Great Books Guide 2025-26: for 8 to 9-year-olds

A wide-ranging guide to all the ways that insects help regulate our environment and the roles they play in the natural world.

A fun and jokey guide to astrophysics, focused on some of the more sensational elements of space.

A very funny graphic novel about Shirley’s adventures after falling down a manhole. 

In the wintery Himalayas, Anya and Mahi are swept away by the goddess Ganga on a journey to reconnect with their spirit animals and to spread a song of natural healing across the world. 

Pia has always dreamed of owning her own pet. To prove her credentials, she makes it her mission to train her friend’s new puppy and forms a local pet club of new friends and pet owners. 

The ruler of heaven challenges every animal to a great race, with the fastest 12 immortalised in the Chinese zodiac. Join Ming the fox and Miaow the cat as they fight to win the race!

Jakub usually looks after his mum – and now he’s caring for an injured otter. A gentle, compelling read. 

Supercharge your brain with an incredible fact for every day of the year. With fun illustrations and fascinating information, this is a really engaging non-fiction text. 

Can Silver find the watch thief – and make Yana her new BFF? Funny adventure with a quirky and loveable heroine. 

The inspiring story of Hardit Sing Malik, a British Indian, who fought for the right to be able to protect Britain in World War One.

Toby’s quiet life is turned upside down when he discovers an enchanted kingdom in his garden and is crowned King of the Pixies. This laugh-out-loud graphic novel is utterly bonkers and hugely entertaining. 

This beautifully designed book celebrates the diversity of Asia, with in-depth information about the world’s largest and most populated continent. 

This very silly but utterly irresistible fantasy adventure is packed with implausible characters and unbelievable plot twists but also has a subliminal message about the futility of war and discovering empathy. 

When a dead giant falls from the sky and squishes their village, two trainee witches find themselves caught up in the hunt for a killer in a land where their suspects could squash them with just a footstep. 

Will the Cheat Book really teach Kamal how to be cool? A funny, highly illustrated story about a boy facing many typical school issues.  

Lulu the badger undergoes specialist training, before embarking on a Top Secret mission to secure world peace, in this hilarious, illustrated chapter book. 

This fascinating book reminds us that we humans have many things in common with animals; we have far more in common than we have separating us.

This hilarious, illustrated chapter book features best friends Mina, Reema and Mobeen. They are excited about their school camping trip but get the heebie-jeebies when they hear rumours about Bertie Blackteeth, a ghostly figure who roams the woods in search of her next victim… 

Can Hiccup and Toothless save the Bog-Burglars? Action-packed, highly illustrated fun. 

A mind-boggling sci-fi adventure that is bonkers but ingenious and laugh-out-loud funny from the very first page. 

A joyful collection of poems that will make young children laugh. 

Can Z – who never speaks at school, in case he automatically rhymes – win the Royal Rap Rumble? Fun and interactive, this even shows you how to write your own rap. 

In a town full of people with powers, will Sara ever find her superpower? Solving the mystery of the stolen football trophy might help. The first in a hilarious series for young readers. 

Ferris’s new foster brother is a tornado of chaos, but when their school is closed down, can the foster brothers work together? Funny and moving, and packed with comic strips and cartoons. 

Young scientist Nova invents a plastic-eating organism named Chomp to solve the problem of plastic waste – but Chomp soon causes chaos. This lively science-fiction graphic novel is full of humour and bursting with vibrant, glossy artwork.