Best Books for 8-Year-Olds - Nosy Crow

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Introducing children to the wonderful world of reading at a young age is a gift that lasts a lifetime. For 8-year-olds, selecting the right books can spark their imagination, cultivate a love for reading, and expand their knowledge. The best books for 8-year-olds often feature engaging storylines, relatable characters, and vibrant illustrations that capture their attention and keep them turning the pages.

From timeless classics to contemporary favourites, there is a wide range of options to choose from when it comes to selecting books for 8-year-olds. Whether they enjoy thrilling adventures, magical fantasies, heart-warming tales, or educational non-fiction, there is a book out there to suit every young reader’s interests!

Kevin the Vampire: A Wild and Wicked Witch

Written by Matt Brown Illustrated by Flavia Sorrentino

7-9

A FANG-tastically funny adventures series, perfect for 7+ readers and fans of Amelia Fang! "Full of hilarious, highly illustrated mayhem" Guardian "Loved it. Full of heart, laughs and adventure." Dermot O'Leary "Fearfully funny, and a book to get your teeth into! You'll be Kevin's biggest fang!" Danny Wallace If Kevin…

Mermaid Academy: Amber and Flash

Written by Julie Sykes & Linda Chapman Illustrated by Lucy Truman

7-9

Mermazing action-packed underwater adventures for young readers. Beautifully illustrated throughout and with a glittery cover! From the authors and illustrator of the bestselling Unicorn Academy series. Hidden deep beneath the waves is Mermaid Academy, a magical school where mermaids are paired with their very own dolphin and must discover their…

National Trust: Out and About: Tree Explorer: A children’s guide to 60 different trees

Written by Emma S. Young Illustrated by Marta Antelo

7-9

Trees are amazing, and trees are everywhere! In this charming spotter's guide for ages 8-12, discover 60 different common trees to spot when you're out and about. Big trees, small trees and everything in between! Whether walking in the woodlands or the streets of your town, this book is your…

Sunshine Stables: Sienna and the Snowy Pony

Written by Olivia Tuffin Illustrated by Jo Goodberry

7-9

At Sunshine Stables, dreams become adventures! Young pony fans will love this fantastic illustrated pony club series from Olivia Tuffin. Sienna loves helping out at Sunshine Stables in exchange for rides on Apples, a perfect little Shetland. Nobody believes Sienna when she says that Apples has racing instincts. When a…

Unicorn Academy: Sophia’s Invitation

Written by Nosy Crow Ltd

7-9

The official companion title for the premiere of the Netflix series, launching globally in November 2023! At Unicorn Academy, Sophia can't wait to discover her destiny and become a Unicorn Rider. First, she must bond with Wildstar to unlock the unicorn's magical powers. But evil Queen Ravenzella wants to destroy…

Lenny Lemmon and the Trail of Crumbs

Written by Ben Davis Illustrated by James Lancett

7-9

The second in a hilarious school-based comedy series for 7+ with black and white illustrations throughout. A modern day Just William, perfect for fans of Wimpy Kid and Pamela Butchart! When an important visitor turns up at school one day, Lenny and his friends are surprised to find themselves sent…

Mermaid Academy: Maya and Rainbow

Written by Julie Sykes & Linda Chapman Illustrated by Lucy Truman

7-9

Mermazing action-packed underwater adventures for young readers. Beautifully illustrated throughout and with a glittery cover! From the authors and illustrator of the bestselling Unicorn Academy series. Hidden deep beneath the waves is Mermaid Academy, a magical school where mermaids are paired with their very own dolphin and must discover their…

Snow Sisters: The Enchanted Waterfall

Written by Astrid Foss Illustrated by Monique Dong

7-9

The fourth in the Snow Sisters series. Three brave sisters must race to discover their magical powers and save their home and their parents from the evil Shadow Witch! Luckily, they have a brave polar bear cub and a cast of cute snowy animals to help them... It's the Day…

The Rescue Princesses: The Amber Necklace

Written by Paula Harrison Illustrated by Sharon Tancredi

7-9

Friendship, animals and secret royal adventures! With over one million Rescue Princesses titles sold, this action-packed series is the perfect combination of good friends, beautiful dresses, ninja moves and baby animals! Princess Zina is shocked to discover that the forest home of her kingdom's lemurs is in danger! Can she…

Max the Detective Cat: The Catnap Caper

Written by Sarah Todd Taylor Illustrated by Nicola Kinnear

7-9

With a beautifully fluffy tail and a keen nose for adventure, Max the Detective Cat is ready for any mystery... The pampered cats of Paris are being kidnapped! Could it have something to do with a singing competition that is gripping the city? Max knows he has to solve the…

Clifftoppers: The Frost Castle Adventure

Written by Fleur Hitchcock

7-9

For Aiden, Chloe, Ava and Josh, holidays at their grandparents' cottage mean wild beaches, no curfew, Bella the dog, and most of all - adventure! The lead actress in Frost Castle's winter play is sure she's cursed! A break-in, a car accident, and now her precious locket is missing. But…

The Wizard in the Wood

Written by Louie Stowell Illustrated by Davide Ortu

7-9

Kit, Josh and Alita are heading back to school - and they're excited to discover that they're getting a brand new library, which also means getting their own wizard librarian... and a dragon! But when something VERY BAD happens at the new library, it's up to Kit and her friends…

Go Wild in the Mountains

Written by Goldie Hawk Illustrated by Rachael Saunders

7-9

A mountain guide for young boys and girls with a thirst for adventure This is the ultimate pocket-sized adventure guide to all the fun you can have in the mountains: rock climbing, pitching a tent, tracking mountain animals and much, much more! Children will also learn exactly what not do,…

Earth Friends: Pet Protection

Written by Holly Webb

7-9

The fourth fantastic book in the series about four friends who want to make the world a better place. Emily loves animals. But she comes from a big family and there's no room for any pets. So she decides to help at the local animal rescue centre instead. When the…

A Secret in Time

Written by Sally Nicholls Illustrated by Rachael Dean

7-9

Alex and Ruby are back in their FOURTH time-slip adventure, tumbling back into 1947! From multi-award-winning author Sally Nicholls comes another brilliant action-packed adventure for 7+ readers, beautifully illustrated by Rachael Dean. When siblings Alex and Ruby tumble back through the mirror, they find themselves in the freezing-cold winter of…

Max Counts to a Million

Written by Jeremy Williams

7-9

Do you like epic quests of amazing counting? Do you dislike global pandemics, being stuck at home, and the number 7? Then I have a story for you. It's about how I counted to a million during lockdown - with help from Mum and Dad, friends and neighbours, and Grandad.…

Lands of Belonging: A History of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain

Written by Donna Amey Bhatt & Vikesh Amey Bhatt Illustrated by Salini Perera

7-9

Publishing for the 75th anniversary of the Partition of India in August 2022, this book is a unique exploration of the rich and complicated history of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Britain. There are many ways of telling the same story, and how you tell it depends on your point of…

How To Survive Anywhere: Staying Alive in the World’s Most Extreme Places

Written by Ben Lerwill Illustrated by Daniel Long

7-9

From the dense rainforests of the Amazon to the chill of the snowy Arctic, come on an intrepid adventure to the world's most extreme places, and find out just what it takes to survive there. Discover how to navigate the vast Australian outback, keep yourself alive in a sandstorm in…

There’s a Beast in the Basement!

Written by Pamela Butchart Illustrated by Thomas Flintham

7-9

Chaos and mayhem reign as Izzy and her friends take on another hilarious (mis)adventure. There's no such thing as an ordinary day at school when they're around... Izzy and her friends overhear their head teacher talking about "missing treasure" and "running out of time". They know this means there's TREASURE…

Dragon Storm: Connor and Lightspirit

Written by Alastair Chisholm Illustrated by Eric Deschamps

7-9

The seventh book in a thrilling, magical, and action-packed new fantasy series, illustrated throughout and perfect for 7-9 year olds! In the land of Draconis, there are no dragons. Once, there were. Once, humans and dragons were friends, and created the great city of Rivven together. But then came the…

Growing Up: An Inclusive Guide to Puberty and Your Changing Body!

Written by Rachel Greener Illustrated by Clare Owen

5-7

A modern and inclusive guide to help every child understand their journey from childhood to being a grown-up. Growing up is a natural part of life, and every child deserves to understand the different ways their body may change as they grow older. While puberty happens to everyone, every child's…

Everything You Know About Sharks is Wrong!

Written by Dr Nick Crumpton Illustrated by Gavin Scott

7-9

Shark fans will quickly become shark experts with this informative, inventive and entertaining take on an animal book! Do you know all there is to know about sharks? They're all giant, cold-blooded creatures that enjoy eating humans, right? Well, this book is here to show you that you're WRONG! But…

Incredible Jobs You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of

Illustrated by Natalie Labarre

7-9

Do you know what you want to do when you grow up? Why not work as a babysitter . . . for sloths? Or become a farmer . . . of corpses? You might even grow up to be someone who gets paid to actually sleep on the job! From…

British Museum: The Plot Against the Emperor (An Ancient Roman Puzzle Mystery)

Written by Andy Seed Illustrated by James Weston Lewis

7-9

Learn how to read Latin in this gripping puzzle mystery story, written by Blue Peter Award-winning author Andy Seed! When ancient Roman friends Flavia and Julius uncover a plot to overthrow the emperor, they must stop the criminals before it's too late. But there are a lot of puzzles to…

A Hedgehog Called Snuffle

Written by Helen Peters Illustrated by Ellie Snowdon

7-9

The fifteenth in a fantastic series of animal stories for younger readers by Waterstones Children's Book Prize-shortlisted author Helen Peters, with beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Ellie Snowdon. Jasmine's dad is a farmer, and her mum is a vet, so Jasmine spends a lot of time caring for animals and keeping…