Book Picks for Developing Readers

Kids inhale books from the Geronimo Stilton series, which has grown into an empire. Lots of color visuals, expressive fonts, and James Bond-like adventure make GS appealing to second and third graders especially.

Developing readers (and the books designed for them) have generally moved beyond simple sentence structure and limited words per page to slightly longer chapter books.  Plot lines remain straightforward with an emphasis on action.  The best books of this genre have unforgettable characters-- characters kids want to follow through numerous books.  Mysteries are also popular at this level.  Click the links for more info or book-related fun, and scroll down to the end so you see all the picks!  Frankly, I'm jealous my own kids have outgrown this level book.

It doesn't get funnier than this!  Arnie and his pal Peezo (a slice of pizza) have Mr. Bing'sback in this high-energy, hilarious romp. 

An endearing cast of stuffed animal characters living
a full life (unbeknownst to their "little girl") star in this three-book
series.  Perfectly sparse prose with plenty of laughs.

Like Ron Roy's ABC Mysteries, Calendar Mysteries follow a structure thatmany young sleuths find satisfying.  Could you stop reading after the Aprilbook?  Roy is currently writing a new series set in and around the White House called Capital Mysteries.

Ivy & Bean books prove that opposites can not only be friends, but make agreat team.  Goofy and impulsive meets reserved and thoughtful in Annie Barrows' series full of adventures gone awry. 

David A. Kelly Ballpark Mysteries follow cousins Matt and Kate to variousiconic baseball parks.  Each book is filled with behind-the-scenes trivia specificto the park and its team, and lucky for young Red Sox fans, the first book is set at Fenway.

Hmmm...I suspect Jake Maddox is not an actual person, but this 80-book series has something to 
interest every budding athlete, from martial arts to gymnastics to soccer, baseball and go-carting!

Sara Pennypacker's Clementine series features realistic kid problems-- self-inflicted haircut fiascos? Nothing
some magic marker can't fix-- told through the star's fresh and funny narrative.  Reminescent of
Ramona and Junie B., Clementine is her own character and a lot of fun to meet.

Here's a great boy character who holds his own among the realistic and funny Junie B.'s and
Ramonas: Stuey Lewis.  A  little bad luck won't keep him down.   

  Julie Sternberg has an original series in what I call the "Like Books."  All three feature Eleanor, a sensitive girl, facing a real-life, not-so-great issues.  Losing a nanny, sleep-away camp that doesn't live up to the anticipation, and accepting responsibility for making a bad choice (aka, fixing it when you've been mean to someone)-- these are real challenges typical kids face.  I love the series for tackling such things with no grown-up didacticism.  Another perk is that they are told in free verse, keeping word count low and accessible to many new chapter-book readers.

I'm stopping here with my list only because I need to move on to books for independent readers!  Do you Pinterest?  If so, blogger Pragmatic Mom has a board with a seemingly endless title list here.  Happy reading!