Over 41 books recommended for and by 2nd & 3rd graders

Miss M is in a very special school where the classes are mixed-age. She is a Third Grader in a classroom equally divided by 2nd and 3rd grade boys & girls. Late last semester one of the kids discovered a love for reading and wanted to share with his friends. His incredible mom was generous enough to volunteer to facilitate a book club for the class. Anyone who wanted to join in, could. By the end I think just about all of the kids got into it, and gave up their lunch hours here and there to meet up (as did the mom -- did I remember to mention how great she is?).

Now that the school year is winding down, they have come up with their list of favorite reads so that their classmates could discover new books over the summer. Books specifically recommended by kids like them.

What's not to love?

I thought my readers would enjoy taking a peek at their list, and perhaps find some inspiration for their kids' summer reading -- way more interesting than some generic list a mega-corp thinks they should read. At least that's my way of thinking...

1. The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Caroline Funke
2. The Trumpet of the Swan, by E. B. White
3. Stuart Little, by E. B. White
4. Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White
5. The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread, by Kate Dicamillo
6. Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
7. Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke
8. The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
9. A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
10. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, by Robert C. O'Brien
11. Seven Professors of the Far North, by John Fardell
12. Flight of the Silver Turtle, by John Fardell
13. The Navigator, by Eoin Mcnamee
14. Island of the Aunts, by Eva Ibbotson
15. The Star of Kazan, by Eva Ibbotson
16. The View from Saturday, by E.L. Konigsburg
17. Matilda, by Roald Dahl
18. Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh
19. The Doll People, by Ann Matthews Martin, Laura Godwin, Brian Selznick, and Ann M. Martin
20. Haroun and the Sea of Stories, by Salman Rushdie
21. Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome
22. The Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell
23. The Prince of the Pond: Otherwise Known as De Fawg Pin, by Donna Jo Napoli
24. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, by Jeanne Birdsall

BOOKS IN A SERIES

1. Harry Potter
2. The Dragon Circle
3. Spiderwick Chronicles
4. Edge Chronicles (the first 3) (Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell)
5. So You Want to be a Wizard Series (Diane Duane)
6. The New Prophecy Warrior Series (Erin Hunter)
7. Guardians of Ga’hoole (Kathryn Lasky)
8. Babymouse 1-5 (Jennifer & Matthew Holm)
9. Nancy Drew
10. Charlie Bone (Jenny Nimmo)
11. Septimus Heap (Magyk.. – Angie Sage)
12. Akiko (Marck Crilley)
13. The Mismantle Chronicles
14. Pixie Tricks
15. Dealing with Dragons

Comments

[Dan]

I was completely addicted to the Swallows and Amazon books when i was a kid. I dreamt of going out on the lakes in a little sail boat and camping on an island. Fantastic stuff.

Another series of english books i can't recommend highly enough are the Just William series. I re-read them regularly and they still have me in hysterics

[Veronique]

Thanks for the suggestion! We'll definitely check the Just William series out!

[Audrey - Pinks & Blues]

Great list! Thank you so much for sharing! I have to keep these in mind for the future.
- Audrey
Pinks & Blues
www.pinksandblues.com
http://www.pinksandbluesgirls.wordpress.com

[Tlj5121]

Do you have any books for k-1st graders? Love the list!

[Veronique]

I'll definitely work on this one -- should be a fun list!

[Shannon - PHAT Mommy]

Judging from your list of series books, I think your kids might also like the Deltora Quest series. My son and friends love them.

[judith]

i *love* this list, a number of my personal faves are here too ... :)