Looking to get your 3rd grader into reading? These must reads are a perfect start. Hand-selected by our literacy specialist, each book offers valuable lessons, an entertaining story-line, and relatable characters.
WONDER by R. J. Palacio
Lexile Level: 790L
Genre: Friendship
Auggie wants to convince his classmates
that beyond his face he is just like them,
a normal ice-cream-eating, Xbox-playing kid.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
by Judy Blume
Lexile Level: 470L
Genre: Funny
Peter has had it up to here with his little
brother Fudge. How can he get his
parents to pay attention to him instead?
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Lexile Level: 830L
Genre: Funny
Nick Allen discovered how words are created
and decided to create the frindle- your average,
ordinary, everyday ballpoint pen- but soon his
plan has escalated out of control.
Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
Lexile Level: 560L
Genre: Funny
Andrew wants to know how Nicky got his freckles.
Sharon offers him her secret freckle juice recipe.
After mixing the ingredients together, Andrew finds
the most unexpected reaction.
The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
Lexile Level: 570L
Genre: Friendship
Ivan, an easygoing and artistic gorilla, has his life turned upside-down by Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family.
Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper
by Michael Reisman
Lexile Level: 690L
Genre: Science
Simon Bloom discovers the power of the laws of physics when he finds a book that lets him control them.
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Lexile Level: 930L
Genre: Friendship
Hiccup must choose a dragon hatchling to train so that he can learn to become a full-fledged member of his tribe.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Lexile Level: 780L
Genre: Science
Ender is a prodigy, and the only hope for the International Fleet’s fight against another bugger invasion. The only question is: How quickly can he be trained?
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate Dicamillo
Lexile Level: 670L
Genre: Friendship
Opal moves to Florida and befriends a dog, Winn-Dixie, who ends up teaching her a thing or two about making friends and forgiveness.
Magic Tree House; Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Lexile Level: 510L
Genre: Magic
Jack and Annie find a mysterious tree house that transports them to the Jurassic and have to get home before they go extinct.
The Princess Test by Gail Carson Levine
Lexile Level: 550L
Genre: Princess
Lorelei must pass all of the king’s ridiculous tests to be with her true love and prove that she is a true princess, despite being a blacksmith’s daughter.
Who Could That Be At This Hour?
by Lemony Snicket
Lexile Level: 870L
Genre: Spooky
Lemony must solve the mystery of Stain’d-by-the-Sea and the Bombinating Beast, but first he needs to ask the right questions.
A to Z Mysteries: The Absent Author by Ron Roy
Lexile Level: 510L
Genre: Spooky
Dink’s favorite author has agreed to come visit Dink’s town, but when the day arrives and Wallis Wallace is nowhere to be found, Dink begins to suspect that there is mischief afoot.