Convincing kids to embrace reading can be a challenge because they often see it as synonymous with school work. The best get kids engaged with reading is to provide them with books that they won’t want to put down.
We’ve put together a list of eight books that eight-year-old readers will love! Grab them online or from your local library, and get your kids to put down their screens.
Learning to love reading from a young age has numerous benefits that your child will enjoy throughout their life. By eight years old, children are at the age when they are better able to focus on longer, more complex texts and their interests are evolving. By reading different types of books, kids improve their comprehension skills and are exposed to new things.
Kids will love following the antics of Charlie and his grandfather as they explore Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory with the four other lucky children who found the golden ticket. Willy Wonka starts the tour by making the children promise not to touch or taste anything without his permission. But the temptations are just too much to bear for some of the children.
Your kids definitely won’t feel like they’re doing schoolwork while they’re reading the fully illustrated adventures of the protagonist, Greg Heffley. The series kicks off with Greg dealing with all the trappings of starting middle school; kids who have grown up faster, popularity contests and more. Your little ones will feel grown up because they are reading about the main character who is a few years older than them.
Goofy, not just in content, but how the words are written, Where the Sidewalk Ends is the perfect way to introduce your burgeoning reader to poetry. They’ll laugh themselves silly at the story of a boy who turns into a TV set or another where you need to wash your own shadow as well as the accompanying drawings.
This beloved and bestselling classic are one of the hallmarks of literature for kids. It's also likely that mom and dad read it as kids also! The first in a series, this story follows Peter Hatcher and his little brother. Older siblings will definitely relate to Peter’s annoyance with his little brother and how he always gets blamed for Fudge’s misdeeds!
These silly books will quickly become a favourite with your eight-year-old. The story follows Tom who has to contend with his big brother deciding to be an evil scientist. For his brother’s first experiment, he dunks the family’s goldfish into toxic green gunk. When Tom misses his goldfish and decides to bring him back to life, he decides to zap him with a battery! Tom certainly wasn’t expecting Frankie the goldfish to come back with superpowers!
Proving that you don’t have to be super rich or a man to be a superhero, this chapter-book follows the Lunch Lady and her assistant, Betty. Together, they try to get to the bottom of a missing teacher, a creepy substitute and a potential rigging of the Teacher of the Year awards. They’re joined by three little kids who help the Lunch Lady try to track down the answers to these questions armed with just their wits. This book is perfect for reluctant readers with its puns and clever cartoons.
Another classic novel, Charlotte’s Web has been entertaining kids for over six decades. The story is about a pig (Wilbur) forging a friendship with a spider (Charlotte) who lives in his barn. The book is probably best for more serious readers. But the story is suspenseful and touching – perfect for keeping your kids engaged with what they’re reading!
Follow the tales of Jo, Bessie and Fanny who discover the Faraway Tree on a walk through the woods near their house. The adventurous girls decide to climb the tree, only to find that it is full of magical creatures. And not only that, but there is a ladder which leads them to an ever-changing magical land. Readers will love exploring all the strange lands that come to the top of the Faraway Tree with the girls.
Tell us: what's your eight-year-old's favourite book?
