Life Of Pi

This book tells the story of 16-year-old Pi, the only person who survives a shipwreck.

Pi finds himself on a boat with an orangutan, a hyena, a wounded zebra, and a huge tiger as his only companions. After reading the book, you can watch the movie with your class and compare!

30. I Am Malala

It showcases how she turned her life around, standing up to the Taliban’s regime, fighting for girls’ education, and earning a Nobel Peace Prize!

31. Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” chronicles scientist Victor Frankenstein’s attempt at making a creature from dead body parts. If you believe your kids are old enough for horror, “Frankenstein” will inspire such deep philosophical discussions.

32. The 5th Wave

Get your children to fall in love with reading by assigning them Rick Yancey’s “The 5th Wave.”

With her brother missing, is there anything Cassie won’t do to find him?

33. Goodbye Stranger

The new school year brings tons of changes, so will our three best friends, Bridge, Tab, and Emily, be able to keep the pact they made a long time ago not to fight? As Valentine’s Day approaches, these friends reconsider the bonds and limits of friendships in “Goodbye Stranger” by Rebecca Stead.

Are you looking for a heart-warming tale about friendship and perseverance? “Echo” by Pam Muñoz Ryan might be it.

How cool is that?

35. To Kill A Mockingbird

It’s the 1930s in Alabama, and Jem and Scout are living their best lives, playing with Dill, their neighbor, and getting into all sorts of shenanigans.

But when their lawyer father decides to defend a black man in a trial against a white woman whom he’s accused of raping, we witness the segregated South’s racism through the eyes of these children. Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a poignant story, but note that it contains some racially charged language and descriptions of sexual violence.

36. Catching Fire

If you’ve put “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins on your syllabus, who not follow it up with the sequel “Catching Fire”? Better yet, you can assign it to your 8th graders as independent reading.

So, how do they handle the Capitol’s anger and the masses’ hopes for them?

37. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe

“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis is a whimsical story and the first book in “The Chronicles of Narnia.” In it, Lucy and her siblings enter a magical world called Narnia through a wardrobe door!

38. Artemis Fowl

He kidnaps a fairy, but the only problem is that this isn’t the kind of fairy that leaves money under your pillow; she’s lethal!

39. The Fault In Our Stars

“The Fault in Our Stars” is the perfect tearjerker and John Green’s masterpiece. If you don’t mind your 8th graders reading about heavy topics, this story is both heartbreaking and uplifting in its depiction of cancer.

Our main character, Hazel Grace, knows she’s dying of cancer. So, when she meets Augustus Waters at her cancer support group, she tries not to get too close to him. But what does the universe has in store for them?

40. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Stephen Chbosby’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a modern classic. The novel depicts issues that many high school students face. Not to mention, its unique format sets it apart, as it’s composed of letters from our main character.

Be sure to check out the content warnings before choosing this novel.

41. Lord Of The Rings

It’s, of course, a more challenging read, so make sure your eighth graders are ready for it. Also, the movies can make these books a lot less intimidating.

42. Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

If your 8th-grade students hate reading, why not give them a novel with tons of vintage, eerie photographs to spike their interest?

In “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs, we follow 16-year-old Jacob, who sets off on a journey to learn about his family history. But he sure isn’t ready for what he finds … a mysterious island, an abandoned orphanage, peculiar children, and more.

43. I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing

“I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing” is a coming-of-age memoir by Maya Angelou. It tells the story of African-American Maya during the Great Depression.

44. Little Women

Their stories weave happiness, tragedy, hope, ambition, and more seamlessly. So, you can expect your 8th graders to enjoy the book and the 2019 movie adaptation as well!

45. The Master Puppeteer

Its mystery revolves around Sabura, a bandit who steals from the rich to help the poor.

46. Rebecca

Daphne Du Maurier’s “Rebecca” is one exciting mystery for your 8th-grade students. In it, the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter decides to unravel the dark truth about her husband’s first wife, the late Rebecca. Are these secrets better kept under wraps?

47. Walk Two Moons

On the road trip from Ohio to Idaho, she shares several interesting stories that’ll keep your kids hooked!

48. Wringer

When Palmer turns ten, he’s supposed to become a wringer; however, he wants anything but that. When an unexpected visitor comes into the picture, Palmer knows he must learn to stand up for what he believes in.

49. Go Tell It On The Mountain

Which can inspire important conversations in class. The main character of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is a 14-year-old boy who discovers the terms of his identity, living with his stepfather, a self-righteous preacher.

50. When You Were Everything

In Sophomore year, two best friends, Cleo and Layla, cut ties.

They can learn something from how Cleo comes to terms with this and makes friends.

51. Almost American Girl

In it, Robin travels with her mom from Seoul, Korea to Alabama for a vacation. Then, her mom announces she’s getting married.

Now, Robin has to go to a school where she doesn’t speak the language and where there are no friends close by. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

52. Ender’s Game

“Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card is an easy and fun read for 8th graders.

But is Ender really the military genius that can rise to this challenge, or is he just a puppet?

In Megan E. Freeman’s “Alone,” twelve-year-old Maddie has a plan to have a sleepover with her two best friends, except she wakes up alone in an evacuated and abandoned town.

Not to mention, she has no contact with the outside world. She only has George, a Rottweiler, and an endless supply of books. Now, what will Maddy do in the face of looters, wild animals, and natural disasters? And how will she combat her loneliness?

54. Nikki On The Line

With friendship drama, school stress, and babysitting duties, can Nikki pull her weight on the basketball court? Let your kids find out in “Nikki on the Line” by Barbara Carroll Roberts.

55. The Many Meanings Of Meilan

She struggles with her identity as a Chinese American girl, becoming many Meilans. Your students will benefit from watching her find a home in herself and make a new friend along the way.

56. You Have A Match

So, she decides she must see her Instagram-famous sister, learn more about her, and understand why her parents gave her up for adoption.

57. All The Bright Places

Jennifer Niven’s “All the Bright Places” follows two teenagers, Theodore and Violet.

Your 8th graders will love this compelling, honest, and heartbreaking story about love and life.

Jump In : Make your 8th-grade students better at reading, writing, and expressing their thoughts by providing them with my list of 11 Free 8th Grade Reading Fluency Passages for Your Class !

Overall, we hope this collection of classic, contemporary, young adult, and middle-grade novels has helped you put together your 8th-grade book list. And remember that the key is to create a balance between literary merit, social issues, and tremendous fun!

Last Updated on July 24, 2022 by Emily

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Emily is an active mother of two and a dedicated elementary school teacher. She believes the latest technology has made a huge impact on the quality of early learning and has worked hard to upgrade her classroom and her own children’s learning experience through technology.

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50 Must-Read​ Books for Eighth Graders

by AuthorAmy

Welcome to Amy’s Bookshelf! Here, teachers will find carefully curated book lists for each grade level from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Moving forward, new lists filled with book recommendations will be published weekly. Sometimes, these lists will be organized around a specific theme, like a holiday or seasonal event. Other times, they will feature rockstar books – books practically guaranteed to get your students reading. 

Before jumping into reading recommendations, a few words about how books are selected.

First, it is so important that teachers prioritize reading interest over reading level. Students will often choose to read well above or below their reading level if they are particularly interested in a book or topic. Teachers only hurt students by limiting them to a specific selection of titles grouped according to an arbitrary number or level. Think of the books on these lists as starting places for you and your students, but if a student wants to read up (or down), that is a-ok.

Also, please note that these lists lean heavily toward modern selections as opposed to the classics many teachers are familiar with. A true renaissance is happening in children’s literature today, and the books coming out are truly exciting. One of the factors that makes this such an exciting time for kid lit is how diverse the selections are in terms of genre, characters and subject matter. These lists will feature fiction and nonfiction selection as well as graphic novels, novels written in verse, and more.

Any book list or classroom library worth its salt includes books featuring LGBTQIA+ characters, racially diverse characters, characters with disabilities, characters in the foster care system, characters from a wide variety of socioeconomic and religious backgrounds, and so on. Importantly, the diversity of the characters doesn’t always need to be the focus of the literature – in other words, a book featuring a black character or gay character doesn’t need to be about those individuals exploring their blackness or their gayness; those characters can have kid problems that apply to all children regardless of their race or sexual orientation. Similarly, students should be encouraged to read stories featuring people of diversity all year long – not just during a month set aside to celebrate a specific heritage.

One final note: today’s children’s literature does not shy away from frank discussions of gender, race, sex, sexuality, abuse, mental illness, and more – nor should it. I will not censor books from these lists based on these controversial areas. What books you recommend will depend on the specific district you work in and your clientele. I encourage you and your students to read widely without fear.

Eighth Grade

Eighth grade students are on the cusp of high school, so the books on this list are reflective of their level of increasing maturity. Many of the books on this list are appropriate for middle school and high school students.

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by Alan Gratz

Refugee is one of those “everyone must read this book” books. It span ages and is equally powerful as a middle school or high school text. This is the journey of three children, all refugees, fleeing from a terror regime. Josef lives in Germany and flees from the Nazis with his family; Isabel tries to escape Cuba for American shores, and Mahmoud is a modern-day Syrian refugee. Though they are from different times in history, their stories intersect in surprising ways. 

2. Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline

In a dystopian world where the economy has crashed, people around the world log into the Oasis, a virtual reality platform. The creator of the Oasis, an eccentric billionaire, has died and left his fortune buried somewhere within the game. This story follows teenager Wade as he gets closer and closer to the treasure, a dangerous game when so many want what he is close to having. 

3. Journey by Aaron Becker

This is a wordless picture book that is about a girl who, using a magic marker, draws herself an escape from the ordinary into the extraordinary. It’s sort of a Harold’s Purple Crayon for adolescents and adults, with a more nuanced story and theme. 

4. Peter and the Starcatchers

by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Humor authors Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson imagine an origin story for Peter Pan. How did Peter end up in Neverland and what happened to his parents? Why is Hook afraid of crocodiles? Where did Tinkerbell come from, and who are the lost boys? All these questions and more are answered, and this book is both a page-turner and laugh-out-loud funny. 

5. Keeper of the Night

by Kimberley Willis Holt

Keeper of the Night takes place in Guam, and the story is richly populated with details enough to make the reader feel like they’ve stepped into Isabel’s world. Isabel’s mother has died, leaving her family reeling. Isabel wants to piece her family back together, and this is the story of how she does so. 

6. The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens, or Bod, is a toddler who inadvertently escapes from Jack, who murders his family. Bod winds up in the local graveyard and is raised by ghosts. When Bod reaches adolscence, however, he wants to stretch his legs and explore away from his ghost family, a proposition that could prove very dangerous to him, indeed. 

7. Science Verse

by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

Science is delivered here in raucous poetic form. The author and illustrator combine to create an inna t e dance through science, from the food chain to the creation of a black hole. 

8. Moonshot

by Brian Floca

Moonshot is Brian Floca’s retelling of the Apollo 11 moon landing in picture book form. Floca is well-known for creating picture books about the machines that humans take journeys in, and as with his other works, this one is marvelous. 

9. Al Capone Does My Shirts

by Gennifer Choldenko

Moose Flanagan lives on Alcatraz in the 1930s, when the prison housed the likes of Al Capone. Moose is one of 23 children living on the island because their parents work as prison guards or cooks or doctors. The kids get into all sorts of trouble on the small island, and this is a highly engaging story about those anctics. There are three other Alcatraz books after this one. 

10. Flying Lessons and Other Stories

edited by Ellen Oh

This short story collection is a compendium of stories from today’s top teen authors, and there’s something for everyone, including a short story in verse. 

11. Touching Spirit Bear

by Ben Mikaelsen

Instead of going to juvey, Cole Matthews is sent to the remote, Alaskan Circle Justice, a rehabilitation program for juvenile offenders like himself. Cole is attacked by a white bear, what is sometimes called a spirit bear, and left for dead. The attack changes Cole’s outlook and this is ultimately a story of redemption. 

12. Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White

by Melissa Sweet

American icon E.B. White is perhaps best known for Charlotte’s Web, but he was a prolific writer who wrote essays, contributed to the New Yorker, and published many other children’s books, too. This book is a lengthier picture book biography of White that includes many letters and other family artifacts that give readers an insight into this iconic American writer. 

13. Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor

by Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin, the renowned spokesperson for autism, shares her insight into the various ways a person can solve a problem. The message of this book is that there is more than one way to look at the world, to think about things, to use your imagination and to arrive at a new idea. Grandin does this by looking at inventions and the thought process behind them.

14. The Night Diary

by Veera Hiranandani

Nisha watches her home country of India divide into India and Pakistan in 1947, and suddenly, Muslims and Hindus are being killed crossing the new border. Nisha’s family decides they, too, must cross, and she fears for her life during the long journey. 

15. Zen Shorts

by Jon J. Muth

A giant panda moves into the neighborhood and begins telling children ancient Zen tales in this picture book. Author/illustrator Jon Muth followed up the popular Zen Shorts with a number of other Zen tales (including Zen Ghosts and Zen Ties ) which are all worth reading. 

16. Bound by Ice

by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace

The ship Jeannette sets sail for the Arctic from San Francisco, looking for a route to the North Pole. The ship becomes locked inside Arctic ice and sinks after two years adrift. The crew escape on lifeboats and make a harrowing journey back to civilization that not all survice. 

17. Super Women: Six Scientists Who Changed the World

by Laurie Lawlor

Six mini biographies are included in this book. Each paints a portrait of a lesser-known woman scientist who relentlessly pursued her studies despite obstacles in her path, many of which were gender-based. The biographies are accompanied by photographs, and the whole package is an engaging read. 

18. Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets

by Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley, and Marjory Wentworth

Three of today’s well-known poets, Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, write poems in honor of their favorite poets. 

19. Stormy Seas: Stories of young boat refugees

by Mary Beth Leatherdale and Eleanor Shakespeare

Contrasted with Refugee , at the start of this list, this book is a collection of five true stories about refugees who boarded a boat in search of a better life. Many infographics are included alongside the stories with more historical informatin. 

20. Strong Inside

(Young Readers Edition) by Andrew Maraniss

Perry Wallace was the first black man to play college basketball in the Southeastern Conference. He accepted an offer to play ball at Vanderbilt and crossed into a world where hatred and racism were deeply entrenched. This is his story. 

21. The Magician and the Spirits: Harry Houdini

by Deborah Noyes

Harry Houdini, in addition to being a magician and stage performer, had a fascination for the occult. He spent much time investigating whether or not accounts of contact with “the other side” were real or just stage illusions like his own. 

22. Ender’s Game

by Orson Scott Card

Set in the near future, the earth has been attacked by aliens called buggers. The earth must mount a resistance force before the aliens come back, and the military turns to elite child genuises. Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is the best of the best and he is taken from his family and trained to be the military general that will lead the fight against the aliens. 

23. The Hobbit

by J.R.R. Tolkien

A band of dwarves plus the unlikely companion of hobbit Bilbo Baggins set out to steal back treasure from the dangerous dragon Smaug. This classic novel is a prequel to the longer Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

24. Better Nate Than Ever

by Tim Federle

Nate Foster wants to star in a broadway show more than he wants anything else in life, but he knows he will never get close if he remains in his homestate of Pennslyvania. He learns that there is an open casting call for a musical and makes a daring trip to New York City to be there for it. 

25. Not your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Jessica’s parents are superheroes, but Jessica is not. She just wants to get an internship to help her get into a good college. The internship she ends up getting is in the employ of her parents’ arch enemies but allows Jessica to work alongside Abby, who she has a secret crush on. 

26. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

by Jacqueline Kelly

Calpurnia’s grandfather is a naturalist, and the two of them bond when she asks him some scientific questions about grasshoppers. Their relationship grows, as does Calpurnia’s interest in science. 

27. The House of the Scorpion

by Nancy Farmer

Matt is a clone of El Patrón, who divided his cells in a test tube and then placed his developing embroyo in the uterus of a cow. The world sees Matt as an abomination but Matt didn’t ask to be created, and now that he’s here, he’s grappling with his identity and navigating the dangerous world occupied by El Patrón.

28. Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir

by Margarita Engle

Margarita lives in Los Angeles, except when she lives in Cuba during the summer with her mother. Margarita loves Cuba and lives for those summer months. But the United States is trapped in the Cold War, and when Cuba becomes a central part of the conflict, Margarita’s two sides are suddenly at war. 

29. Forget Me Not

by Ellie Terry

Calliope has never felt like she fits in, which is perhaps why she turns to the night skies. She loves astronomy, and the stars do not judge her for having Tourettes like the kids at school do. It’s only when Calliope’s mom moves her to another new school that she finally starts to make friends. 

30. The Outsiders

by S.E. Hinton

It’s the Socs versus the Greasers in this iconic novel about Ponyboy and his buddies. The boys live on the outskirts of society and sometimes scuffles break out between the two groups. One night, things go too far. 

31. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

by Carolyn Mackler

Virginia is a plus-sized teenager, which makes everything about being a teenager harder. She feels pathetic next to her perfect family, especially her perfect brother. But then a serious accusation is levied against her brother, and the family’s world is rocked to its core. 

32. Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Steve Harmon is 16 and is being tried for murder after he was the lookout in the shooting of a drugstore owner. Steve, prior to the murder trial, was an amateur filmmaker so he transcribes his experiences, and Monster is the result. 

33. Lucky Broken Girl

by Ruth Behar

Ruthie Mizrahi’s family has moved to the United States from Cuba. Here, she suffers a horrific accident that leaves her in a full body cast for an entire year. Because Ruthie can’t move, the book is mostly her inner monologue, which grows over the bedridden year.

34. The First Rule of Punk

by Celia C. Perez

Malú learns the first rule of punk from her dad, and it’s “be yourself.” Which is all fine until Malú colossally messes up her first day of school. She decides to try her dad’s advice and assembles a punk band of misfits, finding herself along the way. 

35. Breakout

by Kate Messner

Nora’s summer vacation plans are majorly messed up when the nearby prison experiences a high-profile prison break. Suddenly, the neighborhood is on house arrest. This is a multi-genre novel told in many formats including comics, poems, and letters. 

36. Flowers for Algernon

by Daniel Keyes

Algernon is a lab mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his IQ, and soon this surgery is applied to Charlie Gordon. The operation successfully increases Charlie’s intelligence, but only temporarily, and he is forced to watch himself regress.  It’s a book both heartbreaking and important. 

37. The Alchemist: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

by Michael Scott

This is the first in a six-book fantasy series. This particular installment is about Nicholas Flamel, the famed alychemist. Legend has it, he did not die in 1418, as his tomb states, but that he lives on today making the elixir that keeps him immortal. But when a modern day villian sets out to steal Flamel’s magic book, two kids step in to stop him. 

38. The Westing Game

by Ellen Raskin

Millionaire Samuel W. Westing dies at the beginning of the book and the tenants in his building are named as heirs in his will. The tenants are paired off and told the first team to solve the puzzle contained in the will will inherit Westing’s entire fortune. 

39. A Monster Calls

by Patrick Ness

At the beginning of the book, protagonist Conor is fighting a number of monsters – bullies at school, a monster in his nightmares, and the grief associated with an ill family member. Then a real monster shows up and Conor is forced to face some truths within himself. 

40. Fallen Angels

by Walter Dean Myers

Perry volunteers for the Vietnam War, and he is sent to the front lines where he must face the horrors of war. 

41. When You Reach Me

by Rebecca Stead

Miranda receives mysterious notes that predict the future. So, when the notes instruct her to write a letter, she feels she must do as she is told. There is a nice mystery woven in, and some time travel to boot. 

42. Mortal Engines

by Philip Reeve

In this fascinating and creative futuristic world, cities have been turned into rolling behemoths that hunt down and tear apart other cities. This is the first book in a four-part series. There is lots of world-building and some excellent character development. 

43. The Book of Boy

by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

A protagonist known as Boy is bullied for his hump and so spends his time along in the woods communing with the animals. He is found by a man named Secondus who hires Boy as a servant. Secondus has a mission, which involves thieving ancient relics with Boy’s help. 

44. Willa of the Wood

by Robert Beatty

Willa is a night spirit, and she hates humans for the havoc the wreak on nature. She steals from humans as revenge, but one day winds up hurt, leaving her vulnerable during daylight hours. 

45. Grenade

Grenade is the story of two young men. Hideki, who is in the Japanese army during WWII, and Ray, an American soldier in Japan. The two collide with orders to kill each other and they each must make a choice. 

46. Olivia Twist

by Lorie Langdon

In this spin on Oliver Twist, Olivia is raised among Long street thieves until her uncle takes her into high society after a thieving episode goes wrong. But even though she is allowed to live a life of comfort, she cannot forget the London orphans and so sneaks away to offer her help. 

47. The Seventh Most Important Thing

by Shelley Pearsall

Arthur finds himself facing a judge after he threw a brick at a garbage truck and hit the Junk Man in the arm. The Junk Man offers to let Arthur do community service with him, who sets Arthur to combing through trash searching for a list of seven important things. 

48. The Thing About Jellyfish

by Ali Benjamin

Suzy’s best friend dies in a drowning accident, but Suzy is convinced the accident was caused by a jellyfish sting. In her grief, she retreats into her imagination and comes up with a plan to prove her theory correct. 

49. Summer of the Gypsy Moths

by Sara Pennypacker

Aunt Louise has taken in her niece Stella, and Stella loves living with her aunt. Until that is, Louise opens her home to another foster child, Angel, who Stella does not get along with. Aunt Louise dies and the two girls decide not to tell anyone. 

50. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart

Lily and Dunkin are both dealing with heavy situations. Lily was born a boy but knows she’s a girl, whereas Dunkin has bipolar disorder. The two become friends and help each other cope. 

Other book lists from Amy’s bookshelf you’ll love: 

• 50 Must-Read Books for Kindergarteners
• 50 Must-Read Books For First Graders
• 50 Must-Read Books for Second Graders
• 50 Must-Read Books For Third Graders
• 50 Must-Read Books for Fourth Graders
• 50 Must-Read Books For Fifth Graders
• 50 Must-Read Books For Sixth Graders
• 50 Must-Read Books for Seventh Graders

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Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

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What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

• A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book. 
• A book review will offer an evaluation of the work. 
• A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience. 

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

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Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.

His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.

This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.

This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.

I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.

The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.

Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.

As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.

This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.

Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.

Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim.  To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.

♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.

Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.

“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!

This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.

The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.

Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.

I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.

The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.

I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school

➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history

➽ Shamans and gods

➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters

➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).

Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?

In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.

Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.

The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.

Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.

Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”

Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.

All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.

The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.

Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.

In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.

To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5

SUBJECT: 4/5

CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5

RELEVANCE: 3.5/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5

“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.

Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.

This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.

I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.

And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.

She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.

I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

Hopefully, this post has given you a better idea of how to write a book review. You might be wondering how to put all of this knowledge into action now! Many book reviewers start out by setting up a book blog. If you don’t have time to research the intricacies of HTML, check out Reedsy Discovery — where you can read indie books for free and review them without going through the hassle of creating a blog. To register as a book reviewer , go here .

And if you’d like to see even more book review examples, simply go to this directory of book review blogs and click on any one of them to see a wealth of good book reviews. Beyond that, it's up to you to pick up a book and pen — and start reviewing!

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Writing an Excellent Book Review: A Step-by-Step Guide

‘ So many books, so little time ’, said Frank Zappa. We all love to read storybooks. They are filled with amazing characters, beautiful pictures and so many more things. These books welcome us into their fascinating world, spark our imagination and curiosity and, above all, they bring joy to our life. We then want to share our experience of reading a particular book with our family and friends. Some of us might find it tough to remember all the details at that time. One way of remembering all the wonderful details of the book is by writing them down. So, let’s learn how to write a book review today!

Tips on how to write a book review for children

There are many reasons for learning to write a book review. It helps us share our thoughts and feelings about the book, strengthens our writing skills and sharpens our thinking skills. Now, are you ready to write a book review? Here are a few things that you would want to cover in your book review. Pick up the latest book you have read and let’s get started!

Title, author and other details

Before you even begin to write your book review, you need to write down the title of the book and the name of the author. You may also want to write the name of the illustrator who created the beautiful images in the book. Another good practice would be to write the name of the publisher. You are most likely to find this information on the cover page of your book. 

Here’s the order: 

• Title of the book
• Name of the author
• Name of the illustrator
• Name of the publisher

Book ratings

A Book review is all about your opinion of the book. Hence, you should include something that lets the reader know instantly if you liked or disliked the book. One way of doing this is to give it a rating out of 10 or use the 5-star method. For example, you could give all 5 stars to a great book and 2 stars to a book that you didn’t really like. Remember that your book review must be in line with these ratings, so do this at the end, but leave some room for it on top of the page so that the reader notices it instantly. 

Here’s the rating guide:

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I loved this book, and I think everyone else will love it too. 
• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I liked this book, and I think most of my friends would like it. 
• ⭐⭐⭐ – It’s a good book, and many will enjoy reading it. 
• ⭐⭐ – I didn’t like this book, but a few of my friends would like it. 
• ⭐ – I didn’t like this book at all, and most of my friends will agree with me. 

Summarise the book

Summarise the book in less than 100 words. Be mindful and do not give away too much information about the story. While summarising the book, remember to not give away the surprises in the book. You could describe where the story takes place and the main event in the story.

Here are a few things you can include in your summary:

• Moral of the story or a lesson learned from reading the story.
• Place and main event of the story; just don’t reveal the surprise here.
• Main characters and what kind of people they are. 
• How easy is the book to understand?

Share things that you liked and disliked about the book

Start by writing about three things that you really liked about the book. You could talk about the words used, the characters and how the story began or ended. Then you could cover things that you disliked in the book; it could be the pictures or even the way the story ended. 

Here are a few things you could talk about:

• Did you like the way the story was written–beginning, middle and end?
• Did you like the ending? Why or why not? Could it be better?
• Were the characters and their thoughts explained well?
• Were the words easy to understand?
• Were there pictures? Did you like them? Why or why not?
• Was the story interesting or dull? Why or why not?

These pointers will help you write a book review that covers almost everything about the book. At the end of it, you could also mention if you would like your family and friends to read it as soon as possible or if they can pick another book to read. Remember that writing a book review is not always easy; initially you may find it very hard, but soon with practice you will get better. So keep writing! All the best! 

Did you find these tips helpful? Do leave a book review of your favourite book in the comments section. 

Also read, 

• A Step-By-Step Poetry Writing Guide For Children
• Seven-Day Challenge To Help Your Child Write Their Very First Story
• The Ultimate Checklist For Language Development

About the Author

Mekhala Joshi

“Me-kha-la!” That happens at least once when she introduces herself to new people. She wholeheartedly believes in the quote by Arthur Rubinstein that says – “if you love life, life will love you back”. She is an organizational psychologist and psychometrician. She was a class teacher of 36 adorable girls for two years, grades 2 & 3, as a part of the Teach For India Fellowship. These little girls have a special place in her heart, and when she writes for children, she writes for them!

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

August 21, 2023

I am loving your articles. As a volunteer who have worked for Teach for India, i can appreciate that you wrote this article by putting yourself in the shoes of them. Because whenever there is a presentation, or a speech by a visitor to the college or school, I use to do the same. My focus was on giving high quality feedback at the end of the lecture so i use to jot down all the important ideas discussed.

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Wings of Fire

Write a review of the book you have recently read. Inform the readers about your experience while reading that book. Also, mention, why or why not you would recommend that book to the readers. The book that I have finished reading recently is Wings of Fire written collaboratively by A P J Abdul Kalam and Arun Tiwari. The book is a semi-autobiography, that recollects the childhood memories of A P J Abdul Kalam. A P J Abdul Kalam extends his dimension of writing to his experiences and works in Indian space research and missile programs. The book has been a best-seller across India and continues to motivate a million readers. The depiction of Kalam's early life is highly inspirational. He notes intricate details of his childhood influences.  Kalam was born in Rameswaram, a southern religious town in Tamil Nadu. The initial chapters provide an interesting glimpse of religious harmony which existed before India’s partition. Quoting from the book, ''The famous Shiva temple, which made Rameswaram so sacred to pilgrims, was about a ten-minute walk from our house. Our locality was predominantly Muslim, but there were quite a few Hindu families too, living amicably with their Muslim neighbours.'' I thoroughly enjoyed the depiction of the place. The im…

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• NCERT Books for Class 8 Latest Free PDF Download (2023-24)
• NCERT Books

CBSE Class 8 NCERT Books PDF Download

NCERT, or the National Council of Education Research and Training, is an autonomous organization in charge of researching, publishing, and improving the quality of Education in India.

NCERT, as an organisation, is responsible for framing the syllabus of CBSE. For the assistance of students, it publishes textbooks also. NCERT textbook for Class 8, is an ideal Example. As the same organisation designs the books like the one framing the syllabus, 8th Class NCERT book is highly accurate, adheres to the syllabus, and recommended by teachers across India as one of the best textbooks to follow.

These books aid students in their learning process, along with easy access to the 8th Class NCERT book PDF which help clear complicated concepts. NCERT Class 8 solutions are also available to improve the understanding of the student.

Other Popular Book Solutions Class 8 NCERT

Discover a variety of popular book solutions that are widely sought after by readers. These solutions encompass a diverse range of topics and genres, catering to a wide audience.

NCERT Books for Class 8 All Subjects

NCERT Solutions for Class 8

Ncert books for class 8 pdf - free download online, ncert books for class 8 hindi & english medium- all subjects.

Students in class 8 have outstanding learning abilities and grasping capabilities. They can now explore their passions and develop their future occupations in accordance with their interests. These NCERT books should be used by students to comprehend the foundational concepts of the Class 8 curriculum.

Download NCERT Books Class 8 PDF in English and Hindi. For Class 8, CBSE has recommended NCERT books in Math, Hindi, English, Science, Exemplars History, Political Science – Civics, Geography, Economics, and Sanskrit. NCERT books for Class 8 based on the CBSE syllabus are listed below. When a student reads, understands, and learns all topics from the NCERT book Class 8, he or she would be able to score well in the VIII Exams.

NCERT Books for Class 8 may be downloaded in PDF format. For Class 8, the CBSE has assigned the NCERT books as per the prescribed subject. The Class 8 NCERT books are used in all schools connected with the Central Board of Secondary Education. A good result in the VIII Exam is feasible if the student reads, understands, and learns all ideas from the NCERT book Class 8 Books.

The NCERT (National Council of Education Research and Training) books are widely regarded as the best and most dependable study materials for all CBSE board students. NCERT books are the key resource that students use when studying for Examinations. NCERT books for the eighth grade assist students in developing a thorough grasp of all topics. NCERT Class 8 books are designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of all themes. We have included Class 8 textbook PDF download links in the following sections of the post to make books more easily available. Students seeking NCERT books for Class 8 can get the textbooks as PDFs straight from this page.

We have included NCERT Books for Class 8 for all topics, including Math, Science, English, Hindi, Social Science, Sanskrit, and Urdu, in this page. NCERT Books for Class 8 are accessible in three languages: English, Hindi, and Urdu. Students may get the Chapter-by-Chapter NCERT books for Class 8 all topics for free by clicking on the download links.

Experiment with 3D Learning for the 8th CBSE. Take a look at your books as they come to life.

There is a large variety of Class 8 Books accessible on the market. As a result, selecting the best Class 8 Books for test preparation is incredibly tough. Kids should keep in mind that NCERT 8th Class books are the standard and greatest study resource for students in the eighth grade. Furthermore, NCERT has responded to the digital world by making Class 8 NCERT Books available in online forms for all Classes on its official website. As a consequence, students may now get their hands on the 8th Class NCERT book much more simply.

The NCERT Books are based on the CBSE Class 8 syllabus and include all of the necessary and relevant Chapters. The topics are given in an engaging manner to assist students in properly understanding the essential ideas. NCERT Class 8 Books also include a sufficient number of activities, Examples, and exercises for students to properly understand the subject. You can go over the NCERT books for Class 8 by topic.

We have included all of the information regarding NCERT books for Class 8 below, as well as links to free downloads of Math, English, Science, Social Science, and Hindi books. Students can obtain the CBSE books for Class 8 from the links provided below.

CBSE Class 8 pupils study seven subjects: Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Hindi, English, Sanskrit, and Urdu. We have provided links to the detailed Class 8 curriculum for various courses for the convenience of students. All of these topics/Chapters are included in the NCERT textbooks for 8th-grade students.

Now that you have all of the information about CBSE 8 Class textbooks, you can begin reading and learning the topics included in these books. With Exams in mind, you should first go over the material and solve the previous years’ question papers. You may learn the ideas quickly and easily using the materials provided by Vedantu.

Vedantu offers free Class 8 Practice Questions and Class 8 Mock Tests in Math and Science. These Examinations and practice questions are particularly designed to assist pupils in improving their results. In addition, if you are looking for NCERT books to help you study for UPSC Civil Services Examinations or any other government test, you may go to the NCERT Books for All Classes on Vedantu and download them.

We hope you found this post about NCERT Book PDF Class 8 useful. We recommend that you download the 8th-grade NCERT study resources and begin preparing for the tests. You may also access the NCERT Class 8 solutions created by Vedantu's academic professionals by clicking on the link provided.

Other Free CBSE Study Material for Class 8

Other Free CBSE Study Material 

FAQs on NCERT Books for Class 8 Latest Free PDF Download (2023-24)

1. Where do I Find NCERT Class 8 Maths Solutions?

The students can find Class 8 Maths solutions in the Vedantu website or app. There is a team of experts in Vedantu who research thoroughly to provide quality materials. The answers are in proper steps; this helps the students to understand the topic better. The objective is to increase the speed and efficiency of the students.

2. Why NCERT Books are the Best for Exams?

NCERT books are appropriate for school and competitive exams. The discussions are in detail. The language used is simple and easy to understand. The practice questions at the end of each chapter help students in their learning process. It helps them to evaluate themselves. They can understand how much they have appreciated. While solving problems, the topics that they have already studied get revised.

3. Which Chapters are Essential for Class 8 Science?

The chapters of class 8 Science are vital as they help create the base of every students. NCERT Science of class 8 prepares the students for higher studies. Sections like light, sound, electric current, biological processes in plants and animals, metals, and non-metal needs to be given focus. The book has chapters from different branches of Science. So, all the chapters are equally relevant for understanding the concept.

4. Which Book is the Best for Studying Class 8 Social Science?

NCERT social science book for class 8 is the best Social Science book for this Class. The discussions are comprehensive. Chapters from all the three sections, namely Geography, History, and Social and Political Science, are covered from the basic. The explanation is in a simple language which can be easily grasped by the students.

Mathematics, as we all know, is a topic that requires a lot of practice. The more you practise, the more you will comprehend, which will help you perform well in the Exams. Everyone in Class 8 Math should attentively study the Examples provided in each Chapter of Mathematics and then solve each question provided in the exercises on their own. If the problem is not solved or replied to, you should try again. Solving the problems using multiple strategies teaches us numerous alternative ways to answer each issue. If you have no concept about a question in the test or do not have total confidence in any question, this practice of solving will assist you in finding appropriate solutions. We can see that even the most difficult questions may be addressed by attempting them once or twice. In this manner, students will see that their performance in daily assessments improves, and they will easily get 90 percent or higher in the yearly Class 8 Maths Examination.

6. How many textbooks are there in class 8?

For Class 8, there are typically around five to six textbooks in the NCERT curriculum, covering subjects such as Mathematics, Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Social Science (History, Geography, Civics), English, and Hindi. The exact number may vary based on the specific medium (English or Hindi) and subjects chosen.

7. Which books should I read class 8?

For Class 8, you should read the following books as per the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) curriculum:

Mathematics: NCERT Mathematics textbook for Class 8.

Science: NCERT Science textbook for Class 8 (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology).

Social Science: NCERT Social Science textbook for Class 8 (History, Geography, Civics, and Economics).

English: NCERT English textbook for Class 8.

Hindi: NCERT Hindi textbook for Class 8. These books cover the core subjects and provide a comprehensive understanding of the Class 8 curriculum.

8. How many subjects are there in NCERT Class 8?

In NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) Class 8 curriculum, there are typically five main subjects: Mathematics, Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Social Science (History, Geography, Civics, Economics), English, and Hindi. These subjects form the core curriculum for Class 8 students in India.

9. What is the name of NCERT English Book Class 8?

The name of the NCERT English book for Class 8 is "Honeydew." It is the prescribed textbook for English language learning in Class 8, covering various prose and poetry pieces along with comprehension exercises, vocabulary, and grammar lessons.

10. Which is best NCERT or CBSE?

NCERT and CBSE are not comparable as they serve different purposes. NCERT develops educational resources, including textbooks, while CBSE is a board that conducts examinations and sets curriculum guidelines. CBSE schools often use NCERT textbooks as a primary resource.

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NCERT Books for Class 8 [Complete PDF]

NCERT Books for Class 8 are available on our website NcertGuru, from where you can get  NCERT Books  with just one click and save all the material in PDF format on your device.

NCERT Books for CBSE Class 8 are highly recommended by educational experts and teachers to help students prepare for the exams. These books completely follow the  syllabus of CBSE , and these books are primarily recommended by the board.

NCERT books are also helpful for the students preparing for civil services examinations and also for the students preparing for UPSC examinations to a great extent. Students aspiring to get government jobs can refer to these books while preparing for UPSC or civil services exams and other exams.

NCERT Books for Class 8 All Subjects

Ncert books for class 8 in hindi & english medium.

Get NCERT books for 8th class Maths, Science, Social Science All Subjects, Hindi & English in PDF format. Hindi Medium books are also given to download for academic sessions 2024–2025.  Get Class 8 Solutions .

Maths  •  Science  •  Social Science  •  Hindi  •  English  •  Sanskrit

NCERT Books For Class 8 Maths [English Medium]

• Chapter 1: Rational Numbers
• Chapter 2: Linear Equations in One Variable
• Chapter 3: Understanding Quadrilaterals
• Chapter 4: Practical Geometry
• Chapter 5: Data Handling
• Chapter 6: Square and Square Roots
• Chapter 7: Cube and Cube Roots
• Chapter 8: Comparing Quantities
• Chapter 9: Algebraic Expressions and Identities
• Chapter 10: Visualizing Solid Shapes
• Chapter 11: Mensuration
• Chapter 12: Exponents and Powers
• Chapter 13: Direct and Inverse Proportions
• Chapter 14: Factorization
• Chapter 15: Introduction to Graphs
• Chapter 16: Playing with Numbers
• NCERT Answers

NCERT Books For Class 8 Maths [हिन्दी]

• अध्याय 1: परिमेय संख्याएँ
• अध्याय 2: एक चर वाले रैखिक समीकरण
• अध्याय 3: चतुर्भुजों को समझना
• अध्याय 4: प्रायोगिक ज्यामिति
• अध्याय 5: आँकड़ो का प्रबंधन
• अध्याय 6: वर्ग और वर्गमूल
• अध्याय 7: घन और घनमूल
• अध्याय 8: राशियों की तुलना
• अध्याय 9: बीजीय व्यंजक एवं सर्वसमिकाएँ
• अध्याय 10: ठोस आकारों का चित्रण
• अध्याय 11: क्षेत्रमिति
• अध्याय 12: घातांक और घात
• अध्याय 13: सीधा और प्रतिलोम समानुपात
• अध्याय 14: गुणनखंडन
• अध्याय 15: आलेखों से परिचय
• अध्याय 16: संख्याओं के साथ खेलना

NCERT Exemplar Problems For Class 8 Maths

• Chapter 1: Rational Numbers
• Chapter 2: Linear Equations in One Variable
• Chapter 3: Understanding Quadrilaterals
• Chapter 4: Practical Geometry
• Chapter 5: Data Handling
• Chapter 6: Square and Square Roots
• Chapter 7: Cube and Cube Roots
• Chapter 8: Comparing Quantities
• Chapter 9: Algebraic Expressions and Identities
• Chapter 10: Visualizing Solid Shapes
• Chapter 11: Mensuration
• Chapter 12: Exponents and Powers
• Chapter 13: Direct and Inverse Proportions
• Chapter 14: Factorization
• Chapter 15: Introduction to Graphs
• Chapter 16: Playing with Numbers
• Exemplar Answers

NCERT Books For Class 8 Science [English Medium]

• Chapter 1: Crop Production and Management
• Chapter 2: Microorganisms: Friend and Foe
• Chapter 3: Synthetic Fibres and Plastics
• Chapter 4: Materials: Metals and Non-Metals
• Chapter 5: Coal and Petroleum
• Chapter 6: Combustion and Flame
• Chapter 7: Conservation of Plants and Animals
• Chapter 8: Cell – Structure and Functions
• Chapter 9: Reproduction in Animals
• Chapter 10: Reaching the Age of Adolescence
• Chapter 11: Force and Pressure
• Chapter 12: Friction Chapter 13: Sound
• Chapter 14: Chemical Effects of Electric Current
• Chapter 15: Some Natural Phenomena
• Chapter 16: Light
• Chapter 17: Stars and The Solar System
• Chapter 18: Pollution of Air and Water

NCERT Books For Class 8 Science [हिन्दी]

• अध्याय 1: फसल उत्पादन एवं प्रबंध
• अध्याय 2: सूक्ष्मजीव: मित्र एवं शत्रु
• अध्याय 3: संश्लेषित रेशे और प्लास्टिक
• अध्याय 4: पदार्थ: धातु और अधातु
• अध्याय 5: कोयला और पेट्रोलियम
• अध्याय 6: दहन और ज्वाला
• अध्याय 7: पौधे एवं जंतुओं का संरक्षण
• अध्याय 8: कोशिका – संरचना एवं प्रकार्य
• अध्याय 9: जंतुओं में जनन
• अध्याय 10: किशोरावस्था की ओर
• अध्याय 11: बल तथा दाब
• अध्याय 12: घर्षण
• अध्याय 13: ध्वनि
• अध्याय 14: विधुत धारा के रासानिक प्रभाव
• अध्याय 15: कुछ प्राकृतिक परिघटनाएँ
• अध्याय 16: प्रकाश
• अध्याय 17: तारे एवं सौर परिवार
• अध्याय 18: वायु तथा जल का प्रदूषण

NCERT Books For Class 8 English

Class 8 English – Honeydew

• Chapter 1: The Best Christmas Present in the World & The Ant and the Cricket
• Chapter 2: The Tsunami & Geography Lesson
• Chapter 3: Glimpses of the Past & Macavity: The Mystery Cat
• Chapter 4: Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory & The Last Bargain
• Chapter 5: The Summit Within & The School Boy
• Chapter 6: This is Jody’s Fawn & The Duck and the Kangaroo
• Chapter 7: A Visit to Cambridge & When I set out for Lyonnesse
• Chapter 8: A Short Monsoon Diary & On the Grasshopper and Cricket
• Chapter 9: The Great Stone Face – I
• Chapter 10: The Great Stone Face – II

Class 8 English – It So Happened… – Supplementary Reader

• Chapter 1: How the Camel got his hump
• Chapter 2: Children at work
• Chapter 3: The Selfish Giant
• Chapter 4: The treasure within
• Chapter 5: Princess September
• Chapter 6: The fight
• Chapter 7: The open window
• Chapter 8: Jalebis
• Chapter 9: The comet – I
• Chapter 10: The comet – II
• Chapter 11: Ancient Education System of India

NCERT Books For Class 8 Hindi Textbooks PDF

Class 8 Hindi – Vasant (वसंत)

• पाठ 1: ध्वनि (कविता)
• पाठ 2: लाख की चूड़ियाँ (कहानी)
• पाठ 3: बस की यात्रा (व्यंग)
• पाठ 4: दीवानों की हस्ती (कविता)
• पाठ 5: चिठ्ठियों की अनूठी दुनिया (निबंध)
• पाठ 6: भगवान के डाकिए (कविता)
• पाठ 7: क्या निराश हुआ जाए (निबंध)
• पाठ 8: यह सबसे कठिन समय। नहीं (कविता)
• पाठ 9: कबीर की साखियॉं पाठ 10: कामचोर (कहानी)
• पाठ 11: जब सिनेमा ने बोलना सीखा
• पाठ 12: सूरदास चरित (कविता)
• पाठ 13: जहाँ पहिया है (रिपोर्ताज)
• पाठ 14: अकबरी लोटा (कहानी)
• पाठ 15: सूर के पद (कविता)
• पाठ 16: पानी की कहानी (निबंध)
• पाठ 17: बाज और साँप (कहानी)
• पाठ 18: टोपी (कहानी)

Class 8 Hindi – Durva (दूर्वा)

• पाठ 1: गुड़िया (कविता)
• पाठ 2: दो गौरैया (कहानी)
• पाठ 3: चिठ्ठियों में यूरोप (पत्र)
• पाठ 4: ओस (कविता)
• पाठ 5: नाटक में नाटक (कहानी)
• पाठ 6: सागर यात्रा (यात्रा वृत्तांत)
• पाठ 7: उठ किसान ओ (कविता)
• पाठ 8: सस्ते का चक्कर (एकांकी)
• पाठ 9: एक खिलाड़ी की कुछ यादें (संस्मरण)
• पाठ 10: बस की सैर (कहानी)
• पाठ 11: हिंदी ने जिनकी जिंदगी बदल दी – मारिया नेज्यैशी (भेंटवार्ता)
• पाठ 12: आषाढ़ का पहला दिन (कविता)
• पाठ 13: अन्याय के खिलाफ (कहानी)(आदिवासी स्वतंत्रता संघर्ष कथा)
• पाठ 14: बच्चों के प्रिय श्री केशव शंकर पिल्लै (व्यक्तित्व)
• पाठ 15: फ़र्श पर (कविता)
• पाठ 16: बूढी अम्मा की बात (लोककथा)
• पाठ 17: वह सुबह कभी तो आएगी (निबंध)
• पाठ 18: आओ पत्रिका निकालें (अतिरिक्त पठन के लिए)
• पाठ 19: आहवान (अतिरिक्त पठन के लिए)

Class 8 Hindi – Bharat Ki Khoj (भारत की खोज)

• पाठ 1: अहमदनगर का किला
• पाठ 2: तलाश
• पाठ 3: सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता
• पाठ 4: युगों का दौर
• पाठ 5: नयी समस्याएँ
• पाठ 6: अंतिम दौर – एक
• पाठ 7: अंतिम दौर – दो
• पाठ 8: तनाव
• पाठ 9: दो पृष्ठभूमियाँ – भारतीय और अंग्रेजी

Class 8 Hindi – Sanshipt Budhcharit (संक्षिप्त बुद्धचरित)

• पाठ 1: आरंभिक जीवन
• पाठ 2: अभिनिष्क्रमण
• पाठ 3: ज्ञान-प्राप्ति
• पाठ 4: धर्मचक्र प्रवर्तन 
• पाठ 5: महापरिनिर्वरण 

NCERT Books For Class 8 Sanskrit

रूचिरा – तृतीयो भागः

• प्रथमः पाठः – सुभाषितानि
• द्वितीयः पाठः – बिलस्य वाणी न कदापि मे श्रुता
• तृतीयः पाठः – भगवदज्जुकम
• चतुर्थः पाठः – सदैव पुरतो निधेहि चरणम
• पञ्चमः पाठः – धर्मे धमनं पापे पुण्यम
• षष्ठः पाठः – प्रेमलस्य प्रेमल्याश्च कथा
• सप्तमः पाठः – जलवाहिनी
• अष्टमः पाठः – संसारसागरस्य नायकाः
• नवमः पाठः – सप्तभगिन्यः
• दशमः पाठः – अशोकवनिका
• एकादशः पाठः – सावित्री बाई फुले
• द्वादशः पाठः – कः रक्षति कः रक्षितः
• त्रियोदशः पाठः – हिमालयः
• चतुर्दशः पाठः – आर्यभटः
• पञ्चदशः पाठः – प्रहेलिकाः

NCERT Books For Class 8 Social Science

History (Our Pasts – III) (Part 1 & 2)

• Chapter 1: How, When, and Where
• Chapter 2: From Trade to Territory
• Chapter 3: Ruling the Countryside
• Chapter 4: Tribals, Dikus, and the Vision of a Golden Age
• Chapter 5: When People Rebel
• Chapter 6: Weavers, Iron Smelters, and Factory Owners
• Chapter 7: Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation
• Chapter 8: Women, Caste and Reform
• Chapter 9: The Making of the National Movement: 1870s – 1947
• Chapter 10: India after Independence

Geography (Resources and Development)

• Chapter 1: Resources
• Chapter 2: Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation, and Wildlife Resources
• Chapter 3: Mineral and Power Resources
• Chapter 4: Agriculture
• Chapter 5: Industries
• Chapter 6: Human Resources

Civics (Social and Political Life – III)

• Chapter 1: The Indian Constitution
• Chapter 2: Understanding Secularism
• Chapter 3: Why do we need a Parliament?
• Chapter 4: Understanding Laws
• Chapter 5: Judiciary
• Chapter 6: Understanding Our Criminal Justice System
• Chapter 7: Understanding Marginalisation
• Chapter 8: Confronting Marginalisation
• Chapter 9: Public Facilities
• Chapter 10: Law and Social Justice

NCERT Books For Class 8 Social Science in Hindi

इतिहास (हमारे अतीत – III) (भाग 1 और भाग 2)

• पाठ 1: कैसे, कब और कहाँ
• पाठ 2: व्यापार से साम्राज्य तक
• पाठ 3: ग्रामीण क्षेत्र पर शासन चलाना
• पाठ 4: आदिवासी, दिकू और एक स्वर्ण युग के कल्पना
• पाठ 5: जब जनता बग़ावत करती है
• पाठ 6: बुनकर, लोहा बनाने वाले और फैक्ट्री मालिक
• पाठ 7: “देशी जनता” को सभ्य बनाना
• पाठ 8: महिलाएँ, जाति एवं सुधार
• पाठ 9: राष्ट्रीय आंदोलन का संघटन
• पाठ 10: स्वतंत्रता के बाद

भूगोल (संसाधन एवं विकास)

• अध्याय 1: संसाधन
• अध्याय 2: भूमि, मृदा, जल, प्राकृतिक वनस्पति और वन्य जीवन संसाधन
• अध्याय 3: खनिज और शक्ति संसाधन
• अध्याय 4: कृषि
• अध्याय 5: उद्योग
• अध्याय 6: मानव संसाधन

सामाजिक एवं राजनितिक जीवन – III

• अध्याय 1: भारतीय संविधान
• अध्याय 2: धर्मनिरपेक्षता की समझ
• अध्याय 3: हमें संसद क्यों चाहिए?
• अध्याय 4: कानूनों के समझ
• अध्याय 5: न्यायपालिका
• अध्याय 6: हमारी आपराधिक न्याय प्रणाली
• अध्याय 7: हाशियाकरण की समझ
• अध्याय 8: हाशियाकरण से निपटना
• अध्याय 9: जनसुविधाएँ
• अध्याय 10: कानून और सामाजिक न्याय

NCERT Textbooks, e-Content, and Study Materials are Copyright of The National Council of Educational Research and Training . CBSE/ICSE/NIOS & Other Education Board's e-Contents are wholly owned by respective States Governments or the Ministry of Education, India . We do not claim any type of ownership of these materials nor commercially promote them. Please contact us before taking any legal action, we will remove all links related to the copyright owner.

75 Best Chapter Books for 3rd Graders (8 Year Olds)

Are you looking for the best chapter books for 3rd graders, 8-year-old boys and girls? I can help you find good books that are at their maturity and reading level and your children will love. This list shares my top recommended books with reviews so you can read more about them. Plus, you can download the most popular books on this list.

I’ve read all the books on this list and update the list every month. Using my background as a teacher, parent, and book reviewer with a Masters in Education, I only recommend excellent books that are on grade level and age-appropriate. Books that kids will love!

Top 11 Books for 3rd Grade Boys and Girls

• Cat Kid Comic Club  by Dav Pilkey (graphic novel)

A to Z Mysteries: The Absent Author  by Ron Roy

• Dog Man  by Dav Pinkey
• Dragon Kindom of Wrenly  by Jordan Quinn (graphic novel)
• Because of Winn-Dixie  by Kate DiCamillo
• Jada Jones Rock Star  by Kelly Starling Lyons
• The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
• Zita the Spacegirl  by Ben Hatke (graphic novel)

Love Puppies: Best Friends Furever  by JaNay Brown Wood

• Cat Ninja  by Matthew Cody (graphic novel)
• Lulu and the Brontosaurus  by Judith Viorst

Kids still need to be read to and hear as much story and vocabulary as possible. This is a great way to spend time together and to read more difficult books. If a book is too tricky, and your child REALLY wants to read, use it for a read aloud at bedtime.

What are the best read aloud books for 3rd graders?

Of course, any book from this list that you read to a child is positive! Here is a list of my favorite  read aloud book titles for 3rd grade.

Here are some tips  for making the most of your read aloud time with your children or students. Yes, these tips apply to parents, grandparents, librarians, and teachers!

Want a free pdf download of the most popular books for 3rd graders? Sign up below.

Are you specifically looking for wholesome books? Try these lists:

Wholesome Beginning Chapter Books for Boys Ages 6 – 9

Wholesome Beginning Chapter Books for Girls Ages 6 – 9

Best Chapter Books for 3rd Graders (8 year olds)

SHOP THIS LIST

Cat Kid Comic Club  by Dav Pilkey

GRAPHIC NOVEL / HUMOR

A hilarious book about encouraging kids to write their own comics! Cat Kid teaches a class for the tadpoles about writing comic books…which doesn’t go well until the tadpoles get excited about failure sparking lots of writing and drawing.  If you like a lot of silliness (including potty humor) with great messages about writing, creativity, and persistence, read this book next.

Two-Headed Chicken  by Tom Angleberger 

Hilarious!!  If you like wacky, bizarre humor then this is your next favorite read.  This is a story about the multiverse in which you are a two-headed chicken being chased by a moose…and it’s laugh-out-loud funny. Follow the two-headed chicken through the multiverse, take funny quizzes, meet a fish with deep feelings as well as a lawyer, and learn about so much more!

The A to Z Mysteries series rocks! None of the books need to be read in any particular order, each has a self-contained mystery. I think my kids read most of the books in this series and several more than once. In this story, the famous writer coming to the bookstore doesn’t show up. Dink and his friends, Josh and Ruth Rose, must find out what happened .  BOXED SET

Bad Kitty  by Nick Bruel

650LIn a word: Hilarious. We all think Bad Kitty is very naughty. And, oh so funny. These chapter books are easy to read and fun to reread.  BOX SET

P.I. Butterfly Gone Guppy Case #1  by Karen Kilpatrick, illustrated by German Blanco

MYSTERY   GRAPHIC NOVEL

Fabulous, funny, and entertaining! P.I Butterfly is a girl who loves butterflies and  mysteries . When she discovers that the family guppy is missing from the fish bowl, she’s determined to discover what happened. But who did it? Was it her sister? Her mother? Her cat? She searches for clues and interviews suspects.  She puts together the evidence, follows the trail of clues, and tries to get a confession–and with hard work and persistence, solves the case!  Not only is this a delightful story, but it’s also filled with problem-solving, critical thinking, and deductive reasoning.

When Jax’s mom drops him off with an irascible old lady named Ma, he learns that she helps magical animals travel between worlds like three baby dragons . After a mishap, Jax must rescue Ma from the past and deliver the dragons to a magical world. Besides finding the transporter, he needs to find the missing dragon that was stolen by his best friend’s little sister. (Cliffhanger warning for book 1 and book 3– which I didn’t like.)

Star Wars Jedi Academy  by Jeffrey Brown

SCI- FI  (series!)

Calling all Star Wars fans! Engaging from the first page, this is a relatable graphic novel adventure story about a young boy, Roan, who dreams of becoming a pilot . . . but gets into Jedi school instead. He’s the oldest new student; everyone else started long before him. Roan has ups and downs, as one does at a new school, but he finds his place at the school and new friends. Highly recommended!

Who Would Win? Whale vs. Giant Squid  by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster

3rd grade teachers tell me that their students can’t get enough of the Who Would Win? books. (Which just proves that reading comprehension happens in a little harder books if students are motivated!) In this book pitting two ocean carnivores against each other, you’ll learn facts about the sperm whale and the giant squid then read an imagined story where these two creatures face off .   Can you predict who will win?  See all the informational books in the Who Would Win series .

FANTASY / GRAPHIC NOVEL

This popular graphic novel series is about two siblings trying to save their mom, who was taken to an underground world of elves, demons, robots, and talking animals . Beautiful artwork with compelling characters and an adventurous plot make this a very popular hit with young readers.

Dog Man by Dav Pinkey

GRAPHIC NOVEL / FUNNY

Weird. Quirky. Funny. I think all three describe this new graphic novel from the creator of Captain Underpants. In the first story, a police officer and a dog are joined together — the top from the dog, the bottom from the officer to make: Dog Man . Dog Man solves crimes and has adventures, the likes of which will entertain 8-year-old readers for hours.

ALSO READ: Books Like Dog Man

Kristy’s Great Idea Babysitter’s Club #1

REALISTIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL

We’re loving these u pdated Babysitter’s Club graphic novels by the uber-talented Raina Telegemeier who wrote the highly-acclaimed  Smile  and  Sister . I recommend starting with book one since the stories are told in a specific order with details from previous stories. These are funny and fun to read, maybe even more than once. BOX SET HERE.

HISTORICAL FICTION / ADVENTURE

Wow — these are excellent, fast-paced adventures set during significant historical events. Your kids will zip through the adventures while learning about history. The books are always about a young person trying to survive the book’s historically important, life-changing events such as Pompeii, the Titanic, Pearl Harbor, or the Battle of Gettysburg.

Planet Omar  by Zanib Mian

One of the best things about Omar is his HUGE imagination!  In fact, he faces his new experiences in life with a rich, creative mind filled with dragons, Ferraris, and zombie aliens.  He uses his imagination to deal with moving, starting a new school, making friends, and dealing with racism. I love the playful writing, whimsical illustrations, and rich Pakistani-American culture in this beginning chapter book.

Dragon Kindom of Wrenly: The Coldfire Curse  by Jordan Quinn

Book one launches the series with a bang!  When Cinder’s father crashes, it’s clear that he’s sick from the dreaded “cold curse”  so Cinder must ask the king for help. Cinder flies to the castle of the human king and meets a red  dragon  named Ruskin, the pet of the human king. Cinder, Ruskin, and Groth travel to the fairies in order to get the ingredients to cure the curse. But the witch-dragon is NOT pleased with their success. A fast-paced and excellent story with a hook that will keep you reading the series!

Squirlish: The Girl in the Tree  by Ellen Potter , illustrations by Sara Cristofori

FAMILY / FRIENDSHIP

When a squirrel named Shakespeare finds baby Cordelia, he raises her in his Central Park tree.  Now at age 8, Cordelia leaves the safety of their park home to chase a nut-thieving squirrel…and gets lost! Sweet Cordelia’s attempts to make friends go drastically wrong when she behaves like a squirrel–chasing and chittering. Soon Cordelia knows it’s time to go home. But can the city squirrels show her how to get there? And could she ever make a friend with another human?

Stick Dog is hilarious. Why is he called Stick Dog? Because our author/narrator can’t draw. And also, because he likes sticks. The funny cartoonish illustrations make this story of stray dogs easy to read and very entertaining series for kids.

Talk about a HILARIOUS remix of Sleeping Beauty! In this (much better) retelling, the princess realizes she can’t die until she’s 18 so she concludes that she must be INVINCIBLE and acts accordingly. My daughter loved these stories for many years of elementary school.

Olga and the Smelly Thing From Nowhere  by Elise Gravel

If you like kooky books, this book fits the bill.  Olga finds an unusual, unknown creature whom she names “MEH” after the sound that it makes.  She uses her  deductive reasoning  to figure out what it is (something new!) and what it likes to eat (olives)! But what will she do when Meh disappears? 

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Opal’s preacher father is always too busy, and her mother has been gone since Opal was three, something Opal has always wondered about. But Opal finds someone to care for, a stray dog that she names Winn-Dixie, and that dog brings hope and meaning into 10-year-old Opal’s life. Brilliant, heart-warming storytelling.

Dragonbreath  by Ursula Vernon

Hysterical! I couldn’t stop laughing! It’s a fantastic read for 8-year-olds. Danny Dragonbreath is a dragon without dragon fire and good friends who make his life more…complicated but interesting.

REALISTIC / STEM

Jada starts the school year hoping to find new friends, hopefully, ones that love rocks as she does. She misses her best friend but feels excited when her class studies geology. Unfortunately, one bossy girl in Jada’s group project makes fun of Jada’s interest in rocks. This is a well-written STEM story that shows the challenges of getting along with others and staying true to yourself. (Perfect for 3rd grade.)

Mercy Watson to the Rescue

Mercy lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. They feed her buttered toast and take her for drives in their convertible. One night, Mercy gets scared and decides to sleep with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. Can you imagine what happens next? Hilarious and quirky, this is a silly series filled with the many amazing adventures of a pampered pig named Mercy.

Bad Guys is a hysterical book and a favorite series for many boys especially. Mr. Wolf invites other bad guys to a meeting with hopes they will join him in being good. Lots of drawings and minimal text make this a sure bet for beginning readers who like irony and humor. ( Note: If you don’t like potty humor, this is not the book series for you. )

Zita the Spacegirl  by Ben Hatke

The Zita books rock — they’re full of adventure, humor, and fantastic characters !! Zita is an awesome, courageous, problem-solving heroine who accidentally gets stuck in space while trying to save her friend from kidnappers and save the universe.

Zoey and Sassafras Dragons and Marshmallows  #1  by Asia Citro, illustrated by Marion Lindsay

SCIENCE & FANTASY

This is an entertaining story with the coolest mix of science  and  magic, a diverse main character, and fantastic illustrations that will get kids reading and learning. Zoey, like her mom, can see magical creatures and is tasked to care for any injured creatures that might need help. In this story, she uses her science skills (including research and the scientific method) to figure out how to care for a sick baby dragon.

Ninja Kid: From Nerd to Ninja  by Anh Do

Nelson is a nerdy and likable main character who wakes up on his 10th birthday with perfect vision and… ninja moves! His mum and grandma explain that like his missing fisherman dad before him,  Nelson is the last ninja in the world — and he’s destined to save the world.  He immediately gets to use his powers for good on a field trip when ginormous evil spiders attack the group of kids.

MYSTERY / STEM

Ada moves to a new neighborhood where she observes everything that happens out her window. She and a new friend notice a distraught neighbor whose dog is missing, and they determine to solve the mystery. Along with another neighbor boy, they use science and technology to solve the mystery of the missing dog.  ADDED TO: STEAM and STEM Science Books for Kids

Mythics: Marina and the Kraken written by Lauren Magaziner, illustrated by Mirelle Ortega

What an exciting start to what is sure to be a smash-hit series of adventure, girl power, and mythical creatures ! When Marina doesn’t get matched with a familiar like the other kids, she and four other 10-year-old girls discover their familiars aren’t everyday animals but mythical creatures, and together, they’re destined to save Terrafamiliar. As they evade their pursuer, Marina discovers that her familiar is a kraken– a kraken who accidentally capsizes their ship. Now, she and her kraken must save her friends from drowning and escape the sinister lady.

Word Travelers and the Taj Mahal Mystery  by Raj Haldar, illustrated by Nehra Rawat

MYSTERY / ADVENTURE

Best friends Eddie and MJ open a book about words, and they’re magically transported to India.  There, they help a boy solve the clues to find his family’s missing fortune before a bad guy gets it. As they solve the clues, they learn more words with Indian roots — many are from Hindi, like bangle and bungalow, and others are from Sanskrit, like the words jackal and jungle.

Trapped in a Video Game  by Dustin Brady, illustrated by Brady Jessee

Gamers and non-gamers alike who love exciting and dangerous stories won’t want to miss this excellent action-packed series.  Jesse’s friend gets an early release of a video game — and it sucks both boys into the game.  Inside the game, they meet a classmate who has been missing for weeks and is now a grown-up man in the game. They’re all trapped with no escape possible.

Ivy Lost and Found  by Cynthia Lord, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

In this heartwarming story about the life of an old doll who gets a new life as a book buddy , Ivy is donated to the Book Buddy’s shelf at the library. A lonely girl named Fern borrows Ivy. Fern needs a friend like Ivy because she feels so many different feelings about her dad’s new family. Then, when Ivy gets left outside in the rain, she has a surprise adventure of her own and makes friends with two other Book Buddies. Eventually, Fern feels better about her new blended family and returns her to the library.

Jop and Blip Wanna Know #1  by Jim Benton

STEM / FUNNY

If you like kooky stories, playful characters, and random facts, this beginning graphic novel for ages 6 to 10 is a hilarious and informative reading experience.  Jop and Blip ponder topics like farts, words that begin with silent letters, perspective, dragons, and more — and as they discuss, you’ll learn a thing or ten.

MAGICAL REALISM

The magical Crystal Bone calls the pups to help a lonely girl named Meiko. Unfortunately, the Love Puppies plan turns to disaster. How will the puppies accomplish their mission? Warmhearted and sweet, you’ll love these caring puppies and the kids they help. I know this  book series  will be a hit 3rd graders!

Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers  by John Dougherty

Hilarious — and  weird and kooky  and very creative! Stinkbomb and his sister, Ketchup-Face think that the badgers (“BAD” is in their name!) stole Stinkbomb’s $20. They embark on the craziest of adventures to get back the $20, including meeting King Toothbrush Weasel who they’ll help to rid the island of the badgers. If you like silly stories, this book is for you!

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid  by Jeff Kinney

One of the most popular book series ever,  The Diary of a Wimpy Kid , shares the hilarious story of Greg in his own words and drawings.  Life in middle school is not easy. And Greg is here to prove it!  One thing you’ll notice about these books is that kids will read them more than once, which is great if you have them all. (hint, hint)

Unicorn Academy: Sophia and Rainbow   by Julie Skyes, illustrated by Lucy Truman UNICORNS

Well-written and charming, this unicorn book series is sure to entice many young readers.  In this story, Sophia arrives at Unicorn Academy and is paired with the lovely Rainbow. But she feels guilty for making a new friend and leaving her best pony, Clover, back at home. On top of that, the unicorns’ magic is wonky because the lake is being poisoned. When someone accuses Sophia, she and her new friends decide to investigate.

Whatever After  by Sarah Mlynowski FANTASY BOOK / HUMOR

Once upon a time, a regular girl and her brother accidentally go into a fairy tale. And mess it all up. (Whoops.) We love all the books in this series — they’re very clever and entertaining! BOX SET

Galactic Hot Dogs: Cosmoe’s Wiener Getaway  by Max Brallier, illustrated by Rachel Maguire and Nichole Kelley

HUMOR   SCI-FI

Non-stop action and danger, potty humor, space adventures, zombie aliens, mutant worm wrestling, a misunderstood evil princess, good friends, video games , and a diabolical, hunting-them-down evil queen.  Not to mention, loads of cartoon illustrations and hilarious writing with a gazillion exclamation marks!!!!

More Good Books for 3rd Graders

The Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne

HISTORICAL FICTION MYSTERY

A MUST-READ series for all kids! These stories combine mystery, history, magic, and adventure as siblings Jack and Annie adventure through time. If you love The Magic Tree House series, you’ll also like these books.

Funny, entertaining, and filled with important themes of friendship, growing up, and racism, this is one of my new favorite books! Nadia unexpectedly discovers an ancient Egyptian teacher (Titi) trapped in her hippo amulet. He comes out onto a paper and TALKS! Tita helps Nadia with problems she faces at school, including the new kid who is prejudiced about her Egyptian culture and friendship troubles.

Amelia Bedelia Means Business by Herman Parish, illustrated by Lynne Avril

I’ve been enjoying these updated Amelia chapter books by the original author’s son. In this silly story, Amelia looks for ways to earn money for a new bicycle. BOX SET

Three girls learn that they’re Glitter Dragon Girls and with magic, teamwork, and turning into dragons, they must protect the forest from the Shadow Sprites. Together, they embark on a quest like no other — in their dragon forms. They must problem solve and figure out how to work together. A solid start in a new series.

GRAPHIC NOVEL / SUPERHERO

By day Claude is Leon’s pet but by night, he’s Cat Ninja, Metro City’s protector! His nemesis is Leon’s sister’s evil hamster, Master Hamster. Learn the Cat Ninja’s origin story then follow his perilous, exciting, and humorous adventures!

ADVENTURE / ILLUSTRATED

Wild and quirky, this un-put-downable adventure filled with illustrations is perfect for you if you like good vs. evil adventures where kid power saves the day!  Dash Candoo’s Monday is one crazy adventure after another with Devil Cat attacks, a quadcycle pursuit, a math class secret tunnel, stolen perfume, and so much more. I’m a big fan of this exciting, readable new chapter book and look forward to more books in the entertaining new series. (P.S. And it’s  funny  with zero potty humor!)

SCIENCE / STEM

Highly interesting books in full color with photographs, illustrations, and kid-friendly design! I’m impressed with the way this book series delivers factual information without dumbing it down or making it too difficult to read. Amazing Animal Facts Chapter Books  give 8-year-olds a  science chapter book series they’ll love. ADDED TO: STEM Science Books for Kids

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Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen

From his beginnings as a maltreated German police dog (sensitive reader alert!) to subsequent adoption and new life as a beloved movie star, this suspenseful story is filled with both love and hope along with false accusations and jail time. Readers will zip through this heart-warming story and dog lovers will be extra impressed with this German Shepard’s incredible true story. Fantastic black-and-white illustrations throughout. 

This hilarious story is about the weird and ridiculous antics of an unusual superhero, bizarre villains, and the Pizza Paradise restaurant. Dolphin girl uses her echolocation to learn Sea Cow’s evil plot. She recruits her friend Keith who becomes Otter Boy to help her thwart Sea Cow’s nefarious plan to turn Pizza Paradise customers into zombies and take over the restaurant. Gasp! So evil. What a silly adventure!

Stink and the Shark Sleepover  by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

REALISTIC BOOK

Kids love the Stink stories because they’re so relatable. In this story, Stink gets to sleepover at the aquarium. While he’s there, he learns more about sharks , gets to solve a mystery , learns a ghost story , and has tons of fun.

Ivy and Bean

ADVENTURE / HUMORGet ready to laugh along with these charming young friends who are always involved in funny situations and problems. It’s a fantastic series about two girls with unique personalities.

Princess Evie  by Sarah Kilbridge

FANTASY BOOK

Before Princess Evie starts a new class at school, she and her magical pony, Willow, and cat, Sparkles, help the fairies on their first day of school. She partners with a new friend to rescue a baby hedgehog. K ids will love the combination of horses, magic, and friendship in a wonderful adventure story.

Notebook of Doom  by Troy Cummings

A kid-favorite series that you’ll also love! Alexander discovers his new town is FILLED WITH MONSTERS ! And, he’s right in the middle of everything, especially after he finds an old notebook of drawings and facts about monsters. Fun with an edge of scary.

Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun  by Hena Khan

A new girl named Naomi moves across the street from Zara but  Zara doesn’t like that Naomi’s ideas for fun seem to be more popular than hers.  Then, when Zara starts her Guinness Book record-breaking hula-hooping, Naomi copies her by doing her own baking record-breaking! Luckily, Zara realizes they both can have good ideas and they become good friends.

Eerie Elementary: The School is Alive!

Sam isn’t thrilled about becoming a hall monitor. Especially when he discovers that the school is ALIVE and trying to harm the students. Sam has quite a wild adventure trying to save the students from the school. I think kids who like sort of scary things (it’s not too bad) will enjoy this book.

Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Secret Admirer  

MYSTERY BOOK

Another enjoyable book in the Nancy Clancy series. In this book, Nancy and her best friend, Bree, decide to play matchmaker for Nancy’s babysitter, Annie, and her guitar teacher, Andy. Funny and fun! BOX SET

HISTORICAL FICTION

In the early 1900s in San Francisco, California if you were of Chinese descent, it was illegal to live anywhere else except for Chinatown. When a huge earthquake hits California, its destruction caused fires to burn Chinatown to the ground. The earthquake’s destruction forces young Lily and her family to leave Chinatown for Oakland amidst the chaos. Throughout her story of life in Chinatown and evacuating during the fires, we see the prejudice she faces due to her looks and culture. 

MAGICAL REALISM 

Tâpwê lives on the Cree reserve with his Kohkom who gives him a magical hat made of bluebirds and snakes who come to life. He takes it to his cousins’ house for a visit. They welcome him with kindness and advice to watch out for trickster Wapos (rabbit). Tâpwê plays with Wapos who he wants to emulate and loses himself and his hat’s magic. Once he realizes his mistake, Tâpwê feels regretful. This regret brings him back to himself and the hat’s magic returns.

I really loved this verse story told in first-person from Eleanor’s point of view . It’s about the friendship challenges when Eleanor gets jealous of a new girl she thinks her best friend Pearl might like better than her.

Hank’s brain freezes up when he talks to people — and also when he tries out for his class play. That’s why he gets the bookmark role. But, when the lead actor flubs his lines, Hank jumps in to save the play from disaster. I love Hank’s relatable character to whom learning doesn’t come easily.

If you like mythical creatures , independent thinkers, and mysteries, you’ll love this first book in the Pip Bartlett series as much as me. Pip’s world is just like ours except for one significant difference —  magical creatures exist and often are pets!

SCI-FI / GRAPHIC NOVEL

Hilo can’t remember what happened to him before D.J. finds him crashed on Earth. Hilo does remember an evil monster robot that has followed him to Earth. This ends on a cliffhanger but is worth it — it’s a great page-turning adventure!

White Fur Flying by Patricia MacLachlan

Zoe’s family rescues dogs in need.  A new family has moved in across the street and Phillip, the boy, has stopped speaking. He doesn’t even want to try. But Zoe’s new rescue dog might just help the boy heal and speak.

Absolutely inspiring with beautiful African-inspired illustrations, this exceptional narrative biography story is about a woman named Wangari who studied biology in her native Kenya and later in the United States. When she returned to Kenya, she realized that the deforestation was ruining farmer’s ability to grow crops so she started a tree-planting movement . Facing lots of opposition, Wangari was arrested and jailed. Once released, she continued her work of planting trees and eventually won the Nobel Peace Prize. Helpful informational insets detail facts about deforestation, school in Kenya, and more.

ADVENTURE BOOK

Calling all dog lovers! Read about the most awesome pirate  puppies who, due to an unfortunate prank, are now prisoners on the pirate kitten’s ship –with no escape. This is a charming and funny rollicking adventure and #3 in the new Puppy Pirate series. See also:  Puppy Pirates #1 Stowaway  and  Puppy Pirates #2 x Marks the Spot. 

I loved this story of how Lulu and her cousin help their neighbor Arthur learn to love and care for his rabbit . She does this by writing George the rabbit notes and giving him gifts — not from her but from her pet rabbit named Thumper.

Geronimo Stilton #1 Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton

Geronimo Stilton is a newspaper writer/adventurist. These books share his adventures written in interesting fonts and colorful illustrations. I personally find the design of the books distracting as did my kids but for many kids, the style adds to the engagement and entertainment factor of the reading experience.

A quick and easy-to-read story with great pacing, and suspense but isn’t scary! After the misbehaving kids ran off the last teacher, the new teacher sees worrisome– because the kids are sure she’s a zombie. Why do they think this? She dresses and the coffin in her basement. Eddie is scared but continues to behave badly until Mrs. Jeepers pulls him out of class and puts a stop to his bad behavior once and for all.

The Critter Club   by Callie Barkley, illustrated by Marsha Riti

The girls in the Critter Club love animals and want to help them any way they can. Sweet stories! BOX SET

Mango rescues Bambang, an Asian tapir, from a busy street and the two become best friends. Together they find adventures, learn more about each other, and teach people that Bambang Is. Not. A. Pig. Four sweet stories of friendship and fun.

You’re Amazing, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke

REALISTIC / AFRICAN CULTURE

Reading this book transports one into the lively, family-filled world of amazing Anna who lives in Africa. Written in a series of vignettes, we read how Anna keeps getting into trouble for her twin little brother’s mischief, about her beloved grandfather’s passing, and how Anna helps everyone remember her grandfather. It’s a lovely book filled with charm, personality, and a strong sense of place.

Beatrice is a divergent problem solver. When her best friend Lenny comes back from camp a changed girl, she seems to have a new best friend that is NOT Beatrice. Kids will be cheering Beatrice on as she tried to figure out how to reconnect with her best friend. Cute!

Lulu and the Brontosaurus  by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lane Smith

Lulu is a demanding daughter, and she WANTS a pet dinosaur. Will she learn her valuable lesson about. not being snotty in this hysterical story? You’ll laugh through this one, I promise!

Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead

MAGICAL REALISM In the sweetest story of friendship, 10-year-old Livy meets Bob, a green zombie-looking monster wearing a chicken costume who is living in the closet at her grandma’s house. He’s actually been waiting for Lizy to return for the last 5 years. The weird thing? Livy can’t remember him at all. Even when she leaves the house for an errand, she forgets about Bob. But she’s determined to help Bob find his way back home. Wherever that may be.

Darling Dimple is thrilled to be moved from a kitchen scrubber to an upstairs dress presser for the princess. One day, she discovers a special closet of enchanted dresses. When Darling suspects a plot against the princess she uses dress magic to help her investigate. Who is trying to free the dragons? Who wants to take over the kingdom? This lovable heroine and the charming magical plot will enchant readers.

We LOVE this hilarious series about Nate’s life at home, school, and sports. Some, like this one, are written in a combo of text and comics while others are graphic novels such as  Big Nate Welcome to My World . BOX SET

What an exciting adventure with great pacing. Jasmine and Arjun are siblings with scientist parents who are helping explore and clean up a coral reef. Arjun misbehaves while diving, putting himself and his sister in danger from a shark. It’s up to Jasmine to save his life and help him do better. In addition to a great adventure, you’ll also learn about ocean pollution and coral reefs.

Who Was Jackie Robinson?

BIOGRAPHY / NONFICTION

Jackie Robinson broke many barriers as the first African American on the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team with his exceptional baseball skills. Read about his challenges, his grit, and his extraordinary strength of character . Kids LOVE these books! Find more books in the Who Was? series .

Shelter Pet Squad: Jelly Bean

Suzannah joins the Shelter Pet Squad because her apartment building doesn’t allow pets. She meets a sad girl who has to leave her guinea pig, Jelly Bean, at the shelter due to moving. Suzannah promises the girl she’ll find Jelly Bean a good home. Only it’s not as easy as she first thought. The Shelter Pet Squad works together to find the perfect home for Jelly Bean — a kindergarten classroom.

ENTREPRENEUR

A warm-hearted, sweet story about a Latinx girl who’s an entrepreneur and devoted daughter and granddaughter. When her grandpa (tata) tells Sarai Gonzalez that his rental house is being sold, she determines to help by selling more cupcakes than ever. Even her sisters join in to help and so do her cousins. A darling start to a new series inspired by Sarai’s own life!

Shredderman: Secret Identity

Illustrated with comics, hilarious and relatable, this book has it all. Awesome for 8 year olds who like humor and superheroes.

Stella Diaz has Something to Say

Loosely based on the author’s own childhood, 3rd grader Stella is very, very quiet in both Spanish and English. She feels separate, just like the word alien that describes her green card status being born in Mexico and moving to Chicago as a baby. A fish research project helps Stella find her voice and overcome her fears.

If you haven’t read these addictive and hilarious graphic novels, they are a must for anyone who has eaten lunch at school. BOX SET

Old school humor at its best! These books describe a wacky school with crazy teachers and even crazier students and events. BOX SET

The Vanishing Coin (Magic Shop Series)

Kids like fourth-grader Mike who can’t sit still will relate to Mike’s struggles with getting work done, avoiding the school bully, and staying out of trouble. It’s such a great story because Mike discovers something that he  IS  good at something–  magic .

Amirah has Arabic heritage and in Mexico. She loves cooking and baking and when she bakes a cake in her neighbor’s cookbook, The Power of Sprinkles , she’s transported to the Magical Land of Birthdays where she meets other kids with the exact same birthdate as her who are from different areas of the world. Together they have an exciting, magical adventure that includes finding a missing B-Bud girl, parties, unicorns, and of course, cake.

Phoebe and Her Unicorn: A Heavenly Nostrils Chronicle  by Dana Simpson

HUMOR / GRAPHIC NOVEL /  UNICORN

Sarcastic and hilarious, this is a  laugh-out-loud story  about a precocious young girl and her reluctant unicorn “best friend”.  BOXED SET

The Terrible Two  by Mac Barnett and Jory John, illustrated by Kevin Cornell

REALISTIC / FUNNY

My 8-year-old daughter read this first and begged me to read it immediately. It’s SO funny! It’s mostly  the hilarious adventure of two pranksters who eventually work together to pull off the biggest prank of all time  — a prank that will ensure they get April Fool’s Day off from school.

My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish  by Mo O’Hara

Hysterical and totally believable about  what would happen if your goldfish dies and you bring him back to life.  Except now he’s a zombie…one that can mesmerize you with his powerful eyes so you’ll do anything he wants. Aaaah!  BOXED SET

Ranger in Time #1: Rescue on the Oregon Trail   by Kate Messner, illustrated by Kelley McMorris

Ranger, a golden retriever trained for search and rescue, travels back to the Oregon Trail  to help a family in need. It’s an easy chapter book that begins the book series , introducing the ups and downs of traveling on the Oregon Trail. (Also on:  Wholesome Easy Chapter Books for Boys )

Charlotte’s Web  by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams

This story is a beautiful tribute to the power of friendship, touching on love and death as well. It’s a classic for a reason and o ne of the best-written children’s books in existence.

Wondrous Rex  by Patricia MacLachlan

WHOLESOME / WRITING

Maxwell the Magicial brings Grace and her writer aunt Lily his dog Rex to be aunt’s assistant when Aunt Lily and Grace both have writer’s block.  Rex is a kind and magical dog who reads, writes, and gives wonderful wisdom about life and writing . His guidance helps both Lily and Grace grow in confidence, inspiration, and love. Absolutely charming!

The BFG  by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake

The Big Friendly Giant snatches Sophie and takes her to the Land of Nod with other not-friendly, people-eating giants. Sophie and the BFG plot to stop the mean giants and save the world. The text is filled with lots of creative, made-up words which while fun, can be tricky for some readers.

Doodle Adventures: The Search for Slimy Space Slugs!  by Mike Lowery

HUMOR SCI-FI

This book not only hooks the reader with its space-adventure plot, but the  hilarious narrator Carl also invites YOU to find the missing priceless artifact requiring bravery, heroism, and drawing.  Yes, drawing. Along the journey to retrieve the artifact from Captain Sleezoog (he’s a slug,) you must do your part. So you’ll make sure (by drawing) that you’ve got a spacesuit, you’ve packed everything you need to bring, the rocket design is perfect plus it has some silly (bandages!?) extras, and lots more as the adventure ensues. It may sound contrived, but it’s a fun, engaging adventure that any kid, artist or not, will love. And there is MORE in the series! Also read  The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate!

Dory and the Real True Friend  by Abby Hanlon

Dory is one of my favorite book characters because her imagination is THE BEST!  She has three imaginary friends: one monster friend, one fairy godmother that’s actually not a lady, and one bad lady nemesis. I love this story because she meets a real-life friend who understands all about imaginary friends and together, they’re the perfect match. 

Frankie Pickle  by Eric Wight

ADVENTURE FUNNY

Your kids will totally relate to this imaginative boy whose wild adventures are written in comic form — it’s funny and entertaining!

The Great Shelby Holmes   by Elizabeth Eulberg

I loved this  Sherlock Holmes -inspired book because it’s very well written and tells a great story . John Watson and his mom move to Harlem. There, he meets a unique girl named Shelby Holmes who reluctantly allows him to tag along with her as she solves her latest crime — the mystery of who took a posh, show-dog from a classmate’s secure house.

Katie the Catsitter  by Colleen AF Venable, illustrated by Stephanie Yue

If you like mystery, adventure, and CATS , you won’t want to miss this entertaining graphic novel!  Katie desperately wants to join her friends at their summer camp so to earn money, she gets a job for her neighbor Madeline catsitting 217 cats. But, something is VERY weird because these are super-smart cats with destructive behaviors and powerful abilities, not to mention that Katie finds evidence that her neighbor might be the supervillain, Moustress. Then, when the Moustress gets captured, Katie decides she and the cats must take action and save their friend.

STAT: Standing Tall and Talented: Home Court  by Amar’e Stoudemir, illustrated by Tim Jessell SPORTS

Based on the real story of Amar’e Stoudemire, this is the story of when he was 11, a skateboarder, a basketball player, and a worker with his dad’s landscape company.  When other kids start trash-talking his friends, he uses his intelligence and basketball skills to find a solution.

The Year of the Book  by Andrea Chang

Growing up is challenging and in the first novel,  The Year of the Book ,  Anna turns to books for company while she learns how to make friendships in real life.  The subsequent books in the series are just as realistic and well-written. I highly recommend this series!

The Kicks  by Alex Morgan

Finally, a fantastic book (series) for soccer girls! I f you have a soccer player in your house, you’ll want to get your soccer lover this book  –actually, buy her the entire series. Written by Olympic Gold Medalist and U.S. Soccer team member (among other things),  Alex Morgan , these are realistic stories of life, friendship, and playing soccer.

Jasmine Toguchi Mochi Queen  by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Eliazbet Vukovic

Jasmine is so jealous that the older kids in her family have important jobs on the mochi-making day — she wants to do what the older boys and men are doing, pound the mochi rice. Her understanding father figures out a way for Jasmine to join in. And even though it didn’t work out how she wanted, her family is proud of her and decides it’s okay to break some rules like who gets to pound the rice.  Not only is the story’s message sweet, Jasmine’s Japanese-American culture and warm family community shine through.

Zoo Camp Puzzle  by Gail Herman

Ava and Rosie are not excited to move to the zoo for the summer where they notice missing pronghorns and suspicious trucks.  With the help of their brother Ethan, the siblings must figure out what’s happening and how to keep the animals safe.  Throughout the book, you’ll find pages with activities like puzzles and mazes as well as information about the animals at the zoo. You’ll love both the mystery story and the factual sections of information. It’s really well done! Also in the series:  Puppy Rescue Riddle .

The World According to Humphrey   by Betty Birney

REALISTICClass pet, Humphrey, is a hamster who travels to a student’s home on the weekends and has lots of adventures.

Get to Work, Hercules! (Myth-O-Mania)   by Kate McMullan

HUMOR / MYTHOLOGY We adore the Myth-O-Mania series. It’s hilarious!  Hades narrates the TRUE stories of the Greek Myths with panache.  (Apparently, his younger brother Zeus is a big fat liar and edited all the myths to make himself look good.) In this story, Hades watches over his young, not-too-smart nephew, Hercules whom Hera has it out for. LOVE it!

Lucy & Andy Neanderthal  by Jeffrey Brown

HISTORY / HUMOR / GRAPHIC NOVEL

Short funny stories about the life of a Neanderthal family  are intermixed with factual information about the actual history of this time period — hunting practices, size of large cats, that sort of thing — in a graphic novel from the author of the Jedi Academy series perfect for 8-year-olds.

The Perilous Princess Plot (Buckle and Squash)   by Sarah Courtauld

HUMOR/FANTASY

Very sarcastic and funny humor will keep you entertained throughout this book about  a silly sister obsessed with princes who gets kidnapped  and her more reasonable sister who comes to the rescue.

Dying to Meet You 43 Cemetery Road  by Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise

The 43 Old Cemetery Road early reader series is a funny and  punny adventure with a kid, a cat, a grumpy ghost , and a really cool writing style in letters, emails, newspaper clippings, jokes, and more. These books are addictive!

The Curious Cat Spy Club  by Linda Joy Singleton

What a fantastic new book series — my daughter and I devoured it.  Three kids from seemingly different social circles band together to rescue kittens they find in a dumpster  — then solve the mystery of who would try to kill the kittens.

Diary of a Minecraft Zombie Book 1: A Scare of a Dare  by Herobrine Books

Short sentences with witty observations on life from the perspective of a  Minecraft   zombie  will crack you up. I was surprised that this was such an entertaining, funny read. Nothing scary. Just fun. Especially for Minecraft enthusiasts. (These are FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers!)

Wedgie & Gizmo  by Suzanne Selfors

Dog owners will nod along with the ADHD stream of conscious narration of Wedgie, the barkie dog who LOVES everything. Contrast this with the diabolical plotting narration of the evil genius guinea pig Gizmo who is horrified to be living in a Barbie house instead of his own “habitat.”  Selfors skillfully addresses a family in transition through the humorous lens of its two pets.

Into the Game (Minecraft Woodsword Chronicles)  by Nick Eliopulos

First in one of the BEST Minecraft   book series , this adventure follows five players who are transported inside the game– and it’s real and they’ll have to use all their  survival  and problem-solving skills to stay alive.  BOXED SET of Books 1 – 4 HERE .

Bad Kitty Supercat  by Nick Bruel 

FUNNY   GRAPHIC NOVEL

Bad Kitty’s owner tells Bad Kitty to get off screens and play with some other cats.  But Bad Kitty isn’t happy about having playdates. Eventually, Playdate Candidate #4 (Strange Kitty) brings imagination and comic books and Strange Kitty helps Bad Kitty find his  superhero  persona –just in time to meet the supervillain! Playful, imaginative, and hilarious–this is my new favorite Bad Kitty book and his first graphic novel.

Squishy Taylor and the Bonus Sisters  by Ailsa Wild, illustrated by Ben Wood

Squishy discovers a boy hiding from the police in the basement of her apartment building.  She wants to keep it a secret from her step-sisters but one thing leads to another, and the twins find out. Together, the three help feed the boy until they discover who he really is. Squishy begins to think of her sisters as bonuses, not step-sisters, which makes her feel a lot better about living with them. I really enjoyed this big-hearted mystery

Dolphin Rescue (Animal Planet Adventures #1)  by Catherine Nichols

Siblings Maddie and Atticus can’t figure out who is dumping trash everywhere.  And when they rescue a baby dolphin entangled in trash, they know they must get to the bottom of this mystery. Full-color photographs with information about dolphins, marine life, and more add-in bonus  nonfiction information  for readers.

Ellie, Engineer  by Jackson Pearce

Ellie, Engineer  is a  well-written STEM adventure that makes engineering seem enticing and creative ! After a disastrous “french braid machine” tangles her best friend’s hair, Ellie, who already considers herself as an engineer, plans to make her BFF a new birthday present — a dog house. She gets help from a neighbor boy and a group of girls from school who are bitter rivals until Ellie helps them work together. It’s a perfect, pro-STEM story for girls.

The Case of the Claymore Diamond Math Inspectors  by Daniel Kenney and Emily Boever

Viva math!  These friends love math and are proud of it  — in fact, they’re sure they can use their math skills to solve crimes. This first mystery is about a jewelry store robbery. And they do solve it by finding clues that the police miss, freeing an innocent man. This is a delightful easy chapter book series.

Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters  by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

Andrea Beaty successfully writes her famous main characters of Rosie Revere, Iggy Peck, and Ada Twist into a fun-filled, STEM adventure chapter book. Rosie’s Aunt Rose and her WWII friends, the Raucous Riveters, need Rosie’s help. Their friend  June broke both her arms and she needs an invention so she can paint in the upcoming art contest.  Can Rosie and friends invent something to help June paint with her casts? After one disaster after another, including at the art contest, Rosie continues to persevere and problem-solve to find a solution that will work.

Secret Agent, Jack Stalwart   by Elizabeth Singer Hunt

In this action-packed new series,  nine-year-old secret agent Jack Stalwart travels the globe  in search of his missing older brother Max while solving international crimes for the Global Protection Force.

Nanny Piggins and the Runaway Lion  by R. A. Spratt, illustrated by Dan Santat

This  quirky adventure is about a dad who detests his children  and tries to get rid of them (to Nicaragua in this case) but their amazing nanny (who is a pig) always figures out how to outsmart the dad. I love Nanny Piggins!

The Philly Fake Ballpark Mysteries  by David A. Kelly, illustrated by  Mark Meyers

MYSTERY / SPORTS

Not only is this a well-written mystery book for 3rd graders, but I also loved how the author included so much history within the  story about two young baseball fans who hope to show fans that the Phillie Phanatic isn’t to blame for their team’s losing streak.

Katerina Ballerina  by Tiler Peck and Kyle Harris, illustrated by Sumiti Collina

An earnest young girl loves ballet, but since her dad can’t afford lessons, she watches YouTube videos and practices in her room. After a disastrous talent shows Katerina’s dad her bravery, Katrina’s dad stretches the budget for lessons. It’s not a great start though– she shows up in red swimming suit and homemade tutu! But she makes a friend who helps her learn ballet terms and adjust to formal classes. As Katrina becomes more serious in her dancing,  a competition reminds Katrina that she needs to balance both working hard and enjoying dancing.

Key Hunters and the Mysterious Moonstone (Key Hunters #1 ) by Eric Luper

In this first book for 3rd graders, two friends discover a letter from their favorite librarian saying she’s trapped in a book. They decide to go into a book to rescue her. They arrive in  19th century England to help a detective find a stolen gem.

Never Girls  by Kiki Thorpe

These friends accidentally travel from England to the Never Land fairy world of Tinker Bell. What adventures they will have?!  BOX SET

KEEP READING

Choose Your Own Adventure Books

Drawing Books

Star Wars Books

Dictionary for Kids

Fidget Toys

The post 75 Best Chapter Books for 3rd Graders (8 Year Olds) appeared first on Imagination Soup .

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8 New Books We Recommend This Week

Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.

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Our fiction recommendations this week include a “gleeful romp” of a series mystery, along with three novels by some heavy-hitting young writers: Téa Obreht, Helen Oyeyemi and Tommy Orange. (How heavy-hitting, and how young? Consider that Obreht was included in The New Yorker’s “20 Under 40” issue in 2010 — and she’s still under 40 today. So is Oyeyemi, who was one of Granta’s “Best Young British Novelists” in 2013, while Orange, at 42, has won the PEN/Hemingway Award, the John Leonard Prize and the American Book Award. The future is in good hands.)

In nonfiction, we recommend a painter’s memoir, a group biography of three jazz giants, a posthumous essay collection by the great critic Joan Acocella and a journalist’s look at American citizens trying to come to terms with a divided country. Happy reading. — Gregory Cowles

THE MORNINGSIDE Téa Obreht

After being displaced from their homeland, Silvia and her mother move into the Morningside, a weather-beaten luxury apartment building in “Island City,” a sinking version of New York in the middle of all-out climate collapse. Silvia learns about her heritage through the folk tales her aunt Ena tells her, and becomes fascinated with the mysterious woman who lives in the penthouse apartment.

“I marveled at the subtle beauty and precision of Obreht’s prose. … Even in the face of catastrophe, there’s solace to be found in art.”

From Jessamine Chan’s review

Random House | $29

A GRAVE ROBBERY Deanna Raybourn

In their ninth crime-solving tale, the Victorian-era adventuress and butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell and her partner discover that a wax mannequin is actually a dead young woman, expertly preserved.

“Throw in an assortment of delightful side characters and an engaging tamarin monkey, and what you have is the very definition of a gleeful romp.”

From Sarah Weinman’s crime column

Berkley | $28

THE BLOODIED NIGHTGOWN: And Other Essays Joan Acocella

Acocella, who died in January, may have been best known as one of our finest dance critics. But as this posthumous collection shows, she brought the same rigor, passion and insight to all the art she consumed. Whether her subject is genre fiction, “Beowulf” or Marilynne Robinson, Acocella’s knowledge and enthusiasm are hard to match. We will not see her like again.

"Some critics are haters, but Acocella began writing criticism because she loved — first dance, and then much of the best of Western culture. She let life bring her closer to art."

From Joanna Biggs’s review

Farrar, Straus & Giroux | $35

WANDERING STARS Tommy Orange

This follow-up to Orange’s debut, “There There,” is part prequel and part sequel; it trails the young survivor of a 19th-century massacre of Native Americans, chronicling not just his harsh fate but those of his descendants. In its second half, the novel enters 21st-century Oakland, following the family in the aftermath of a shooting.

“Orange’s ability to highlight the contradictory forces that coexist within friendships, familial relationships and the characters themselves ... makes ‘Wandering Stars’ a towering achievement.”

From Jonathan Escoffery’s review

Knopf | $29

PARASOL AGAINST THE AXE Helen Oyeyemi

In Oyeyemi’s latest magical realist adventure, our hero is a woman named Hero, and she is hurtling through the city of Prague, with a shape-shifting book about Prague, during a bachelorette weekend. But Hero doesn’t seem to be directing the novel’s action; the story itself seems to be calling the shots.

“Her stock-in-trade has always been tales at their least domesticated. … In this novel, they have all the autonomy, charisma and messiness of living beings — and demand the same respect.”

From Chelsea Leu’s review

Riverhead | $28

3 SHADES OF BLUE: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool James Kaplan

On one memorable occasion in 1959, three outstanding musicians came together for what may be the greatest jazz record ever, Davis’s “Kind of Blue.” Kaplan, the author of a Frank Sinatra biography, traces the lives of his protagonists in compelling fashion; he may not be a jazz expert but he knows how to tell a good story.

“Kaplan has framed '3 Shades of Blue' as both a chronicle of a golden age and a lament for its decline and fall. One doesn’t have to accept the decline-and-fall part to acknowledge that he has done a lovely job of evoking the golden age.”

From Peter Keepnews’s review

Penguin Press | $35

WITH DARKNESS CAME STARS: A Memoir Audrey Flack

From her early days as an Abstract Expressionist who hung out with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning at the Cedar Bar to her later success as a pioneering photorealist, Flack worked and lived at the center of New York’s art world over her long career; here she chronicles the triumphs, the slights, the sexism and the gossip, all with equal relish.

“Flack is a natural, unfiltered storyteller. … The person who emerges from her pages is someone who never doubts she has somewhere to go.”

From Prudence Peiffer’s review

Penn State University Press | $37.50

AN AMERICAN DREAMER: Life in a Divided Country David Finkel

Agile and bracing, Finkel’s book trails a small network of people struggling in the tumultuous period between the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections. At the center is Brent Cummings, a white Iraq war veteran who is trying to cope with a country he no longer recognizes.

“Adroitly assembles these stories into a poignant account of the social and political mood in the United States. … A timely and compelling argument for tolerance and moral character in times of extreme antagonism.”

From John Knight’s review

Random House | $32

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

James McBride’s novel sold a million copies, and he isn’t sure how he feels about that, as he considers the critical and commercial success  of “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.”

How did gender become a scary word? Judith Butler, the theorist who got us talking about the subject , has answers.

You never know what’s going to go wrong in these graphic novels, where Circus tigers, giant spiders, shifting borders and motherhood all threaten to end life as we know it .

When the author Tommy Orange received an impassioned email from a teacher in the Bronx, he dropped everything to visit the students  who inspired it.

Do you want to be a better reader?   Here’s some helpful advice to show you how to get the most out of your literary endeavor .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

The Suburbs Have Become a Ponzi Scheme

A new book looks at how white families depleted the resources of the suburbs and left more recent Black and Latino residents “holding the bag.”

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N early 25 years ago, I reported on the changing demographics of Cicero, a working-class suburb just west of Chicago. For years, the town, which was made up mostly of Italian and Eastern European American families, worked hard at keeping Black people from settling there. In 1951, when a Black family moved in, a mob entered their apartment, tore it up, and pushed a piano out a window. Police watched and did nothing. The governor had to call out the National Guard. By 2000, the nearby factories, which were the economic foundation of the community, had begun to close. White families moved out and left behind a distressed, struggling town to its new residents—Latinos, who now made up three-quarters of the population. It felt wrong. It felt like the white families got to enjoy the prosperity of the place, and then left it to these newcomers to figure out how to repair aging infrastructure and make up for the lost tax revenues.

After reading Benjamin Herold’s Disillusioned , I now realize I was witnessing something much larger: the steady unraveling of America’s suburbs. Herold, an education journalist, set out to understand why “thousands of families of color had come to suburbia in search of their own American dreams, only to discover they’d been left holding the bag.” In this richly reported book, he follows five families that sought comfort and promise in America’s suburbs over these past couple of decades, outside Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. In each of these communities, Herold zeroes in on the schools, in large part because education captures the essence of what attracted these families: the prospect of something better for their kids.

The racial and economic fissures in our cities have gotten much attention, but less has been written about how these same fault lines have manifested themselves in the suburbs. This is surprising because the suburbs serve as such a deeply powerful symbol for American aspiration. A house. Good schools. Safe streets. Plentiful services. Consider that from 1950 to 2020, the populations of the nation’s suburbs grew from roughly 37 million to 170 million, which Herold writes represents “one of the most sweeping reorganizations of people, space, and money in the country’s history.”

The suburbs have become such a strong emblem for the American dream that in the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump used their decline as a bludgeon against the Democrats to suggest that that dream was withering. “They fought all their lives to be there,” he declared about suburbanites. “And then all of sudden something happened that changed their life.” He posted on Twitter, “If I don’t win, America’s Suburbs will be OVERRUN with Low Income Projects, Anarchists, Agitators Looters, and, of course ‘Friendly Protestors.’” I can’t fully decipher Trump’s rant, but suffice it to say he knew that people feared the fall of America’s great experiment in community, and he played off white families’ fear that their communities would be “overrun” with residents who didn’t look like them. In the granular details of the lives of the five families Herold chronicles , it’s clear that Trump had it only partially right. The suburbs—especially the inner-ring suburbs, those closest to the urban centers—have been in collapse, but the people affected, mostly Black and brown families, are not necessarily the constituency Trump had in mind.

H erold opens his book by visiting his hometown, a Pittsburgh suburb called Penn Hills. In many ways, the story of this particular suburb captures it all. When Herold’s family moved here in 1976, the average home price in 2020 dollars was $148,000. Now it’s $95,000. Herold knocks on a door just down the street from where he grew up, and there meets Bethany Smith, who has recently purchased the house with her mom. She’s single and Black and undaunted, raising a son, Jackson, for whom she wants the absolute best, which means finding a well-resourced, nurturing school and buying a home, an investment that will serve as a foundation to building wealth. (She’s also gotten priced out of her gentrifying neighborhood in Pittsburgh.)

But Bethany has walked into a mess of a town. Signs of wear and tear are everywhere: most notably, a collapsing sewer system and a school district that is $9 million in debt. According to Herold, the town didn’t invest in infrastructure improvements, kicking any needed repairs down the road. Financial mismanagement is everywhere. Enrollment in the schools has steeply declined. White families like Herold’s have moved out; Black families have moved in. It’s a pattern, Herold writes, repeated in suburb after suburb. It’s what I witnessed in Cicero with Latino families. Herold poses the question that drives his reporting: “How are the abundant opportunities my family extracted from Penn Hills a generation earlier linked to the cratering fortunes of the families who live there now?”

Read: What Duante Wright’s killing foretells about the suburbs

We have, Herold suggests, been looking directly at this problem—and either haven’t acknowledged what’s occurring or, worse yet, don’t care. He points to Ferguson, Missouri, an inner-ring suburb just outside St. Louis, where in the summer of 2014 a white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, a Black teen. In the news coverage that followed, people were shocked to learn that more than 20 percent of the town’s operating revenue came from fees, fines, and court summons collected from the town’s mostly Black residents, a result of aggressive policing. This was because Ferguson had gone the way of so many inner-ring suburbs.

At the peak of its prosperity, in the 1960s and ’70s, the town was 99 percent white, and local leaders borrowed large sums of money and took state and federal subsidies to quickly build its infrastructure. (Herold points out that many of our suburbs were built with endowed money, either government-constructed infrastructure such as expressways or cheap mortgages through federal loan guarantees.) To keep taxes low, Ferguson postponed budgeting for long-term maintenance. By 2013, Herold writes, the town was in steep decline, and that year spent $800,000 to pay down the interest on its debt, leaving just $25,000 for rudimentary services such as sidewalk improvement. Hence the need for revenues from unlikely places, including fees, fines, and court summons. White people had left long ago, leaving the new residents—the town was now two-thirds Black—with the waste and debris of their prosperity. “The illusion that suburbia remains somehow separate from America’s problems,” Herold writes, “is no longer viable.”

Charles Marohn, whom Herold describes as “a moderate white conservative from Minnesota,” is the one to lay out Ferguson’s decline to him. According to Herold, Marohn had a hand in building suburbs, but he has since had an awakening. Marohn suggests that what’s happened in places such as Ferguson and Penn Hills is the equivalent of a Ponzi scheme. It’s “the development version of slash-and-burn agriculture,” he tells the author. “We build a place, we use up the resources, and when the returns start diminishing, we move on, leaving a geographic time bomb in our wake!”

This is a sprawling book, which is its virtue and the source of its occasional misfires. Five families are a lot to keep track of. I found myself at times having to flip back in the book to remember the contours of each family and their respective suburb. I wasn’t convinced that Herold needed all these people to make his point. So many of their stories echoed one another, and at times I simply wanted to hear more about the architects of America’s dream, especially those like Marohn who have apparently become disillusioned with their grand vision. I so wanted to know more about Marohn. Who is he exactly? How did he help build America’s suburbs? I wonder if this isn’t a missed opportunity, given that Marohn is helping Herold make sense of what he’s witnessing.

Despite its imperfections, though, Disillusioned is an astonishingly important work. We know what’s happened and happening in our cities. Finally, here’s someone to take us to the places that early on served as an escape valve, mostly for white families fleeing the changing demographics of urban America, the places where many Americans imagined a kind of social and economic utopia.

Read: Revenge of the suburbs

At one point Bethany tells the author that she worries he’s pigeonholed her, that she isn’t a victim, that she is more—far more—than just a struggling single Black mom. To his credit, he doesn’t walk away but instead reflects on how he may have failed her. After some consideration, he offers to let her write the epilogue to the book, and in those few sharply written pages we have a clear-eyed take on what has occurred in a place like Penn Hills coupled with a passionate plea for what could be.

“We want to build good lives for ourselves,” Bethany Smith writes. “We want to raise our children in safe environments. We want to have them in schools where they are being taught and governed by folks who have their best interest at heart. We want the same deal that the suburbs gave white families like Ben’s. This time, though, we want it to last.”

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Book Review: ‘City of Ruins’ completes a masterful Don Winslow trilogy

This image released by William Morrow shows “City in Ruins” by Don Winslow. (William Morrow via AP)

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Years ago, when novelist Don Winslow first read Aeschylus, he recognized that the Greek father of literary tragedies had explored every major theme found in modern crime fiction, from murder, vengeance, and corruption to power, justice and redemption. He became obsessed, he said recently, with the idea of retelling the ancient stories in a modern-crime fiction trilogy.

For the last 30 years, while churning out a succession of books that include some of the best crime novels ever written, he worked on the ambitious project in fits and starts, sometimes despairing but never giving up.

“City of Ruins” marks the conclusion of his saga of Rhode Island mobster turned Las Vegas gambling tycoon Danny Ryan. If Winslow is to be believed, it is also the last novel he will ever write as he turns his considerable talents to political activism.

The trilogy opened with “City on Fire” (2021) as Ryan and a handful of allies fled Providence, Rhode Island, after losing a gang war to the Italian Mafia. It continued with “City of Dreams” (2023) as Ryan tried, and failed, to build a new life in Los Angeles.

As “City in Ruins” opens, we find an older Ryan operating as a silent partner in two Las Vegas casinos. A man who was once a dock worker and underworld strong arm in Providence is now rich beyond his dreams, but he still wants more.

Why, he wonders. Is it greed? No. Not that.

“Be honest with yourself,” he says. “You want more money because money is power and power is safety. And you can never be safe enough. Not in this world.”

After all, the Italian mob and the FBI are still out there, hell bent on revenge and/or justice for the crimes he’s committed. For the people he has killed.

So Danny overreaches.

He schemes to purchase a prime piece of real estate on the Las Vegas strip to build a fabulous gambling resort, putting him in conflict with the city’s power brokers including a rival casino owner who has mob connections of his own.

Soon, the old enemies also are circling. Danny does what he can to prevent the power struggle from turning violent, but through a series of miscalculations, bullets start flying, endangering not only his gambling empire but his life and the lives of those he loves.

While “City in Ruins” can be read as a standalone, readers would be best served by reading the trilogy from the beginning. With his compelling characters, his vivid prose, and his exploration of universal themes, Winslow has produced a masterpiece of modern crime fiction.

Bruce DeSilva, winner of the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award, is the author of the Mulligan crime novels including “The Dread Line.”

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