Michigan 8th grade reading list

The 519 books most commonly assigned to Michigan 8th grade students in US schools — each with its reading level and a cited source.

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Books519Lexile410L–1300LSourceMichigan ELA Standards✓ sources cited per book

Most-assigned nationally: across every US state’s official reading and award lists, the Middle (6–8) titles appearing in the most states are The Giver (20 states), The Hunger Games (14 states), and Ground Zero (8 states). From our 2026 study of 13,258 source-cited assignments (as of 2026-07-13).

Start here — most-cited for Michigan 8th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Michigan’s own curriculum documents for this grade — everything below is the wider national list. Read against the Common Core Appendix A complexity band; reading level is not thematic maturity, and several sit below the band because they are assigned for discussion.

  1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

    Sherman Alexie

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 4 national references, taught from grade 7 to 10. Covers Native American identity, poverty and racism. At 600L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  2. When You Reach Me

    Rebecca Stead

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers time travel (speculative), friendship and 1970s NYC. At 750L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  3. New Kid

    Jerry Craft

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers race and identity, code-switching, middle school adjustment.

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  4. One Crazy Summer

    Rita Williams-Garcia

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, race and civil rights. At 750L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  5. The Crossover

    Kwame Alexander

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, brotherhood and basketball. At 750L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  6. A Mango-Shaped Space

    Wendy Mass

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8.

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  7. Clementine

    Sara Pennypacker

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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  8. Ghost

    Jason Reynolds

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers running, family violence and mentorship. At 730L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  9. Long Way Down

    Jason Reynolds

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 7 to 12. Covers grief, revenge and family. At 720L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  10. When Stars Are Scattered

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers refugees, family and hope.

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  11. A Bad Case of Stripes

    David Shannon

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers individuality, popularity and ficción juvenil.

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  12. Adopted by an Owl

    Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers great horned owl, owls as pets and biography.

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  13. Arnie, the Doughnut

    Laurie Keller

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers humorous stories and doughnuts.

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  14. Bink & Gollie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers humorous stories, adventure and adventurers, friendship.

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  15. Black Brother, Black Brother

    Jewell Parker Rhodes

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers racism, identity and justice.

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  16. Bone

    Jeff Smith

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers fantasy, cartoons and comics, cousins.

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  17. Class Act

    Jerry Craft

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers race, friendship and class.

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  18. Counting by 7s

    Holly Goldberg Sloan

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers realistic, autistic children and genius.

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  19. Divergent

    Veronica Roth

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 8 to 12. Covers identity, choice and courage.

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  20. Dog Breath

    Dav Pilkey

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers humorous stories, dogs and bad breath.

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  21. Donut Feed the Squirrels

    Mika Song

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8.

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  22. Down the Rabbit Hole

    Peter Abrahams

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers mystery, murder in fiction, detective and mystery stories.

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  23. Fever 1793

    Laurie Halse Anderson

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers yellow fever, epidemics and survival.

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  24. Frankenstein Takes the Cake

    Adam Rex

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers monsters, poetry and monstruos.

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  25. Ground Zero

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  26. Here Comes the Garbage Barge

    Jonah Winter

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers voyages and travel, barges, refuse and refuse disposal.

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  27. How to Stay Invisible

    Maggie C. Rudd

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8.

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  28. Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World

    Katherine Hannigan

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers family, cancer and nature.

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  29. Lawn Boy

    Gary Paulsen

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers summer employment, money-making projects for children and business enterprises.

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  30. Lulu's Mysterious Mission

    Judith Viorst

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers babysitters, conduct of life and behavior.

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519 books cited for Michigan 8th grade

Assignments tied directly to Michigan’s Michigan ELA Standards or national curricula with a Michigan-specific citation.

Show all 519 titles

Reading the whole Michigan 8th grade reading list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

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Teacher or librarian? Print this list as a checklist — free to photocopy for your class or library (details).

Other Michigan grades

7th grade · 9th grade · 6th grade · 10th grade

Reading lists by grade (all states)

7th grade · 9th grade · 6th grade · 10th grade

Same 8th grade in other states

California · Texas · Florida · New York · Pennsylvania · Illinois

Browse 8th grade reading by theme

About the Michigan 8th grade reading list

In Michigan schools, 8th grade students are most often assigned books drawn from Michigan ELA Standardsalongside the national curricula that apply nationwide — Common Core State Standards Appendix B, AP English, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. ReadingList currently tracks 519 titles for 8th grade in Michigan, each tied to a Michigan-specific curriculum citation. Across the list, Lexile measures span 410L–1300L.

8th grade sits in the 6-8 grade band, where students are middle-grade readers. At this stage the emphasis is on analyzing theme, character, and author's craft across full-length novels and their first classics. Assigned reading skews toward full-length novels, plays, memoir, and frequently-challenged contemporary titles, with text complexity that, per Common Core’s Appendix A reading bands, typically falls around roughly 700L to 1010L. Measured against that 925–1185L range, of the 32 titles here with a Lexile score 7 are grade-level, 24 are more accessible (often assigned for theme over challenge), and 1 is a stretch text that may need scaffolding. Because readers in a single 8th grade classroom can span several hundred Lexile points, this list is best read as a starting point rather than a fixed requirement.

Michigan’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Michigan ELA Standards (michigan.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework, so the 8th grade list below blends Michigan-specific assignments with the widely-taught national canon. Every title links to its primary source on the book’s detail page, so you can confirm exactly where and why it is assigned.

How to use this list:match a title to your child’s most recent Lexile or guided-reading level rather than to the grade alone. Teachers building a 8th grade unit can pair a Michigan-cited core text with a grade-appropriate companion novel; parents previewing summer or supplemental reading can check each book’s content notes and challenge history before assigning it.

Common questions

How many books are assigned to 8th grade students in Michigan?
519 books appear on ReadingList for 8th grade students in Michigan, sourced from Michigan ELA Standards and national curricula (Common Core, AP, IB) with applicable grade citations.
What's the Lexile range for 8th grade reading in Michigan?
Lexile measures across the 8th grade Michigan reading list range from 410L to 1300L. Books without a published Lexile (poetry, drama, picture books) are not included in this range.
Where does this reading list come from?
Entries reference Michigan ELA Standards (published at www.michigan.gov) plus national curricula that apply to Michigan schools: Common Core State Standards Appendix B, AP English Literature and Language, IB Diploma Programme, and Cambridge Assessment International. Every assignment row on each book's detail page links its primary source.

Reading guides for parents

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State-specific entries sourced from www.michigan.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.