3rd Grade

Summer Reading List

The following books are only suggestions, with varying reading levels appropriate to this age level to encourage our students to laugh, learn, and love reading. Feel free to browse other reading lists for more suggestions.

Emergency Quarters

By Carlos Matias

Ernesto has waited his whoooole life to become a niño grande. A big boy. Now he’s finally old enough to walk the six blocks to school without his parents. Every morning, his mom hands him a shiny new quarter and reminds him they’re for emergencies. If Ernesto needs her, she’s only a pay phone call away. But each day reveals a tempting new treat to enjoy with his friends: crisp packs of baseball cards, arcade games, hot tamales, and fresh juices! Ernesto has the coins jingling in his pocket, so how will he choose to spend them?

I'm Sorry You Got Mad

By Kyle Lukoff

After he hurts his friend Zoe's feelings, Jack discovers there's more to an apology than just saying "I'm sorry," in this engaging exploration of how an apology goes deeper than just words.

Henry, Like Always

By Jenn Bailey

Henry likes Classroom Ten. He likes how it is always the same. But this week, Henry's class will have a parade, and a parade means having Share Time on the wrong day. A parade means playing instruments that are too loud. A parade means this week is not like always. Join Henry as he navigates the ups and downs of marker missiles, stomach volcanoes, and days that feel a little too orange. This warmly funny book starring a child on the autism spectrum is a reassuring read for school-bound kids of all stripes.

Libby Loves Science: States of Matter

By Kimberly Derting

Libby and her classmates, including a new student, learn about the three states of matter when the ice cream for a welcome party melts, in this STEM-themed book that's perfect for aspiring scientists and newly independent readers.

The World According to Humphrey

By Betty G. Birney

Humphrey, pet hamster at Longfellow School, learns that he has an important role to play in helping his classmates and teacher.

Dory Fantasmagory

By Abby Hanlon

Dory, the youngest in her family, is a girl with a very active imagination, and she spends the summer playing with her imaginary friend, pretending to be a dog, battling monsters, and generally driving her family nuts.

Amelia Bedelia Makes a Splash

By Herman Parish

Amelia Bedelia has big plans for her summer, until her mother insists she spend the summer at the same all-girls camp she attended when she was a girl. The camp is in disrepair and can’t compete with the high-tech computer camp across the lake. Still, Amelia Bedelia figures out how to make this summer the best one yet!

Aven Green Soccer Machine

By Dusti Bowling

When her friend Sujata joins the team, third-grade soccer star Aven Green learns the importance of being a team player after several false starts and sharing the spotlight.

Beach Paw
(Book #12 of the Good Dog Series)

By Cam Higgins

Bo is ready to get his paws into the soft sand at the beach! With his human family by his side and the refreshing waves, it’s looking like the ultimate day of fun in the sun. But when a lost pup wanders into Bo’s path, Bo quickly puts a hold on beach time to lend a helping paw.

Rachel Friedman Breaks the Rules

By Sarah Kapit

To meet her favorite gymnast, Rachel, a funny, peanut butter-loving Jewish girl, must follow all the rules for a whole week but when a tricky situation calls for breaking the rules, she loses her chance to meet her hero and learns that some rules exist for a reason.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

By Roald Dahl

Three farmers, each one meaner than the other, try all-out warfare to get rid of the fox and his family.

Stella Diaz Has Something to Say

By Stella Diaz

Stella Diaz loves marine animals, especially her betta fish, Pancho. But Stella Diaz is not a betta fish. Betta fish like to be alone, while Stella loves spending time with her mom and brother and her best friend Jenny. Trouble is, Jenny is in another class this year, and Stella feels very lonely.

The 13-Story Treehouse
(Book # 1 of the TreeHouse Series)

By Andy Griffiths

Andy and Terry live in a treehouse. But it's not just any old treehouse, it's the most amazing treehouse in the world!
This treehouse has thirteen stories, a bowling alley, a see-through swimming pool, a secret underground laboratory, and a marshmallow machine that follows you around and automatically shoots marshmallows into your mouth whenever you are hungry.

Life would be perfect for Andy and Terry if it wasn't for the fact that they have to write their next book, which is almost impossible because there are just so many distractions, including thirteen flying cats, giant bananas, mermaids, a sea monsters pretending to be mermaids, enormous gorillas, and dangerous burp gas-bubblegum bubbles!

J.D. and the Great Barber Battle

By J. Dillard

J.D. has a big problem--it's the night before the start of third grade and his mom has just given him his first and worst home haircut. When the steady stream of insults from the entire student body of Douglass Elementary becomes too much for J.D., he takes matters into his own hands and discovers that, unlike his mom, he's a genius with the clippers. His work makes him the talk of the town and brings him enough hair business to open a barbershop from his bedroom. But when Henry Jr., the owner of the only official local barbershop, realizes he's losing clients to J.D., he tries to shut him down for good. How do you find out who's the best barber in all of Meridian, Mississippi? With a GREAT BARBER BATTLE!

King of the Ice
(Miles Lewis Series)

By Kelly Starling Lyons

When his friend RJ bets that Miles will wipe out at the ice rink, he is determined to prove him wrong.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things

By Lenore Look

Alvin, an Asian American second grader, is afraid of everything—elevators, tunnels, girls, and, most of all, school. He’s so afraid of school that, while he’ s there, he never, ever, says a word. But at home, Alvin is a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, a brother to Calvin and Anibelly, and a gentleman-in-training, just like his dad. With the help of his family, can Alvin take on the outside world without letting his fears get the best of him?

Growing Home

By Beth Ferry

A motley crew of talkative plants, a curious spider, and a grumpy goldfish use their newfound magical abilities to defend their family from a greedy human.

Freckle Juice

By Judy Blume

More than anything in the world, Andrew Marcus wants freckles. His classmate Nicky has freckles—they cover his face, his ears, and the whole back of his neck. But when Andrew asks Nicky where he got them, Nicky just says he was born with them. Some help he is!

That’s when Sharon offers Andrew her secret freckle juice recipe—for fifty cents, she promises, Andrew can look just like Nicky. His freckleless days are over! He rushes home to whip up the concoction. Grape juice, vinegar, mustard…

But what starts out as a simple freckle juice recipe quickly turns into something disastrous. Andrew is still determined to get his freckles, and to show that pesky Sharon that she doesn’t know everything—and he has the perfect solution! Or does he?

The Wishing Spell
(Book #1 of The Land of Stories series)

By Chris Colfer

Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, twins, Alex and Conner, leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.

But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

By Liesl Shurtliff

Retells the story of a princess who escapes her wicked stepmother by hiding out in the home of seven dwarfs.

The Coldfire Curse (Graphic Novel)
(Book #1 of The Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly Series)

By Jordan Quinn

As the pampered pet dragon of the Prince of Wrenly, Ruskin has never known life beyond the walls of the palace. Until the day a young dragon from Crestwood comes to the palace to plead for help. An evil curse has been unleashed in Crestwood and threatens to destroy all of Wrenly. Ruskin has a choice to make: stay safe at home in the palace, or try to help save his kingdom. For Ruskin, there is no choice. He knows he has to try and help if he can.
What Ruskin and his new dragon friends don’t yet realize is that the curse was awoken for one reason only—to put Ruskin in harm’s way. The mission to reverse the curse is far more dangerous than anyone realizes…in fact, it’s seemingly impossible. Why is Ruskin the target of these shadowy forces? And how far is Ruskin willing to go to save his kingdom?

The Doughnut Kingdom (Graphic Novel)
(Book #1 of the Cucumber Quest Series)

By Gigi D. G.

The seven kingdoms of Dreamside need a legendary hero. Instead, they'll have to settle for Cucumber, a nerdy magician who just wants to go to school. As destiny would have it, he and his way more heroic sister, Almond, must now seek the Dream Sword, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Queen Cordelia’s Nightmare Knight.

The Tryout (Graphic Novel)

By Christina Soontornvat

As one of the only Asian Americans in her school, Christina confronts both well-meaning ignorance and cruel racism, but in middle school fitting in is important, which is why she and her best friend Megan are both excited and nervous to try out for the popular cheerleading squad.

Karen's Prize (Graphic Novel)
(Vol. 10 of the Baby-sitters Little Sister Series)

By Shauna J. Grant

Karen loves to spell words. She is very good at it, too. First, she wins the spelling bee in her class. Then Karen wins another spelling contest. And another... and another! Soon Karen might be the best junior speller in the state of Connecticut. She's even going to be on TV! Karen thinks that is so great. But her friends don't. They think Karen is a show-off!

Fall in Love With These Nonfiction Books

She Persisted in Science : Brilliant Women Who Made a Difference

By Chelsea Clinton

Engaging artwork accompanies inspiring text in this STEM-focused addition to the #1 New York times best-selling She Persisted series that introduces readers to women scientists who didn't listen to those who told them "no" and who used their smarts, skills and persistence to discover, invent, create, and explain.

Ducks Overboard!: A True Story of Plastic in Our Oceans

By Markus Motum

This true story of 28,000 plastic ducks that were spilled into the Pacific Ocean follows one of the ducks as it is washed away on an ocean current, providing a glimpse into current environmental issues and the state of our oceans.

Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei

By Anita Yasuda

This exhilarating picture book biography about the first woman to summit Mount Everest follows Junko Tabei who, despite many obstacles, climbed step by step to reach her goal and then took on a new challenge: protecting the wild spaces she loved for future generations.

How Sweet the Sound

By Kwame Alexander

A celebration of the history of Black music in America features artists including Miles Davis, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Beyonce and more in a book that includes back matter providing more context and history.

Build Your Reading Stamina With a Series!