3rd Grade Book Club Books

This book about a girl and her dog determined to win a dog agility contest against all odds is the perfect blend of adventure and heartwarming. Annie Shearer lives in Australia and has a dog who will only do tricks when no one but Annie is watching. When Annie’s family comes at risk of losing their farm, Annie is convinced that only the prize money from a dog agility contest can save the farm. But will her dog, Runt, perform?

THEMES: Family, animals, determination and persistence, rural life

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Watch videos of agility contests, watch the movie adaptation, Runt, write a “humble pie” recipe

I ADORED this young middle grade historical fiction set in the 1930s Vinegar Hill community in Charlottesville, Virginia. Albeit set during the Jim Crow era, it focuses on a thriving African American community, especially 10-year-old Allie Lewis, who is desperate to find her mom a husband and herself a father after her no-good father left them when she was a baby. This book is short, FUNNY, charming, and historically enlightening without being full of Black pain. It would make a wonderful read-aloud for families who enjoy Anna Rose Johnson’s and Kate Albus’s writing but want more Black stories with less slavery and strife.

THEMES: Segregation, music, unlikely friendships, resolving differences

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Find and look at pictures of Vinegar Hill in the 1930s (see Author’s Note), write a recipe (and make) chicken and dumplings, write a letter to a friend/family member who lives in another city

Chance is a three-legged dog at the Dogtown shelter, where able-bodied and robot dogs compete for attention. Things start to change when a new robot dog, Metal Head, comes to the pound. First off, he’s determined to run away (return home). So he hatches a plan with Chance and her mouse best friend to help an older dog get adopted in exchange for helping him escape. But things do not go to plan, and Chance, her mouse friend, and Metal Head spend a night on the streets on an emotional adventure. As someone who isn’t into animal books, I’m shocked by how much I liked this one. It’s charming, beautifully plotted, and full of suspense, heartwarming characters, and plenty of heart. It also has sweet illustrations and concise chapters.

THEMES: Unlikely friendships, robot vs fleshly animals, human-pet relationships, what home means

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Draw a picture of a robot pet you wish you had, visit a local pet shelter

Kids love this beloved classic inspired by a true story. It’s about a gorilla who lives in an enclosed glass cage in a mall. At first, Ivan is content with his quarters — for over 20 years. But when a baby elephant is brought into the enclosure, Ivan starts to remember his home and sees his current home as the captivity that it is. This is a sweet and moving verse novel for young readers.

THEMES: Animal captivity, found family, nature and the environment

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Watch a video of gorillas in the wild, compare and contrast Ivan and Ruby’s characters, write about what Ivan’s life would be like if he lived in the wild

This classic about a boy who won’t stop calling a pen a frindle is full of hijinks and the audiobook is funny beyond belief. Your kids will ask you to play this story of the boy who kept calling a pen a frindle until you’re sick of it. Such a fun, fun book! Great for introducing kids to chapter books and absolutely delightful!

THEMES: Creativity, humor, the power of influence

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Brainstorm other words for a pen, find out how words are invented, read The Frindle Files

This charming illustrated book about a robot who ends up in the wild and survives by building community and caring for others is heartwarming but also surprisingly suspenseful and full of adventure. Soon to be a major motion picture, this would make a delightful classroom readaloud for 3rd and 4th graders.

THEMES: Community, nature vs technology, motherhood

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Watch the movie adaptation, write about skills you can learn from animals in the wild

Just Harriet is a new chapter book/young middle grade book by Elana K. Arnold who wrote the A Boy Called BAT series. This new title features young Harriet whose family is undergoing a change. Her mom is pregnant and has been placed on bed rest until the baby is born. Harriet, an energetic child has been sent to Marble Island where her grandmother lives and runs a bed and breakfast. She’s understandably frustrated, feeling abandoned by her parents. Thankfully, she takes her cat, Matzo Ball with her. When she arrives at Marble Island, Harriet starts to learn more about her father’s childhood and discovers that they have more in common than she expects. Just Harriet is a charming, engaging chapter book/young middle grade book with a memorable, relatable protagonist.

THEMES: Adjusting to family changes, family history, environmental activism

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Design your own bed-and-breakfast

This illustrated young middle-grade verse novel about Isabel Beane, a quiet autistic girl who often gets lost in her loud family, is so endearing. Between never feeling heard at home, dealing with a mean classmate, and struggling to follow social cues, Isabel isn’t having an easy go at things. Eventually, a series of events forces her family to listen to her and readers will root for Isabel as she comes out of her shell.

THEMES: Kindness, bullying, standing up for oneself, forgiveness

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Make a card for a classmate like Isabel does

Ryan Hart and her family are moving to a new (old) house because her dad lost his post office job and his new job doesn’t pay as much. Ryan is unhappy about the change for many reasons. Still, there are small joys. She doesn’t have to change schools and is still close enough to one of her best friends. With the new house, and selling one of their cars, her parents can better deal with their financial struggles. Throughout this slice-of-life book, Ryan learns how to believe in herself, enjoy public speaking, be a bigger person, and love who she is. Renee Watson’s Ways to Make Sunshine is an absolutely delightful early middle-grade book with a memorable protagonist.

THEMES: Family, sibling relationships, financial challenges, tackling new challenges

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Fleshing out character traits for Ryan and her family, writing a speech of their own on any topic

When a new family moves into a neighborhood and gets a hateful message from one of their neighbors, a tree, animal friends, and another neighbor help to make them feel welcome, even as the tree is in danger of being cut down. I listened to this classic on audio and I enjoyed the “everyone is welcome” message and the historical addition with the stories of neighbors from the past. I think this will be a hit for younger readers, especially as a readaloud for grades 2-4 who still have a strong sense of whimsy. 

THEMES: Community, moving, friendship

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Make a class “wishtree” with warm messages for all your classmates

This story is just as cute as this book’s cover! Odder is a fearless otter who loves to play and tell stories to entertain everyone. But when she encounters a great white shark, she’s injured and has to be brought into the aquarium to heal. There are many beautiful illustrations in this book and it’s also inspired by a true story.

THEMES: Otters, family, finding courage after tragedy

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Watch videos of otters, learn more about otter fostering

Miles is devastated to be moving from his town to another one called Yawnee Valley. He loved his town, had good friends, and, most importantly, was well-known as the best prankster around. When he arrives in Yawnee Valley, he immediately discovers that there’s already a superb prankster there — with a secret identity no less. When Miles gets out-pranked by the Yawnee Valley prankster, it starts a prank war between both kids until they decide to join forces. The Terrible Two is a riotous, animated middle grade book about pranks, unlikely friendships, and cows.

THEMES: Unlikely friendship

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Compare and contrast Miles and Niles

Mindy and her father have recently moved from the city to a suburb in Florida where she is the only Asian girl in her school. On top of that, Mindy’s mom died shortly before their move and her dad is adjusting to being a single parent. Like any normal child, Mindy wants to be liked at her new school. She’s fortunate to meet a new friend on her first day, even though the kids complain about the way her Korean lunch smells. Things start to look up for Mindy when the kids try and love her seaweed snacks. At first, she starts a snack trade-off, but later decides to start selling the snacks so she can save up money to buy a puppy. However, Mindy’s new business and friendship run into some problems along the way. Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business is an exciting new addition to the world of chapter books.

THEMES: Entrepreneurship, dealing with the loss of a parent, being a racial minority

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Brainstorm a business idea

I love Stella Diaz! She’s sweet, smart, and curious. Stella is also obsessed with marine life, bilingual, and lives with her mother and older brother since her parents are divorced. She struggles in similar ways to Ramona, but finally learns that even though she sometimes mixes up her English and Spanish words, her voice matters still.

THEMES: Environment, being an immigrant

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Find and practice the Spanish words

I LOVED this forthcoming young graphic novel by the author of the Stella Diaz series. This is the perfect illustrated graphic-prose series for fans of Dory Fantasmagory and Ryan Hart in grades 2-4 and stars a precocious, funny female protagonist who gets a whiff of the dark side of social media in her first adventure. The formatting of this one is just gorgeous with graphic panels and short prose sections livened by full color illustrations. It also cute Spanish vocabulary tips, a mom who’s a bookstore owner, and is set in the same world as Stella Diaz (Gabby looks up to Stella, who’s now a middle schooler).

THEMES: Social media pitfalls, being a good friend

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Write/draw some tips for using social media safely, create a test about any topic of your choice like Gabby does for her friends