The Summer Reading Challenge is always a key feature of our summer. It’s a great way to keep children reading over the holidays, and this year children can sign up online, setting their own target for the number of books they want to read. Once they’ve read a book they can log it, writing a bit about the book and what they thought.

Join the Summer Reading Challenge – Click Here!

This summer S has set herself the challenge of completing 30 books by the end of the summer – so there’s a lot of reading going on! As well as this, we read a book together each evening at bedtime.

Summer Reading Challenge – books for 8 year olds

Here are our recommendations for brilliant books this summer:

Stig of the Dump by Clive King

S began reading this book in September with school, and was disappointed when they didn’t finish reading it before the end of term. She begged me to buy it for her, and we read it together – an oldie but a goodie!

Buy Stig of the Dump here

Evie and the Animals by Matt Haig

This is a lovely story about a little girl who has an amazing talent – she can communicate telepathically with animals. She’s been warned to keep her talent a secret, but now she needs to use it to save the day!

Buy Evie and the Animals here

The Firework-Maker’s Daughter by Philip Pullman

We both really enjoyed this story of Lila, the daughter of a firework-maker who wants to become a firework-maker herself. But this involves the final, most difficult and dangerous part of her apprenticeship. A long journey with help from her friends ensues.

Buy The Firework-Maker’s Daughter here

The Trapdoor Mysteries by Abie Longstaff

This is actually a series of four books detailing the life of Tally, an animal loving servant girl who discovers a secret, underground, magical library. With the help of her best friend, a squirrel named Squill, she uses the library and her code breaking skills to solve mysteries. We both absolutely loved this series.

Buy The Trapdoor Mysteries here

The Nothing to See Here Hotel by Steven Butler and Steven Lenton

This is another series of books we’ve really enjoyed. Set in a secret hotel in Brighton for magical creatures, these stories centre around Frankie Banister and his parents who run the hotel, taking care of all its weird and wonderful guests. There are 3 books in the series, with a fourth due out soon.

Buy the Nothing to See Here Hotel here

The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson

This book was actually written by someone I went to school with, so I bought it to support her – and then found that we both really enjoyed it! It tackles death in an honest and relatable way, as well as being a brilliant story of Freddie and his friends going on a secret adventure. A brilliant book that managed to have us both laughing out loud, and made us cry too.

Buy the Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates here

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey

This is another series, which S absolutely loves. If you have a reluctant reader at home, this is an excellent place to start as these books are set out like a comic book with stories that are as hilarious as they are ridiculous. S devours these books; I think there are around ten of them now, with the next instalment due out at the end of July.

Buy The Bad Guys Episodes 1 & 2 here

The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

Just in case your life has not already been engulfed by these books! This series of books is sheer brilliance. Andy and Terry live in a treehouse which gains 13 storeys in each instalment. S loves these books and talks about Andy, Terry and their friend Jill as if they are yer friends. For World Book Day last year she dressed up as Terry. She has all of the activity books that go with this series and she absolutely loves them.

Buy the 13-Storey Treehouse here

Recommend a book

If your child is reading an amazing book you think we should know about, let us know in the comments – we’re always happy to hear about great books!

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Vicky Charles

Vicky is a single mother, writer and card reader.

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