Below is a list of books recommended for 3rd graders. Happy reading!
Great Books for Third Graders
These are some recommended books for the average third grader. Every child
is different, of course; so all books will not be suitable for all readers.
Atwater, Richard. Mr. Popper’s Penguins. First published 1938. The
unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an Antarctic penguin changes
the life and fortune of Mr. Popper. Newberry Honor book.
Avi. The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (And an
Even Smaller Ant). Harcourt, 2004. Snail and ant make discoveries about
their world as they seek the meaning of an “adventure” while traveling from
one end of a branch to the other.
Bledsoe, Lucy Jane. Cougar Canyon Lizzie discovers a cougar living close to
her home and decides to protect it no matter what.
Blume, Judy. Double Fudge. Dutton 2002. His younger brother’s obsession
with money and the discovery of the long-lost cousins, Flora and Fauna,
provide many embarrassing moments for twelve-year-old Peter.
Brown, Don. Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein. Houghton Mifflin, 2004.
Albert Einstein, a subject uncommon to young readers, is introduced in this
picture book that portrays how his brilliance often caused him to be the odd
boy in school and in life.
Carroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. First
published 1865 and 1872. This is the enchanting fantasy of Alice, who falls
down the rabbit hole and meets the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen
of Hearts, and other strange characters.
Child, Lauren. Utterly Me, Clarice Bean. Candlewick Press, 2003. Clarice
and her best friend Betty Moody collaborate on a school project, but when
Betty is absent, Clarice is paired with Karl, the worst boy in the class.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona Forever. The Ramona books are not to be missed.
Ramona's family and friends help her to grow and change. She is embraced by
a very warm, real community. Chuckles are guaranteed.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona’s World. Morrow, l999. Enjoy the adventures of nine-
year-old Ramona as she experiences the ups and downs of fourth grade, tries
to be a good role model for her new baby sister, Roberta, and delights in
her new best friend, Daisy.
Clements, Andrew. Jake Drake, Teacher’s Pet. Simon & Schuster, 2002. Jake
remembers the terrible days in third grade when everyone thought he was the
teacher's pet.
Clements, Andrew. The Report Card. Simon & Schuster, 2004. Although she is
a genius, Nora Rowley receives five D’s and one C on her report card after
deciding that grades are unimportant. Will Nora succeed in her attempt to
change things at her school?
Colfer, Eoin. The Legend of Spud Murphy. Miramax Books, 2004. When their
mother starts dropping them off at the library several afternoons a week,
nine-year-old William and his brother dread boredom and the overbearing town
librarian, but they are surprised at how things turn out.
Craft, Mahlon F. Sleeping Beauty. Chronicle Books, 2002. A beautiful and
beloved princess, cursed by the one fairy who was not invited to her
christening, pricks her finger on her sixteenth birthday and falls asleep
for one hundred years.
Dahl, Roahl. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. First published 1964.
Charlie finds the winning ticket in a Wonka Bar and is rewarded for his
kindness.
Dyer, Heather. The Fish in Room 11. Scholastic, 2004. Toby, an orphan
living in a hotel by the sea, finds the love and support of a real family
when he meets Eliza Flot, a mermaid living with her family under the dock.
Easton, Patricia Harrison. Davey’s Blue Eyed Frog. Clarion 2003. A bossy
talking frog that claims to be a princess in need of a kiss causes Davey to
think and then rethink how to help her.
Gardiner, John R. Stone Fox. First published 1980. Willie hopes to win the
purse in a dog sled race in order to pay the back taxes on his grandfather’s
farm.
Gardner, Sally. The Countess’s Calamity. Bloomsbury, 2003. Dolls abandoned
in a park, are rescued by Mr. and Mrs. Mouse, who provide a home for them
and protect them through various adventures despite the horrible behavior of
the doll called the Countess.
Garland, Sherry. Children of the Dragon: Selected Tales from Vietnam.
Harcourt, 2001. Folktales featuring talking animals and beautiful
princesses enrich the readers’ understanding of Vietnam.
Greene, Stephanie. Owen Foote, Money Man. Clarion, 2004. Ingenious eight-
year-old Owen wants to make money for the things he absolutely needs, such
as plastic vomit, but he tries to come up with some alternatives to earning
an allowance, which sounds like too much work.
Hamilton, Virginia. The Girl Who Spun Gold. Scholastic, 2000. This
beautifully illustrated folk tale is a West Indian variant of the
Rumpelstiltskin story.
Hopkinson, Deborah. Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings. Atheneum,
2003. In the early 1900’s Ann Weiss, a young woman who has always loved
baseball, finds a way to play.
Howe, James. It Came from Beneath the Bed! Simon & Schuster, 2002. With
help from his Uncle Harold, Howie, a wired-haired dachshund, writes a story
in which he save the world from a science experiment gone awry.
Jennings, Patrick Tornado Watches. Ike decides to stay awake every night to
protect his family from possible tornadoes.
Jennings, Patrick. The Weeping Willow: An Ike and Mem Story. Holiday House,
2002. While trying to build a “boys only” tree house, Ike and his best
friend Buzzy argue so much that Ike builds his sister Mem a playhouse.
Johnson, Tony. The Mummy’s Mother. Blue Sky Press, 2003. When his mother is
stolen from her tomb, Ramose, a 4,010-year-old mummy, tries to find her in
the Egyptian desert, aboard an ocean liner, and in New York City’s
Metropolitan Museum.
King-Smith, Dick. The Nine Lives of Aristotle. Candlewick, 2003. Aristotle,
a little white kitten, goes to live with a kind witch in an old cottage,
where he finds many opportunities for risky adventures.
Kline, Suzy. Herbie Jones. Herbie's experiences in the third grade include
finding bones in the boy's bathroom, wandering away from his class on their
field trip, and being promoted to a higher reading group.
Leedy, Loreen and Pat Street. There’s a Frog in My Throat: 440 Animal
Sayings a Little Bird Told Me. Winslow Press, 2002. Animal idioms we hear
every day are explained with humor and colorful illustrations.
Lisle, Janet Taylor. The Gold Dust Letters. Every time Angela unfolds a
letter from Pilaria, gold dust falls out and disappears. Angela's friends,
Poco and Georgina, are determined to track down this mysterious
correspondent.
Logan, Claudia. The 5,000-Year-Old Puzzle. Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2002.
Young Will Hunt is invited on the discovery expedition of a secret tomb in
Giza, Egypt, and he shares his experiences with postcards, newspaper
accounts, hieroglyphic puzzles and real photos.
Long, Laurel and Jacqueline K. Ogburn. The Lady and the Lion. Dial, 2003.
In this extravagantly illustrated fairy tale, a lady travels to save her
beloved from the evil enchantress who turned him first into a lion, then a
dove.
Lowry, Lois. Gooney Bird Greene. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. A most unusual new
student who loves to be the center of attention entertains her teachers and
fellow students by telling absolutely true stories about herself and
encouraging her classmates to become storytellers too.
MacLean, Christine. Mary Margaret and the Perfect Pet Plan. Dutton
Children’s Books, 2004. Mary Margaret, desperate for a pet, develops a plan
to get the cuddly, furry pet of her dreams, despite the fact that her father
is allergic to both cats and dogs and her mother is expecting a baby and
feeling “crabby.”
Markle, Sandra. Growing Up Wild: Penguins. Atheneum, 2001. Extraordinary
color photographs and informative text show how penguins are born and grow
up in the wild.
McDonald, Megan. Judy Moody. Judy Moody has strong feelings about
everything. It is the end of summer but the beginning of the school year and
Judy Moody is not the least bit happy about starting third grade.
McDonald, Megan. Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Candlewick, 2003. After
Judy obtains a mood ring, she tries to convince herself and her third-grade
classmates that she can predict the future.
McDonnell, Christine. Toad Food and Measle Soup. The adventures and
misadventures of Leo Nolan and his family.
McKissack, Pat. Tippy Lemmey. Leandra, Paul, and Jeannie are terrified of
riding their bikes past Tippy's house because he barks at them and tries to
knock them off their bicycles.
Miller, Debbie S. The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail. Walker &
Co., 2002. The exciting account of the dog relay to bring diphtheria serum
to Nome in 1925 is enhanced by incredible illustrations by nature artist
John Van Zyle.
Mills, Claudia. Perfectly Chelsea. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2004. Nine-year-
old Chelsea’s experiences, which include a fight with her best friend,
making mistakes in the hand bell concert, and saying goodbye to the only
church minister she has ever known, help her to accept that things change and
that people, including herself, are not perfect.
Mills, Lauren. The Rag Coat. Minna very much wishes to go to school. Her
family, however, cannot afford to send her. There isn't even enough money to
buy her a coat. The women of the community come up with an interesting idea
to help her out.
Morgan, Clay. The Boy Who Spoke Dog. Dutton, 2003. After being marooned on
an island near New Zealand, Jack, an orphaned cabin boy from San Francisco,
becomes allied with a group of dogs that protect the local sheep from the
wild dogs.
Mundis, Hester. My Chimp Friday: the Nana Banana Chronicles. Rachel and
Jared suddenly become the owners of Friday, a very, very smart chimpanzee.
Myers, Laurie. Surviving Brick Johnson. Will taking karate help Alex defend
himself against Brick Johnson?
Nagda, Ann Whitehead. Meow Means Mischief. Holiday House, 2003. A stray
kitten turns out to be the perfect way to help Rana make friends in her new
school and to feel more comfortable with her grandparents, who are visiting
from India while her parents are away.
Petersen, P. J. White Water. Half-brothers, Greg and James, must work
together to save their father after he's bitten by a rattlesnake on a
rafting expedition.
Pinkney, Jerry. Noah’s Ark. SeaStar, 2002. Retells the biblical story of
the great flood and how Noah and his family responded to God’s call to save
life on earth. Caldecott Honor book.
Reiche, Dietlof. Freddy In Peril: Book Two In the Golden Hamster Saga.
Scholastic, 2004. When the evil Professor Fleischkophf attempts to kidnap
Freddy in order to dissect his brain and discover why he can read and write,
Freddy needs the help of his humorous and talented friends to outsmart the
villain.
Rodowsky, Colby. Jason Rat-a-Tat. Jason loves entertaining himself by
keeping the beat. His family is very gung-ho about sports; Jason could care
less. Leave it to grandpa to recognize his grandson's special talents.
Schanzer, Rosalyn Davy Crockett Saves the World. Enjoy this tall tale about
the legendary Davy Crockett, whose greatest deed of all time was to save the
world.
Scieszka, Jon. Knights of the Kitchen Table. A fairly silly book about three
knavish friends who open The Book and find themselves part of its story.
They must face down the fearsome Black Knight. Part of the Time Warp Trio.
Sepulveda, Luis. The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly.
Scholastic, 2003. A seagull, dying from the effects of an oil spill,
entrusts her egg to Zorba the cat, who promises to care for it until her
chick hatches, then teach the chick to fly.
Silverstein, Shel. Falling Up. HarperCollins, 1996. Enjoy the last
collection of humorous poems written by the popular American author.
Smith, David J. If the World Were a Village. Kids Can Press. 2002. This
book gives diverse information about the population of the world as if it was
a village of 100 people.
St. George, Judith. So You Want to Be an Inventor? Philomel, 2002. This
humorous, but true, presentation of the characteristics of many inventors is
a delightful way to learn about men and women such as Alexander Graham Bell,
Thomas Edison, and Hedy Lamarr.
Torrey, Michele. The Case of the Mossy Lake Monster. Fifth-graders, Drake
Doyle and Nell Fossey, use science to solve mysteries in their neighborhood.
Four easy science experiments are included at the back of the book.
Towle, Wendy. The Real McCoy: The Life of an African-American Inventor. The
term "the real McCoy" refers to a superior and authentic product. Mr. McCoy
invented a train part that was found to be superior to all imitators.
Wells, Rosemary. Wingwalker. Reuben's father is a dance teacher, who thinks
he just might make a decent living dancing on the wings of a low flying
airplane.
Whybrow, Ian. Little Wolf's Book of Badness. Little Wolf writes letters to
his Mom and Dad, when he is sent to away to his Uncle BigBad's. There's a
lot to learn at Cunning College, but does Little have the right stuff to be a
big bad wolf like his uncle?
Winthrop, Elizabeth. The Castle in the Attic. Holiday House, 1985. A
miniature castle comes to life for ten-year-old William when he shrinks to
fit into its adventures.
Wisniewski, David. Halloweenies. Five funny stories based on five scary
movies
Yolen, Jane. Mightier Than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys.
Silver Whistle, 2003. A collection of 14 folktales from around the world
demonstrates the triumph of brain over brawn and strength in compassion and
kindness.
