Atwater, Richard. Mr.
Popper’s Penguins. Little, Brown and Co., 1938. Reading
Level: 5.6
Mr. Popper, a painter and decorator, is presented with a penguin that
he names Captain Cook. The penguin changes the lives of the Popper
family. Features Robert Lawson illustrations.
Avi. Poppy.
Orchard
Books, 1995. Reading Level: 4.5
Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn
big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has
other ideas.
Banks, Lynne Reid. Indian
in the Cupboard. Doubleday, 1980. Reading Level: 4.6
A nine-year-old boy receives a plastic Indian, a cupboard, and a little
key for his birthday and finds himself involved in adventure when the Indian
comes to life in the cupboard and befriends him.
Barasch, Lynn. Radio
Rescue. Frances Foster Books, 2000. Reading Level:
5.1
In 1923, after learning Morse code and setting up his own amateur radio
station, a twelve-year-old boy sends a message that leads to the rescue
of a family stranded by a hurricane in Florida. Based on experiences of
the author's father.
Blume, Judy. Tales
of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Dutton Children’s Books, 1972.
Reading Level: 3.3
Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever-increasing problem.
Bridges, Ruby. Through
My Eyes. Scholastic Press, 1991. Reading Level: 2
Ruby Bridges recounts the story of her involvement, as a six-year-old,
in the integration of her school in New Orleans in 1960.
Cleary, Beverly. The
Mouse and the Motorcycle. Morrow Junior Books, 1965.
Reading Level: 5.1
It's Ralph's lucky day when along comes Keith, the owner of the toy
motorcycle, who teaches Ralph how to ride properly, and then turns him
loose to enjoy the biking adventure of his life.
Danziger, Paula. Amber
Brown is Not a Crayon. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1994.
Reading Level: 3.7
The year she is in the third grade is a sad time for Amber because
her best friend Justin is getting ready to move to a distant state.
DeFelice, Cynthia. Weasel.
Collier
Macmillan, 1990. Reading Level: 5
Alone in the frontier wilderness in the winter of 1839 while his father
is recovering from an injury, eleven-year-old Nathan runs afoul of the
renegade killer known as Weasel and makes a surprising discovery
about the concept of revenge.
DePaola, Tomie. 26
Fairmont Avenue. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1999. Reading
Level: 4.4
Children's author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences
at home and in school when he was a boy.
Dunbar, Paul. Jump
Back, Honey. Jump at the Sun, 1999. Reading Level:
3
An illustrated collection of poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar, including
"A Boy's Summer Song," "The Sparrow," and "Little Brown Baby.
Gardiner, John. Stone
Fox. Crowell, 1980. Reading Level: 4
Little Willie hopes to pay the back taxes on his grandfather's farm
with the purse from a dog sled race he enters.
Horvath, Polly. The
Trolls. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1999. Reading Level:
5.4
Eccentric Aunt Sally comes from Canada to babysit 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.
Howe, Deborah. Bunnicula:
A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery. Atheneum Books for Young Readers,
1999. Reading Level: 4.2
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.
King-Smith, Dick. Babe:
The Gallant Pig. Crown, 1985. Reading Level: 5.6
A piglet destined for eventual butchering arrives at the farmyard,
is adopted by an old sheep dog, and discovers a special secret to success.
Lamarche, Jim. The
Raft. HarperCollins Publishers, 2000. Reading Level:
4.1
Reluctant Nicky spends a wonderful summer with Grandma who introduces
him to the joy of rafting down the river near her home and watching the
animals along the banks.
Levine, Gail. Ella
Enchanted. HarperCollins Publishers, 1997. Reading
Level: 4.6
In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against
the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
Lindgren, Astrid. Pippi
Longstocking. Viking, 1950. Reading Level: 5.2
Escapades of a lucky little girl who lives with a horse and a monkey—but
without any parents—at the edge of a Swedish village.
Lowry, Lois. Number
the Stars. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1989. Reading Level:
4.5
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie
learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish
friend from the Nazis.
MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah,
Plain and Tall. Harper & Row, 1985. Reading Level:
3.4
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.
Myers, Walter Dean. Malcolm
X: A Fire Burning Brightly. HarperCollins Publishers, 2000.
Reading Level: 6
A combination of engaging text and distinctive illustrations make this
an excellent biography of this controversial civil rights leader.
Naylor, Phyllis. Shiloh.
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1991. Reading Level: 4.4
When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home,
Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited
man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.
Park, Barbara. Mick
Harte Was Here. Apple Soup Books, 1995. Reading Level:
4.5
Thirteen-year-old Phoebe recalls her younger brother Mick and his death
in a bicycle accident.
Pinkwater, Daniel. The
Hoboken Chicken Emergency. Atheneum Books for Young Readers,
1999. Reading Level: 4.9
Arthur goes to pick up the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner but comes
back with a 260-pound chicken.
Rappoport, Doreen. Freedom
River. Hyperion Books for Children, 2000. Reading Level:
2
Describes an incident in the life of John Parker, an ex-slave who became
a successful businessman in Ripley, Ohio, and who repeatedly risked his
life to help other slaves escape to freedom
Robinson, Barbara. The
Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Harper & Row, 1972.
Reading Level: 5.1
Beware the Herdmans! They're the nastiest, dirtiest kids you could
ever meet...but they've just decided they belong in this year's pageant.
When the curtain finally goes up, a miracle begins-and it turns into the
best Christmas pageant ever!
Rockwell, Anne. Only
Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth. A. A. Knopf,
2000. Reading Level: 3
This picture book biography of the famous former slave and abolitionist
features an inspiring story and impressive illustration.
Rosen, Michael. A
School for Pompey Walker. Harcourt Brace and Co., 1995.
Reading Level: 5.6
At the dedication of a school named after him, an old former slave
tells the story of his life and how his white friend helped him earn the
money for the school by repeatedly selling him into slavery, after which
he always escaped.
Rylant, Cynthia. A
Blue-Eyed Daisy. Bradbury Press, 1985. Reading Level:
4.6
Relates episodes in the life of eleven-year-old Ellie and her family
who live in a coal mining town in West Virginia.
Sachar, Louis. Sideways
Stories from Wayside School. Avon Books, 1985. Reading
Level: 3.3
Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside
School, which was accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each
story.
Scieszka, Jon. The
Time Warp Trio series. Viking, 1991-. Reading Level:
3.8
This laugh-aloud series features three friends having zany experiences
with dragons, Neanderthals, and creatures from other periods of history.
Shreve, Susan. The
Flunking of Joshua T. Bates. Knopf, 1984. Reading Level:
5.1
Driving home from the beach on Labor Day, Joshua receives some shocking
news from his mother: he must repeat third grade.
Sis, Peter. Starry
Messenger. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1996. Reading Level:
4.8
Describes the life and work of the courageous man who changed the way
people saw the galaxy, by offering objective evidence that the earth was
not the fixed center of the universe.
Sobol, Daniel. Encyclopedia
Brown series. Dutton, 1963. Reading Level: 3.9-4.2
In this unique series, Leroy Brown uses his encyclopedic learning to
solve mysteries in each own neighborhood. Readers can find the solution
at the end of each book.
Stanley, Diane. Leonardo
Da Vinci. Morrow Junior Books, 1996. Reading Level:
6.8
A biography of the Italian Renaissance artist and inventor who, at
about age thirty, began writing his famous notebooks which contain the
outpourings of his amazing mind.
Steptoe, Javaka. In
Daddy’s Arms I am Tall: African-Americans Celebrating Fathers. Lee
& Low Books, 1997. Reading Level: 3
A collection of poems celebrating African-American fathers by Angela
Johnson, E. Ethelbert Miller, Carole Boston Weatherford, and others.
Tate, Eleanor E. Thank
You, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! Watts, 1990. Reading
Level: 4.1
The children of Gumbo Grove Elementary School discover the contributions
of many famous Afro-Americans during Black History Month.
Tillage, Leon. Leon’s
Story. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1997. Reading Level:4.9
The son of a North Carolina sharecropper recalls the hard times faced
by his family and other African Americans in the first half of the twentieth
century and the changes that the civil rights movement helped bring about.
Warren, Andrea. Orphan
Train Rider: One Boy’s True Story. Houghton, Mifflin, 1996.
Reading Level: 6.1
Discusses the placement of over 200,000 orphaned or abandoned children
in homes throughout the Midwest from 1854 to 1929 by recounting the story
of one boy and his brothers.
White, E. B. Charlotte’s
Web. Harper & Row, 1952. Reading Level: 4.4
Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined
to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte,
decides to help him.
White, E. B. Stuart
Little. HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. Reading Level:
6
The adventures of the debonair mouse Stuart Little as he sets out in
the world to seek out his dearest friend, a little bird who stayed a few
days in his family's garden.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little
House in the Big Woods. Harper, 1953. Reading Level:
5.3
This semi-autobiographical book begins the series about Laura and her
family when they lived in a cabin in the Wisconsin forest.
Woodson, Jacqueline. Miracle’s
Boys. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2000. Reading Level: 4.3
Twelve-year-old Lafayette's close relationship with his older brother
Charlie changes after Charlie is released from a detention home and blames
Lafayette for the death of their mother.
Wright, Betty. The
Ghost in Room 11. Holiday House, 1998. Reading Level:
4
When his family moves to a small town near Milwaukee, Matt's efforts
to fit into his new fourth-grade class are complicated by his poor spelling
and his encounter with the ghost of one of the school's former teachers.
Zelinsky, Paul. Rapunzel.
Dutton Children’s Books, 1997. Reading Level: 4.6
A retelling of a folktale in which a beautiful girl with long golden
hair is kept imprisoned in a lonely tower by a sorceress. Includes a note
on the origins of the story.
This page was created by the Dayton & Montgomery County Children's Book List Committee in June 2001.