Searching for the best books for 8 or 9 year olds to read? You’ve come to the right place, because we’ve created a recommended reading list for Year 4 students!
Within this list, you’ll find all kinds of Australian literature, as well as literary texts from other countries and times, so your child will have plenty of books to choose from.
To learn more about any of the texts listed, you can click on the titles! You should also check if your child’s school library has got it or your local library.
All the books listed have been recommended by NESA — you can find the syllabus here.
Keen to know about the best books for 8 or 9 year olds? Keep scrolling!
Australian Literature
Literary Texts from Other Countries and Times
English Resources
Looking for reading lists for other year groups?
If you have a child in a different year group to Year 4, we’ve also got reading list for them! Check them out:
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 5 | Year 6 | Year 7 & 8 | Year 9 | Year 10
On the hunt for Reading Comprehension Worksheets?
We’ve taken great care in curating reading comprehension worksheets that seamlessly fit various year levels. And that’s not all – our dedication extends to ongoing growth, with new worksheets continuously on the horizon.
Should your child find themselves exploring a different year level, rest assured – our collection includes meticulously crafted reading comprehension worksheets to enrich their educational experience.
Engage with our comprehensive array of reading comprehension worksheets, each thoughtfully tailored for different year groups:
Year 1 | Year 2
Australian Literature
| Text | Author | About |
|---|---|---|
A Banner Bold: The Diary of Rosa Aarons (My Australian Story) Image sourced from Goodreads | Nadia Wheatley | This is the story of Rosa Aarons, who travelled to the Ballarat Goldfields in 1854. During this time, she has had to learn a lot about her family and new surroundings. |
How the Birds Got Their Colours Image sourced from Goodreads | Mary Albert | This classic Aboriginal picture book uses vibrant colour, Dreamtime storytelling and a moral to explore how birds got their colours. It also reveals the jealousy that people often feel because of others. |
Jandamarra Image sourced from Goodreads | Mark Greenwood | Jandamarra is the story of an Aboriginal warrior who is deeply respected by the Aboriginal people. However, he is seen as an outlaw by the settlers of Australia. This simple yet thought-provoking story shows the divided loyalty and courage needed to survive in colonial Australia. |
Lost! A True Tale From the Bush Image sourced from Goodreads | Stephanie Owen Reeder | Set in 1864, this book follows the story of three young children who become lost in the Australian bush. An emotional depiction explores the perseverance that these children needed to survive. The book is dramatised from true events but includes historical information about what it was like to live in Australia in the late 1800s. |
Rowan of Rin Image sourced from Goodreads | Emily Rodda | This is the story of a young, timid boy called Rowan who has never thought of himself as a hero. After the disappearance of villagers, Rowan must make his way up the mountain to investigate. In doing so, he is brought on a journey of self-discovery and adventure. |
Literary Texts from Other Countries and Times
| Text | Author | About |
|---|---|---|
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Image sourced from Penguin Books Australia | Lewis Carroll | Alice is a little girl who follows a White Rabbit down a rabbit hole and begins a series of fantastic and curiosity filled adventures. Alice goes from changing sizes to playing croquet with the Queen of Hearts, and even meets a talking, grinning cat. |
Deltora Quest Image sourced from Wikipedia | Emily Rodda | Deltora Quest is a childhood favourite for many. Set in a fantasy world called Deltora, it features a timid protagonist called Leif who sets out on a quest with his friends to find the seven lost gems of the Belt of Deltora. Attempting to stop the trio is an array of monsters such as Wenns, Ra-Kacharz and Gorl. |
Dragon Rider Image sourced from Goodreads | Cornelia Funke | Set in Scotland, Dragon Rider is the story of a dragon called Firedrake who discovers that his homeland is going to be flooded by humans. Determined to stop this, he sets out with an orphan called Ben to find the mysterious Rim of Heaven, a place known to be a sanctuary for all dragons. |
Frindle Image sourced from Goodreads | Andrew Clements | Wanting to have some fun at school, Nick Allen decides to make up his own word. A pen is now called a frindle. This fun, new invention catches on with the students in his class, although his strict teachers and principal try to stop this. Despite this, the frindle is on its way to becoming an official word. |
The Black Stallion Image sourced from Penguin Books Australia | Walter Farley | After a visit to his uncle, Alec Ramsay becomes stranded on a desert island when his ship sinks. Alongside him is a wild stallion, and these two unlikely friends work together to survive. |
The Eighteenth Emergency Image sourced from Open Library | Betsy Byars | Mouse is a boy who seems prepared for anything, thinking up ideas with his friend Ezzie about how to get out of trouble in the craziest situations. However, the one thing he isn’t prepared for is the school bully, Marv Hammerman. After labelling a caveman poster with Marv’s name, Mouse finds himself in a world of trouble. |
English Resources
Year 5 NAPLAN Preparation
In the year prior, your child would have sat the NAPLAN for the very first time — this year they get a little break from these assessments, but they will be sitting them again in Year 5.
The three main areas your child will be assessed on are:
- Reading & Writing
- Language Conventions
- Numeracy
Reading is an essential component of the NAPLAN, as mentioned above, and this year there’ll be increased complexity in the areas that are assessed — in comparison to Year 3.
Aspects that may be a little more difficult include sentence structure, as well as the introduction of unfamiliar vocabulary, but these will all be accompanied by text and illustrations.
Here’s what you child can expect in the Reading section:
| Text Type | What Students Are Expected To Be Able To Do |
|---|---|
| Simple Imaginative Texts | - Find directly stated information - Connect ideas across sentences and paragraphs - Interpret ideas, including some expressed in complex sentences - Identify a sequence of events - Infer the writer’s feelings |
| Simple Information (Informative) Texts | - Find directly stated information - Connect an illustration with ideas in the text - Locate a detail in the text - Identify the meaning of a word in context - Connect ideas within a sentence and across the text - Identify the purpose of the text - Identify conventions such as lists and those conventions used in a letter |
Reading Comprehension
In the NAPLAN, your child will need to demonstrate their reading comprehension ability. They’ll need to show that they can make inferences from a text, connect ideas, understand the purpose of a text, and so on!
At this point in their schooling, they’ll be a lot more independent with their reading — but that doesn’t mean you can’t contribute to helping develop their reading comprehension.
You won’t need to guide them as much when they’re reading, but after they’ve had a read of a text, you can ask some questions in order to get them thinking about what they’ve read! These chats can be very beneficial in getting your child to analyse the words beyond what’s on the page.
Check out more tips on improving reading comprehension here!
Spelling
As your child goes through primary school, they’ll constantly be exposed to advanced vocabulary and jargon. Being able to spell well will help them communicate effectively across various written text types.
When your child completes the NAPLAN, they will be tested on their ability to spell in the Language Conventions test.
To help your child improve their spelling, we recommend that you download our FREE Year 4 spelling words worksheets — you can find them here!
Looking for some extra help for your child with English?
We have an incredible team of English tutors and mentors!
We offer tutoring and mentoring for Years K-12 in a variety of subjects, with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home, online, or at our state of the art campus in Hornsby or the Hills!
We’ve supported over 8,000 students over the last 11 years, and on average our students score mark improvements of over 20%!
Looking for tutoring support in the Brisbane and surrounds area? We offer one-on-one P-6 tutoring – get in touch today!
To find out more and get started with an inspirational English tutor and mentor, get in touch today or give us a ring on 1300 267 888!
Alicia Hassell is a K-6 English Resource Designer at Art of Smart, currently completing her final year of a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) with teaching areas in French, English and EAL/D. Teaching is a big passion of hers, and she loves everything involving languages. In her spare time she likes to read a good book and sew her own clothes!
