Grades k-1

Alphin, Elaine Marie. A Bear for Miguel.
A girl in El Salvador makes a special gift for her family.

Coxe, Molly. Cat Traps.
Cat catches only yucky things in his trap.

Kvasnosky, Laura McGee. Zelda and Ivy. *
Why do sisters always get you into trouble?

Maestro, Marco. What Do You Hear When Cows Sing?
Silly riddles

Marshall, James. Fox Outfoxed. *
Fox is smart, but not that smart.

Mozelle, Shirley. Zack's Alligator. *
If you soak the keychain in water it becomes a full-sized alligator!

Novak, Matt. Newt.
What good is a bug with 20 sad eyes that is not beautiful, strong, or talented?

Robins, Joan. Addie Runs Away. *
Addie runs away, but Max follows her, even though he's wearing pajamas.

Skofield, James. Detective Dinosaur. *
Tough cases for Detective Dinosaur and Officer Pterodactyl to solve.

Smith, Janice Lee. Wizard and Wart at Sea. *
Sometimes you make problems worse by using magic to solve them.

Stadler, John. Ready, Set, Go!
Sasha may be small, but she sure is mighty!

Van Leeuwen, Jean. Amanda Pig, Schoolgirl. *
Amanda has been waiting her whole life to go to school.

Grades 2-3

Byars, Betsy. Tornado.
One way to wait out a tornado is to tell funny stories, especially about a dog named Tornado.

Coerr, Eleanor. Chang's Paper Pony.
In the time of the California Gold Rush, a boy named Chang longs for a pony.

Cole, Joanna. The Gator Girls.
The worst thing of all is when your best friend goes away to summer camp without you.

Cosby, Bill. My Big Lie. *
Little Bill gets in big trouble for telling a lie.

Johnston, Tony. The Cowboy and The Black-Eyed Pea.
A Wild West version of “The Princess and the Pea.”

Lauber, Patricia. Who Eats What? Food Chains and Food Webs.
What does a spider have to do with you?

O'Connor, Jane. Lulu Goes to Witch School. *
Lulu loves witch school and her teacher Miss Slime, but she doesn't like Sandy Witch who is best at everything.

Ostrow, Vivian. My Brother is From Outer Space (The Book of Proof).
Alex has plenty of proof that Weird William is an 800-year-old alien.

San Souci, Robert. Cendrillon.
A Cinderella tale with Caribbean rhythms.

Schwartz, Alvin. Ghosts! Ghostly Tales from Folklore.
Stories to make you shiver and quiver.

Schwartz, David. How Much is a Million?
How to count way past ten!

Sharmat, Marjorie. Nate the Great. *
Nate the Great, junior detective, searches for a missing painting.

Soto, Gary. Chato's Kitchen.
Will Chato the cat's fajitas, frijoles, and enchiladas lure the ratoncitos to his house?

Grades 3-4

Cameron, Ann. Stories Julian Tells. *
Julian, that quick fibber and wishful thinker, makes his brother believe almost anything.

Catling, Patrick. The Chocolate Touch.
What if everything that touched your lips turned to chocolate?

Christopher, Matt. The Dog that Pitched A No-Hitter. *
Mike's telepathic dog sends him signals on the pitcher's mound.

Cleary, Beverly. Ramona’s World. *
Ramona thinks 4th grade will be the best year ever.

Dorris, Michael. Sees Behind Trees.
A Native American boy is asked to help an old warrior do the impossible.

Florian, Douglas. Insectlopedia.
Paintings and poems bring these insects to life.

Heide, Florence Parry. Sami and The Time of The Troubles.
For Sami, who is ten and lives in Beirut, war is part of everyday life.

Jackson, Donna. The Bone Detectives.
They solve crimes and uncover mysteries of the dead.

Marshall, James. Rats On The Roof and Other Stories.
Seven goofy animal stories, with fun illustrations to match.

Martin, Rafe. The Rough-Face Girl.
A Cinderella story from the Algonquin nation.

Pilkey, Dav. The Adventures of Captain Underpants.
The world’s meanest principal is hypnotized into thinking he is a Superhero, Captain Underpants.

Pinkney, Andrea. Bill Pickett, Rodeo-Ridin' Cowboy.
The true story of a fearless African American who wrestled steers--the greatest sweat-and-dirt cowhand ever.

Porter, Connie. Addy Learns A Lesson: A School Story. *
Addy and her mother, fugitive slaves, arrive in Philadelphia, where Addy learns about true friendship.

Reneaux, J. J. Why Alligator Hates Dog.
Alligator is king of the swamps, so he doesn't like it when dog tricks him.

Schroeder, Alan. Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman.
The true story of Minty, a slave who dreams of escape in the 1820's.

Scieszka, Jon. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.
Very silly versions of “The Gingerbread Man” and other favorite stories.

Wells, Rosemary. Mary on Horseback.
Adventures of a real nurse who spent her life helping poor people in the mountains.

Grades 5-6

Alexander, Lloyd. The Arkadians.
Adventures of a young man, a poet-turned-jackass, and a girl with mystical powers.

Cameron, Ann. The Kidnapped Prince.
The true story of a young African Prince who was sold into slavery and later freed.

Choi, Sook Nyul. The Year of Impossible Goodbyes.
The harrowing experiences of a Korean girl during World War II.

Dorris, Michael. Morning Girl.
Here's what it was like to be a Taino Indian girl with a troublesome little brother, in 1492.

Hesse, Karen. The Music of Dolphins.
Researchers teach human ways to a girl raised by dolphins, but Mila discovers that people lie.

King-Smith, Dick. Three Terrible Trins.
Will they avenge their father’s death?

Lester, Helen. Author: A True Story.
The funny true story of how a children's author finally succeeded.

Lowry, Lois. Anastasia at this Address. *
Anastasia runs into embarrassing problems when she answers an ad in the newspaper.

Murphy, Jim. The Boys' War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About The Civil War.
Real stories of real boys who went to war.

Myers, Walter Dean. Scorpions.
12-year-old Jamal must make tough decisions about guns, gangs, and friendship in Harlem.

Paterson, Katherine. The Great Gilly Hopkins.
Gilly is her usual obnoxious self when she arrives at her latest foster home.

Paulsen, Gary. The Voyage of The Frog.
A teenage boy struggles to survive alone at sea after his boat drifts off course.

Peck, Richard. A Long Way from Chicago.
Bodies in the parlor, tricking the sheriff... vacations are never dull with this Grandma!

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. *
Harry has a great destiny if he can survive life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Soto, Gary. Neighborhood Odes.
Poems about the lives of Latino boys and girls.

Staples, Suzanne. Shabanu.
An 11-year-old Pakistani girl faces an arranged marriage to a much older man.

Trumble, Kelly. Cat Mummies.
Fascinating facts about ancient Egyptians and how they preserved the bodies of dead cats.

Wardlaw, Lee. 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents.
#1 Give them the silent treatment. #11 Don't flush. What are your ideas?

Viorst, Judith. Sad Underwear and Other Complications.
Funny poems.

* - Part of a great series by this author.