Best Books for 6-8 year olds

Hilda and the Troll

We've put together a list of the 100 best books for children from the last 100 years.

The books below are ones suitable for children aged 6-8.

How many have you read?

See our best books for other age groups

Looking for NEW books? See the ones we love this month

  • Pippi Longstocking

    Author: Astrid Lindgren Translator: Tiina Nunnally Illustrator: Lauren Child

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 8+

    Flip
  • Pippi Longstocking

    Author: Astrid Lindgren Translator: Tiina Nunnally Illustrator: Lauren Child

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 8+

    Follow Pippi Longstocking on her amazing adventures as she moves into Villa Villekulla with a horse, a monkey, and a big suitcase …

    ; Flip
  • Dog Man

    Author: Dav Pilkey

    Interest level: 6-8

    Reading age: 6+

    Flip
  • Dog Man

    Author: Dav Pilkey

    Interest level: 6-8

    Reading age: 6+

    Dog Man, created by Captain Underpants’ Dav Pilkey, is a comic masterclass, perfect for the surreal sense of humour of t…

    ; Flip
  • Finn Family Moomintroll

    Author: Tove Jansson Translator: Elizabeth Portch

    Interest level: 5-8

    Reading age: 6+

    Flip
  • Finn Family Moomintroll

    Author: Tove Jansson Translator: Elizabeth Portch

    Interest level: 5-8

    Reading age: 6+

    Moomintroll is cheerful and chubby and lives in the magical Moominvalley with his mother, Moominmamma, his father, Moominpappa and…

    ; Flip
  • Charlotte's Web

    Author: E B White Illustrator: Garth Williams

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

    Flip
  • Charlotte's Web

    Author: E B White Illustrator: Garth Williams

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

    This is the tale of how a little girl named Fern - with the help of a friendly talking spider called Charlotte - saved her pig, Wi…

    ; Flip
  • The Borrowers

    Author: Mary Norton

    Interest level: 9-10

    Reading age: 9+

    Flip
  • The Borrowers

    Author: Mary Norton

    Interest level: 9-10

    Reading age: 9+

    The Borrowers are tiny people who live in the secret places of old houses - behind the mantlepiece, inside the harpsichord, under …

    ; Flip
  • Beezus and Ramona

    Author: Beverly Cleary

    Interest level: 6-11

    Reading age: 7+

    Flip
  • Beezus and Ramona

    Author: Beverly Cleary

    Interest level: 6-11

    Reading age: 7+

    Life with a very naughty little sister is both funny and excruciating in the six complete stories that make up this classic chapte…

    ; Flip
  • A Bear Called Paddington

    Author: Michael Bond Illustrator: Peggy Fortnum

    Interest level: 6-8

    Reading age: 7+

    Flip
  • A Bear Called Paddington

    Author: Michael Bond Illustrator: Peggy Fortnum

    Interest level: 6-8

    Reading age: 7+

    Paddington, the brown bear from darkest Peru, is found by the Brown family on Paddington Station with his hat, duffel coat and mar…

    ; Flip
  • Fungus the Bogeyman

    Author: Raymond Briggs

    Interest level: 6-11

    Reading age: 7+

    Flip
  • Fungus the Bogeyman

    Author: Raymond Briggs

    Interest level: 6-11

    Reading age: 7+

    This sophisticated cartoon-strip picture book for older children follows one day in the life of Fungus, a morose bogeyman who scar…

    ; Flip
  • Jumanji

    Author: Chris Van Allsburg

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

    Flip
  • Jumanji

    Author: Chris Van Allsburg

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

    Judy and Peter are bored and alone - until they discover a mysterious board game, Jumanji, that comes to life as soon as they star…

    ; Flip
  • The BFG

    Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake

    Interest level: 6-10

    Reading age: 7+

    Flip
  • The BFG

    Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake

    Interest level: 6-10

    Reading age: 7+

    The BFG stands for Big Friendly Giant, who unexpectedly spirits a little girl named Sophie out of bed, and into the land of the ch…

    ; Flip
  • The Sheep-Pig

    Author: Dick King-Smith Illustrator: Mike Terry

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

    Flip
  • The Sheep-Pig

    Author: Dick King-Smith Illustrator: Mike Terry

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

    When Farmer Hogget wins a piglet at the fair, he is amazed that Fly, his sheep-dog, welcomes him as one of her own pups.

    ; Flip
  • Princess Smartypants

    Author: Babette Cole

    Interest level: 6-8

    Reading age: 6+

    Flip
  • Princess Smartypants

    Author: Babette Cole

    Interest level: 6-8

    Reading age: 6+

    Princess Smartypants is rebellious, independent, and very happy being single - but her parents want her to get married and settle …

    ; Flip
  • Funky Chickens

    Author: Benjamin Zephaniah

    Interest level: 9-11

    Reading age: 9+

    Flip
  • Funky Chickens

    Author: Benjamin Zephaniah

    Interest level: 9-11

    Reading age: 9+

    A funny, thought-provoking collection of poems for older children from Britain’s best-loved rap poet, Benjamin Zephaniah, which co…

    ; Flip
  • The Arrival

    Author: Shaun Tan

    Interest level: 8-9

    Reading age: 8+

    Flip
  • The Arrival

    Author: Shaun Tan

    Interest level: 8-9

    Reading age: 8+

    In this unusual book, we follow a young man as he packs his bags and leaves his family to go and start a new life in another count…

    ; Flip
  • This is Our House

    Author: Michael Rosen Illustrator: Bob Graham

    Interest level: 3+

    Reading age: 5+

    Flip
  • This is Our House

    Author: Michael Rosen Illustrator: Bob Graham

    Interest level: 3+

    Reading age: 5+

    George wants his cardboard house all to himself. But when he goes to the loo, his friends fill his house …

    ; Flip
  • Under the Moon and Over the Sea

    Author: John Agard and Grace Nichols Illustrator: Cathie Felstead Jane Ray Christopher Corr Sara Fanelli and Satoshi Kitamura

    Interest level: 6-11

    Reading age: 6+

    Flip
  • Under the Moon and Over the Sea

    Author: John Agard and Grace Nichols Illustrator: Cathie Felstead Jane Ray Christopher Corr Sara Fanelli and Satoshi Kitamura

    Interest level: 6-11

    Reading age: 6+

    This joyful collection of more than 50 poems superbly conjures the sights, sounds and rhythms of the Caribbean. 

    ; Flip
  • Hilda and the Troll

    Author: Luke Pearson

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

    Flip
  • Hilda and the Troll

    Author: Luke Pearson

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

    Blue-haired explorer Hilda has an uncanny ability to find weird and wonderful adventures and befriend peculiar creatures.

    ; Flip
  • Werewolf Club Rules

    Author: Joseph Coelho Illustrator: John O'Leary

    Interest level: 7-12

    Reading age: 8

    Flip
  • Werewolf Club Rules

    Author: Joseph Coelho Illustrator: John O'Leary

    Interest level: 7-12

    Reading age: 8

    Coelho follows in a noble tradition headed by Agard, Ahlberg, McGough and Rosen, who turn everyday life into memorable poetic mini…

    ; Flip
  • The 13-Storey Treehouse

    Author: Andy Griffiths Illustrator: Terry Denton

    Interest level: 6-8

    Reading age: 8+

    Flip
  • The 13-Storey Treehouse

    Author: Andy Griffiths Illustrator: Terry Denton

    Interest level: 6-8

    Reading age: 8+

    Griffiths and Denton create a triumph to engage even the most determined hater of books, which includes hilarious cartoon drawings…

    ; Flip
  • The Journey

    Author: Francesca Sanna

    Interest level: 7-9

    Reading age: 7+

    Flip
  • The Journey

    Author: Francesca Sanna

    Interest level: 7-9

    Reading age: 7+

    What is it like to leave everything behind and travel somewhere strange? This incredibly poignant story introduces the concept of …

    ; Flip