Nurture Your Teen Reader: A Parent's Guide to Books for 8th Grade
Introduction
Welcome, parents of 8th-graders! You have reached that very important stage in your child's reading life when they are ready for more mature themes, wider perspectives, and challenging stories. This guide lends a helping hand through the enriching world of literature for 8th graders. It describes how to select appealing books that make learning fun and create a lifelong love of reading.
From activity-based to self-discovery, eliciting empathy, and critical thinking, the book titles change as your child grows into their teen years. Running the gamut from contemporary fiction to historical narration to graphic novels, books herald enormous opportunities for growth, comprehension, and delving into one's own and outside worlds.
Benefits of Book Reading Among 8th Graders
Reading at such a crucial age has several advantages that go far beyond mere fun.
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Advanced Vocabulary: Books like "The Lie Tree" by Frances Hardinge contain rich, evocative language that will enhance your teenager's vocabulary and assist in using words effectively.
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Critical Thinking: Stories like "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds let one reflect on greater, and sometimes complex, social issues and the various sides to an argument.
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Emotional Intelligence: Stories like "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie help students with identity, relationships, and self-discovery.
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Cultural Awareness: Books like "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin introduce young readers to different cultures and experiences, developing empathy towards the characters.
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Addressing Difficult Topics: "The Girl in the Well Is Me" by Karen Rivers approaches issues such as bullying and finding oneself in a very accessible manner, which will help children deal with challenging subjects.
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Historical Perspective: Connect students to the event on a personal level in a historical fiction novel like "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys.
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Social Issues Awareness: Books like "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramee introduce current social issues and engage teenagers in the situations around them.
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Visual Literacy: Graphic novels like "New Kid" by Jerry Craft cultivate visual interpretation skills along with traditional reading comprehension.
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Imagination and Creativity: Titles such as "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown, and "Skulduggery Pleasant" by Derek Landy stir fantasy with science fiction, thus inspiring imagination and creative thinking.
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Improved Reading: Equates to improved academic performance in all subjects and equips students for high school and beyond.
Choose Apt Books for 8th Graders
Books at a reading level to challenge yet interest 8th graders encompass these criteria:
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Reading Level: Look for books with challenges. "Anna and the Swallow Man" by Gavriel Savit has rich language and complex themes that will stretch comprehension.
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Interest-Based Selection: Consider your teenager's interests and hobbies. For instance, science fiction enthusiasts will enjoy "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown.
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Diverse Perspectives: Select books offering windows into other cultures and experiences, such as "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie.
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Genre Diversity: Encourage the reading of many different genres. Intersperse contemporary fiction with historical fiction, fantasy with realistic fiction, and prose with graphic novels.
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Thematic Relevance: Books treating thematic areas of particular relevance for teenagers, such as identity, social justice, coming-of-age experiences, among others.
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Aesthetical Appeal: Graphics in a novel such as "New Kid" make intense narratives inviting for readers.
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Award Winning Books: Are of high-quality writing with relevant and engrossing themes.
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Series and Standalone Books: Books in series, such as "Skulduggery Pleasant," attract readers following consistent characters in ongoing adventures while standalone titles add variety and single focus
Books Recommended for 8th Grade Students
Some of the best options for 8th graders, along with a brief description, include:
Serious survival
By Corwin, Marshall
The princess and the hound
By Harrison, Mette Ivie
Description: George has always felt burdened by his princely duties, and even more by the need to hide the magic through which he speaks with animals, but when he is betrothed to the strange princess of a neighboring kingdom, his secret, and the persecution of people like himself, must come to an end.
Hero
By Kontis, Alethea
Description: Rough-and-tumble Saturday Woodcutter thinks she's the only one of her sisters without any magic—until the day she accidentally conjures an ocean in the backyard. With her sword in tow, Saturday sets sail on a pirate ship, only to find herself kidnapped and whisked off to the top of the world. Is Saturday powerful enough to kill the mountain witch who holds her captive and save the world from sure destruction? And, as she wonders grumpily, "Did romance have to be part of the adventure?" As in Enchanted, readers will revel in the fragments of fairy tales that embellish this action-packed story of adventure and, yes, romance.
Rot & Ruin
By Maberry, Jonathan
Description: In a post-apocalyptic world where fences and border patrols guard the few people left from the zombies that have overtaken civilization, fifteen-year-old Benny Imura is finally convinced that he must follow in his older brother's footsteps and become a bounty hunter.
Choosing up sides
By Ritter, John H.
Description: In 1921 thirteen-year-old Luke finds himself torn between accepting his left-handedness or conforming to the belief of his preacher-father that such a condition is evil and must be overcome.
Squint
By Morris, Chad
Description: My name is Flint, but everyone in middle school calls me Squint because I'm losing my vision. I used to play football, but not anymore. I haven't had a friend in a long time. Thankfully, real friends can see the real you, even when you can't clearly see. Flint loves to draw. In fact, he's furiously trying to finish his comic book so he can be the youngest winner of the "Find a Comic Star" contest. He's also rushing to finish because he has keratoconus-an eye disease that could eventually make him blind. McKell is the new girl at school and immediately hangs with the popular kids. Except McKell's not a fan of the way her friends treat this boy named Squint. He seems nice and really talented. He draws awesome pictures of superheroes. McKell wants to get to know him, but is it worth the risk? What if her friends catch her hanging with the kid who squints all the time? McKell has a hidden talent of her own but doesn't share it for fear of being judged. Her terminally ill brother, Danny, challenges McKell to share her love of poetry and songwriting. Flint seems like someone she could trust. Someone who would never laugh at her. Someone who is as good and brave as the superhero in Flint's comic book named Squint.Squint is the inspiring story of two new friends dealing with their own challenges, who learn to trust each other, believe in themselves, and begin to truly see what matters most.
When the children marched
By Mayer, Robert H.
Description: "Blown into history" : the story of Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth -- The hardest head in town : Reverend Shuttlesworth fights on -- "It's so nice to have you in Birmingham" : the movement begins -- An "untimely" protest : the arrest of Dr. King -- "Sing, children, sing" : the children march -- "Fire hoses on those Black girls" : the mood turns -- "Making history" : the children march on and into a settlement -- "An accord with its conscience" : a settlement is reached -- "Violence" and "more violence" : the aftermath of the settlement -- "Don't try to stop us" : the Birmingham legacy -- Timeline -- Glossary.
Skink
By Hiaasen, Carl
Description: The #1 New York Times bestselling author Carl Hiaasen debuts his first book for teens with Skink--No Surrender. Classic Malley--to avoid being shipped off to boarding school, she takes off with some guy she met online. Poor Richard--he knows his cousin's in trouble before she does. Wild Skink--he's a ragged, one-eyed ex-governor of Florida, and enough of a renegade to think he can track Malley down. With Richard riding shotgun, the unlikely pair scour the state, undaunted by blinding storms, crazed pigs, flying bullets, and giant gators. Carl Hiaasen first introduced readers to Skink more than twenty-five years ago in Double Whammy, and he quickly became Hiaasen's most iconic and beloved character, appearing in six novels to date. Both teens and adults will be thrilled to catch sight of the elusive "captain" as he pursues his own unique brand of swamp justice. With Skink at the wheel, the search for a missing girl is both nail-bitingly tense and laugh-out-loud funny.
Andrew Young, man with a mission
By Haskins, James
Description: An account of the life of Andrew Young, including his activities as a clergyman, civil rights worker, legislator, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
The escape
By Muchamore, Robert
Description: During the summer of 1940, Hitler's army advances toward Paris, causing millions of French civilians to flee; meanwhile, British spy Charles Henderson, with the help of a twelve-year-old French orphan, searches for two British children who are being hunted by German agents.
Tips to Maximize What Your Child Learns from Books
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Read Independently: Encourage daily independent reading.
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Book Discussion: Consider themes, characters, and plot twists. Using "Long Way Down," discuss the cycle of violence and how to solve it.
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Relate Events: Connect events in the book to your teen's life or to current events.
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Mix It Up: Introduce graphic novels, audiobooks, and e-books among the classic books to keep reading interesting.
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Go to the Library and Bookstore: Make the selection of books a fun activity where exposure to numerous types and formats broadens your teenager's horizons.
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Reading Challenge: Establish goals regarding how many books, and what type of genres must be read, and reward for each milestone accomplished.
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Family Book Club: Choose a book that everyone will read together-such as "Salt to the Sea" or "The Lie Tree"- and discuss.
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Encourage Critical Thinking: Encourage open-ended questions about the books read, prompting analysis and interpretation.
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Complement with Non-Fiction: Complement fiction titles with associated non-fiction stories for deeper understanding of topics.
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Respect Choices in Reading: Guide students but let them decide what they really want to read.
Sensitive Issues in Young Adult Literature
As 8th graders delve deeper into current themes, parents might consider these suggestions for a more enriching experience.
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Read with Your Teenager: Together, you can make sense of complicated content.
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Open Communication: Give your teenager space while encouraging them to ask questions about the books they are reading.
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Context is King: Help your teen contextualize the historical or cultural setting that frames sensitive issues in literature; how it relates to them and their world.
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Use Books for Discussion: Books such as "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" create opportunities to discuss society then and now.
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Respect their Feelings and Emotional Reactions: Sometimes books can be emotionally appealing or challenging; acknowledge it, discuss it.
Why Choose MoBoo for Books for Your 8th Grader
At MoBoo, we encourage the cooperation and mutual support between parents their teenagers.
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Wide-Ranging Collection: Interesting, relevant, and appealing to 8th-grade students, the books have been selected by our professional staff.
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Diverse Collection: MoBoo offers books with a vast representation of cultures, experiences, and perspectives; as evidenced by our recommended titles’ list.
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Knowledgeable Staff: Our staff is trained in book recommendations to suit your teenager's interests, reading levels, and culure.
Frequently Asked Questions
A: The best novels for 8th graders include all types of genres-from classic fiction, historical fiction, and fantasy to science fiction and graphic novels. Look for novels that contain complex character studies, complicated plots, and themes that make them think about what they have read. Books like "The Lie Tree" or "Long Way Down" are so layered and complex in plotline that they challenge the teens' minds.
A: Allow reading to become a non-threatening pleasurable experience. Allow them to choose the books in question, make the reading area comfortable, or even start a family book club. Graphic novels such as "New Kid" are ideal for a non-engaged reader. Of course, nothing works quite as well as the power of example-let them see you reading.
A: While most books on our list are single titles, series can be very effective in terms of maintaining the momentum of reading. One good example from our list is "Skulduggery Pleasant" by Derek Landy. Others for this same age group are "The Hunger Games" series by Suzanne Collins, "The Maze Runner" series by James Dashner, and "The Mortal Instruments" series by Cassandra Clare.
A: Try other genres and topics: graphic novels, non-fiction about things they are interested in, or a book that was turned into a favorite movie. Sometimes they may prefer an audio book. Sometimes a book with a really unique premise such as "The Wild Robot" or a verse novel such as "Long Way Down."
A: Absolutely! Reading expands one's vocabulary, comprehension, and reasoning capacity. Also, one is exposed to various writing styles and expressions of themes that will stretch awareness. Books like "Salt to the Sea" allow insight into history, while novels such as "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" allow students to see how to sympathize with difficult characters and situations and apply them to classroom situations.
Recall that every teenager's experience with reading is different. The key is to make the reading experience fun and enriching, one that nurtures a lifelong love of books and learning. Happy reading!