# 8th grade Realistic Fiction books

**59** realistic fiction books commonly assigned to 8th grade students in US schools. Every title's grade range covers 8th grade, so each is grade-appropriate by curriculum placement. Sourced from Common Core exemplars, AP, IB, Cambridge, and 50 state ELA curricula.

**Reading difficulty:** the typical 8th grade band is 925–1185L (Common Core Appendix A). Of the 1 titles here with a Lexile score, 0 are grade-level, 1 more accessible, and 0 a stretch.

**Grade:** 8th grade  ·  **Genre:** Realistic Fiction
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/genre/realistic-fiction/grade/8
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.
**Primary source — Common Core ELA exemplars:** https://achievethecore.org/page/2699

## 8th grade Realistic Fiction reading list

- [A Boy Named Queen](https://readinglist.school/book/a-boy-named-queen) by Sara Cassidy _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2016)_
- [Amal Unbound](https://readinglist.school/book/amal-unbound) by Aisha Saeed _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2018)_
- [Ava and Pip](https://readinglist.school/book/ava-and-pip) by Carol Weston _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2014)_
- [Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job](https://readinglist.school/book/baby-sitting-is-a-dangerous-job) by Willo Davis Roberts _(Grades 3–8 · pub 1985)_
- [Backlash](https://readinglist.school/book/backlash) by Sarah Darer Littman _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2015)_
- [Black Brother, Black Brother](https://readinglist.school/book/black-brother-black-brother) by Jewell Parker Rhodes _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2021)_
- [Counting by 7s](https://readinglist.school/book/counting-by-7s) by Holly Goldberg Sloan _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2014)_
- [Drive-By](https://readinglist.school/book/drive-by) by Lynne Ewing _(Grades 3–8 · pub 1996)_
- [Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie](https://readinglist.school/book/drums-girls-and-dangerous-pie) by Jordan Sonnenblick _(Grades 6–9 · pub 2010)_
- [Forged by Fire](https://readinglist.school/book/forged-by-fire) by Sharon M. Draper _(Grades 7–10 · pub 2009)_
- [Genesis Begins Again](https://readinglist.school/book/genesis-begins-again) by Alicia D. Williams _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2020)_
- [Ghost](https://readinglist.school/book/ghost) by Jason Reynolds _(730L · Grades 5–8 · pub 2016)_
- [Here Comes the Garbage Barge](https://readinglist.school/book/here-comes-the-garbage-barge) by Jonah Winter _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2010)_
- [Hostage](https://readinglist.school/book/hostage) by Willo Davis Roberts _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2000)_
- [Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World](https://readinglist.school/book/ida-b-and-her-plans-to-maximize-fun-avoid-disaster-and-save-the-world) by Katherine Hannigan _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2004)_
- [Lawn Boy](https://readinglist.school/book/lawn-boy) by Gary Paulsen _(Grades 2–8 · pub 1993)_
- [Loch](https://readinglist.school/book/loch) by Paul Zindel _(Grades 3–8 · pub 1994)_
- [Look Both Ways](https://readinglist.school/book/look-both-ways) by Jason Reynolds _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2019)_
- [Lulu's Mysterious Mission](https://readinglist.school/book/lulus-mysterious-mission) by Judith Viorst _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2014)_
- [Math Curse](https://readinglist.school/book/math-curse) by Jon Scieszka _(Grades 4–8 · pub 1995)_
- [Mick Harte Was Here](https://readinglist.school/book/mick-harte-was-here) by Barbara Park _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2011)_
- [My Explosive Diary](https://readinglist.school/book/my-explosive-diary) by Emily Gale _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2014)_
- [No Talking](https://readinglist.school/book/no-talking) by Andrew Clements _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2007)_
- [Orbiting Jupiter](https://readinglist.school/book/orbiting-jupiter) by Gary D. Schmidt _(Grades 7–10 · pub 2015)_
- [Posted](https://readinglist.school/book/posted) by John David Anderson _(Grades 6–9 · pub 2018)_
- [Prisoner B-3087](https://readinglist.school/book/prisoner-b-3087) by Alan Gratz _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2013)_
- [Project Mulberry](https://readinglist.school/book/project-mulberry) by Linda Sue Park _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2005)_
- [Romiette and Julio](https://readinglist.school/book/romiette-and-julio) by Sharon M. Draper _(Grades 7–10 · pub 2010)_
- [Ruby Lost and Found](https://readinglist.school/book/ruby-lost-and-found) by Christina Li _(Grades 6–9 · pub 2023)_
- [Saving Winslow](https://readinglist.school/book/saving-winslow) by Sharon Creech _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2018)_
- [Saving Zasha](https://readinglist.school/book/saving-zasha) by Randi G. Barrow _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2011)_
- [Say What?](https://readinglist.school/book/say-what) by Margaret Peterson Haddix _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2004)_
- [Schooled](https://readinglist.school/book/schooled) by Gordon Korman _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2007)_
- [Sharing Susan](https://readinglist.school/book/sharing-susan) by Eve Bunting _(Grades 2–8 · pub 1991)_
- [Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You](https://readinglist.school/book/sixth-grade-can-really-kill-you) by Barthe DeClements _(Grades 3–8 · pub 1985)_
- [So B. It](https://readinglist.school/book/so-b-it) by Sarah Weeks _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2009)_
- [Star in the Storm](https://readinglist.school/book/star-in-the-storm) by Joan Hiatt Harlow _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2000)_
- [Stargirl](https://readinglist.school/book/stargirl) by Jerry Spinelli _(Grades 6–9 · pub 2001)_
- [Stepping Up](https://readinglist.school/book/stepping-up) by Mark Fink _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2009)_
- [Stuck in Neutral](https://readinglist.school/book/stuck-in-neutral) by Terry Trueman _(Grades 7–10 · pub 2014)_
- [Surviving the Applewhites](https://readinglist.school/book/surviving-the-applewhites) by Stephanie S. Tolan _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2009)_
- [Tangerine](https://readinglist.school/book/tangerine) by Edward Bloor _(Grades 2–8 · pub 1997)_
- [The Boys Start the War](https://readinglist.school/book/the-boys-start-the-war) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor _(Grades 3–8 · pub 1993)_
- [The Gollywhopper Games](https://readinglist.school/book/the-gollywhopper-games) by Jody Feldman _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2008)_
- [The Honest Truth](https://readinglist.school/book/the-honest-truth) by Dan Gemeinhart _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2015)_
- [The Perfect Score](https://readinglist.school/book/the-perfect-score) by Rob Buyea _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2017)_
- [The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise](https://readinglist.school/book/the-remarkable-journey-of-coyote-sunrise) by Dan Gemeinhart _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2019)_
- [The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants](https://readinglist.school/book/the-sisterhood-of-the-traveling-pants) by Ann Brashares _(Grades 7–10 · pub 2001)_
- [The Stranger Next Door](https://readinglist.school/book/the-stranger-next-door) by Peg Kehret _(Grades 3–8 · pub 2002)_
- [The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman](https://readinglist.school/book/the-tenth-mistake-of-hank-hooperman) by Gennifer Choldenko _(Grades 6–9 · pub 2024)_
- [Togo](https://readinglist.school/book/togo) by Robert J. Blake _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2002)_
- [Touching Spirit Bear](https://readinglist.school/book/touching-spirit-bear) by Ben Mikaelsen _(Grades 6–9 · pub 2001)_
- [Ungifted](https://readinglist.school/book/ungifted) by Gordon Korman _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2012)_
- [Weslandia](https://readinglist.school/book/weslandia) by Paul Fleischman _(Grades 3–8 · pub 1999)_
- [When Zachary Beaver Came to Town](https://readinglist.school/book/when-zachary-beaver-came-to-town) by Kimberly Willis Holt _(Grades 2–8 · pub 1999)_
- [When the Wolves Returned](https://readinglist.school/book/when-the-wolves-returned) by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2008)_
- [Zach's Lie](https://readinglist.school/book/zachs-lie) by Roland Smith _(Grades 3–8 · pub 1999)_
- [Zen and the Art of Faking It](https://readinglist.school/book/zen-and-the-art-of-faking-it) by Jordan Sonnenblick _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2007)_
- [¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat](https://readinglist.school/book/vamos-lets-go-eat) by Raúl the Third III _(Grades 2–8 · pub 2020)_

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_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. HTML view: https://readinglist.school/genre/realistic-fiction/grade/8._