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Beginning Chapter Books

(Look for the "1st Reader" stickers on the spines of books in the chapter book collection, for easy access.)

Ackerman, Karen
Night crossing
In 1938, having begun to experience the persecution that all Jews are experiencing in their Austrian city, Clara and her family escape over the mountains into Switzerland. 

Adler, David
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the UFO
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones
and many more.
Cam is short for camera, because Jennifer (her real name) has a photographic memory which she uses to solve the mysteries. With the help of Susanna Natti's black and white illustrations, readers can see Cam's mental photos and solve mysteries along with Cam.

Adler, David
Other series:
Fourth Floor Twins
Houdini Club Magic Mystery

Avi
Abigail Takes the Wheel
Abigail and Tom ride everyday on their father's freight boat to school. One day, when their father assists another boat, Abigail must steer their boat through busy New York Harbor to Pier 42.

Avi
Finding Providence
Mary, the daughter of the political dissident Roger Williams, narrates this story that begins in a Massachusetts Bay Colony courtroom. After fleeing town, her father summons her and the rest of the family to a new place they will soon call Providence.

Bartlett, Susan
Seal Island School 
Life as a child on a tiny island is difficult because the best teachers never stay. Miss Sparling is the best teacher ever, and the children in her class scheme to keep her on the island for another year. 

Blume, Judy
Freckle Juice
Andrew really wants freckles. When classmate Sharon overhears him ask Nicky how he got all of his freckles, Sharon offers a secret recipe guaranteed to give Andrew plenty of freckles.

Bowdish, Lynea
Living with My Stepfather is Like Living With a Moose
Matt, who is athletically inclined, is not thrilled with his new clumsy stepfather Frank.

Brisson, Pat
Hot Fudge Hero
Bertie makes friends with old man Muckleberg in order to get his ball out of the old man's back yard, and win a bet with his friend Isobel. In the process, he makes friends with Muckleberg, who then treats all three of them to hot fudge sundaes. Two other episodes end with sundaes, as well.

Brisson, Pat
Little sister, big sister
Hester and her younger sister, Edna, play queen and her maid, pretend to be mermaids, eat chocolate and experience a thunderstorm. A great story of give and take, teasing and love, between two sisters.

Brittain, Bill
Mystery of the several sevens
Mr. Merlin, a wizard disguised as a substitute teacher, magically transports two fifth graders to a fairyland where they must solve a riddle to find out who has stolen the seven dwarfs' bag of diamonds.

Brown, Jeff
Flat Stanley (A Trophy Chapter Book)
Invisible Stanley
Strange things seem to happen to Stanley Lambchop. First, he's flattened into a pancake by his bulletin board. Then, he wakes up one morning to discover he's invisible. Stanley finds these altered states interesting at first, and often useful, like when he assists the police in nabbing outlaws. But in the end, Stanley just wants to be normal.

Brown, Marc
Arthur and the Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club
Arthur Accused!
and many more.
Arthur and his friends encounter censorship for the first time when the next volume of their favorite book series is banned from the local library.

Bulla, Clyde Robert
The Chalk Box Kid
The Paint Brush Kid
Gregory moves into a new house, a new neighborhood, and a new school with his family. It seems like there is no place for Gregory, until he discovers an abandoned chalk factory behind his home. With an old box of chalk, he transforms his world into a beautiful garden. Later, in The Paint Brush Kid, Gregory and his friend Ivy help to transform a neighbor's house into a living piece of art.

Byars, Betsy
Beans on the Roof
The Bean family catches the poetry-writing bug. Anna is writing a roof poem (on the roof, of course), but her brother George can't seem to write a roof poem, and he doesn't know what to do.

Byars, Betsy
Tornado
Everyone hides in the storm cellar during a tornado, including the farmhand Pete. He entertains them with stories about a dog named Tornado, who appeared after a tornado came through town.

Calmenson, Stephanie and Cole, Joanna
Gator girls
Rockin' reptiles
Gator Halloween
Amy and Allie Gator are best friends. They live on the sixth floors of two apartment buildings side by side. These cute funny books capture the ups and downs of true friendship as Amy and Alllie go to camp, to concerts, and think up Halloween costumes.

Cameron, Ann
Stories Julian tells
Julian's glorious summer
Stories Huey tells
More stories Huey tells
Gloria's way (watch for it! Coming out 4/00)
and more.
Julian, his brother Huey, and his best friend Gloria tell about their lives and adventures. Their understanding and loving parents always help them come up with the right solutions to life's little problems such as learning to ride a bike, being bored in the summer, being scared of the dark, etc.

Christopher, Matt
Hit-Away kid
Zero's slider
and more!
Follow the ups and downs of the members of the Peach Street Mudders as they win, lose, and learn about themselves in this great sports series in which each book tells the story of one member of the team.

Cleary, Beverly
Muggie Maggie
Maggie doesn't want to learn to write cursive, until she discovers that her teachers are passing secret cursive notes about her!

Clifford, Eth
Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Missing Eye
Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Nosy Otter
Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Missing Whoooo
Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Bashful Beaver
Flatfoot Fox is the smartest detective in the whole world. He and his assistant Secretary Bird crack cases in the woodland neighborhood.

Cohen, Barbara
Molly's Pilgrim Molly and her family fled Russia to escape from religious persecution. Now, Molly attends Winter Hill school, where the kids make fun of her clothing and accent. When the class must make pilgrim dolls and bring them to school, Molly is embarrassed by the doll her mother made for the occasion, because it does not look like a pilgrim from 1620. Instead, the doll looks like Molly's mother.

Conford, Ellen
Annabel the Actress Starring in Gorilla My Dreams
Annabel is determined to be a successful actress, even if she's only playing a gorilla at a birthday party.

Diary of a Monster's Son
Bradley Fentriss is a normal boy. But this normal boy does not have a normal father.

A Job for Jenny Archer
Can Do, Jenny Archer
Nibble, Nibble, Jenny Archer
And many others.
Jenny Archer has a lot of enthusiasm, and she channels it toward projects, like earning money to buy her mother a birthday present, or collecting cans for the recycling drive at school.

Cox, Judy
Third grade pet
At first, Rosemary is terrified of the class pet, a rat she named "cheese," but then she fears for his safety and takes him home in her backpack which creates chaos in her household!

Dadey, Debbie
My Mom the Frog
Jason's mom touched his wart, and now Jason is afraid she has turned into a frog.

Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots
Wolfmen Don't Hula Dance
And many others in The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids
The Bailey School Kids suspect their new teacher Mrs. Jeepers is a Vampire, with her bright green glowing brooch. This is the first of many suspicious characters who show up at Bailey School.

Danziger, Paula
Amber Brown is Not a Crayon
Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit
Forever Amber Brown
You Can't Eat Your Chickenpox, Amber Brown
Amber Brown is a charming but outspoken protagonist with a whole series of third and fourth grades troubles, from her best friend's moving to catching chickenpox.

DeClements, Barthe
Spoiled rotten
Andy has been homeschooled for first grade and when he comes to public school for second grade, his friend Scott must help him fit in and learn the rules.

Duffey, Betsy
Alien for Rent
J. P. and Lexie discover an alien whom they can hire with gugentocks (also known as Twinkies) to do their bidding. When they pit the alien against the evil bully Bruce, things start to get out of control.

The Gadget War
Kelly Sparks has invented 43 gadgets and has kept her classmates impressed, until Albert Einstein Jones walks in and challenges her to an invention duel.

Virtual Cody
Cody and his classmates in the third grade are having fun reporting on the origins of their names, until Cody finds out that his parents named him after a dog.

Estes, Eleanor
The Hundred Dresses
Wanda brags about her hundred dresses, even though she wears the same dress everyday. What starts as a teasing game turns serious, and Peggy and Maddie eventually regret the way they treated Wanda.

Giff, Patricia Reilly
The Beast in Mrs. Rooney's Room
(and others in the Polk Street Kids series)
Richard Best (aka The Beast) is starting school, in the same grade for a second time, and his troubles are the kind that children will understand, whatever reading group they're in.

Watch Out! Man-Eating Snake
(and others in the New Kids at the Polk Street School)
After reading the Polk Street Kids, readers can pick up with the Kids' younger siblings. Giff captures elementary school trials and tribulations in a highly readable format.

Other recommended series by Patricia Reilly Giff:
Friends and Amigos
Lincoln Lions Band
Polk Street Special

Gilson, Jamie
You Cheat!
It's summer, and Hank and Nathan are bored until Aunt Paula takes them fishing, and Hank dares Nathan to kiss the fish he catches.

Herman, Charlotte
Max Malone and the Great Cereal Rip-Off
Max Malone Makes a Million
Max Malone the Magnificent
Max Malone, Superstar
Max is full of ideas for achieving fame and fortune, but his plans don't always work out the way he hopes. In this series Max has some success at being a magician, movie star, millionaire, and cereal con-artist, always with hilarious results.

Hill, Elizabeth Starr
Bird Boy
Chang gets along best with the cormorants that live with his family on their houseboat on the Li River in Southern China, because they seem to understand his awkward squawks and squeals. This year, mute Chang is old enough to help his father with the fishing and help raise one of the baby cormorants. But local bully Jinan has other plans for the baby cormorant.

Howe, James
Pinky and Rex
Pinky and Rex and the Bully
Pinky and Rex Get Married
And many others in this series.
Pinky (the boy) and Rex (the girl) are best friends. Pinky got his nickname because he loves the color pink. And Rex loves dinosaurs. Together, they have lots of adventures.

Hurwitz, Johanna
"E" is for Elisa
Rip-Roaring Russell
Russell and Elisa
Russell Rides Again
Russell Sprouts
In the spirit of Beverly Cleary's classic Ramona series, Russell (and later Elisa) explores his expanding preschool world. Older kids will enjoy reading about the funny things Russell and Elisa do, from losing teeth to making parades.

Joosse, Barbara M.
Ghost trap
When Wild Willie's best friend Kyle moves back to the neighborhood the boys and Willie's new friend Lucy, suspect that Kyle's new house is haunted.

Kline, Suzy
Horrible Harry in room 2B
Horrible Harry and the kickball wedding
Horrible Harry and the drop of doom\
Song Lee in room 2B
and many more.
Doug narrates this series of short and lively books about day to day things that happen in Miss. Mackle's class room (2B.) Most of the stories are about Horrible Harry, Doug's best friend, who is very mischievous, has a great imagination and a good heart.

Koehler-Pentacoff, Elizabeth
Louise the one and only
Louise learns to get along in kindergarten.

Koller, Jackie French
Mole and Shrew All Year Through
Mole and Shrew are great friends, and they begin the year by celebrating New Year's Eve, at Shrew's suggestion. Mole hurries to the store for "resolution" berries, because he thinks Shrew told him it was a great time to make "new tarts". Their adventures continue throughout the year.

Landon, Lucinda
Meg Mackintosh and the Mystery at the Medieval Castle
Meg Mackintosh and the Mystery in the Locked Library
Meg Mackintosh and the Mystery at Camp Creepy
Meg Mackintosh is a master observer, and readers can solve mysteries along with her by looking closely at the detailed illustrations.

Leonard, Marcia
Marsha's unbearable day
Krissy and the big snow
and more.
This series, "Here Come the Brownies" follows a group of Brownie Girl Scouts through many different adventures and activities.

Leverich, Kathleen
Best enemies
Best enemies again
Best enemies forever
Priscilla goes through life bugged by Felicity Doll, a particularly obnoxious classmate (curly hair, always wears ruffles) who always seems to get the better of her, although in the end, of course, Priscilla triumphs.

Leverich, Kathleen
Violet
Daisy
Heather
Rose
Daisy, Heather, Rose and Violet are best friends, and all want to be flower girls. In these four little chapter books, each gets her wish in her own unique way.

Levine, Caroline
Detective stars and the case of the super soccer team
Young detectives Veronica and Ernest have to find out how the worst soccer team has been able to make it to the finals.

Lewis, Maggie
Morgy Makes His Move
Morgy's parents have transplanted him to a new place, but Morgy isn't pleased. He spends most of his days taking punishment from the school bully, shaking leaves out of his jacket, or picking himself up off the ice at the hockey rink. It is time for Morgy to make his move.

Low, Alice
The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches
Wendy the witch is scared of witches, and doesn't believe she has any magical powers. But her life changes when a neighborhood kid knocks on her door for Halloween trick-or-treating, and invites her to come along.

Marshall, James
Rats on the Roof
In a series of short stories, Marshall introduces a host of distinctive animal characters who find themselves in conflicts due to the predator-prey relationship of various species.

McMullan, Kate
Biggest mouth in baseball
William becomes a better baseball player when he concentrates more on the game and less on his joke telling.

Osborne, Mary Pope
Dinosaurs Before Dark
Buffalo Before Breakfast
And many others in the Magic Tree House Series
Jack and Annie find a magical tree house in their back yard, that will transport them to different time periods when they point to a picture in one of the books inside. Together, they solve mysteries and help magical creatures.

Park, Barbara
Junie B. Jones and the stupid smelly bus
Junie B. Jones is (almost) a flower girl
and more.
Junie B. Jones is a kindergartener who, in her own words, tells about little incidents in her life, such as when she has to take the bus to school for the first time.

Pfeffer, Susan Beth
Sara Kate, Superkid
Sara Kate Saves the World
Sara Kate, like her grandmother, has superpowers on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and occasional Saturdays, but she can't predict what her powers will be or how long they will last.

Porte, Barbara Ann
Taxicab tales
Turkey drive and other tales
These two books contain little stories about the lives of Abigail, Sam, their Taxicab driving, storytelling father and their artist mother.

Rylant, Cynthia
In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen (The Cobble Street Cousins)
A Little Shopping
Special Gifts
Some Good News
Rosie, Lily, and Tess are all cousins, and are spending the year in Aunt Lucy's attic while their parents are touring the world. Each cousin has her own corner of the attic, but the center of the attic is where they gather and plan their adventures, from starting a cookie business to publishing a neighborhood newsletter.

Sachar, Louis
Marvin Redpost: Kidnapped at Birth?
Marvin Redpost: Why Pick on Me?
Marvin Redpost: Is He a Girl?
Marvin Redpost: Alone in His Teacher's House
Marvin Redpost is a normal kid, living in a normal house, with normal parents. The only thing not normal about this family is the red post in their front yard Marvin's dad paints red every year. But then Marvin discovers that he might be King Shampoon's long lost son. Does Marvin have royal blood? This is just the first of many of Marvin's wild adventures.

Scheffler, Ursel
The Spy in the Attic
Martin awakes in the middle of the night and notices that the new neighbor upstairs is getting some mysterious deliveries. K Martin is immediately suspicious and begins to spy on the new neighbor with his friends.

Sharmat, Marjorie
Genghis Kahn: A dog star is born
Great Genghis Khan look-alike contest
Fred has a mean looking but sweet dog who becomes a movie star in this series of short funny books.

Olivia Sharp Agent for Secrets series:
The Green Toenails Gang
Famous for her Nate the Great series, Sharmat here explores a slightly easier reading format. Her characters are as quirky as Nate was, and readers are challenged to find the answers to mysteries along with Olivia Sharp.

Shea, George
First Flight: The Story of Tom Tate and the Wright Brothers
A local boy, Tom, helps Wilbur and Orville Wright test their new flying apparatus. Based on a true story.

Skurzynski, Gloria
The minstrel in the tower
In 1195, Roger and Alice have lost their father in the Crusades, and their mother is ill. Can they find their long lost uncle to take care of them and help their mother get well?

Spinelli, Jerry
Tooter Pepperday
Tooter Pepperday's family is moving to the country. Tooter's first protest is handcuffing herself to the bathroom plumbing. Her protests continue, until she discovers she really does care about what happens to a chicken egg in her aunt's kitchen incubator.

Stevens, Carla
Lily and Miss Liberty
When France gave the United States the Statue of Liberty, Lily and other children of New York City worked to raise money to fund the pedestal where she stands today.

Warner, Sally
Private Lily
After a series of unsuccessful attempts, six-year-old Lily succeeds in making a private space for herself in her small apartment.

Whelan, Gloria
Silver
Rachel lives in Alaska, and helps her family raise dogs for dogsled races like the one-day Rondy to three week runs like the Iditarod. This year, Rachel receives her very own dog to raise.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Animal adventures
Laura and Mr. Edwards
and more.
These small, easy chapter books (there are 13 so far in the series) are actually little snippets from the little house series separated by subject. In Laura and Mr. Edwards, eight incidents involving Mr. Edwards were culled from the Little House series and put into this book. The language is almost word for word, although some longer sentences are split in half and a few words are left out. All in all, a great introduction to the Little House series for those intimidated by the size of Little House in the Big Woods.

Little house Christmas
Different format, different illustrator, same idea as above.

Willner-Pardo, Gina
Jumping Into Nothing
It's summertime, and Sophie's best friend is hanging out with the popular girls because they can all jump off the high dive. Sophie can't, but she slowly overcomes her fear, and then she enjoys jumping for its own sake.

Wyeth, Sharon Dennis
Ginger Brown: Too Many Houses
Ginger Brown's parents are recently divorced, and until her mom finds a place just for the two of them, she lives with her grandparents. She's not really sure where she belongs.

Zach, Cheryl
Benny and the no-good teacher
Fourth grade gets off to a bad start for Benny - his friends are in a different class and he has a strict new teacher.

Ziefert, Harriet
Worm Day
Mr. Rose brings his class a cooler full of worms. Although the worms are gross at first, the children learn the skill of scientific observation.