25+ Books for Boys aged 8-12+ (and girls will like them too!)

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I've had a lot of discussions on my East Coast Mommy Facebook page about trying to find books for my boys to read. They are active boys, and it is often difficult to get them excited about settling down with a book. I'm ALWAYS on the lookout for a book that my boys won't want to put down. Today, I am sharing some fantastic recommendations for books that boys (and girls) between the ages of 8 and 12 (and above) will love. 

I have broken the book recommendations into categories to make it a little easier to find the book that suits your child's interests and reading level. Below, you will find: books for kids that like graphic novels, books for kids making the transition from picture books to chapter books, and books for more advanced readers. 

Click on the book titles for more info and/or to order.

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Books for kids that like graphic novels

Some children prefer reading graphic novels because of the pictures and humorous/ adventurous content. These are a few of my boys' favourite choices:


Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce




Jedi Academy series by Jeffrey Brown




Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney




City of Embers by Jeanne DuPrau

Dog Man Series by Dav Pilkey

Books for kids making the transition from picture books to chapter books

Some children are reluctant readers or are intimated by long chapter books. These choices are perfect for kids that are in between picture books and more advanced chapter books. They are easy to read, have interesting plots, and often include a few pictures. Here are some of my boys' favourite choices:


Ballpark Mysteries series by David A. Kelly



Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne





Dragon Masters series by Tracey West




Diary of a Minecraft Zombie series by Zack Zombie




Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey




Geronimo Stilton series by Geronimo Stilton




Beverly Cleary books: Henry Huggins, Henry Ribsy, and Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary




Fudge series by Judy Blume

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Books for more advanced readers

After children have gained their confidence and honed their reading skills, they will be ready for more advanced stories, characters, and plot lines. Kids older than 12 will enjoy many of these books too. Here are some of my boys' favourite choices:


Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan




Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling




I Funny series by James Patterson





David Walliams books: particularly Mr. Stink and The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams

Wonder by R.J. Palicio




A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket 




Swindle series by Gordon Korman




Slapshot series by Gordon Korman



MasterMind series by Gordon Korman (My 10 year old LOVED the humour and adventure in this series.)

Wings of Fire series by Tui T Sutherland

Robert Muchamore books - My 12 year old loved the CHERUB series.

Treasure Hunter Series by James Patterson

And here are a few book recommendations from some of my readers (that my boys haven't had a chance to read yet... but we are totally going to check out!)

King of the Bench series

Secret Hero Society series

And Then It Happened series

The Amulet series

Timmy Failure series

Captain Awesome series

Super Hero series

Land of Stories series

Dragon Slayers Academy series

Galaxy Zack series

Do you have books you would like to add to this list? I am always anxious to instil a love of reading in my boys, and good books are the key. If you have a suggestion, please leave it below, and I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Pumpkin Prize Punch (using dollar store supplies)

A few years ago, I came up with the idea to make a prize punch for one of my boys' parties. Since then, prize punches have become party staples for us. I have done party punches to match all of my boys' parties' themes, and today I am sharing a fun Halloween version. I love that you can make this festive pumpkin prize punch using inexpensive dollar store supplies.

To make this Halloween pumpkin prize punch you'll need: a piece of dollar store foam core, plastic cups, orange tissue paper, a glue gun, green card stock, and green curling ribbon.

Then:

Cut tissue paper squares slightly larger than the top of the cups. Fill the cups with trinkets, and then use hot glue to cover the tops of the cups with tissue paper. I use two squares per cup for added strength (and so the kids can't peek inside to see the prizes).

Next, you'll want to position the cups on the foam core (in a pumpkin shape), and use hot glue on the bottom of the cups to attach them.

Use glue to attach a card stock stem, and embellish with a bit of green curling ribbon (if desired).

Someone can hold onto the prize punch, or you can lean it up against a wall, chair, or tree. Then, kids can poke through the tissue paper to claim their prize.

I have been making prize punches for years, and they are always a huge hit with kids. I know my boys are going to love this Halloween version!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Halloween "Booo"bles... with free printable tags

Halloween can be filled with sugary treats, so I love the idea of sugar free and allergy safe Halloween treat ideas. Check out the adorable tags I designed for Halloween "Booo" bles!

It's such a great option for kids carrying teal pumpkins (i.e. kids with allergy concerns). I love a good treat that everyone can enjoy, don't you?

To download the tags I designed: right-click on the picture below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4X6 photo.

Then, use some curling ribbon to attach the tags to containers of bubbles (which are often on clearance this time of year).

These Halloween bubbles are wonderful for trick-or-treaters, and they make fantastic class treats too. What are your favourite allergy safe Halloween treat options?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)