Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
Don't forget these resources for digital books:
ABDO Publishing- Great nonfiction titles! Elementary (Grades PreK-6): abdodigital.com/?tk=414F33301B8E136DEE3F0A93BF1795E1 Username: ABDO Elementary, Password: 2020
LibriVox - audiobook public domain classics. https://librivox.org/
Overdrive - available with your Ringwood Public Library card https://www.ringwoodlibrary.org
TumbleBooks - TumbleBookLibrary - K-6 children's ebook database Direct Link: https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/auto_login.aspx?U=tumble735&P=books Username: tumble735 Password: books TumbleMath - K-6 math ebook database Direct Link: https://www.tumblemath.com/autologin.aspx?U=tumble2020&P=A3b5c6 Username: tumble2020 Password: A3b5c6
Some Great Reads for Third Graders
Suggested Authors and Series… with reading levels Angleberger, Tom Origami Yoda series 4.6 – 4.9 Adler, David Cam Jansen Mysteries, 2.5 – 3.9 Arnold, Tedd Fly Guy series 1.4 – 3.8 Bently, Sue Magic Kitten 3.6 – 4.2 *Blabley, Aaron Bad Guys 2.3 - 2.7 Brown, Monica Lola Levine 3.7 – 4.1; F&P – M-P Cleary, Beverly Ramona (and others), 4.8 – 5.6 Chabert, Jack Eerie Elementary, 3.3 - 3.6; F&P – O-P Cronin, Doreen Chicken Squad 3.1 – 4.2; F&P - N Dahl, Roald James And The Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda (and others) (fantasy), 3.1 – 5.9 DiCamillo, Kate Tales from Deckawoo Drive (3.7 – 3.8) Danzinger, Paula Amber Brown 2.7 – 4.1 Elliot, Rebecca Owl Diaries 2.7-3.1; F&P - M Gutman, Dan My Weird School series, 3.3 – 4.4, My Weirder School, 3.4 - 4.0 Hale, Bruce Chet Gecko (mysteries), 3.4 – 4.0 King-Smith, Dick Babe The Gallant Pig, The Twin Giants, 5.6, 4.1 Le Guin, Ursula Catwings (fantasy), 4.3 Look, Lenore Alvin Ho, 3.6 – 3.8 McDonald, Megan Judy Moody, 2.7 – 3.6
* Author or book added to the reading list in 2020 1
Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
Osborne, Mary Pope Magic Tree House, Magic Tree House Companion, Tales of the Odessy (fantasy) 2.6 – 5.2 Park, Barbara Junie B. Jones, 2.6 – 3.1 Pilkey, Dav Captain Underpants (humor), Dog Man 4.3 – 5.3 Sachar, Louis Marvin Redpost, Wayside School (humor), 2.8 – 3.6 Schwartz, Alvin Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark, More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, Scary Stories 3, 4.1 – 4.7 Scieszka, Jon Math Curse, The Stinky Cheeseman, Time Warp Trio 2.4 – 3.8 Silverstein, Shel A Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, My Dog May Be a Genius (poetry) 2.3 – 3.8 Stine, R. L. Goosebumps (horror), 3.0 – 3.6 Tarshis, Lauren I Survived 3.8 - 5.1 West, Tracy Dragon Masters 3.1 – 3.5 White, E. B. Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, The Trumpet Of The Swan, 4.0 – 6.0
Adventure and Survival Commander Toad and the Planet of the Grapes Jane Yolen In search of new worlds to explore, Commander Toad and his crew land their space ship "Star Warts" on the strange Planet of the Grapes. (series) 3.0 – 3.9
Courage of Sarah Noble, The Alice Dalgiesh An eight-year-old girl finds courage to go alone with her father to build a new home in the Connecticut wilderness, and to stay with the Indians when her father goes back to bring the rest of the family. 3.9
Door in the Wall, The: A Story of Medieval London Marguerite De Angeli A crippled boy in fourteenth-century England proves his courage and earns recognition from the King. 6.2
Quest Aaron Becker Two children are swept up in an imaginative quest to save the king and his realm from dark forces when the king emerges from a magical door at the park and presses a map and strange objects into their hands before being captured and disappearing. (wordless – no AR, sequel to Journey)
Sophia Scott Goes South Alison Lester From Australia to the South Pole, Sophia recounts the adventure of a lifetime. 4.7
*Survival Tails: The Titanic Katrina Charman When loyal dog Mutt discovers that his owner and best friend Alice is set to board the RMS Titanic without him, he is determined to follow her across the ocean. 5.9
Whipping Boy, The Sid Fleischman A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws. 3.9
* Author or book added to the reading list in 2020 2
Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
Animal Stories Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti Gerald McDermott (Folklore) Anansi is uncertain which of his six sons deserves credit for saving his life, and his actions place the moon in the sky. 2.8
Anansi and the Magic Stick Eric Kimmel (Folklore) For fans of Anansi and the moss-covered rock, this tale from the Ashanti is another of the spider and his tricks. 2.4
Aunt Eater Loves a Mystery Doug Cushman This mystery story lover sees mysteries all around her. 2.4
Arthur Lost in the Museum (Step into Reading series) Marc Brown Arthur goes with his class on a field trip to the museum but takes a wrong turn away from the group. 2.3
Babe: A Gallant Pig Dick King-Smith A piglet destined for eventual butchering arrives at the farmyard, is adopted by an old sheep dog, and discovers a special secret to success. 5.6
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain Alice Dalgiesh Jonathan proves that bears really do exist on the mountain. 3.5
Because of Winn-Dixie Kate DiCamillo Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie. 3.9
Cat Who Went to Heaven, The Elizabeth Coatsworth A cat lives with a Japanese artist and brings him good fortune. 5.9
Fantastic Mr. Fox Ronald Dahl A clever fox outwits a trio of farmers. 4.1
Infamous Ratsos Kara Lareau Rat brothers Louie and Ralphie Ratso try to prove they can be as rough and tough as their father in the Big City, but every time they try to show how tough they are, they end up accidentally doing good deeds instead. 3.5
Mr. Popper’s Penguins Richard Atwater Twelve penguins join the Popper family. 5.6
*The One and Only Bob Katherine Applegate Bob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby. As a hurricane approaches and time is running out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family. (A sequel to The One and Only Ivan)
* Author or book added to the reading list in 2020 3
Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
Poppy Avi A courageous girl mouse embarks on an exciting journey to save her family and defeat the tyrannical horned owl who rules the forest. 4.5
Ralph S. Mouse Beverly Cleary Presents the further adventures of a motorcycle-riding mouse who goes to school and becomes the instigator of an investigation of rodents and the peacemaker for two lonely boys. 5.1
Rats on the Roof James Marshall An illustrated collection of seven stories about various animals, including a frog with magnificent legs, a hungry brontosaurus, and a mouse who gets married. 3.7
Shiloh Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Eleven year old Marty Preston finds a puppy he fears is abused. 4.4
Spunky Tells All Ann Cameron Called a troublemaker by his human family, a reflective dog defends himself and then relates the family's adoption of an aristocratic but incompetent cat who gives him a life purpose and new way of looking at his world. 3.7
Watchdog and the Coyotes Bill Wallace On probation because of some past owner problems, this great dane doesn’t want to bark or bite. But what can he do when a burglar visits, and then the coyotes come to call. 3.7
Who’s In Rabbit’s House Verna Aardema (Folklore) Retelling of the Masai tale of Rabbit’s attempt to get back into her house. 2.8
Fantasy and Folklore Catwings Ursula K. Le Guin Four young cats with wings search for a safe place to live. 4.3
Doll People, The Ann M. Martin A family of porcelain dolls that has lived in the same house for one hundred years is taken aback when a new family of plastic dolls arrives and doesn't follow The Doll Code of Honor. 4.0
The Girl Who Drank the Moon Kelly Regan Barnhill An epic fantasy about a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, who must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her. 4.8
Goblin Secrets William Alexander Hoping to find his lost brother, Rownie escapes the home of the witch Graba and joins a troupe of goblins who perform in Zombay, a city where humans are forbidden to wear masks and act in plays. 4.9
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Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
Happily Ever After Anna Quindlen When a girl who loves to read fairy tales is transported back to medieval times, she finds that the life of a princess in a castle is less fun than she imagined. 5.4
Infinity Ring Series Various Authors Time has gone wrong, and friends use the infinity ring to travel back in time and correct history. 4.4 – 6.4
Land of Stories (series) 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. 5.0 – 5.9
Leave Me Alone Vera Brosgol Grandmother wants so badly to be left alone to finish the knitting for her grandchildren that she leaves her tiny home and her big family to journey to the moon and beyond to find peace and quiet. 2.9
King's Equal, The Katherine Paterson In order to wear the crown of the kingdom, an arrogant young prince must find an equal in his bride. Instead, he finds someone far better than he. 5.2
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane 4.4 Kate DiCamillo, also The Tale of Despereaux, 4.7, The Magician’s Elephant, 5.0 and other titles by the Newberry-award winning author
Monster's Ring, The Bruce Coville A timid boy, eager to frighten the school bully on Halloween night, acquires a magic ring and the power to change himself into a hideous monster. 3.9
My Father's Dragon Ruth Gannett A young boy determines to rescue a poor baby dragon who is being used by a group of lazy wild animals to ferry them across the river on Wild Island. 5.6
*Princess and the Pit Stop Tom Angleberger When a Princess learns from her Fairy Godmother that she is in last place in a car race against such fairy tale notables as Humpty Dumpty, the Three Bears, and Rumpelstiltskin, she boldly rebuffs defeat and steps on the gas. 2.8
The Princess Test Gail Carson Levine In this humorous retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea," Lorelei must pass many difficult tests in order to prove that she is a true princess and win the hand of Prince Nicholas. 4.0
* Author or book added to the reading list in 2020 5
Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
Seven Spiders Spinning Gregory Maguire Seven prehistoric spiders that had been trapped in ice for thousands of years bring excitement to rural Vermont and briefly unite two rival clubs at a local elementary school. 5.5
Wizard's Hall Jane Yolen A young apprentice wizard saves the wizard's training hall by trusting and believing in himself. 5.0 ( also Jane Yolen Young Merlin Trilogy and Tarten Magic Trilogy) 5.0
Funny Books Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things Lenore Look A young boy in Concord, Massachusetts, who loves superheroes and comes from a long line of brave Chinese farmer-warriors, wants to make friends, but first he must overcome his fear of everything. (series) 3.6 – 3.8
Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery Deborah Howe Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire. (series) 4.5
Mercy Watson to the Rescue 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. (series) 2.6 - 2.8
Shrunken Treasures Scott Nash Young readers are introduced to nine classic stories the author claims to have put in a "versizer" and shrunk to lively verse and humorous illustrations.
The Trolls Polly Horvath Eccentric Aunt Sally comes from Canada to baby-sit the Anderson children while their parents are on a trip to Paris and every night the bedtime story adds another piece to a very suspect family history. 5.4
(See also Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger, Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold, Captain Underpants or Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey, and the Wayside School series by Louis Sachar)
Ghost and Scary Stories Dark-Thirty, The: Southern Tales of the Supernatural. Patricia McKissack A collection of ghost stories with African American themes, designed to be told during the Dark Thirty--the half hour before sunset--when ghosts seem all too believable. 4.6
Doll in the Garden: A Ghost Story, The Mary Downing Hahn Ater Ashley and Kristi find an antique doll buried in old Miss Cooper's garden, they discover that they can enter a ghostly turn-of-the-century world by going through a hole in the hedge. 4.8
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Dying to Meet You (43 Old Cemetery Road #1) Kate Klise, M. Sarah Klise In this story told mostly through letters, children's book author I.B. Grumply gets more than he bargained for when he rents a quiet place to write for the summer. (series) 4.9
Earwig and the Witch Diana Wynne Jones, Marion Lindsay (Illustrator) Orphan Earwig has always enjoyed living at St. Morwald's, where she manages to make everyone do her bidding. But when she is taken in by foster parents who are actually a witch and a demon, she has a hard time trying to adapt. 4.7
Great Ghost Rescue, The Eva Ibbotsen A young English boy decides to establish a sanctuary for an assortment of ghosts when the homes they have haunted are replaced by highways and other modern "improvements." 5.8
Leo: A Ghost Story Mac Barnett Leo, a child ghost, leaves his home when its new occupants fear him. He soon meets Jane and discovers the wonder and o of a true friend. ut-paper collages capture eo’s emotional ourne . 2.9
Lucy Dove Janice Del Negro While sewing the laird's trousers by moonlight in a haunted churchyard in return for a sackful of gold, an aging seamstress outwits a terrible monster. 5.1
Piggie Pie Margie Palatini Gritch the witch flies to Old MacDonald's farm for some pigs to make a piggie pie, but when she arrives she can't find a single porker. 2.5
Precious and the Boo Hag Patricia McKissack Home alone with a stomachache while the family works in the fields, a young girl faces up to the horrifying Boo Hag that her brother warned her about. 3.7
Graphic Novels Babymouse Jennifer Holm The adventures of an imaginative mouse (series) 1.8 -2.6
Bean Dog and Nugget: The Ball Cherise Mericle Harper With their ball in the bush, Bean Dog and Nugget think of elaborate and silly ways to get it back. 1.6
Big Nate (series) Lincoln Pierce Comic strip style series follows the adventures of middle-school student Nate Wright. 2.3 – 2.8
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Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
*5 Worlds: Book 1, The Sand Warrior Mark Siegel The Five Worlds are on the brink of extinction unless five ancient and mysterious beacons are lit. When war erupts, three unlikel heroes will discover there’s more to themselves—and more to their worlds—than meets the eye. 3.0
Binky Space Cat Ashley Spires Binky is a space cat, at least in his own mind. He's a house cat that has never left the family "space station." Unlike other house cats, Binky has a mission: to blast off into outer space (outside) and explore unknown places (the backyard). 2.5 – 3.3
*CatStronauts: Mission Moon Drew Brockington When the world is thrust into darkness due to a global energy shortage, the Worlds Best Scientist comes up with a bold plan to set up a solar power plant on the moon. But someone has to go up there to set it up, and that adventure falls to the CatStronauts, the best space cats on the planet! 3.0
Fangbone: Third Grade Barbarian Michael Rex Not your typical third grade student, a barbarian joins the third grade at Eastwood Elementary. 2.2
Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible Ursula Vernon Harriet becomes an adventurer after learning she is cursed to fall into a deep sleep on her twelfth birthday. After two years of exploits with her riding quail, things go awry at home and she must seek a prince to set things right. 4.5 - 5.1
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy, Nathan Hale This graphic novel tells the history of the author's namesake, an officer and spy for the American rebels during the Revolutionary War, revealing facts about Nathan Hale's earlier days at Yale and his unlucky experiences as a military officer. (series) 2.7 – 3.8
Historical Fiction Molly's Pilgrim Barbara Cohen Told to make a Pilgrim doll for the Thanksgiving display at school, Molly is embarassed when her mother tries to help her out by creating a doll dressed as she herself was dressed before leaving Russia to seek religious freedom. 3.0
Titanicat Marty Crisp Every ship had a cat, and in this historical fiction picture book, the story of the Titanic's cat is told; but just where is the cat's luck during the Titanic's doomed voyage? 4.3
Courage of Sarah Noble, The Alice Dalgliesh Remembering her mother's words, an eight-year-old girl finds courage to go alone with her father to build a new home in the Connecticut wilderness and to stay with the Indians when her father goes back to bring the rest of the family. 3.9
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Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
Sarah, Plain and Tall Patricia MacLachlan When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay. 3.4
Baseball Saved Us Ken Mochizuki A Japanese American boy learns to play baseball when he and his family are forced to live in an internment camp during World War II, and his ability to play helps him after the war is over. 3.9
Seesaw Girl Linda Sue Park Impatient with the constraints put on her as an aristocratic girl living in Korea during the seventeenth century, twelve-year-old Jade Blossom determines to see beyond her small world. 5.7
Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride Pam Muñoz Ryan A fictionalized account of the night Amelia Earhart flew Eleanor Roosevelt over Washington, D.C. in an airplane. 4.2
*Abe Lincoln's Dream Lane Smith When a schoolgirl gets separated from her tour of the White House and finds herself in the Lincoln bedroom, she also discovers the ghost of the great man himself. 3.0
Mystery The Chicken Squad: The First Misadventure Doreen Cronin Dirt, Sweetie, Poppy, and Sugar, the chicks of the Chicken Squad, must figure out what Tail the squirrel is so afraid of. Book #1 of the series 3.3
*Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot (The Unicorn Rescue Society) Adam Gidwitz and Joseph Bruchac Among the towering fir trees of the Pacific Northwest, a famously elusive creature is in serious trouble. 4.6
Detective Gordon: The First Case Ulf Nilsson Squirrel’s nuts have been stolen! Never fear, a bulbous toad, Detective Gordon, and his new mouse assistant, Buffy, are on the case.
The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case Alexander McCall Smith Before becoming the first female private investigator in Botswana, eight-year-old Precious Ramotswe tracks down a thief who has been stealing her classmates' snacks. 4.5
Piggins. Jane Yolen During a dinner party, the lights go out and Mrs. Reynard's beautiful diamond necklace is stolen, but Piggins the butler quickly discovers the real thief. 3.1
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Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
(Also, see suggested series on the first page of this recommended reading list – Cam Jansen, A-Z mysteries, Chet Gecko and others)
School, Friends and Family Annie and Snowball and the Surprise Day Cynthia Rylant Annie and her pet rabbit, Snowball, go on a surprise road trip with dad. 2.1
Beautiful Moon: A Child's Prayer Tonya Bolden Under a radiant moon and surrounded by all the noises of the city at night, a little boy prays for those in need, for wars to end, for the sick to be healed, and for all the members of his family. 3.0
Blizzard John Rocco After a massive blizzard, a boy becomes a hero when he manages to walk to the local store and bring back supplies to his neighborhood, which has been snowed in for days. The story is based on the author's childhood experience. 3.0
Building Our House Jonathan Bean A young girl narrates her family's move from the city to the country, and the process of building their own house from the ground up. 3.8
Clementine Sara Pennypacker Third grade Clementine deals with school and friends. (series) 3.9 – 4.5 (*Also see Waylon! One Awesome Thing, Penn packer’s new series)
EllRay Jakes is Not a Chicken Sally Warner Eight-year-old EllRay's father has promised a family trip to Disneyland if EllRay can stay out of trouble for a week, but not defending himself against Jared, the class bully, proves to be a real challenge. (series) 4.4 - 4.8; F&P - P
Freckle Juice Judy Blume Andrew wants freckles so badly that he buys Sharon's freckle recipe for fifty cents. 3.1
*Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story Kevin Noble Maillard From shape to smell, readers learn how shared traditions of fry bread transcend land, tribal nations, and time.
I Was a Third Grade Science Project Mary Jane Auch Brian tries to hypnotize his dog for the science fair, and instead has his friend Josh thinking he is a cat. 3.7
Last Stop on Market Street Matt de la Peña J’s ourne with his Nana is not ust a simple bus ride; it is a multi-sensory experience through which he discovers that beautiful music, nature, and people surround him. 3.3
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Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
A Piece of Home Jeri Hanel Watts Moving with his family from Korea to West Virginia, Hee Jun struggles to adjust to his new home. 3.6
My Weird School Daze Dan Gutman Humorous series about school and its teachers and students. 3.3 – 4.3
Thunder Boy Jr. Sherman Alexie Named after his father, Thunder Bo Jr. seeks a new name that’s all his own and celebrates something cool that he has done. 2.5
Weekends with Max and His Dad. Linda Urban. On weekends, third-grader Max visits his dad's new apartment and begins to adjust to his parents' divorce. 4.1
Science Fiction Anakin in Action Simon Beecroft Anakin Skywalker and comrades perform a daring rescue. 2.9
My Teacher is an Alien. Bruce Coville Susan Simmons and Peter Thompson must act fast to save their class from their substitute teacher who is an alien. 5.3
Galactic Crisis Star Wars The story of the Clone Wars, from the first battles to the dramatic events in Revenge of the Sith. 7.0 Sports Arthur and the Seventh Inning Stretch Stephen Krensky Binky refuses to join his teammates in pre-game warm-ups, until he injures himself while running the bases in a game. 3.3
Baseball Card Adventures Dan Gutman Joe can travel through time with baseball cards to meet sports legends. 4.1 – 4.3
The Million Dollar Shot Dan Gutman Eleven-year-old Eddie gets a chance to win a million dollars by sinking a foul shot at the National Basketball Association finals. (see other Gutman sports titles). 4.2
Peach Street Mudder, Soccer Cats, Sports Series Matt Christopher Sports series 3.6 – 5.0 hristopher’s fiction titles capture the excitement of each sport.
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Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
Non-Fiction *All in a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World Lori Alexander In the prosperous city of Delft, in seventeenth-century Netherlands, Antony van Leeuwenhoek was a cloth merchant. But even without formal scientific training, and possessing abundant curiosity and technical skill, Antony became instead interested in lenses and magnification. He went on to create the most advanced microscopes in the world, eventually amassing a collection of over five hundred, each affixed to an individual specimen. 5.8
The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors Chris Barton Brothers Bob and Joe Switzer had different interests and ambitions but worked together on the dazzling creation of fluorescent colors. 6.0
Coyote Moo Maria Gianferrari Striving to feed her pups, a coyote hunts in the moonlight until dawn. This strikingly illustrated, nonfiction offering holds many facts and celebrates this skilled predator. 2.4
DK Eyewitness Books Books about the earth, continents, oceans, mapping, communities, cities, immigration, desert, animals, etc. Leveled Readers
DK Readers – Different level readers with great photography: Lego adventures, Star Wars, etc.
The Fantastic Ferris Wheel: The Story of Inventor George Ferris Betsy Harvey Kraft The planners of the World's Fair in Chicago, 1893 wanted an attraction to wow the crowds. The accepted George Ferris’ design for the “observation tower” now known as the Ferris wheel. This title chronicles the invention of this engineering feat. 4.8
Feathers: Not Just for Flying Melissa Stewart Sixteen birds are highlighted in this introduction to the many uses of feathers. Informative sidebars underscore specific ways each bird uses its feathers for a variety of practical purposes. 5.1
Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems Paul B. Janeczko With thirty-six very short poems by authors including Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, and Charlotte Zolotow, this collection provides a celebration of the seasons, from spring's rains and shining buttercups to winter's wild wind and dust of snow. 4.5
Fly Guy Presents Tedd Arnold Buzz’s pet, Fl Gu , in non-fiction titles like Fly Guy Presents: Sharks 2.8 – 3.7
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Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
*Firefighters’ Handbook Meghan McCarthy Friendly, direct-address text covers firefighter training (our first in-the-know terminology comes on the second spread, with preparations for the CPAT—that’s andidate Ph sical Ability Test); detailed information about the many types of equipment and their uses; daily tasks; helpful skills to have or cultivate. 4.5
Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey Loree Griffin Burns Photographs and text show how butterflies are raised through each stage of their life cycle on a butterfly farm and find out how they make it to their new homes. 4.9
*In the Woods David Elliott Elliott captures the essence of a habitat and its creatures in poetry that manages to be both pithy and profound. Here fifteen poems, each on its own double-page spread, are devoted to animals of the forest.
*Liberty Arrives!: How America’s Grandest Statue Found Her Home Robert Byrd B rd approaches his topic as s stematicall and artisticall as did the Statue of ibert ’s sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, carefully detailing the whos, whats, wheres, whens, wh s, and hows behind the statue’s inception and throughout its construction, installation, and beyond. 6.1
Lizards, Butterflies and Moths, Spiders, Frogs Nic Bishop Any title by Nic Bishop is sure to fascinate. Great photography! 2.9 – 5.4
Look to the Stars Buzz Aldrin The flight to the moon told by the astronaut. 7.2
Magic Tree House Non-fiction Companions Jack and Annie track the facts in these companions to the Magic Tree house fiction titles. 4.2 – 5.8
*Moth: An Evolution Story Isabel Thomas In a shadowy (pre-industrial) wood, a peppered moth — its “speckled, freckled” wing patterns wonderfull detailed in Egnéus’s gorgeous mixed-media illustrations — emerges from its cocoon and joins other members of its species as they attempt to survive the bats and birds trying to eat them. Every once in a while, an all-black moth emerges. Prominently visible against pale tree branches, it stands out among the speckled and freckled moths and is quickly eaten. But then things change: during nineteenth-century industrialization, soot fills the air — and now it’s the black moths that are hidden, and the lighter-color ones that are easily targeted. 3.4
North: The Amazing Story of Arctic Migration Nick Dowson This book follows animals such as gray whales, terns, wolves and caribou as they journey north to the Arctic where they will join the polar bear, arctic hare, and fox to feed and breed all summer. 4.8
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Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember Steve Jenkins Cut paper illustrations highlight eighteen creatures whose weapons of teeth, claws, spines, and venom make them dangerous to humans. The text explains what you should never do if you encounter one of these animals. 6.3 Other Jenkins titles: Actual Size 2.8, What Do You Do With A Tail Like This? 3.0, How Animals See the World 5.7, Flying Frogs and Walking Fish: Leaping Lemurs, Tumbling Toads, Jet-Propelled Jellyfish, and More Surprising Ways That Animals Move
On the Wing David Elliott This collection of illustrated children's poems explore a glorious array of all things avian, from the tiny, restless hummingbird to the inscrutable horned owl to the majestic bald eagle. 3.0
Owls! Strange and Wonderful Laurence Pringle and Meryl Henderson Another in the informative Strange and Wonderful series, this title gives clear and concise details about this marvelous creature.
*A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation Barry Wittenstein This picture book takes readers behind the scenes of the writing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. On the night before, with the speech not yet finished, King and nine advisors gathered in the lobby of the Willard Hotel to brainstorm ideas. 5.6
*Pluto Gets the Call Adam Rex Rex and Keller dramatize Pluto’s demotion to dwarf planet status in this smart and playful offering of informational comedy. 2.7
Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes Nicola Davies In this intriguing introduction to the world of microbes, readers find out how the smallest things on the planet do some of the biggest jobs. 4.7
True Books – Ice Hockey Christin Ditchfield 5.3 There are many titles in this non-fiction series, with various authors and AR levels.
Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems Bob Raczka Concrete poems are shaped in clever ways, incorporating riddle and visual wordplay.
Biographies 26 Fairmount Avenue Tommie DePaola Autobiograph of the children’s book author . (series) 4.4
Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean Sarah Stewart Taylor First woman to fly solo over the Atlantic 3.7
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I’ve Seen the Promised Land Walter Dean Myers Martin Luther King Jr. 5.8
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein Jennifer Berne Whimsical illustrations capture the untraditional imagination of one of the greatest minds of modern time, Albert Einstein. 4.5
A Picture Book of... David Adler Great biographies on many famous people. 3.2 - 5.2
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat Javaka Steptoe Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon, unlike anything the art world had ever seen. 4.7
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus Jen Bryant "If only all the ideas in the world could be found in one place." With this in mind, chronic list-maker Peter Mark Roget wrote his THESAURUS, first published in 1852. 4.1
Sadako Eleanor Coerr Hospitalized with the atom bomb disease, leukemia, a Hiroshima girl races against time to fold one thousand paper cranes to verify the legend that by doing so a sick person will become healthy. 3.8
Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows Up in the Bronx Jonah Winter Supreme Court Justice 5.0
Teammates Peter Golenbock Jackie Robinson baseball player 5.4
To Fly, The Story of the Wright Brothers Wendie C. Old Inventors of the airplane 5.4
When Marion Sang Pam Munoz Ryan Marian Anderson, African-American opera singer 5.2
A Wizard from the Start: The Incredible Boyhood and Amazing Inventions of Thomas Edison Don Brown Young Thomas Edison was a hard worker who was curious about everything, read a lot of books, studied diligently for years, and was passionate about inventing. 5.4
You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! Jonah Winter Sandy Koufax, a powerful left-handed pitcher for the New York Dodgers, was a practicing Jew who would not play baseball on High Holy days, and a mystery man who quit baseball after the best season of his career. 4.5 *You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?! - another in the award- winning series of baseball players
* Author or book added to the reading list in 2020 15
Third Grade Summer Reading List 2020
When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson Pam Munoz Ryan A picture book biograpy of Marian Anderson singing at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, an historic concert that drew an integrated audience of over 75,000. 5.2
Who Was...? Series, various authors Biographies of Babe Ruth, Julius Ceasar, Genghis Khan, Gandhi and many others. 4.2 – 5.9
* Author or book added to the reading list in 2020 16