Third-Grade Books, Easy Reading

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Average third-grade books may have 64 pages or more and have a fairly high proportion of multisyllabic words. Some words may not be in the students' listening vocabularies. Easy third-grade books include those written on a second-grade level. Challenging books are written on a fourth-grade level.

Fiction

Easy Reading

Reading Level: Grade 2 (Interest Level: Grade 3)

Alphin, Elaine Marie. A Bear for Miguel. HarperCollins, 1996, 64 pp. Because their papa is unable to work during the Civil War in El Salvador, the family must trade furniture and other items for food. Feeling sorry for a little boy who was hurt in the war, Maria traded her favorite bear to his parents in exchange for much needed food. Saddened by the loss of her bear, she takes comfort when she pictures the injured little boy having fun with the bear.

Bolognese, Don. Little Hawk's New Name. Scholastic, 1995, 48 pp. Little Hawk tames a wild horse who is swift and an excellent jumper. With the help of his horse, Little Hawk rescues his grandfather and earns a brave's name, "He-Who-Jumps-Over-Everyone."

*Bulla, Clyde Robert. The Chalk Box Kid. Random House, 1987, 57 pp. Unhappy because he didn't have any friends at school and he had to share his room with his Uncle Max, nine-year-old Gregory finds solace in drawing a garden in an abandoned chalk factory. When his talent is discovered, school becomes a happier place, and he makes friends with a fellow artist.

*Bunting, Eve. December. Harcourt, 1997, 28 pp. Down on their luck, a mother and her daughter spend Christmas Eve inside a box. Although the box is small, they make room for an elderly woman. In the middle of the night the daughter wakes up. The old woman is gone, but the daughter sees an angel outside. After that, the mother's and daughter's luck changes. They spend the next Christmas Eve in their own apartment.

Galbraith, Kathryn O. Roommates and Rachel. Macmillan, 1991,42 pp. Life changes when mom brings a new baby home. Now Mimi and Beth have to share a room so the baby can have a room of its own. And they're not getting as much attention as they used to. But when it comes time to bring something special to school, the girls ask their mom to bring their baby sister in. Having a baby sister, they decide, isn't so bad.

Osborne, Mary Pope. Afternoon on the Amazon. Random House, 1995, 67 pp. Jack and Annie have a magic tree house that transports them to the Amazon Rain Forest. To help save a friend who is under a spell, they have to obtain a mango. As they seek the mango, they encounter snakes, army ants, and crocodiles. Fortunately they are helped by monkeys. Part of Magic Tree House series. Could be a science tie-in: provides useful information about rain forests.