Books for Eight year old granddaughter

Give them a go. If you read them to her, ask if there are words she doesn't understand. I would start with Ballet Shoes.

How about Black Beauty, Treasure Island, and I’m sure there’s quite a lot more from that genre.

The Secret Garden , I loved it and still do !

I ‘read’ the classics to my GD when she was about 3. I had a set of board books with felt illustrations and just a few words per page. That way I could tell her the story using the words and padding out the story gradually as she got older. She loved Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Persuasion, The Wizard of Oz and many more. Now she is older (8)I have bought her an abridged version of Pride and Prejudice. For her 9th birthday I intend buying her a set of cloth bound classics including What Katy Did. She is an avid reader of all the usual books for her age but I like to think I will have passed on to her my love if the classics.

Not a classic but my 8yr old Granddaughter love the Isadora Moon books she even went to find more in the library and at school.

I always think the title of Ballet Shoes is rather misleading. It’s more about acting than ballet. A lovely family story, anyway, with timeless characters.

I adored What Katy Did when I was ten, and since it was written in 1873 (I think) it must have been “outdated” when I read it. But as with Ballet Shoes, the characters are real in any age.

The Famous Five?

Malory Towers?

Loved those when I was that age.

Also What Katy Did.

Charlotte’s Web is a good book for a confident reader. One of my year-three readers last year was working her way through it and we were both enjoying it. And yes, The Secret Garden - one of my favourite books as a child.

Heidi is a beautiful story. And The Incredible Journey.

If you want something a bit more up to date, the “Izzy the Inventor” series is very good.
“Swallows and Amazons” is also a good choice for a competent reader.

Our youngest loved the weird world of the Mr. Gum books at 8.

Goodnight Mr Tom was a favourite with my children but they read this by themselves. A set of ‘ My naughty little sister”’ too, might be of interest especially if she has a little sister but if you are doing the reading you might want to stretch her a bit. Why not ask at the library.
Avid reading of children often sadly seems to fade once they get to early teenage years so make the most of her enthusiasm while she is interested.

Goodnight Mr Tom has some quite disturbing parts which would need careful handling with an 8 year old

There are various children’s versions of the Greek myths - our Gchn enjoyed them as rollicking tales of derring-do and I plugged a gap in my education at the same time. O would definitely read aloud though so you can ‘edit’ as you go along.

My daughter was an advanced reader and read and enjoyed Mr Tom when she was about 7. I can’t remember anything in it which needed careful handling, she certainly wasn’t disturbed. It was her favourite book.

Child abuse by the mother, neglect and death of a baby are heavy things to deal with

I'm not saying she shouldn't read it, but her emotional age needs to be taken into account too. It's really meant for older children for a reason.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, and Rosina Cooper which is about a neglected horse that becomes a show horse due to being loved by her new owners, both available on Amazon.

I gave my DD Black Beauty to read when she was perhaps slightly older than my DGD and she cried buckets so I think I'll give than one a miss for the time being and I think Mr Tom is perhaps a little old for her yet, although a lovely story.
I have ordered Ballet Shoes as I know I will enjoy that too and I know there are other books in the series if she likes it. She does read avidly herself, mummy and daddy read to her as well and she's been through most of the Enid Blytons and Narnias as well as
lots of the Roald Dahl books etc. I was just wondering if the classic books that I enjoyed would interest a modern eight year old and if any GNs had experience of that. I know I would enjoy reading them to her Thank you for your responses, please keep them coming.

Go ahead and read her anything you like. If she isn't enjoying it she will soon tell you!

It’s a long time ago now but I just remember it being her favourite book, so much so that she bought another copy of it years later. I believe children today are much more protected from anything potentially ‘difficult’. Think about Grimms fairy tales which could nearly all be gruesome.
I am sure she will enjoy Ballet Shoes and I googled books for 8 year olds and there are many books recommended online. Including Ballet Shoes.

The Children of Green Knowe

Tom's Midnight Garden

I agree with Ballet Shoes, and would add another vote for Charlotte's Web.