When picking out books, I have always found picture books to be easy to choose. But as your child transitions from picture books to easy readers to chapter books, it is hard to know where to start. As a school library volunteer, I was happy to help compile a list of 1st-3rd grade favorites!
I’ve divided up this list of 1st-3rd grade series books by topic. I chose series books because once you hook a child in a series, they become avid readers! Of course, reading interests and levels vary, so there’s a little something here for everyone!
If your child is crazy about sports:
- Little Rhino Series~Ryan and Krystie Howard
- Baseball Card Adventures~Dan Gutman
- Ballpark Mysteries~David A. Kelley
- Million Dollar Series~Dan Gutman
- Barber Game Time Series~Tiki and Ronde Barber
- Matt Christopher Sports Classics
For your animal loving child:
- Animal Ark~Lucy Daniels
- The Puppy Place~Ellen Miles
- Magic Kitten~Jenny Dale
- Pony Pals~Jeanne Betancourt
- The World According to Humphrey~Betty G. Birney
- Ranger in Time~Kate Messer
- Mercy Watson~Kate DiCamillo
If your child wants to read about other kids:
- Ready, Freddy~Abby Klein
- Junie B. Jones’s~Barbara Park
- My Weird School(3 Different Series)~Dan Gutman
- Eerie Elementary~Jack Chabert
- The Adventures Of The Bailey School Kids~Marcia Thornton Jones
- Captain Underpants~Dav Pilkey
For a child who loves mysteries:
- A to Z Mysteries, Capital Mysteries, Calendar Mysteries~Rob Roy
- Encyclopedia Brown~Donald J. Sobol
- Nancy Drew Nancy Drew~Carolyn Keene and others (Note, the newer versions are for younger readers)
- The Hardy Boys~Franklin W. Dixon and others (Note, the newer versions are for younger readers)
- The Boxcar Children~Gertrude Warner
For the child who wants to learn about historical people and places:
- Magic Tree House~Mary Pope Osburne
- I Survived~Lauren Tarshis
- Dear America~Various Authors
- Who Was Biographies~Various Authors
Classics from your childhood to share with your child:
- Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, Ralph S Mouse~Beverly Cleary
- The Little House on the Prairie~Laure Ingalls Wilder
- Frog and Toad~Arnold J. Lobel
- My Father’s Dragon~Ruth Stiles Gannett
- The Baby-Sitters Club~Ann M. Martin
And as your child’s reading level, age and subject matter mature, I offer these book series designed more for 4th-6th grade readers:
- 39 Clues~Rick Riordan and Various Authors
- Percy Jackson~Rick Riordan
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid~Jeff Kinney
- Big Nate Series~Lincoln Peirce
- Goosebumps~R.L. Stine
- Dork Diaries~Rachel Renee Russell
- The Spiderwick Chronicles~Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
- Harry Potter~J.K. Rowling
Of course this is by no means a comprehensive list! So as you read, feel free to add your favorites in the comments below!
The popular series in my second grader’s class was Geronimo Stilton. Both boys and girls loved them (there are Thea Stilton books, too), and they had contests to see who could read the most books in the series.
Thanks Amy! It was on my original list but got lost in transition! Thanks for reading.
Ivy and Bean! The audiobooks are great for road trips too.