Chapter Books for Kids 8-11

Here's where reading gets really fun! When kids start these books, they meet friends they will have the rest of their lives, like Laura, Charlie, Charlotte, Wilbur, Ramona, and Harriet. Some of these books are more advanced than others. If your child can't read it alone yet, try it as a read aloud, reading a chapter each night. These are all classics, and it's hard to limit them. I'm including my favourites, though I have so many more! Some links are also below. 

• Brink, Carol Ryrie. Caddie Woodlawn.
• Burnett, Frances. The Secret Garden.
• Cleary, Beverly. Ramona the Pest, Henry Huggins, and others.
• Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and others.
• Enid Blyton, The Fantastic Five, and others.
• Fitzhugh, Louise. Harriet the Spy.
• Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and others.
• Little, Jean. From Anna, and others
• Lofting, Hugh. The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle.
• Norton, Mary. The Borrowers.
• O’Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins
• Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty.
• Sobol, Donald J. Encyclopedia Brown, and others.
• White, E.B., Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web.
• Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House on the Prairie, and others.

But first....How about this other idea? Kids love to receive mail. What better way to hook them on reading than to subscribe to a fun magazine! 

ZooBooks magazine (click on link above) has more than enough to make kids beg to read for just a little longer.

Each and every month, watch your budding animal-lover turn away from the television and eagerly curl up on the couch to make new discoveries about another exciting animal. Be prepared for a lot of “Mom, Dad—did you know….?”

• Each Issue spotlights a different animal... collect all 59!
• Brilliantly photographed, simply written, advertising-free!
• Interactive games in each issue to make learning stick!
• Endless subjects for school reports for all grades, all ages!

And Now...

For the Books I love...

Childhood wouldn't be childhood without meeting Wilbur, Fern and Charlotte. The classic book for kids.

Charlotte's Web One of the most beloved children's stories of all time, Charlotte's Web describes how a beautiful and intelligent spider name...

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Beverly Cleary understands kids. Her series of books on Ramona and Henry are delightful, and kids have loved them for over a generation. They never lose their appeal.

Ramona the Pest The ongoing adventures of Ramona Quimby are a delight for middle graders aged eight to 12. The little imp's escapades are mis...

Henry Huggins What's a boy to do? The last thing the average guy like Henry Huggins wants is to look like a fool -- and that seems to be ex...

If you own only one book series for your children, make sure it's C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, the first of which is the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The adventures of these four children when they discover a new, magical world are delightful, with morals of honesty, loyalty and self-sacrifice filling out the story. A must have, and I think much better than Harry Potter.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe Just wait until you step into the wonderful world of Narnia. This book is part two of a literary series for kids that shows t...

Follow the adventures of Laura and Mary in the Little House books, the true story of Laura Wilder's life. They're better than the TV show, and kids will be amazed at how people lived back then. Imagine, getting only a tin cup and a piece of candy for Christmas, and being grateful! A great series.

Little House on the Prairie Laura and her family leave their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin and set out for Kansas. Sometimes pioneer life is...

Here it is...the series of books that held me spellbound when I was 8 and 9. Watch kids agonize to figure out the mystery without turning to the back of the book...

Encyclopedia Brown Takes a Case Idaville's secret weapon against lawbreakers, ten-year-old Encyclopedia Brown, assists the police force with ten insoluble ca...

If you want an email copy of my entire booklist, click here, and then enter "booklist" in the comments section. 

Return to other book selections.