Third grade students should be encouraged to read not only abundantly, but also diversely. Third grade is one of the most important years for young readers as they continue to develop in fluency as well as comprehension. The greater opportunities these children are given to explore more challenging books, articles, and poetry, the better their skills overall for both fiction and nonfiction. Here are our recommended reading lists for 3rd graders in both fiction and non-fiction books as well as poetry.
3rd Grade Fiction Book Recommendations
Students should see an assortment of fiction. MathWizard recommends…
- Charlotte’s Web by EB White
- Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant
- Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
- The Borrowers by Mary Norton
- Judy Moody by Megan McDonald
- The Chocolate Touch by Margaret Davidson
- The Littles by John Peterson
- Ghosts Don’t Eat Potato Chips by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey
- Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
- Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3rd Grade Poetry Recommendations
Students should also see an assortment of poetry. MathWizard recommends…
- Where the Sidewalk Ends: The Poems and Drawings of Shel Silverstein by Shel Silverstein
- Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes by David Roessel and Arnold Rampersad
- Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl
- Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems by Marilyn Singer
- Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale by Verna Aardema
- Won-Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word by Bob Raczka
3rd Grade Non-Fiction Book Recommendations
Students should also see an assortment of nonfiction. MathWizard recommends…
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
- Earth from Above for Young Readers by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
- 51 High-Tech Practical Jokes for the Evil Genius by Brad Graham
- Balto: The Dog Who Saved Nome by Margaret Davidson
- If You Made a Million by David M Schwartz
- Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
- The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder by Mark Cassino
- Man on the Moon by Anastasia Suen
- Crystals by Louise Spilsbury
What have your students read this summer?
Author: Nicole Acevedo, Teacher Manager at MathWizard, Inc.
