Books for 2nd and 3rd Graders			Back to Booklist
	My Name Is Maria Isabel		J ADA, A.
		Alma Flor Ada
		Third grader María Isabel, born in Puerto Rico and now living in the U.S., wants badly to fit in at school; and the teacher's writing assignment "My Greatest Wish" gives her that opportunity.
	I was a Third Grade Science Project		J AUCH, M.
		Mary Jane Auch
		While trying to hypnotize his dog for the third grade science fair, Brian accidentally makes his best friend Josh think he's a cat.
	Freckle Juice		J BLUME, J.
		Judy Blume
		Andrew wants freckles so badly that he buys Sharon's freckle recipe for fifty cents
	Jake Drake Bully Buster		J CLEMENTS, A.
		Andrew Clements
		It is up to Jake Drake to take matters into his own hands when Link Baxter, SuperBully moves into the neighborhood.
	Amber Brown is Green With Envy		J DANZIGER, P.
		Paula Danziger
		Fourth-grader Amber Brown must make some important decisions when her mother and Max move their wedding date up and prepare to buy a house together, while her father makes some bad choices of his own.
	Mercy Watson to the Rescue		J DICAMILLO, K.
		Kate DiCamillo
		After Mercy the pig snuggles to sleep with the Watsons, all three awaken with the bed teetering on the edge of a big hole in the floor.
	Moonsilver		J DUEY, K.
		Kathleen Duey
		Heart, a foundling who was discovered five years earlier wrapped in a unicorn-embroidered blanket, finds a pregnant white mare in the woods and struggles to keep her and her colt safe and well.
	How to Be Cool in the Third Grade		J DUFFEY, B.
		Betsy Duffey
		When Robbie York is marked as a target by a bully at school, he decides that the only way to survive the third grade is by being cool.
	Notso Hotso		J FINE, A.
		Anne Fine
		Anthony, a neglected pet dog, develops an irritating skin condition and has most of his hair shaved off, which embarrasses him greatly until he realizes he now looks like a lion and can frighten other animals and people.
	Mallory on the Move		J FRIEDMAN, L.
		Laurie B. Friedman
		After moving to a new town, eight-year-old Mallory keeps throwing stones in the "Wishing Pond" but things will not go back to the way they were before, and she remains torn between old and new best friends.
	My Father's Dragon		J GANNETT, R.
		Ruth Stiles Gannett
	Starring Grace		J HOFFMAN, M.
		Mary Hoffman
		Grace and her friends have all sorts of adventures during their summer vacation--going to the circus, taking an imaginary safari, making friends with an elderly neighbor, pretending to be astronauts, and calling the paramedics when her grandmother has an accident.
	It Came From Beneath the Bed		J HOWE, J.
		James Howe
		With help from his Uncle Harold, who wrote books about Bunnicula, Howie the wire-haired dachshund writes a story in which he saves the world from a science experiment gone awry.
	Lady Lollipop		J KING-SMITH, D.
		Dick King-Smith
		A quick-witted swineherd and a pig named Lollipop are royally rewarded after they reform a spoiled princess.
	Gooney Bird and the Room Mother		J LOWRY, L.
		Lois Lowry
		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.
	Punished!		J LUBAR, D.
		David Lubar
		Logan and his friend Benedict are playing tag in the library. Logan gets caught when he runs into a mysterious man. When Logan doesn't apologize sincerely, the mysterious gentleman punishes him by causing him to speak in puns. Only finding seven examples each of oxymorons, anagrams and palindromes within the time limits will return Logan to normal.
	Judy Moody Declares Independence		J MCDONALD, M.
		Megan McDonald
		After learning about the American Revolution on a family trip to Boston, Massachusetts, Judy Moody makes her own Declaration of Independence and tries to prove that she is responsible enough to have more freedoms, such as a higher allowance and her own bathroom.
	Tippy Lemmey		J MCKISSACK, P.
		Patricia C. McKissack
	Junie B., First Grader, Shipwrecked		J PARK, B.
		Barbara Park
		Junie B.'s journal entries start with Room One's stomach virus excitement, the first-grade Columbus Day play, and getting the part of the Pinta, the fastest ship.
	The Littles		J PETERSON, J.
		John Peterson
		The Littles are a family of tiny people who live in the Bigg family's house. Mr. Little is only six inches tall, and he is big for a Little. The Littles develop a plan to get rid of the mice in the Bigg's house.
	Ricky Ricottas Giant Robot vs the Voodoo Vultures		J PILKEY, D.
		Dav Pilkey
		A small mouse named Ricky Ricotta and his best friend, a giant flying robot, save the world from Victor Von Vulture and his vicious voodoo vultures from Venus.
	In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen		J RYLANT, C.
		Cynthia Rylant
		While staying with their aunt for a year, three nine-year-old cousins keep busy baking and selling cookies, putting on a poetry and singing performance, and trying to encourage a romance between their aunt and one of their former customers.
	John, Paul, George & Ben		J SMITH, L.
		Lane Smith
		A humorous look at five of our country's founding fathers.
	Show Way		J WOODSON, J.
		Jacqueline Woodson
		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.
	My Librarian is a Camel		J027.4 RUURS
		Margriet Ruurs
		Discusses how books are brought to children around the world.
	Kate and the Beanstalk		J398.2 OSBORNE
		Mary Pope Osborne
		In this version of the classic tale, a girl climbs to the top of a giant beanstalk, where she uses her quick wits to outsmart a giant and make her and her mother's fortune.
	John Henry		J398.21 LESTER
		Julius Lester
		Retells the life of the legendary African American hero who raced against a steam drill to cut through a mountain.
	There's a Frog in My Throat!		J428.1 LEEDY
		Loreen Leedy
	Actual Size		J591.41 JENKINS
		Steve Jenkins
		Discusses and gives examples of the size and weight of various animals and parts of animals.
	An Egg Is Quiet		J591.468 ASTON
		Dianna Aston
		Introduces readers to more than 60 types of eggs and an array of egg facts.
	Elephants Can Paint, Too!		J599.67 ARNOLD
		Katya Arnold
		Learn about elephants and how they can paint just like human children in this true story of how Katya Arnold teaches painting to kids in Brooklyn and Asian elephants in Thailand
	The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses		J612.8 COLE
		Joanna Cole
		Ms. Frizzle and her class explore the senses by traveling on the magic school bus in and out of an eye, ear, mouth, nose, and other parts of both human and animal bodies.
	Take Me out of the Bathtub		J782.42164 KATZ
		Alan Katz
		Well-known songs, including "Oh Susannah" and "Row Row Row Your Boat," are presented with new words and titles, such as "I'm So Carsick" and "Go Go Go to Bed."
	Teammates		J796.357 GOLENBOCK
		Peter Golenbock
		Describes the racial prejudice experienced by Jackie Robinson when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first black player in Major League baseball and depicts the acceptance and support he received from his white teammate Pee Wee Reese.
	Science Verse		J811 SCIESZKA
		Jon Scieszka
		When the teacher tells his class that they can hear the poetry of science in everything, a student is struck with a curse and begins hearing nothing but science verses that sound very much like some well-known poems.
	Harvesting Hope the Story of Cesar Chavez		JB CHAVEZ, C.
		Kathleen Krull
		A biography of Cesar Chavez, from age ten when he and his family lived happily on their Arizona ranch, to age thirty-eight when he led a peaceful protest against California migrant workers' miserable working conditions.
	Things Will Never Be the Same		JB DE PAOLA, T.
		Tomie dePaola
		Author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences at home and in school in 1941 when he was a boy.
	George Washington's Teeth		JB WASHINGTON, G.
		Deborah Chandra
		A rollicking rhyme portrays George Washington's lifelong struggle with bad teeth. A timeline taken from diary entries and other nonfiction sources follows.
	My Brother, Ant		JE BYARS, B.
		Betsy Byars
		In four separate stories, Ant's older brother gets rid of the monster under Ant's bed, forgives Ant for drawing on his homework, tries to read a story, and helps Ant writes a letter to Santa.
	Frog and Toad All Year		JE LOBEL, A.
		Arnold Lobel
	Get Well, Good Knight		JE THOMAS, S.
		Shelley Moore Thomas
		A Good Knight helps three little dragons who are in bed with a cold by making soups.
	Milo's Hat Trick		JPB AGEE, J.
		Jon Agee
		In the busy city, there are lots of people with hats. But there is only one guy with a bear in his hat. That's Milo. The Magician.
	I Lost My Tooth in Africa		JPB DIAKITE, P.
		Penda Diakité
		While visiting her father's family in Mali, a young girl loses a tooth, places it under a calabash, and receives a hen and a rooster from the African Tooth Fairy.
	Minnie's Diner a Multiplying Menu		JPB DODDS, D.
		Dayle Ann Dodds
		Rhyming tale of five boys and their father who forget about their chores on the farm to enjoy Minnie's good cooking, each requesting double what the previous one ordered.