pitterpatter Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I don't know why I'm blanking out here or why I can't seem to turn up much with my searches. Anyone have a good link to quality literature for a typical second-grader to read. I'm really wanting to move away from easy readers to short, novel-like chapter books next year. Something similar to what Clyde Robert Bulla might write or a little shorter. I would really like to find a list of don't-want-miss titles since we won't have time to read them all. I'm not looking for Magic Tree House, A-Z Mysteries, etc. Our cup runneth over with these sorts. She'll already be reading historical fiction for history, but I want to add in some good titles from other genres. ------- I often see My Father's Dragon, Mr. Popper's Penguins and The Hundred Dresses listed for second grade. All of these titles are rated ATOS 5+. What makes them second grade? (I have looked at samples and I *think* DD could handle them, but I'm confused about the rating.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 My children are advanced readers and I myself was advanced at that age, so some of these suggestions may be a little difficult for the average second grader, but if your DD could handle the books you listed above she should be fine with these too. 1. Historical Fiction Pioneer Cat Anna Maria's Gift Honey Cake The Sword in the Tree 2. General Fiction Ramona Books Henry Huggins Socks and any other Beverley Cleary Books Roald Dahl books - The Magic Finger is one of the easier ones, leading into James and the Giant Peach, The BFG Early readers of Dick King Smith (there are many - your child may also cope with The Sheep Pig which is the classic, but it is on a harder level than some of the less known ones) The Littles series Enid Blyton's Secret Seven series (this is easier to read than many of the other adventure series by the same author) Dolphin Adventure Tornado In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen (this is a series too) Meindert DeJong (some are easier like The Last Little Cat and some more difficult like Along came a dog, and some beyond 2nd graders like The Wheel on the School) The Children of Noisy Village (this has a high level rating, but my first grader found it more manageable than some of the other books, perhaps because of the content) McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm (and others in the series) B is for Betsy - this one is also like The Children of Noisy Village - the chapters are a bit long, but the content very mild which may again explain why my child did fine with this one - there are more in the series Tippy Lemmey Some of these are early chapter books and some are for when the child is more confident with reading chapters - so it will depend where your child is. If the book is exciting though I find children will take to the challenge more easily than if it is a boring book (even if the book is really easy it can be a problem if it is boring). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kagmypts Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Check out Heart of Dakota. They have an emerging reader (ER) set, which may be too young for you, or book packs to go along with Drawn Into the Heart of Reading (DITHOR). The books are fantastic, and there is one book from each genre. The first link is for the ER set, and the second link is for the level 2/3 book packs. http://www.heartofdakota.com/emerging-reader.php http://www.heartofdakota.com/drawn-into-optional.php ETA - The "Book Shop" link at the top has books sorted by genre, and each book includes its respective reading level. For the record, my son, who is an average reader, just finished second grade last week. I started him toward the end of the ER set last year (Unit 15), and we skipped the nature reader and Animal Adventures because our library did not carry those titles. He then read Stone Fox, Pioneer Cat, The Littles, The Storm, McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm, Amelia Earhart, and Treasure of Pelican Cove. All of those are great chapter books. He especially loved reading about Mr. McBroom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 My daughter who was reading on a ~2nd grade level this past spring LOVED the Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo and the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series by Erica Silverman. We read aloud the Catwings series by Ursula LeGuin, but she later read them herself. We're currently working on Boxcar Children, but it's definitely more a 3rd grade level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventuresinHomeschooling Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Barnes and Noble has the classic starts abridged versions of many classic literature. It is a perfect chapter book for their reading level. My son is in second and loves to read. Some of the things he has read this year were the Boxcar Children, Narnia books, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, 101 Dalmations, Winnie the Pooh originals, Pippi Longstocking, The Prince and the Pauper, Shakespeare for kids, The Velveteen Rabbit, How to Train Your Dragon, Star Wars, the Hobbit (although this was a little challenging for him), Charlotte's Web, Aesop's Fables, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and Beverly Cleary books about Ramona, etc. The Story of the World Activity Guides also provided some great selections we checked out from the library that corresponded with history. Some other ones we have been eying are the Little House series, Mary Poppins, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tom Sawyer, Black Beauty, Anne of Green Gables, Swiss Family Robinson and other classics, and some history readers focusing on American history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 The little's (They range in reading levels) Nate the Great (eases them into Encyclopedia Brown book which is a decent foundation for reading comprehension and critical thinking skills) Amelia Bedelia is quality at this age because the get the joke and is great at expanding vocabulary and language skills Ramona series (although these might be a bit higher in reading level. 2nd to 3rd grade) The Chalk box kid I feel your pain.......We hated magic tree house and barely tolerated A-Z books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 Been avoiding these because I can't stand them. Hah! Couldn't stand Frog and Toad either, so we read pretty much all of Lobel's other books instead. Maybe I'll have DD read them during free reading. Magic Tree House I can tolerate, but A-Z, ugh. DD is infatuated right now. At least she learned the postal abbreviations for Colorado and Connecticut out of it. The little's (They range in reading levels) Nate the Great (eases them into Encyclopedia Brown book which is a decent foundation for reading comprehension and critical thinking skills) Amelia Bedelia is quality at this age because the get the joke and is great at expanding vocabulary and language skills Ramona series (although these might be a bit higher in reading level. 2nd to 3rd grade) The Chalk box kid I feel your pain.......We hated magic tree house and barely tolerated A-Z books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Have you seen the 1000 Good Books list? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 (edited) . Edited July 9, 2022 by SilverMoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbird2 Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 http://www.amblesideonline.org/02bks.shtml scroll to the bottom of the page for their additional reading practice list. My son has enjoyed all of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 My oldest enjoyed longer picture books at that age. Bill Peet, Fables, How Many Spots Does Leopard Have, and collections of fairy tales and myths. I may not be much help because he was still overwhelmed at the idea of reading a whole book (other than MTH) at that age, so we found long picture books with challenging vocabulary and collections of stories (Peter Rabbit, Uncle Remus etc) for him to read. Quite a few "picture books" and myths/tales are more literary and have deeper vocab than the beginning chapter books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Books my 2nd grader has enjoyed reading this year included The Cricket in Times Square (and all its related books/sequels), The Trumpet of the Swan, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Little House in the Big Woods, Nancy & Plum and all the Mrs. Piggle WIggle books, the Ivy & Bean series, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Pippi Longstocking, the Catwings series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Veritas Press is our favorite. The grade 2 books start here ~ http://www.veritaspress.com/browse-by-subject/literature/second-grade.html Can you tell me about the Northwoods Collection listed here? Ive heard of the better known ones such as railway children, baby island, velveteen rabbit, boxcar...but few of the others. Any in particular that your child especially loved? I'm looking to stock up on some good books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Can you tell me about the Northwoods Collection listed here? Ive heard of the better known ones such as railway children, baby island, velveteen rabbit, boxcar...but few of the others. Any in particular that your child especially loved? I'm looking to stock up on some good books. Unfortunately, no. VP didn't carry them when my teen DS went through, and my DS/10yo wouldn't have cared for them. (STEM kid that's not exactly keen on adventure tales.) My next two are girly girls. I may get a chance in a few years with DS/3yo. LOL The ones that stand out in my memory are Encyclopedia Brown, Winnie-the-Pooh, Little House, Milly Molly Mandy, Grandma's Attic, and the poetry collections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 Ok, I had come across all three of the previously mentioned lists during my research. Heart of Dakota's I hadn't seen. It doesn't appear that I'm missing some fabulous list that "everyone" uses. I did come up with this site too. It lists many of the apparent standards, plus some more modern books. http://www.benicialibrary.org/kids/booklists/grade Thanks everyone for your posts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbaeimers Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Pippi Long-stocking, Sarah Plain and Tall, Little House on the Prairie books, Winnie the Pooh, The Valentine Rabbit, abridged versions of Little Woman, The Little Princess, Heidi, and other classics, A Treasury of Bunny Stories by Beatrix Potter, and other collection books such as the Disney Story Book collections. ETA - Charlotte's web and Babe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 This is my favourite book recommendation site. There are classics lists and contemporary lists. http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/books-for-kids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 This is great...thanks! This is my favourite book recommendation site. There are classics lists and contemporary lists.http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/books-for-kids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosieCotton Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 This is my favourite book recommendation site. There are classics lists and contemporary lists. http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/books-for-kids Now that's what I'm talking about. Thanks so much! (Now let's hope I can find this bookmarked when I need it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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