3rd Grade Reading List
The adventures of Vin Fiz
Cussler, Clive.
New York : Philomel Books, c2006.
J CUS
Ten-year-old twins Casey and Lacey fly an enchanted, antique airplane, named the "Vin Fiz," across the United States and have several daring adventures along the way. Includes historical notes on the real "Vin Fiz," the name of the airplane that made the first transcontinental flight in 1911.
Aldo Applesauce
Hurwitz, Johanna.
New York : Scholastic, c1979.
J HUR
When he and his family move to the suburbs, Aldo has difficulty finding new friends.
Almost forever
Testa, Maria.
Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press, c2003.
J TES
A young girl describes what she, her brother, and their mother do during the year that her doctor father is serving in the Army in Vietnam.
Almost to freedom
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux.
Minneapolis, Minn. : Carolrhoda Books, c2003.
HF J Picture Books for Older Readers
Tells the story of a young girl's dramatic escape from slavery via the Underground Railroad, from the perspective of her beloved rag doll.
The animal hedge
Fleischman, Paul.
New York : Dutton, c1983.
HF J Picture Books for Older Readers
A farmer, forced to sell his farm and all his animals during a drought, learns to recreate the past and foretell the future using the hedge that grows in front of his cottage.
Attack on the high seas!
James, Brian, 1976-
New York : Grosset & Dunlap, c2007.
JPA PIR (bl)
A boring homework assignment involving knot tying proves invaluable when the student pirates help Captain Stinky Beard foil an attack by a rival pirate ship.
The awful pawful
Odgers, Darrel.
La Jolla, Calif. : Kane/Miller, 2007, c2006.
J ODG
Jack Russell investigates when all of the dogs who live in Doggeroo are hiding under their beds in fear.
Because of Winn-Dixie
DiCamillo, Kate.
Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press, 2001, cc2000.
J DIC (pb)
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.
Being Teddy Roosevelt
Mills, Claudia.
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2007.
J MIL
When he is assigned Teddy Roosevelt as his biography project in school, fourth-grader Riley finds himself inspired by Roosevelt's tenacity and perseverance and resolves to find a way to get what he most wants--a saxophone and music lessons.
The big house
Coman, Carolyn.
Asheville, N.C. : Front Street, c2004.
J COM
When Ivy and Ray's parents are sent to jail, and left in the custody of their parent's accusers, they decide to look for evidence that will "spring" their parents.
The Bully Blockers Club
Bateman, Teresa.
Morton Grove, Ill. : Albert Whitman & Company, c2004.
JP BAT
When Lotty is bothered by a bully at school, she helps start a club where everyone is welcome.
Bunnicula : a rabbit-tale of mystery
Howe, Deborah.
New York : Avon Books, 1980, c1979.
J HOW
Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.
Cam Jansen and the secret service mystery
Adler, David A.
New York : Viking, c2006.
J ADL
Cam and her friend Danny help solve the mystery of a stolen pearl necklace when the governor comes to visit their school for the dedication of the new library.
Cam Jansen and the tennis trophy mystery
Adler, David A.
New York : Viking, c2003.
J ADL
Cam Jansen, with Eric at her side, helps solve the mystery of what happened to Mr. Day's tennis trophy.
Centerfield ballhawk
Christopher, Matt.
Little, Brown [c1992].
J CHR
Baseball player Jos{226}e Mendez worries about his poor performance with the bat and fears disappointing his father, a former ballplayer with an outstanding batting average.
Changes for Felicity : a winter story
Tripp, Valerie, 1951-
Middleton, WI : Pleasant Company, c1992.
J AME
The outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1775 brings drastic changes to Felicity's life in Williamsburg, affecting both her family and her friendship with Elizabeth.
The chocolate touch
Catling, Patrick Skene.
[New York] : Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, c1996, c1981.
J CAT
A boy acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch into chocolate.
Clementine
Pennypacker, Sara, 1951-
New York : Hyperion Books for Children, c2006.
J PEN
While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old Clementine gains several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building.
A cool moonlight
Johnson, Angela, 1961-
New York : Dial Books, c2003.
J JOH
Eight-year-old Lila, born with xeroderma pigmentosum, a skin disease that make her sensitive to sunlight, makes secret plans to feel the sun's rays on her ninth birthday.
Dark day in the deep sea
Osborne, Mary Pope.
New York : Random House, c2008.
J OSB
When eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister, Annie, join a group of nineteenth-century explorers aboard the H.M.S. Challenger, they learn about the ocean, solve the mystery of its fabled sea monster, and gain compassion for their fellow creatures.
Dragon rider
Funke, Cornelia Caroline.
New York : Scholastic, c2004.
J FUN
After learning that humans are headed toward his hidden home, Firedrake, a silver dragon, is joined by a brownie and an orphan boy in a quest to find the legendary valley known as the Rim of Heaven, encountering friendly and unfriendly creatures along the way, and struggling to evade the relentless pursuit of an old enemy.
Emma-Jean Lazarus fell out of a tree
Tarshis, Lauren.
New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, c2007.
J TAR
A quirky and utterly logical seventh-grade girl named Emma-Jean Lazarus discovers some interesting results when she gets involved in the messy everyday problems of her peers.
Felicity saves the day : a summer story
Tripp, Valerie, 1951-
Middleton, WI : Pleasant Co., c1992.
J AME
During a visit to her grandfather's plantation in Virginia during the summer of 1775, Felicity's loyalty is torn between her father and Ben, her father's apprentice who needs her help as he runs away to join George Washington's army of Patriots.
Felicity's surprise : a Christmas story
Tripp, Valerie, 1951-
Middleton, WI : Pleasant Co., c1991.
J AME
Christmas in Williamsburg means a dancing party at the Governor's Palace for Felicity, but her mother becomes very ill and cannot finish the special blue gown.
The field guide
DiTerlizzi, Tony.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2003.
J DIT
When the Grace children go to stay at their Great Aunt Lucinda's worn Victorian house, they discover a field guide to fairies and other creatures and begin to have some unusual experiences.
Freckle juice
Blume, Judy.
New York : Four Winds Press : Macmillan, [1985], c1971.
J BLU
Andrew wants freckles so badly that he buys Sharon's freckle recipe for fifty cents.
The Gator girls
Calmenson, Stephanie.
New York : Beech Tree Books, 1997, c1995.
J CAL
When Allie the alligator learns that she will be going to camp without her best friend Amy, the two girls try to get a whole summer's worth of activities into just a few days.
The Giggler treatment
Doyle, Roddy, 1958-
New York : Scholastic, 2001, c2000.
J DOY
A talking dog, the Mack children, and the small elf-like Gigglers themselves must try to stop the prank that the Gigglers have mistakenly set in motion to punish Mr. Mack for being mean to his children.
Gooney bird and the room mother
Lowry, Lois.
Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin, c2005.
J LOW
Gooney Bird Greene, an entertaining second grader who introduces challenging vocabulary words and tells "absolutely true" stories, finds a surprise room mother to bring cupcakes for the Thanksgiving pageant.
The great fuzz frenzy
Stevens, Janet.
Orlando, Fla. : Harcourt, c2005.
JP STE
When a tennis ball lands in a prairie dog town, the residents find that their newfound frenzy for fuzz creates a fiasco.
Happy birthday, Felicity! : a springtime story
Tripp, Valerie, 1951-
Middleton, WI : Pleasant Co., c1992.
J AME
As her tenth birthday approaches, Felicity is excited by her grandfather's visit, but she is also concerned about the growing tensions between the colonists and the British governor in Williamsburg.
Henry and the kite dragon
Hall, Bruce Edward.
New York : Philomel Books, c2004.
J HAL
In New York City in the 1920s, the children from Chinatown go after the children from Little Italy for throwing rocks at the beautiful kites Grandfather Chin makes, not realizing that they have a reason for doing so.
Henry's freedom box
Levine, Ellen.
New York : Scholastic Press, c2007.
J LEV (PBOR)
A fictionalized account of how in 1849 a Virginia slave, Henry "Box" Brown, escapes to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate from Richmond to Philadelphia.
Here comes McBroom : three more tall tales
Fleischman, Sid, 1920-
New York : Greenwillow Books, 1998.
J FLE
A collection of three previously published stories about the farmer who'd rather sit on a porcupine than tell a lie. Includes "McBroom the Rainmaker, " "McBroom's Zoo," and "McBroom's Ghost."
Horrible Harry and the triple revenge
Kline, Suzy.
New York : Viking, c2006.
J KLI
When Sid, his annoying third-grade classmate, ruins Song Lee's origami praying mantis, Horrible Harry plots triple revenge on the troublemaker.
Hot hand : a Comeback Kids novel
Lupica, Mike.
New York : Philomel Books, c2007.
J LUP
In the wake of his parents' separation, ten-year-old Billy seems to have continual conflicts with his father, who is also his basketball coach, but his quiet, younger brother Ben, a piano prodigy, is having even more trouble adjusting, and only Billy seems to notice.
How to save your tail : if you are a rat nabbed by cats who really like stories about magic spoons, wolves with snout-warts, big, hairy chimney trolls...and cookies too
Hanson, Mary Elizabeth.
New York : Schwartz & Wade Books, c2007.
J HAN
When he is captured by two of the queen's cats, Bob the rat prolongs his life by sharing fresh-baked cookies and stories of his ancestors, whose escapades are remarkably similar to those of well-known fairy tale heroes.
Howliday Inn
Howe, James, 1946-
New York : Avon Books, 1983, c1982.
J HOW
While their family is away, Harold and Chester, a dog and a cat, are boarded at Chateau Bow-Wow where Chester becomes increasingly alarmed by the strange behavior of his fellow guests and the sudden disappearance of one of them.
In the jungle
Greenburg, J. C. (Judith C.).
New York : Random House, c2007.
JPA AND (bl)
Lost in an Australian rainforest, Andrew, Judy, and Thudd the robot, who are still the size of insects, must evade Rhinoceros beetles, tarantulas, flesh-eating plants, and a host of other threats as they make their way toward the village where Uncle Al will meet them.
Ivy and Bean break the fossil record
Barrows, Annie.
San Francisco, Calif. : Chronicle Books, c2007.
J BAR
Everyone in second grade seems set on breaking a world record and friends Ivy and Bean are no exception, deciding to become the youngest people ever to discover a dinosaur skeleton.
Jack Plank tells tales
Babbitt, Natalie.
New York : Michael Di Capua Books/Scholastic, c2007.
J BAB
A failed pirate looking for a new career, Jack turns down every job proposed with a tall tale about that occupation.
Jennifer Murdley's toad
Coville, Bruce.
New York : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, c1992.
J COV
When an ordinary-looking fifth grader purchases a talking toad, she embarks on a series of extraordinary adventures.
The John Hancock Club
Borden, Louise.
New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, c2007.
J BOR
Third-grader Sean McFerrin wants to be part of the good penmanship club, but it all depends on how well he learns the new cursive writing.
John Philip Duck
Polacco, Patricia.
New York : Philomel Books, c2004.
JP POL
During the Depression, a young Memphis boy trains his pet duck to do tricks in the fountain of a grand hotel and ends up becoming the Duckmaster of the Peabody Hotel.
The king's equal
Paterson, Katherine.
New York : HarperCollins Publishers, c1992.
J398.2 PAT
In order to wear the crown of the kingdom, an arrogant young prince must find an equal in his bride. Instead, he finds someone far better than he.
Late for school
Reiss, Mike.
Atlanta, Ga. : Peachtree Publishers, c2003.
JP REI
A boy who has never been late to school runs into some very strange obstacles as he hurries on his way, only to discover when he arrives that he is a day early.
Lauren the puppy fairy
Meadows, Daisy.
New York : Scholastic Paperbacks, c2008.
JPA RAI (bl)
When Rachel and Kirsty walk a dog in need of a good home during a fair and find Sunny, the missing magic puppy belonging to Lauren the puppy fairy, they must help return him to Lauren while evading Jack Frost's goblins.
The magic school bus at the waterworks
Cole, Joanna.
New York : Scholastic Inc., c1986.
JP COL
When Ms. Frizzle, the strangest teacher in school, takes her class on a field trip to the waterworks, everyone ends up experiencing the water purification system from the inside.
Make a wish, Molly
Cohen, Barbara.
New York, N.Y. : Bantam Doubleday/Dell Books for Young Readers, 1995, c1994.
J COH
Molly, who recently emigrated with her family from Russia to New Jersey, learns about birthday parties and who her real friends are.
Meet Felicity : an American girl
Tripp, Valerie, 1951-
Middleton, WI : Pleasant Co., c1991.
J AME
In Williamsburg in 1774, nine-year-old Felicity rescues a beautiful horse who is being beaten and starved by her cruel owner.
The Minpins
Dahl, Roald.
[New York] : Viking, 1991.
J DAH
Ignoring warnings against it, little Billy enters the Forest of Sins, only to be pursued by the fearsome Grinder, a creature who chases him high up an ancient tree, where he encounters a city of tree-dwelling, matchstick-sized people.
Miss Daisy is crazy!
Gutman, Dan.
New York : HarperCollins, c2004.
J GUT
Miss Daisy's unusual teaching methods surprise her second grade students, especially reluctant learner A.J.
Miss Smith's incredible storybook
Garland, Michael, 1952-
New York : Dutton Children's Books, c2003.
JP GAR
When the new teacher, Miss Smith, reads to her class, Zack and his classmates are amazed to find that the storybook characters come to life.
Miss Suki is kooky!
Gutman, Dan.
New York : HarperTrophy, c2007.
J GUT
Famous children's author Suki Kabuki and her pet raptor, Rappy, wreak havoc during a visit to Ella Mentry School.
My feet are laughing
Norman, Lissette.
New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, c2006.
JP NOR
Sadie, an imaginative young Dominican American, relates her experiences growing up in her grandmother's brownstone house in Harlem.
Nate the great
Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman.
New York : Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, G.P. Putnam's Sons, c1972.
JETR SHA RR
Nate the Great solves the mystery of the missing picture.
On the dog
Greenburg, J. C. (Judith C.).
New York : Random House, c2002.
JPA AND (bl)
When ten-year-old Andrew invents a shrinking machine, he does not expect to be sucked into the machine along with his cousin Judy, only to end up in a dog's nose.
Owen Foote, second grade strongman
Greene, Stephanie.
New York : Clarion Books, c1996.
J GRE
Owen, a second grader who is being teased for his small size, discovers that his friend Joseph is just as concerned about being overweight, and they share their fear of being humiliated by the school nurse.
Pinduli
Cannon, Janell, 1957-
New York : Harcourt, c2004.
JP CAN
Pinduli, a young striped hyena, is hurt by the unkind words of Dog, Lion, and Zebra, but her clever trick in return promotes her clan's survival and spreads harmony throughout the savannah. Includes backmatter notes about hyenas and other animals of the African savannah.
Pink and Say
Polacco, Patricia.
New York : Philomel Books, 1994.
HF J Picture Books for Older Readers
Say Curtis describes his meeting with Pinkus Aylee, a black soldier, during the Civil War, and their capture by Southern troops.
Pinky and Rex
Howe, James, 1946-
Atheneum 1990.
J HOW
Rex and her best friend Pinky, each the proud possessor of twenty- seven stuffed animals or dinosaurs, find their visit to the museum and its gift shop complicated by Pinky's little sister Amanda.
Ramona forever
Cleary, Beverly.
New York : Morrow, Morrow Junior Books, c1984.
J CLE
Ramona's year in third grade is highlighted by the arrival of Howie's rich uncle, a change in her after-school situation, a surprise wedding, a death and a new arrival in the family, and her father's getting a job.
Remembering Mrs. Rossi
Hest, Amy.
Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press, c2007.
J HES
Although she loves her father, their home in New York City, and third-grade teacher Miss Meadows, Annie misses her mother who died recently.
Ruby Lu, empress of everything
Look, Lenore.
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2006.
J LOO
After Ruby Lu's deaf cousin, Flying Duck, and her parents come from China to live with her, Ruby finds life challenging as she adjusts to her new family, tries to mend her rocky relationship with her friend Emma, and faces various adventures in summer school.
Say what?
Haddix, Margaret Peterson.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2004.
J HAD
When their parents begin saying the wrong thing every time six-year- old Sukey and her older brothers misbehave, the children discover that it is a plot and fight back with their own wrong phrases.
The school story
Clements, Andrew, 1949-
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2001.
J CLE
After twelve-year-old Natalie writes a wonderful novel, her friend Zoe helps her devise a scheme to get it accepted at the publishing house where Natalie's mother works as an editor.
Shark in school
Giff, Patricia Reilly.
New York, NY : Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1995, c1994.
J GIF
When Matthew finds out from J.P., the weird girl next door, that their teacher loves to read, he worries that everyone at his new school will know he's a terrible reader.
The (short) story of my life
Jones, Jennifer B.
New York : Walker & Co., c2004.
J JON
With both the help and hindrance of family, his best friend, and the school bully, sixth-grader Michael Jordan copes with romance and the fact that he is, as usual, the shortest one in his class.
Show way
Woodson, Jacqueline.
New York : G. P. Putnam's Sons, c2005.
HF J Picture Books for Older Readers
The making of "Show ways," or quilts which once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves, is a tradition passed from mother to daughter in the author's family.
Sideways stories from Wayside School
Sachar, Louis, 1954-
New York : Morrow Junior Books, 1998, c1985.
J SAC
Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, which was accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each story.
Sly the sleuth and the food mysteries
Napoli, Donna Jo, 1948-
New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, c2007.
J NAP
Sly uses her detective skills to help her friends solve the case of something fishy, something cooking, and something seedy.
Stanley, flat again
Brown, Jeff, 1926-2003.
New York : HarperCollins Publishers, c2003.
J BRO
After Stanley Lambchop goes flat once again, he uses his flatness to help win a sailboat race and to rescue a classmate from a collapsed building.
Strider
Cleary, Beverly.
New York : Morrow Junior Books, c1991.
J CLE
In a series of diary entries, Leigh tells how he comes to terms with his parents' divorce, acquires joint custody of an abandoned dog, and joins the track team at school.
Tadpole
White, Ruth, 1942-
New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, c2003.
J WHI
In rural Kentucky in 1955, Serilda Collins, single mother of four lively girls, discovers that her orphaned nephew is being subjected to brutality.
There's a boy in the girls' bathroom
Sachar, Louis, 1954-
New York : Scholastic, 1997, c1987.
J SAC
An unmanageable, but lovable, eleven-year-old misfit learns to believe in himself when he gets to know the new school counselor, who is a sort of misfit too.
Tornado
Byars, Betsy Cromer.
New York : HarperCollins, 1996.
J BYA [CC]
As they wait out a tornado in their storm cellar, a family listens to their farmhand tell stories about the dog that was blown into his life by another tornado when he was a boy.
Weslandia
Fleischman, Paul.
Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press, c1999.
JP FLE
Wesley's garden produces a crop of huge, strange plants which provide him with clothing, shelter, food, and drink, thus helping him create his own civilization and changing his life.
When Mr. Jefferson came to Philadelphia : what I learned of freedom, 1776
Turner, Ann Warren.
New York : HarperCollins Publishers, c2003.
JP TUR
In Philadelphia in 1776, Ned meets Thomas Jefferson, who is staying in his mother's inn while debating the topic of freedom in Congress and writing the Declaration of Independence.
Where the sidewalk ends : the poems & drawings of Shel Silverstein
Silverstein, Shel.
New York : HarperCollins Publishers, c1974.
J811 SIL CC ESLC
A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two of the characters in a collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author's own drawings.
Young Cam Jansen and the lions' lunch mystery
Adler, David A.
New York : Viking, c2007.
JETR ADL
On a field trip to the zoo, Cam Jansen uses her photographic memory to help solve what happened to Danny's lunch.