Washington 8th grade reading list

Books with a Washington citation for 8th grade include The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; New Kid and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. This list has 552 total books, 33 of them with a Washington-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1300L.

Top Washington 8th grade pick: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie — on 1 Washington list

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Total books552Lexile410L–1300LSourceWA K-12 Learning 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 Washington 8th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Washington’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 Washington 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. New Kid

    Jerry Craft

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers race and identity, code-switching, middle school adjustment.

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  3. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

    Mildred D. Taylor

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 6 to 8. Covers Jim Crow South, family and land, racial injustice. At 920L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  4. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers growing up, friendship and self-acceptance. At 410L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  5. Drama

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers theater, friendship and identity.

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  6. Eragon

    Christopher Paolini

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9. Covers dragons, destiny and courage.

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  7. Ghost

    Jason Reynolds

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  8. Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer (Book 1)

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9.

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  9. Mary, Bloody Mary

    Carolyn Meyer

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9.

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  10. Old Yeller

    Fred Gipson

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, courage and survival.

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  11. Rascal

    Sterling North

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers nature, animals and family.

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  12. Refugee

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers refugees, survival and family. At 800L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  13. Schooled

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers middle school students, teenage boys and home schooling.

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  14. Son of the Mob

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9.

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  15. The 5th Wave

    Rick Yancey

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9.

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  16. The Giver

    Lois Lowry

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 8. Covers conformity vs individuality, memory, utopia and dystopia. At 760L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  17. The Hidden Oracle

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9.

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  18. The Lost Hero

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers mythology, heroism and memory.

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  19. The Lost Year

    Katherine Marsh

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 8. Covers family, history and perseverance.

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  20. The Maze Runner

    James Dashner

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 7 to 12. Covers survival, memory and friendship.

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  21. The Son of Neptune

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9.

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  22. The Supernaturalist

    Eoin Colfer

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9.

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  23. When Stars Are Scattered

    Victoria Jamieson

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

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  24. Duel

    Jessixa Bagley

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers grief, sisters and family.

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  25. Good Different

    Meg Eden Kuyatt

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 9. Covers neurodiversity, identity and acceptance.

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  26. Grounded

    Aisha Saeed, S.K. Ali, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow & Huda Al-Marashi

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers friendship, identity and adventure.

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  27. Just a Pinch of Magic

    Alechia Dow

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers magic, friendship and family.

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  28. Operation Final Notice

    Matthew Landis

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers family, friendship and anxiety.

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  29. Rewind

    Lisa Graff

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers time travel, family and second chances.

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  30. Roll for Initiative

    Jaime Formato

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers friendship, anxiety and gaming.

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33 books cited for Washington 8th grade

Assignments tied directly to Washington’s WA K-12 Learning Standards with a Washington-specific citation.

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519 additional grade-appropriate books for 8th grade readers

The 552-book total above includes 33 titles with direct Washington citation; these 519 additional titles cover 8th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Washington-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 519 titles

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Other Washington 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 Washington 8th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in WA K-12 Learning 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 552 titles for 8th grade in Washington, of which 33 carry a direct Washington citation and 519 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.

Washington’s English Language Arts requirements are set by WA K-12 Learning Standards (k12.wa.us). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 8th grade list below blends Washington-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 Washington-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 Washington?
Books with a Washington-specific citation for 8th grade include The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; New Kid; Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Smile and Drama. 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 Washington?
This list has 552 books for 8th grade students in Washington. 33 of them have a Washington-specific citation; the other 519 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 8th grade reading in Washington?
Lexile measures across the 8th grade Washington 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?
Washington-specific entries reference WA K-12 Learning Standards (published at www.k12.wa.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.

Reading guides for parents

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

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