Summer Reading
for rising 3rd graders
Dear Dalton Parents
Phew, another year done, and what a year it's been.
This summer reading list encompasses a wide variety of interests and reading levels. Over the break, as always, our top priority is to foster a love of reading in our students.
Have a wonderful summer of reading!
All the best,
Christine Nassar & Jordy Samuels
First Program Librarians
Picture Books
- Milo Imagines the World, by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson
- The Day You Begin, by Jacqueline Woodson
- Your Name Is a Song, by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
- We Are Water Protectors, by Carole Lindstrom
- Drawn Together, by Minh Lê
- One Word From Sophia by Jim Averbeck
- Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
- Llama Destroys the World, by Jonathan Stutzman
- Stuck, by Oliver Jeffers
- Secret Pizza Party, by Adam Rubin
Chapter Books
Realistic Fiction
- Roscoe Riley Rules (series), by Katherine Applegate
- Ivy & Bean (series), by Annie Barrows
- The Questioneers (series), Andrea Beaty
- Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet, by Zanib Mian
- Jada Jones, by Kelly Starling Lyons
- Lola Levine is Not Mean, by Monica Brown
- Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen, by Debbi Michiko Florence
- Pacy Lin (series), by Grace Lin
- The Major Eights, by Melody Reed
- Wolfie & Fly, by Cary Fagan
- Freddie Ramos (series), Jacqueline Jules
- Big Nate (series), by Lincoln Peirce
- Shai & Emmie (series), by Quvenzhané Wallis
- Clementine (series), by Sara Pennypacker
- Ways to Make Sunshine, & Ways to Grow Love, by Renee Watson
- Ban This Book, by Alan Gratz
- A Series of Unfortunate Events (series), by Lemony Snicket
- The One and Only Ivan & The One and Only Bob, by Katherine Applegate
- Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate
- Fudge series, by Judy Blume
- Big & little questions (according to Wren Jo Byrd), by Julie Bowe
- Lunch Money, by Andrew Clements
- The Mouse And The Motorcycle (Series), by Beverly Cleary
- Ramona Quimby (series), by Beverly Cleary
- Love that Dog & Hate that Cat, by Sharon Creech
- Stella Diaz has Something to Say & Stella Diaz Never Gives Up, by Angela Dominguez
- Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
- Flora & Ulysses: The illuminated adventures, by Kate DiCamillo
- Lemonade War (series), by Jacquline Davies
- From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg
- Wonder, by R.J. Palacio
- Front Desk, by Kelly Yang
Humor
- Mac B., Kid Spy (series), by Mac Barnett (chapter book series)
Stick Dog (series) & Stick Cat (series), by Tom Watson
Chicken Squad (series), by Doreen Cronin
- The Terrible Two, by Mac Barnett and Jory John
King Flashypants (series), by Andy Riley
Fantasy & Sci-Fi
- Mia Mayhem, by Kara West
- Zoey and Sassafras, by Asia Citro
- Alien Next Door, by A. I. Newton
- Desmond Cole, Ghost Patrol (series), by Andres Miedoso
- My Weird School (series), by Dan Gutman
- Heidi Heckelbeck, by Wanda Coven
- Princess Pulverizer, by Nancy E. Krulik
- Owl Diaries (series) & Unicorn Diaries (series), by Rebecca Elliott
- Isadora Moon, by Harriet Muncaster
The Princess in Black (series), by Shannon Hale
The Dragon Masters (series), by Tracey West
- Layla and the Bots, by Vicky Fang
- Hand-me Down Magic (series), by Corey Ann Haydu
- The Magic Tree House (series), by Mary Pope Osborne
- Polly Diamond (series), by Alice Kuipers
Geronimo Stilton (series), by Geronimo Stilton
Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine
Spirit Animals (series), by Brandon Mull and others
Bob, by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
Whatever After (series), by Sarah Mlynowski
Unicorn Rescue Society, by Adam Gidwitz
Upside Down Magic, by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, E. Lockhart
The Sister's Grimm (series), by Michael Buckley
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
Mystery
- A to Z Mysteries, by Ron Roy
- Rider Woofson, by Walker Styles
- Capital Mysteries (series), by Ron Roy
- Zach and Zoe Mysteries, by Mike Lupica
- Greetings from Somewhere (series), by Harper Paris
- Sherlock Sam, by A.J. Lowe
- Timmy Failure (series), by Stephan Pastis
Graphic Novels
- The Bad Guys, by Aaron Blabey
- Click (series), by Kayla Miller
- Sister, Smile, Guts (series), by Raina Telgemeier
- Dog Man (series), by Dav Pilkey
- InvestiGators, by John Patrick Green
- Max Meow, by John Gallagher
- El Deafo, by Cece Bell
- Roller Girl, by Victoria Jamieson
- Donut Feed the Squirrels, by Mika Song
- Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer, by Gillian Goerz
- Catstronauts, by Drew Brockington
- Cardboard Kingdom & Cardboard Kingdom: Roar of the Beast , by Chad Sell
- Magic Tree House Graphic Novel, by Mary Pope Osborne and adapted by Jenny Laird
- Science Comics (series), by Andy Hirsch and various authors
- Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic, by Thom Pico
- Hildafolk, by Luke Pearson
- Twins, by Varian Johnson
- Zita the Spacegirl (series) & Mighty Jack (series), by Ben Hatke
- Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales (series), by Nathan Hale
Non-Fiction, Poetry & Biography
- Keeping the City Going, by Brian Floca
- Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing, by Christopher Willard & Daniel Rechtschaffen
- Plastic: past, present, and future, by Eun-ju Kim
- What's inside a flower? : and other questions about science & nature, by Rachel Ignotofsky
- It's a numbers game : sports (series), by James Buckley Jr.
- Everything awesome about sharks and other underwater creatures!, by Mike Lowery
- 30-minute edible science projects, by Anna Leigh
- Migration : incredible animal journeys, by Mike Unwin; illustrated by Jenni Desmond
- The complete baking book for young chefs, by America's Test Kitchen
- The brain is kind of a big deal, by Nick Seluk
- Stonewall : a building, an uprising, a revolution, by Rob Sanders ; illustrated by Jamey Christoph
- It feels good to be yourself : a book about gender identity, by Theresa Thorn; illustrated by Noah Grigni
- Honeybee, by Candace Fleming
- America's national parks, by Alexa Ward; illustrated by Mike Lowery
- I'm just no good at rhyming: and other nonsense for mischievous kids and immature grown-ups, by Chris Harris
- Little Leaders : bold women in Black history & Little Legends: exceptional men in Black history, by Vashti Harrison
- This is how we do it : one day in the lives of seven kids from around the world, by Matt Lamothe
- Out of the box : 25 cardboard engineering projects for makers, by Jemma Westing
- Who Was...? (biography series), by various authors
- You Wouldn’t Want to Be... (Nonfiction History Series), by various authors
Additional Resources
Public Libraries
- New York Public Library (serving Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island)
- Brooklyn Public Library
- Queens Library
You can also very easily add any libraries to which you belong on Sora (New York, Brooklyn, Queens Public Libraries, or any others) and search their collections in addition to Dalton offerings. Please note that the NYPL, Brooklyn, and Queens Public Libraries also include Young Adult selections when you connect to their collections on Sora.
Further Book Lists
For those seeking additional book lists, we recommend the following online resources:
- The Association for Library Service to Children
- The Children's Book Council
- The Horn Book Summer Reading List 2021
- We Need Diverse Books, and the OurStory App
- Here Wee Read, including their "Reading Together Summer Reading Challenge"
- The Brown Bookshelf
Dog Man & Friends Summer Camp
Book Purchasing
We encourage you to read books with your child that you both love and are able to read a little bit of each day.
Have a wonderful summer of reading!
The Dalton School Libraries
Email: fplibrary@dalton.org
Website: library.dalton.org
Phone: (212) 423-5453
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daltonlibraries