Delaware 8th grade reading list

Books with a Delaware citation for 8th grade include A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Clementine and Ghost Knight. This list has 553 total books, 14 of them with a Delaware-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1300L.

Top Delaware 8th grade pick: A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold) by Natalie Lloyd — on 1 Delaware list

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Total books553Lexile410L–1300LSourceDelaware ELA Standards✓ sources cited per book

Most-assigned on state lists: 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).

Our pick to start — most-cited for Delaware 8th grade

These are the 14 titles named in Delaware’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. A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold)

    Natalie Lloyd

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 10.

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  2. Clementine

    Sara Pennypacker

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

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  3. Ghost Knight

    Cornelia Funke

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 10.

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  4. A Season of Gifts

    Richard Peck

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers neighbors, humorous stories and nineteen fifties.

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  5. Girl in a Cage

    Jane Yolen

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers princesses, childhood and youth, history.

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  6. Million-Dollar Throw

    Mike Lupica

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers football, pressure and friendship.

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  7. Nightmare at the Book Fair

    Dan Gutman

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers action & adventure - general.

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  8. No Talking

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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  9. Project Mulberry

    Linda Sue Park

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers family life, prejudices and silkworms.

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  10. The Library of Ever

    Zeno Alexander

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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  11. The Sword of Summer

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers action, myths and novel.

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  12. The Wishing Spell

    Chris Colfer

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers fairy tales, characters in literature and magic.

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  13. Wat Takes His Shot

    Cheryl Kim

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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  14. Your Place in the Universe

    Jason Chin

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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14 books cited for Delaware 8th grade

Assignments tied directly to Delaware’s Delaware ELA Standards with a Delaware-specific citation.

539 additional grade-appropriate books for 8th grade readers

The 553-book total above includes 14 titles with direct Delaware citation; these 539 additional titles cover 8th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Delaware-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 539 titles

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Other Delaware 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 Delaware 8th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Delaware ELA Standards with books from national sources that list titles for 8th grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction, the Golden Kite Award and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. ReadingList currently tracks 553 titles for 8th grade in Delaware, of which 14 carry a direct Delaware citation and 539 are grade-appropriate titles whose reading level overlaps 8th grade. 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 33 titles here with a Lexile score 8 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.

Delaware’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Delaware ELA Standards (doe.k12.de.us). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 8th grade list below blends Delaware-specific assignments with widely taught national titles. 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 Delaware-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

What books do 8th grade students read in Delaware?
Books with a Delaware-specific citation for 8th grade include A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Clementine, Ghost Knight, A Season of Gifts and Girl in a Cage. Individual schools and districts choose their own titles, so check with your child's teacher for the exact list.
How many books are assigned to 8th grade students in Delaware?
This list has 553 books for 8th grade students in Delaware. 14 of them have a Delaware-specific citation; the other 539 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 8th grade reading in Delaware?
Lexile measures across the 8th grade Delaware 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?
Delaware-specific entries reference Delaware ELA Standards (published at www.doe.k12.de.us). The other books come from national sources that list books for 8th grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction, the Golden Kite Award and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Each book's page links the primary source for every listing.

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State-specific entries sourced from www.doe.k12.de.us. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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