# 8th grade books about nature

**12** books commonly assigned to 8th grade students in US schools that explore nature. 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 3 titles here with a Lexile score, 3 are grade-level, 0 more accessible, and 0 a stretch.

**Grade:** 8th grade  ·  **Theme:** nature
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/grade/8/nature
**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 nature reading list

- [Global](https://readinglist.school/book/global) by Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin _(Grades 6–8 · pub 2023)_
- [Hatchet](https://readinglist.school/book/hatchet) by Gary Paulsen _(1020L · Grades 5–8 · pub 1987)_
- [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)_
- [Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens](https://readinglist.school/book/mountain-of-fire) by Rebecca E. Barone _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2024)_
- [Rascal](https://readinglist.school/book/rascal) by Sterling North _(Grades 5–8 · pub 1963)_
- [Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes that Dot Our Planet](https://readinglist.school/book/spooky-lakes) by Geo Rutherford _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2024)_
- [The Mystery of the Monarchs](https://readinglist.school/book/the-mystery-of-the-monarchs) by Barb Rosenstock _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2022)_
- [The Old Man and the Sea](https://readinglist.school/book/the-old-man-and-the-sea) by Ernest Hemingway _(940L · Grades 8–12 · pub 1952)_
- [The Pearl](https://readinglist.school/book/the-pearl) by John Steinbeck _(1010L · Grades 6–9 · pub 1947)_
- [The River](https://readinglist.school/book/the-river) by Gary Paulsen _(Grades 5–8 · pub 1991)_
- [Touching Spirit Bear](https://readinglist.school/book/touching-spirit-bear) by Ben Mikaelsen _(Grades 6–9 · pub 2001)_
- [Wildful](https://readinglist.school/book/wildful) by Kengo Kurimoto _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2025)_

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