How about those books by the person who created Charlie and Lola. I'm totally blanking on it right now. Oh, Lauren Child! I'm thinking of the MG one I read--Utterly Me, Clarice Bean. Those are funny, right? Set in the UK. It's been a long time.
A book I really enjoyed set in England--Blow Out the Moon. Lovely and nothing disturbing. A story about adjusting to boarding school. Main character is so brave and just goes after what she wants. A very different read which I like a lot.
And my personal favorite MGs--all the Noel Streatfeild books.

England during the war years, mostly. One of them (The Growing Summer) is set in rural Ireland.
Someone mentioned Ibbotson and I have to strongly second! However, Ibbotson has a real thing about animal cruelty and this can be a theme she touches on in several of her stories. Be forewarned that very sensitive children might find that sort of thing sad (as it's meant to be!) but it is handled carefully, and as said above--the books can be very funny and heartfelt and they hold your hand through the sadness. I'm convinced Ibbotson books make kid readers better people.
Some interesting ones that are contemporary, set in England . . . Earthborn and Space Race and . . . oh, I think one more. By Sylvia Waugh. Basically about an alien race in disguise as humans on earth (here to observe and learn) and what happens when the children of those aliens learn who they really are. Again, heartfelt, but not dripping with sadness (that I can recall). Unusual. Just the sort of story I would've loved as a kid, when I felt like I was from another planet!
Oh, the lovely Green Knowe books! Can't beat them! History intermingling with present in an old house in England.
Sorry, all these books are from the UK!
For Switzerland, you could go with Bloomability. Too old? Exciting climax ends happily. Maybe a bit grown for 8.
For another Switzerland book (mostly), there's When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. Yes, it takes place during the Holocaust, but the main character (a girl of about 10?) escapes at the beginning of the book with her family and the story is really about her adjusting to living to other countries (Switzerland, France, England). Very interesting, especially when she enters school in France. Kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak, and some unspeakable evil to happen, but it never did (though a family friend does go missing and it's clear what happened to him). This may be the least disturbing Holocaust MG ever (?).