Updated Spring 2012

Suggested Reading for Students Entering 3rd Grade

As this suggested book list is quite lengthy, we ask you to be mindful of

our greening efforts and to consider the environment before printing it!

Suggested Reading for Students Entering 3rd Grade

Adler, David A. (2011). Cam Jansen and the Graduation Day Mystery.

Cam Jansen and her photographic memory help her friend's grandfather

retrieve his missing bag with an important graduation gift in it.

Amato, Mary (2004). Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, and the Secret of

Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All.

Contains three stories in which brothers and best friends Wilbur and

Orville Riot catch a thief, overthrow a king, and find a treasure, and

includes rules to some of their made-up games.

Asch, Frank (2006). Star Jumper: Journal of a Cardboard Genius

Determined to get far away from his evil little brother, Alex works to

design a spaceship that will take him so far away from Earth that not

even the NASA experts can find him, yet when his brother catches on

to his plan, Alex fears that his nearly finished project may be ruined

before he gets his chance to take-off..

Auch, Mary Jane (2008). A Dog on his Own.

After a daring escape from the animal shelter, Pearl, Peppy, and K-10--

so named because he is one step above all the other canines--explore

the outside world while moving from one adventure to another.

Updated Spring 2012

Bauer, Marion Dane (2008). The Green Ghost.

While Kaye and her parents are driving during a bad snowstorm to her

grandmother's house on Christmas Eve, their car spins off the road and

they take refuge in a house where Kaye meets a ghost in a green cloak.

Becker, Bonny (2009). The Magical Ms. Plum.

The students in Ms. Plum's third grade class soon learn that there is

something very special about their teacher and her classroom's

mysterious supply closet.

Blacker, Terence (2008). Ms. Wiz Spells Trouble.

A mysterious new teacher, thought by some to be a witch, changes the

worst class in the school into the best with some strange tricks.

Blume, Judy (1980). Superfudge.

Peter describes the highs and lows of life with his younger brother

Fudge.

Bowe, Julie (2007). My Last Best Friend.

After her best friend moves away, fourth-grader Ida May is

determined not to make another best friend, despite the efforts of a

new girl in her class.

Updated Spring 2012

Brennan, Herbie (2002). Fairy Nuff : A Tale of Bluebell Wood.

After mistakenly burning down his own cottage, Fairy Nuff finds that

not only are the Widow Buhiss and some African ants after him, but also

that the Queen urgently needs his help.

Byars, Betsy (2010). Cat Diaries: Secret Writings of the MEOW

Society.

On one night every year, cats in the MEOW Society, which stands for

"Memories Expressed In Our Writing," gather to read from their

diaries, hearing stories of a gypsy cat, a Caribbean pirate cat, a library

cat, and many others.

Catling, Patrick Skene (1979). The Chocolate Touch.

This perennial favorite, newly re-illustrated for this edition, recounts

the trials and tribulations of a greedy boy's predicament when

everything he touches turns to chocolate.

Clements, Andrew (2001). Jake Drake, Bully Buster.

Provides the "memoirs" of Jake Drake, a boy who transformed himself

from first-grade geek to the cool dude of the fourth grade by using his

wit to outsmart the bullies at his school.

Cole, Henry (2010). A Nest for Celeste : A Story about Art, Inspiration,

and the Meaning of Home.

Celeste, a mouse longing for a real home, becomes a source of inspiration

to teenaged Joseph, assistant to the artist and naturalist John James

Audubon, at a New Orleans, Louisiana, plantation in 1821.

Collins, Ross (2008). Medusa Jones.

In ancient Greece, Medusa Jones, a gorgon, and her friends, a minotaur

and a centaur, are mocked by the other Acropolis Academy children

whose parents are kings and gods, but when they go on a school camping

trip together, the "freaks" become true heroes.

Updated Spring 2012

Cox, Judy (2000). Mean, Mean Maureen Green.

With help from Adam, a boy in her third grade class, Lilley gains enough

confidence to stand up to the school bus bully, Mean Maureen Green.

Cox, Judy (2002). Cool Cat, School Cat.

Eight-year-old, disorganized Gus misses the dog left behind when his

family moved, but then he meets a stray cat and a bossy classmate who

breaks school rules to help him care for it.

Crilley, Mark (2001). Akiko on the Planet Smoo.

Ten-year-old Akiko has an unexpected adventure when she is whisked

away to a distant planet and put in charge of the rescue mission that

must.

Daly, Niki (2009). Bettina Valentino and the Picasso Club.

A controversial new teacher at Bayside Preparatory School introduces

the exciting world of art to aspiring artist Bettina Valentino and her

fifth-grade classmates, encouraging them to see everyday life in a

different way.

DeGross, Monalisa (1998). Donavan's Word Jar.

When the jar that Donavan keeps his word collection in fills up, he finds

a special way to give his words away and get something wonderful in

return.

DeLaCroix, Alice(2002). The Hero of Third Grade.

When Randall changes to a new school, he pretends to be an anonymous

hero until, when his third grade class plans a fundraiser, he finds that

being himself is good enough.

Updated Spring 2012

DeVillers, Julia (2010). New Girl in Town.

Nine-year-old Liberty Porter, daughter of the President of the United

States, starts at a new school and tries to be an exemplary First

Daughter.

Doherty, Berlie (2009). The Goblin Baby.

After nine-year-old Tam's baby sister is stolen away by faeries and

replaced by a goblin baby, he must journey to the land of the faeries to

retrieve her and bring her back home.

Doyle, Roddy (2001). The Giggler Treatment.

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.

Draper, Sharon M. (2009). The Birthday Storm.

While in Florida to celebrate her Grammy's birthday, nine-and-a-half-

year-old Sassy worries that an approaching hurricane will ruin not only

the party, but a nest of sea turtle eggs, as well.

Durand, Hallie (2009). Dessert First.

Third-grader Dessert's love of treats leads to a change in her large

family's dinner routine, then an awful mistake, and later a true sacrifice

after her teacher, Mrs. Howdy Doody, urges students to march to the

beat of their own drums.

English, Karen (2007). Nikki & Deja.

When an arrogant new girl comes to school, third-graders and best

friends Nikki and Deja decide to form a club that would exclude her but

find the results not what they expected.

Updated Spring 2012

Fields, Bryan W. (2006). Lunchbox and the Aliens.

Lunchbox is an ordinary basset hound until he is abducted by aliens,

zapped by a mental enhancer, and sent back to convert Earth's garbage

into food--a task that would be easier if he had opposable thumbs, or at

least tentacles.

Fleischman, Sid (2009). The Dream Stealer.

A plucky Mexican girl tries to recover her dream from the Dream

Stealer who takes her to his castle where countless dreams and even

more adventures await

Gaiman, Neil (2009). Odd and the Frost Giants.

An unlucky twelve-year-old Norwegian boy named Odd leads the Norse

gods Loki, Thor, and Odin in an attempt to outwit evil Frost Giants who

have taken over Asgard.

Glatt, Lisa, (2010). Abigail Iris: The Pet Project.

When Abigail Iris finally gets the new kitten she has been wanting, she

learns about the responsibilities that come with pet ownership, as well

as the impact a kitten can have on a large family like hers.

Goldberg, Whoopi (2009). Toeshoe Trouble.

Brenda Black tells her spoiled cousin Tiffany that she owns a pair of

ballerina Camilla Freeman's tap shoes, but then Tiffany demands to see

the shoes, which actually belong to the headmistress of Brenda's ballet

school.

Graff, Lisa (2010). Sophie Simon Solves Them All.

Sophie Simon, a third-grade genius, wants a graphing calculator so she

can continue to study calculus while she rides the bus to school, but her

parents are more concerned that she does not have any friends.

Updated Spring 2012

Graves, Bonnie B. (2002) Taking Care of Trouble.

After he agrees to help his best friend's older sister watch a toddler,

fifth-grader Joel learns quite a lot in just one afternoon.

Greenburg, J. C. (2002). Andrew Lost: On the Dog.

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.

Gregory, Philippa (1993). Florizella and the Wolves.

While riding in the Purple Forest, a young princess finds four wolf cubs

that cause quite a commotion when she brings them back to the castle

and tries to hide them from the king and queen.

Griffin, Adele (2001). Witch Twins.

Troubled about being separated at school and preoccupied with

sabotaging their father's marriage, ten-year-old witches, Claire and

Luna, have little time to think of something good, smart, and tricky to do

that will finally make them one-star witches.

Gutman, Dan (2004). The Get Rich Quick Club.

Summer vacation in their small Maine town does not look too promising

until twelve-year-old Gina and four of her friends make a pact to

become millionaires before school starts in September.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson (2001). The Girl with 500 Middle Names.

Janie's parents move to the suburbs so she can go to a better school,

but when she discovers that all the other students are richer than she

is, she feels out of place--until she realizes that there are more

important things than money.

Updated Spring 2012

Henkes, Kevin (2011). Junonia.

The week of her tenth birthday, Alice and her parents go to Sanibel

Island, Florida, just as they do every year, but this time there are some

new people, which unsettles Alice, who wants things to be exactly the

same as they always are.

Hornik, Laurie Miller (2001). The Secrets of Ms. Snickle's Class.

Every school has its secrets, but in Ms. Snickle's classroom the secrets

are extraordinary, and when Lacey sets out to learn and tell them all,

she puts Ms. Snickle's job in jeopardy.

Horvath, Polly (2004). The Pepins and their Problems.

The reader is invited to help solve the Pepin family's unusual problems,

which include having a cow who creates lemonade rather than milk and

having to cope with a competitive neighbor.

Jenkins, Emily (2011). Invisible Inkling.

When Hank Wolowitz runs into trouble in the form of a lunch-stealing

bully, he finds an unlikely ally in an invisible refugee pumpkin-loving

bandapat named Inkling.

Jenkins, Emily, (2006). Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a

Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called

Plastic.

Six stories relate the adventures of three best friends, who happen to

be toys.

Jennings, Patrick (2010). Guinea Dog.

When his mother brings home a guinea pig instead of the dog he has

always wanted, fifth-grader Rufus is not happy--until the rodent starts

acting exactly like a dog.

Updated Spring 2012

Jonell, Lynne (2010). Hamster Magic.

When the Willows move into a new house, Celia, the youngest of four

children, traps an enchanted hamster, who reluctantly agrees to grant

the children one wish in exchange for his freedom.

Jones, Diana Wynne (2012). Earwig and the Witch.

Although an orphan, Earwig has always enjoyed living at St. Morwald's,

where she manages to make everyone do her bidding, but when she is

taken in by a foster parents who are actually a witch and a demon, she

has a hard time trying to turn the situation to her advantage.

Kerrin, Jessica Scott (2005). Martin Bridge: Ready for Takeoff!

In three short stories, Martin develops a crush on his new bus driver,

takes care of his friend's hamster with tragic results, and participates

in a rocket exhibition that threatens a friendship.

Knudson, Mike (2008). Raymond and Graham Rule the School.

Raymond and Graham have looked forward to being the "oldest, coolest,

toughest" boys at East Millcreek Elementary School, but from the start

of fourth grade everything goes wrong.

Kurtz, Chris (2010). The Pup Who Cried Wolf.

Lobo, a Chihuahua from New York City who feels he is truly a wolf in an

undersized body, goes to Yellowstone National Park with his mistress

and dreams of running wild with his wolf brothers.

Lin, Grace (2006). The Year of the Dog.

Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young

Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese

Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to

her own life.

Updated Spring 2012

Look, Lenore (2008). Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary

Things.

A young boy in Concord, Massachusetts, who loves superheroes and

comes from a long line of brave Chinese farmer-warriors, wants to make

friends, but first he must overcome his fear of everything.

Looks, Lenore (2004). Ruby Lu, Brave and True.

"Almost-eight-year-old" Ruby Lu spends time with her baby brother,

goes to Chinese school, performs magic tricks and learns to drive, and

has adventures with both old and new friends.

Lowry, Lois (2002). Gooney Bird Greene.

A most unusual new student who loves to be the center of attention

entertains her teacher and fellow second graders by telling absolutely

true stories about herself, including how she got her name.

Lubar, David (2009). My Rotten Life.

Tired of continually having his feelings hurt by popular students and

bullies, fifth-grader Nathan agrees to try an experimental formula,

Hurt-Be-Gone, and becomes a half-dead zombie, a condition which, he

soon discovers, has some real advantages.

Marciano, John Bemelmans (2003). Harold's Tail.

As a result of an experiment stripping the fur from his tail, Harold the

squirrel finds himself homeless and mistaken for a rat on the unfamiliar

streets of New York City.

Marsden, Carolyn (2004). Silk Umbrellas.

Eleven-year-old Noi worries that she will have to stop painting the silk

umbrellas her family sells at the market near their Thai village and be

forced to join her older sister in difficult work at a local factory

instead.

Updated Spring 2012

McGhee, Alison (2008). Julia Gillian (And the Art of Knowing).

Nine-year-old Julia Gillian learns a lot about facing fear as she and her

St. Bernard, Bigfoot, take long walks through their Minneapolis

neighborhood one hot summer, and she seeks the courage to finish a

book that could have an unhappy ending.

McKenna, Colleen (2001). Third Grade Ghouls?

After his friend Lamont tells everyone on the bus--including bully

Lumpy--that Gordie would be a giant box of toilet paper for Halloween,

Gordie must come up with a truly scary costume or be made fun of for

the rest of the year.

Moses, Shelia P. (2007). Sallie Gal and the Wall-a-kee Man.

More than anything, Sallie Gal wants pretty ribbons to wear in her hair,

but she knows that they cannot afford them and Momma has too much

dignity to accept charity.

Namioka, Lensey (1992). Yang the Youngest and his Terrible Ear.

Recently arrived in Seattle from China, musically untalented Yingtao is

faced with giving a violin performance to attract new students for his

father.

Nolan, Lucy A. (2008). Bad to the Bone.

As told from the perspective of the dog, Down Girl, she explains about

her days protecting her home from the enemy next door, Here Kitty

Kitty, and the many ways she tries to properly train her master, Rruff.

Orr, Wendy (2001). Nim's Island.

Nim loves her island home and the animals she shares it with even while

her scientist father is away doing research, but trouble is on the way

and a new e-mail friend could be the only one who can help.

Updated Spring 2012

Pennypacker, Sara (2002). Stuart's Cape.

Bored because there is nothing to do in the house to which his family

has just moved and worried about starting third grade in a new school,

Stuart makes a magical cape out of his uncle's ties and has a series of

adventures.

Perkins, Mitali (2007). Rickshaw Girl.

In her Bangladesh village, ten-year-old Naimi excels at painting designs

called alpanas, but to help her impoverished family financially she would

have to be a boy--or disguise herself as one.

Pfeffer, Susan Beth (1996). The Trouble with Wishes.

Granted any three wishes of her choice, 3rd-grader Katie Logan tries to

decide what to wish for and is warned by her big brother to be careful

before she decides that she really wants to be the lead in the class play.

Proimos, James (2003). Cowboy Boy.

Ricky Smootz is very afraid of everything, especially Keanu Dungston,

the bully who terrorizes their middle school, but with advice from his

grandmother Ricky transforms himself into Cowboy Boy and stands up to

Keanu and his henchmen.

Railsback, Lisa (2010). Noonie's Masterpiece.

Upon learning that her deceased mother, an artist, went through a

"Purple Period," ten-year-old Noonie decides to do the same, hoping that

this will bring her archaeologist father home to see her win a school art

contest.

Roberts, Ken (2001). The Thumb in the Box.

When Charlie returns to the island town of New Auckland in British

Columbia to build a fire station for the soon-to-arrive fire engine, he

astounds everyone, particularly young Leon by being able to remove his

thumb.

Updated Spring 2012

Rylant, Cynthia (1995). Gooseberry Park.

When a storm separates Stumpy the squirrel from her newborn babies,

her animal friends come to the rescue.

Sachar, Louis (2000). Marvin Redpost: Super Fast, Out of Control!

Afraid of his new mountain bike, third-grader Marvin finds himself in a

desperate situation when he accepts a biking challenge.

Salisbury, Graham (2009). Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet.

Nine-year-old Calvin catches the attention of the school bully on the day

before he starts fourth grade, while at home, the unfriendly, fifteen-

year-old daughter of his mother's best friend has taken over his room.

Scieszka, Jon (1998). Summer Reading is Killing Me!

At the beginning of summer vacation Joe, Sam, and Fred find

themselves trapped inside their summer reading list, involved in a battle

between good and evil characters from well-known children's books.

Tolan, Stephanie S. (2009). Wishworks, Inc.

When he is granted his wish for a dog from Wishworks, Inc., third-

grader Max is disappointed to find that his new pet is nothing like the

dog of his imagination.

Trewellard, Juliet (2007). Butterfingers.

When beautiful Princess Bella is kidnapped by a fearsome dragon, it is

left to a clumsy stable boy, accompanied by his dog and pony, to save

her.

Updated Spring 2012

Tripp, Jenny (2007). Pete & Fremont.

When circus owner Mike decides Pete the poodle has grown too old to

continue as the starring act, Pete forms an unlikely alliance with a young

grizzly bear, who only wants to go home to the woods.

Van Draanen, Wendelin (2004). Secret Identity.

Fifth-grader Nolan Byrd, tired of being called names by the class bully,

has a secret identity--Shredderman!.

Viorst, Judith (2010). Lulu and the Brontosaurus.

Lulu's parents refuse to give in when she demands a brontosaurus for

her birthday and so she sets out to find her own, but while the

brontosaurus she finally meets approves of pets, he does not intend to

be Lulu's.

Wesley, Valerie Wilson (2001). Willimena and the Cookie Money

When seven-year-old Willemena spends all the money she earned selling

Girl Scout cookies, her big sister Tina helps her come up with a plan to

earn the money back.

Winkler, Henry (2003). Niagra Falls, or Does It?

Fourth-graders Hank, Ashley, and Frankie are excitedly preparing for a

magic show at the Rock 'N Bowl when Hank's creative alternative to an

English essay lands him in detention and grounded the week of the show.

Wojciechowski, Susan (2002). Beany Goes to Camp.

Beany definitely does not want to spend her summer vacation at camp,

but she endures bugs and a bossy cabin-mate, finds a new friend, and

has an okay time after all.

Updated Spring 2012

Yee, Lisa (2009). Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally).

When Bobby inadvertently gets into a fight with his best friend Holly,

their disagreement develops into a boys versus girls war involving their

whole fourth-grade class.

Yee, Paul (2007). Shu-Li and Tamara.

Fourth-grader Shi-Li, who immigrated to Vancouver two years ago, finds

her life improving when she becomes friends with Tamara, but their

friendship is tested after money is stolen from their classroom and

Tamara is rumored to be the one responsible for the theft.