Yahoo Finance Celebrate National Reading Month with the best chapter books for every grade level
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Do you have a budding reader in your home? Do you wish your child was one? March marks National Reading Month
We are all about building a love of reading with fun, accessible chapter books for kids that they just can’t put down. There is a reason books by Roald Dahl are such enduring classics and why the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is such a phenomenon. These are the chapter books for kids that get them reading during the early years and will turn them into bookworms before your very eyes.
Here are some of our hand-selected, favorite chapter books for reluctant readers and budding bookworms alike. Many are part of a series. Each features excellent characters, compelling plot lines and a smart approach to structure to keep kids coming back for more.
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Best books for 1st graders
1. The Notebook of Doom
Best for ages: 6 to 8
If you want to raise a reader, this easy-to-master book series is a great bet. Fun sidebars and hilarious drawings make this series approachable for readers that may otherwise feel overwhelmed.
This epic series spans over 13 books, so not only will early readers love revisiting the characters and plots again and again, you'll have plenty of titles to dip into to help build their reading stamina.
The main character in this series is Alexander. He moves to a new town, which has a creepy vibe he can’t quite put his finger on until finds the Notebook of Doom.
Filled with drawings and detailed breakdowns of monsters and other creatures, Alexander soon finds this isn’t some school-kid art project, but it’s a survival manual against a monster takeover that he and his friends must save their town from!
2. The Princess in Black
In this 10-book adventure series, Princess Magnolia (aka The Princess in Black) ditches her fluffy pink ball gown in favor of a black super-heroine suit that she wears when defending her kingdom against monsters.
The large print and Disney-style illustrations make for books that seem longer than they really are, giving readers a sense of pride and accomplishment. The witty storylines celebrate each person’s dynamic individuality.
3. Mercy Watson
For kids that are just dipping their toes into chapter books, this series by Kate DiCamillo is an accessible chapter book series that is approachable to young readers.
The print is big, the chapters are short and the retro-style drawings are beautifully rendered by children’s book author and illustrator Chris Van Dusen.
Mercy Watson is old-fashioned storytelling at its finest. The themes may be twee, but kids will enjoy the silly capers and wacky romps of this prized pig.
Best books for 2nd graders
4. Investigators
School librarians consistently love and recommend the 7-book Investigators series, and so do we. This book series leans hard on laugh-out-loud hilarity and is a great alternative to Dog Man or Captain Underpants for emerging readers.
Mango and Brash are sewer-loving secret agents. They use their Very Exciting Spy Technology (V.E.S.T.) and their stealth toilet-based travel techniques to corral crooks and foil villains everywhere.
Fun and light and filled with suspense, this comic-style book series is perfect for kids that want a ton of entertainment to engage them as they build crucial literacy skills.
5. Galaxy Zack
Best for ages: 5 to 8
Reminiscent of the classic TV show The Jetsons, the Galaxy Zack series follows 8-year-old Zack, his 11-year-old twin sisters and their parents as they move to the planet Nebulon. Zack misses life back on Earth, but soon finds the futuristic advancements of life on Nebulon to be pretty thrilling.
This is a cute and charming low-stakes series for kids who don’t want to deal with too much conflict, but who love inhabiting a world of imaginative ideas and silly escapades.
Galaxy Zack's main focus is on friendship, camaraderie and sticking together as a family, as well as building a sense of resilience when faced with new challenges.
6. The Last Firehawk
Best for ages: 5 to 7
A squirrel named Skyla and an owl named Tag find an egg in a cave, which births the last Firehawk—an enchanted creature named Blaze that may be the only hope to save their world.
Together the three friends embark on a series of epic quests to save Perodia from a terrible darkness that threatens to destroy their magical land. Tag dreams of one day becoming a brave warrior and Skyla is his faithful best friend; together with Blaze they set out to defeat the evil vulture Thorn and his dark magic.
Gripping and fast-paced, The Last Firehawk book series combines magic, fantasy and adventure and have large, realistic illustrations that draw young readers in.
Best books for 3rd graders
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Best for ages: 8 to 12
This book series goes without saying, but no list of titles for reluctant readers would be complete without it.
If your kid isn’t already obsessed with the hilarious yet heartfelt Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, they will be. Written as diary entries from the perspective of young underdog Greg Heffley, Greg and his best friend Rowley do their best to navigate the treacherous waters of middle school.
Author Jeff Kinney crafts irreverent and relatable stories that are punctuated by silly illustrations (and truly hilarious adult interventions) that keep kids engaged and howling along the way.
8. The Last Kids on Earth
Best for ages: 8 to 12
We could say that zombies are having a moment, but that moment has been going on for quite some time and it really doesn’t show any sign of stopping.
In The Last Kids on Earth, Jack and his friends (some are human and some are “big, dumb and way-too-friendly monsters") are on a quest not only to defend themselves against zombies and other monsters, but they are also set to prove themselves as the ultimate post-apocalyptic action heroes.
Their goal is to defend the human race and defeat mediocrity in this exciting eight-book series. These books have recently become a Netflix TV show, so kids who love the books can keep right on enjoying this scrappy rag-tag team of heroic adventurers.
9. Dragonbreath
Best for ages: 7 to 12
Danny Dragonbreath struggles to breathe fire, but what he lacks in flame-breathing abilities he makes up for in bravery and tenacity.
While Danny grapples with school assignments and often brings home mediocre grades, he and his friends Wendell, Suki and Christiana, are filled with courage as they fight such antagonists as cursed were-wieners, fighting frog ninjas and a variety of toxic mutants and menaces.
These books are filled with magic and witty banter and use occasional comic book panels to draw young readers in and help them build confidence with each turn of the page.
Best books for 4th graders
10. The Wild Robot
Beautifully and brilliantly written and punctuated with stunning and thought-provoking pictures, The Wild Robot explores how kindness can be a survival skill, how our good instincts can be cultivated and how we can find harmony even with those who appear most different from us.
This heartwarming, action-packed, award-winning book is a perfect introduction to science fiction. Kids will somehow find themselves relating to the robot in this book and to her heart and empathy toward others.
11. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
There is a reason why Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been made into two movies and continues to be an enduring classic nearly 60 years after it was first published. This vivid and imaginative story brings a world of pure imagination to life with Dahl’s brilliant and eloquent storytelling, which deftly meets kids on their level.
With a focus on honesty, kindness, bravery and truth, the character studies in this book are hilarious, imaginative and engaging for kids.
This is such a fun book to read with your child and to follow up with thought-provoking discussions about character traits, societal commentary and more.
12. The One and Only Ivan
Broken up into almost a poetic format with short and simple paragraphs, the structure of this book is approachable even for kids that struggle with tackling dense paragraphs.
While the structure is simple, the themes and plot lines are detailed and filled with depth, heart and meaning in this thought-provoking book.
In this kindhearted story, Ivan the silverback gorilla lives in a glass enclosure in a roadside mall with his two best friends: Stella the elephant and Bob the dog.
When Ivan is entrusted to care for a baby elephant named Ruby, his world gets turned upside down with her inquisitive approach to life. In the end this is a heartwarming story of friendship, community, loyalty and for caring for someone other than yourself.
Best books for 5th graders
13. Spy School
Ben Ripley is a middle school nerd turned CIA operative in this exciting middle-grade series. While the CIA is Ben’s dream in life, he soon finds out that he’s not a great fit—though he’ll do anything to stay there.
A series of surprising mishaps occur, some have to do with ninjas and others have to do with trained assassins. Through these storylines, school crushes ensue.
This is a dynamic story that takes place over the course of 10 books, so it has a real “sink your teeth into it” quality that hooks readers for a nice long ride.
14. Wings of Fire
Best for ages: 9 to 12
Wings of Fire is a beautifully written series of 16 books that focus on three different story arcs.
Taking place in the kingdom of Pyrriha, the series is filled with thought-provoking themes like war and racism, told through the lens of dragon multiculturalism.
While this series comes in a standard format, we are fans of the graphic novel format for more reluctant readers. Both have beautiful illustrations to ground the storytelling.
Whichever way you go, your child will love entering the lush lands of Pyrrhia and following the intricately developed and thoughtful storylines.
15. Percy Jackson
This seven-book fantasy series is about a modern 12-year-old boy who learns that his true father is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
After finding out he is a demigod, Jackson undertakes a series of quests with his friends Annabeth and Grover (demigods in their own right) that include myths, monsters and mythological heroes.
Jackson, while destined to be a hero, has his share of struggles. Diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia he spends a fair amount of the series soul-searching as he overcomes these struggles to find his own personal power.
We love how this series is relatable to kids who may find challenges in school and with fitting in—yet it’s still compelling to studious kids as well.
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This article originally appeared on Reviewed: The best chapter books for every grade
