Books for the 8th-grade Homeschool Year

By eighth grade, your students are almost in high school. They may become more independent with their schooling, and they can also learn to think more critically about what they read and write. Here are four books to help support the goals you have for your 8th grade homeschool curriculum.

1. Modern History: World War II Code Breakers

Classical homeschoolers often follow a four-year history cycle. In eighth grade, then, students may learn about the modern era of history: 1900 to the present day. As your kids study World War II, they may be fascinated to read true stories about behind-the-scenes heroes who helped win the war. For starters, check out World War II Code Breakers.

2. Literature and History Tie-ins: The Call of the Wild

Homeschoolers commonly enjoy reading literature selections that were written during the historical period that they’re currently studying. If you’d like to align your school subjects in this way, consider having your junior highers start the year with Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. This book about a dog and the Alaska gold rush was published in 1903.

3. Book and Movie Comparisons: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Eighth graders can develop their textual analysis skills by reading a novel and then watching the film version. Their goal will be to identify specific ways that the movie differs from the book. L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz could be a good choice for this. It has a Lexile measure of 1030L, which is right in the 1010L to 1185L range of most eighth-graders.

4. Critical Thinking: What Are Hoaxes and Lies?

The junior high years are often known to homeschoolers as the logic stage. It’s a time when kids start to think critically about the world and develop their logical reasoning abilities. The books you choose for your homeschool curriculum can help. To get students thinking carefully about the information they gather from friends, television, or social media, have them read What Are Hoaxes and Lies? by Matt Doeden.

For these 8th grade homeschool curriculum book choices and more, count on LightSail’s libraries. In addition to classics, novels, and nonfiction books, we also provide writing prompts, unit studies, and other resources to help your junior high students become well-read critical thinkers.