Recommended Summer Reading (Grades 2-3)

  • Alvin Ho series

    by Leonore Look Year Published:

    Here's the first book in the beloved and hilarious Alvin Ho chapter book series, which has been compared to Diary of a Wimpy Kid and is perfect for both beginning and reluctant readers.

    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 he’s a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, a brother to Calvin and Anibelly, and a gentleman-in-training, so he can be just like his dad.

    From Lenore Look and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham comes a drop-dead-funny and touching series with a truly unforgettable character.

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  • Anna Hibiscus Series

    by Atinuke Year Published:

    Anna Hibiscus lives in amazing Africa with her mother, her father, her baby twin brothers, and lots and lots of her family. Join her as she splashes in the sea, prepares for a party, sells oranges, and hopes to see sweet, sweet snow.

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  • Baby Mouse series

    by Jennifer Holm Year Published:

    With multiple Children's Choice Awards and over 1.8 million books sold, kids, parents, and teachers agree that Babymouse is perfect for fans of Junie B. Jones, Ivy and Bean, Bad Kitty, and Dork Diaries!

    Meet Babymouse—Her dreams are big! Her imagination is wild! Her whiskers are ALWAYS a mess! In her mind, she's Queen of the World! In real life…she's not even Queen of the lunch table.

    NEW YORK TIMES bestselling, three-time Newbery Honor winning author Jennifer Holm teams up with Matthew Holm to bring you a fully illustrated graphic novel series packed with humor and kid appeal—BABYMOUSE! It's the same thing every day for Babymouse. Where is the glamour? The excitement? The fame?!? Nothing ever changes, until…Babymouse hears about Felicia Furrypaws's exclusive slumber party. Will Babymouse get invited? Will her best friend, Wilson, forgive her if she misses their monster movie marathon? Find out in Babymouse #1: Queen of the World! All new BABYMOUSE

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  • Clementine series

    by Sara Pennypacker Year Published:

    Clementine is having not so good of a week.
    On Monday she's sent to the principal's office for cutting off Margaret's hair.
    Tuesday, Margaret's mother is mad at her.
    Wednesday, she's sent to the principal again.
    Thursday, Margaret stops speaking to her.
    Friday starts with yucky eggs and gets worse.
    And by Saturday, even her mother is mad at her.
    Okay, fine. Clementine is having a DISASTROUS week.

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  • George Brown series

    by Nancy Krulik Year Published:

    The first day at a new school is always the hardest, right? No, not always as George finds out the hard way. On the second day at…Sugarman Elementary School, he is suddenly seized by uncontrollable burps, burps so loud they practically break the sound barrier, burps that make him do wild and crazy stuff and land him in trouble with a capital T. One thing is for sure: these are not normal burps, they are magic burps—and they must be stopped! But how?

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  • Geronimo Stilton series

    by Geronimo Stilton Year Published:

    Each Geronimo Stilton book is fast-paced, with lively full-color art and a unique format kids 7-10 will love.

    My cousin Trap was entering the Super Chef Contest, which determines the best cook on Mouse Island -- and he was bringing me along as an assistant! Slimy Swiss cheese, I don't know the first thing about cooking fancy dishes . . . and I didn't think Trap did, either. What an appetizing adventure!

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  • I Survived series

    by Lauren Tarshis Year Published:

    The next book in the New York Times bestselling I Survived series will place readers right in the middle of the deadly Joplin Tornado of 2011.

    The 2011 Joplin tornado was a catastrophic tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri in 2011. It was part of a larger tornado outbreak in the spring of that year and reached a maximum width of nearly 1 mile during its path through the southern part of the city, killing 158 people, injuring over 1,000 and caused damages amounting to a total of $2.8 billion, making it the costliest single tornado in U.S. history. Lauren will bring her signature intensity to this distinctly American natural disaster, placing a young boy in the middle of one of the deadliest tornado to strike the United States since 1947.

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  • Ivy and Bean series

    by Annie Barrows Year Published:

    The moment they saw each other, Bean and Ivy knew they wouldn't be friends. But when Bean plays a joke on her sister, Nancy, and has to hidequickIvy comes to the rescue, proving that sometimes the best of friends are people never meant to like each other. Vibrant characters and lots of humor make this a charmingand addictiveintroduction to Ivy and Bean.

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  • Katie Kazoo series

    by Nancy Krulik Year Published:

    Katie Carew, nicknamed Katie Kazoo by the class bully, had no idea what would happen when she wished that she could be anyone but herself. But now her wish has come true, and-switcheroo!-she keeps turning into other people and even animals! What is one ordinary third-grade girl with a really extraordinary problem to do? It's a good thing Katie is resourceful and smart enough to find a solution for every problem . . . no matter how much of a disaster she causes!

    Katie can't stand George, the class bully. He constantly picks on everyone, but he really torments Katie. One day, she can't stand it anymore, and she wishes she could be anyone but herself. What she doesn't see is the shooting star that flashes through the sky at that moment . . . catapulting Katie into a crazy series of adventures, starting the next day when she turns into the class hamster! Will she be trapped in a glass cage forever? Will she ever be a girl again?

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  • Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

    by John Steptoe Year Published:

    This is the tale of Mufaro's two daughters, two beautiful girls who react in different ways to the king's search for a wife - one is aggressive and selfish, the other kind and dignified. The king takes on disguises to learn the true nature of both girls and of course chooses Nyasha, the kind and generous daughter, to be his queen.

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  • Nikki and Deja series

    by Karen Englilsh Year Published:

    Meet Nikki and Deja, who live next door to each other and are best friends. They do everything together—watch Saturday morning cartoons, play jacks, jump double Dutch at recess, and help each other with their homework for Mrs. Shelby's third-grade class. But when an arrogant new girl arrives and Nikki and Deja form a club that would exclude her, the results are not what they expect. This warm, easy-to-read chapter book from an award-winning author captures all the joys and complexities of elementary school life—particularly friendships and cliques—with finesse and humor.

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  • Sassy series

    by Sharon M. Draper Year Published:

    Sassy finds her school uniform boring, and she loves shopping at the mall, dressing up, and eating out at fancy places. As the youngest in her African American family, she hates being called Little Sister, but it is hard to get her busy parents to hear her. In fact, she feels pretty invisible at home, except when her beloved Grammy, who first turned her on to reading, comes to visit and performs as a professional storyteller in Sassy’s school. Draper is an award-winning teacher and writer, and the classroom scenes, including the teacher’s mistakes, are as much fun as the family uproar. Told in Sassy’s lively voice, this first title in the new Sassy series is more than a situation, and in the story’s dramatic climax, it is the smallest kid who saves the day.

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  • Super Amoeba series

    by Jennifer Holm Year Published:

    Introducing SQUISH—a new graphic novel series about a comic book-loving, twinkie-eating grade school AMOEBA trying to find his place in the world (or at least trying to make it through a school day). Inspired by his favorite comic book hero, SUPER AMOEBA!, Squish has to navigate school (bullies! detention! Principal Planaria!), family (dad: Hates to wear a tie. Secretly listens to heavy metal in the car), and friends (Peggy-rainbows! happy all the time! and Pod . . . who's . . . well, you just have to meet him). Can Squish save the world—and his friends—from the forces of evil lurking in the hallways? Find out in Squish: Super Amoeba—saving the world, one cell at a time!

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  • Time Warp Trio series

    by Jon Scieska Year Published:

    Everyone’s favorite time-travelers are changing their styles! The Time Warp Trio series now features a brand-new, eye-catching design, sure to appeal to longtime fans, and those new to Jon Scieszka’s wacky brand of humor.

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