Meet our Contributor
| Katie Sluiter has taught ELA in a small urban district near Grand Rapids, Michigan for over twenty years. She has her Ph.D. in English Education from Western Michigan University. Her current research involves teaching the Holocaust and human rights in the ELA classroom. Her most recent publication, “Bearing Witness to Resistance and Resilience: Holocaust Literature in the ELA Classroom” was published by English Journal in November of 2024.She works closely with The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights (TOLI) both nationally and through regional programing in Michigan and Indiana. |  |
What Are They Reading? Eighth Graders Give the Scoop on What They Recommend
At the beginning of every school year, I interview my new 8th grade honors students about what they like to read. Each year, there are enduring favorites mentioned, but it’s also interesting to me to see the trends in what genres middle grade readers are most interested in.
When I first moved from teaching high school to junior high twelve years ago, the top two favorites were fantasy (dragon books and vampires in particular) and realistic fiction that had to do with mental health and/or death (think Thirteen Reasons Why, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and anything by John Green).
When I first moved from teaching high school to junior high twelve years ago, the top two favorites were fantasy (dragon books and vampires in particular) and realistic fiction that had to do with mental health and/or death (think Thirteen Reasons Why, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and anything by John Green).
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This year, the genres were more varied than usual, but the number one book remains Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Our students read this book in 7th grade ELA, and many go on to read everything else Riordan has written. If you have not read the book, I’ll let my 8th graders tell you what it’s about and why they love it.
“It is a fantasy book. It is about a kid whose dad is a Greek god and he goes to a camp and goes on missions. He is healed by waters. I like that it has fighting. I also like that he meets more Greek gods on his quests.” (Lukas)
“The book is about a 12 year old kid who is dyslexic [and] finds out he is half-god and half-human and gets attacked by monsters when he isn’t with his step dad. He gets his mom taken by a monster and goes on a quest to find her but goes through many challenges then gets blamed for stealing Zeus’s lightning bolt and goes on another quest to find it and gets to see his Dad Poseidon for the first time. I liked how there was a lot of action in the book and it felt like you were really in the book by how the author wrote it.” (Cristopher)
“My favorite thing in the book is the ending of the book. It was not just a boring ending, it was a very creative ending and it’s still my favorite book to this day.” (Jameson)
Students go on to say they like the action and plot twists and that many of the Greek gods and mythical creatures are introduced throughout the book. They also loved the plot twists and cliffhangers at the end of chapters. Quite a few went on to say this was the first “real” book they ever finished.
“It is a fantasy book. It is about a kid whose dad is a Greek god and he goes to a camp and goes on missions. He is healed by waters. I like that it has fighting. I also like that he meets more Greek gods on his quests.” (Lukas)
“The book is about a 12 year old kid who is dyslexic [and] finds out he is half-god and half-human and gets attacked by monsters when he isn’t with his step dad. He gets his mom taken by a monster and goes on a quest to find her but goes through many challenges then gets blamed for stealing Zeus’s lightning bolt and goes on another quest to find it and gets to see his Dad Poseidon for the first time. I liked how there was a lot of action in the book and it felt like you were really in the book by how the author wrote it.” (Cristopher)
“My favorite thing in the book is the ending of the book. It was not just a boring ending, it was a very creative ending and it’s still my favorite book to this day.” (Jameson)
Students go on to say they like the action and plot twists and that many of the Greek gods and mythical creatures are introduced throughout the book. They also loved the plot twists and cliffhangers at the end of chapters. Quite a few went on to say this was the first “real” book they ever finished.
Other genres students gave book recommendations in were widely varied.
In contemporary realistic fiction, students recommended books such as…
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden. “It’s about a teenage girl who has an abusive stepfather that struggles. I like this book because I like the connections she made with being like an octopus.”
Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhardt. “It is a western fiction. It’s about a boy who sets off to find his best friend, Sarah, a horse that was taken from him. I liked that book because it was very exciting and you never know what’s gonna happen next.”
The Star Outside My Windowamzn.to/3K85Izv by Onjali Q. Rauf. “It is realistic fiction adventure about this girl who goes on a journey to find a star that her mom said was for her. I liked how smoothly everything in the book flowed, and how advanced of a reading it was for me.”
In contemporary realistic fiction, students recommended books such as…
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden. “It’s about a teenage girl who has an abusive stepfather that struggles. I like this book because I like the connections she made with being like an octopus.”
Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhardt. “It is a western fiction. It’s about a boy who sets off to find his best friend, Sarah, a horse that was taken from him. I liked that book because it was very exciting and you never know what’s gonna happen next.”
The Star Outside My Windowamzn.to/3K85Izv by Onjali Q. Rauf. “It is realistic fiction adventure about this girl who goes on a journey to find a star that her mom said was for her. I liked how smoothly everything in the book flowed, and how advanced of a reading it was for me.”
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Monster by Walter Dean Myers. “This book is about a 16 year old black male who is being accused of being an accomplice in a robbery. What I like about this book is that it is realistic and shows that there is a lot of messed up things happening in the real world.”
The One And Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. “It’s not really ‘realistic’ fiction, but it’s fiction. It is about a gorilla that got taken away from his family. After he was taken away he got put into a cage to be shown, but we find out later he used to live in the owner’s home. But then he got too big and the owner started showing him, and the gorilla met some friends and started drawing. I’ve compared all other books to this one.”
The One And Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. “It’s not really ‘realistic’ fiction, but it’s fiction. It is about a gorilla that got taken away from his family. After he was taken away he got put into a cage to be shown, but we find out later he used to live in the owner’s home. But then he got too big and the owner started showing him, and the gorilla met some friends and started drawing. I’ve compared all other books to this one.”
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I have many readers clamoring for romance in their fiction. Some they say they’ve enjoyed include:
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. “It is a good series based on a girl being in kind of a love triangle with her mom’s best friend’s sons. These books are an emotional plot twist! When reading the book it makes you just wanna yell at the characters for what they do, I like that about it cause it keeps you entertained and interested. This romance book is a very good one!”
If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin. “I loved this book because of its amazing way of capturing evolving as young people in mature, scared, and developed teens. I also like how the book considers all types of point[s] of view, and gives a suspenseful feeling. It’s sad, but it gives great messages of how we, as people, can overcome and heal from our pain.”
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. “It is a good series based on a girl being in kind of a love triangle with her mom’s best friend’s sons. These books are an emotional plot twist! When reading the book it makes you just wanna yell at the characters for what they do, I like that about it cause it keeps you entertained and interested. This romance book is a very good one!”
If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin. “I loved this book because of its amazing way of capturing evolving as young people in mature, scared, and developed teens. I also like how the book considers all types of point[s] of view, and gives a suspenseful feeling. It’s sad, but it gives great messages of how we, as people, can overcome and heal from our pain.”
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The mystery, suspense, and horror genres are booming in recent years. Some books in these genres my 8th graders recommend are:
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker. “It’s about a 10 year old boy who gets lured into a place called the Holiday House where his wishes are granted, but the house is a trap to steal kids’ souls!”
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. “I really enjoyed reading the book and loved the twist. It’s about a couple who were killed and no one figured out who killed them, but Pip is going to find out.”
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. “The story follows a girl named Avery Grambs who’s 17, homeless and trying to survive high school. Out of the blue she gets a letter requesting her presence at the reading of Tobias Hawthorne’s will, leaving her with 42 billion dollars. To figure out why a stranger left her money, she solves all sorts of riddles alongside his grandsons. The reason I liked this book so much is because of all the plot twists and shocks in this story. In general, it’s just a very fun read.”
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker. “It’s about a 10 year old boy who gets lured into a place called the Holiday House where his wishes are granted, but the house is a trap to steal kids’ souls!”
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. “I really enjoyed reading the book and loved the twist. It’s about a couple who were killed and no one figured out who killed them, but Pip is going to find out.”
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. “The story follows a girl named Avery Grambs who’s 17, homeless and trying to survive high school. Out of the blue she gets a letter requesting her presence at the reading of Tobias Hawthorne’s will, leaving her with 42 billion dollars. To figure out why a stranger left her money, she solves all sorts of riddles alongside his grandsons. The reason I liked this book so much is because of all the plot twists and shocks in this story. In general, it’s just a very fun read.”
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Historical fiction is usually a recurring favorite as well. Students tend to encounter Alan Gratz books in 5th and/or 6th grade in our intermediate school ELA curriculum, so by the time they get to me, they have topics they love, but are hungry for even more. Some they recommend right now include:
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz. “It is about a boy and his family who hid during the Holocaust who was caught while scavenging for supplies. When he arrived he was treated poorly. When the war stopped the Nazis were planning on killing them.”
Hunt for the Bamboo Rat by Graham Salisbury. “It’s about a Japanese American who became a spy for the U.S. in World War II. I like how it feels like it can be actually true.”
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz. “It is about a boy and his family who hid during the Holocaust who was caught while scavenging for supplies. When he arrived he was treated poorly. When the war stopped the Nazis were planning on killing them.”
Hunt for the Bamboo Rat by Graham Salisbury. “It’s about a Japanese American who became a spy for the U.S. in World War II. I like how it feels like it can be actually true.”
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And of course, students are very much still loving comics, graphic novels, and manga. Some favorites include anything by Raina Telegemeier, the Amulet books, and the Demon Slayer manga series.
I’m excited to circle back and conference with my students after a couple weeks of independent reading and journaling to find out what new titles and genres they have fallen in love with, and what they are looking to read next.
I’m excited to circle back and conference with my students after a couple weeks of independent reading and journaling to find out what new titles and genres they have fallen in love with, and what they are looking to read next.
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All of the books in my classroom library are either purchased by me or donated. The classroom wish list on Amazon is generated by student requests or recommendations. If you would like to donate a book to the library, you can click here.
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