The following books are suggestions for independent reading this summer. If (ICR) is written next to the title, it means that the book is an "I Can Read" book. If you find a series that you like, read more books by that author. Of course, reading together with a parent or sibling is always encouraged! Happy reading!

Adler, David Young Cam Jansen and the Missing Cookie (ICR)
Cam Jansen and her amazing memory track down the cookie thief. (Series)

Adler, David Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Missing Babe Ruth Baseball
Cam Jansen uses her amazing memory to figure out who stole a valuable autographed baseball. (series)

Averill, Esther The Cat Club
Jenny, a shy black cat, joins a cat club and has to figure out what her special talent is. (series)

Brenner, Barbara Wagon Wheels (ICR)
Dad and his sons travel West in a covered wagon to get some free land.

Brown, Laurie Krasnie Rex and Lily Family Time (ICR)
Rex and Lily try to surprise their mother for her birthday and get a new pet.

Brown, Marc Arthur Makes the Team
Arthur feels like a klutz on the baseball field, and he's worried that he will let down the team. (An "Arthur" Chapter book series actually written by Stephen Krensky)

Bulla, Clyde Robert The Chalk Box Kid
Gregory has a hard time with his new school and his new home, but he uses some chalk and an empty lot to create something quite amazing. (Ghost Town Treasure is a good adventure story by the same author.)

Byars, Betsy Hooray for the Golly Sisters (ICR)
Rose and May-May take their show on the road in a covered wagon. Pigs are part of the act! (series)

Byars, Betsy My Brother, Ant (ICR)
In one story, Ant (short for Anthony) is afraid of the dark and relies on his older brother to help him out. (series)

Byars, Betsy The Seven Treasure Hunts
Jackson and Goat hide treasures for each other, but someone steals the grand prize.

Calmenson, Stephanie & Johanna Cole The Rockin' Reptiles (series)
This book is part of the series Gator Girls. Join the gator girls: Amy and Alice as they try to decide which one of them should get to have the extra ticket to the best concert ever!

Cameron, Julian The Stories Julian Tells (series)
Julian has a talent for getting in trouble. He also has good luck in getting out of it. You'll enjoy these stories. (series)

Christopher, Matt Glue Fingers
Billy is very good at baseball, but he is afraid to join the football team because he stutters and the kids might make fun of him.

Coerr, Eleanor The Big Balloon Race (ICR)
Ariel almost causes her famous mother to lose the hot air balloon race.

Cole, Joanna Bony Legs (ICR)
This is a great scary and funny story wrapped into one. And don't forget the "Magic School Bus" books by the same author.

Gannett, Ruth Stiles My Father's Dragon (series)
Elmer rescues a baby dragon kept as a slave on Wild Island. He is very clever about how he outwits the wild creatures. This is a very good story with two sequels.

Giff, Patricia Reilly Ronald Morgan Goes to Camp
Ronald is worried about going to camp because he is not good at anything. But he is good at making friends! (series)

Giff, Patricia Reilly Fish Face, Purple Climbing Days, etc. (Polk Street Kids series.)
Meet Beast, Emily, Matthew Jackson and the other kids in Ms. Rooney's room.

Greene, Stephanie Owen Foote, Second Grade Strongman (series)
Owen Foote is hoping that he will become a strongman like his grandfather before next Thursday because that's when the nurse measure heights and weights and he's sick of being the smallest kid in the class.

Henkes, Kevin Julius, The Baby of the World
Lilly doesn't like her new baby brother Julius and tries to make his life miserable until Cousin Garland does the same thing.

Henkes, Kevin Lily's Purple Plastic Purse
Meet Lily who loves everything about school until the day she brings her new purple plastic purse to school and cannot wait to show it off!

Hoban, Lillian Arthur's Camp-Out (ICR)
Arthur is bored and decides to go on a camping trip by himself. He ends up getting rescued by some other campers. (series)

Hoban, Russell A Bargain for Frances (ICR)
Thelma tries to trick Frances out of a new China tea set.

Hoffman, Mary Amazing Grace
Grace sets her mind to playing the role of Peter Pan in her school play. Will "Amazing Grace" succeed in getting the part?

Howe, James Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores
What would you do if your two best friends left you behind when they joined an all-boy clubhouse?

Howe, James Pinky and Rex (series)
Meet two best friends: Pinky and Rex. Did you know that they each own twenty-seven stuffed animals? What would you do with so many stuffed animals? Follow these two best friends as they set out on their next adventure.

Hunter, Mollie The Day of the Unicorn
A magic spell gives a unicorn a toothache. Only Lady Dorabella has the power to catch the suffering creature. Sir Dauntless must stand aside and let Lady Dorabella show her courage.

Hurwitz, Johanna Russell Sprouts
Russell is an active neighbor of "Busybody Nora" (another book by this author.) You can compare your first grade year to Russell's!

Johnson, Crockett Ellen's Lion
Ellen has a lion that is as real as Winnie-the-Pooh. If these stories are too difficult for you to read now, save them for next year. They are wonderful.

King-Smith, Dick Jenius the Amazing Guinea Pig
Jenius, a trained guinea pig, gets too smart for his own good. (by the author of Babe, the Gallant Pig and Mr. Ape.)

Kline, Suzy Horrible Harry in Room 2B (series)
Harry isn't ALWAYS horrible, just most of the time. Also read Song Lee and the Hamster Hunt!

Lester, Helen Me First
Pinkerton Pig always wants to be first, but as Pinkerton discovers being first is not always the best things to be.

Lester, Julius Sam and the Tigers
Clever Sam outsmarts the tigers that are planning to eat him!

LeGuin, Ursula Catwings (series)
Imagine finding a kitten with wings. This story follows four winged kittens as they venture into a strange new world.

Levy, Elizabeth Something Queer at the Lemonade Stand (series)
Somebody is putting salt in Gwen and Jill's lemonade. You'll love these funny mysteries.

Lobel, Arnold Frog and Toad; Mouse Tales; Owl at Home... (ICR)
Most of you have read at least one of Arnold Lobel's wonderful books. Go to the L shelf in any library and bring home a few Arnold Lobel books to read or reread.

Marshall, Edward Fox and His Friends (ICR)
Fox is cool and wants to hang out with his friends, NOT baby-sit his little sister, Louise. Getting out of work can be tricky business. You will love all the Fox books. (Series)

Marshall, James Four on the Shore (ICR)
Four friends try to scare away a little brother by telling spooky stories. Guess again! Follow this up with Three By The Sea.

Meddaugh, Susan Martha Speaks (series)
To everyone's surprise Martha, the dog, eats a bowl of alphabet soup and starts talking. Will she ever stop?

Mills, Claudia Gus and Grandpa (series)
This is a wonderful series about Gus and his Grandpa and their loving warm relationship and the times they share together.

Minarik, Else Little Bear (ICR) (series)
Read all five books about Little Bear, Mother Bear, Father Bear, and his friend, Emily. These books, with illustrations by Maurice Sendak are truly "I Can Read" classics.

Moore, Lilian The Magic Spectacles (ICR)
This is a very enjoyable collection of stories which are a little longer than the "I Can Read" books. Another collection by the same author is Junk Day on Juniper Street.

Osborne, Mary Pope Pirates Past Noon (series)
The "magic treehouse" whisks Jack and Annie back to the days of deserted islands, pirate maps, and buried treasure. Great series!

Parish, Peggy Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping (ICR) (series)
No booklist would be complete without mention of the most famous, mixed-up maid in literature. In this one you'll discover the secret ingredient in Amelia's chocolate chip cookies.

Park, Barbara Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business (series)
Junie B. decides on the perfect pet for pet day her brother!

Paterson, Katherine The Smallest Cow in the World (ICR)
When Marvin moves, he has to leave his mean cow, Rosie behind. He is sad and lonely until he finds Rosie again, only this time she is the smallest, meanest cow in the world.

Pilkey, Dav The Adventures of Captain Underpants (series)
This funny series needs no introduction. Or find out how Ricky Ricotta's Giant Robot saves the world.

Peterson, John The Littles (series)
The Littles are a family of tiny people who live in the walls of the Bigg family's house. When a cat moves in, they know they are in trouble.

Pinkwater, Daniel I Was A Second Grade Werewolf
Imagine waking up and finding your hands and face are covered with hair and your teeth are long and sharp. You've changed into a werewolf, no doubt. You'll get a howl out of this one. If you like comedy, also look for The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by the same author.

Platt, Kin Big Max (ICR)
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It's Big Max, the world's greatest detective who travels by umbrella.

Robins, Joan Addie Meets Max (ICR) (series)
When Max moves in next door, Addie is not at all sure she wants to be his friend.

Rylant, Cynthia In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen ("Cobble Street Cousins" series)
Rosie, Lily, and Tess always have fun when they stay at their Aunt's house. This time they start their own cookie business. Good beginning chapter books.

Rylant, Cynthia Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night (ICR)
Read all the books in this great series... Henry, his parents, and Mudge go camping. (Mr. Putter and Tabby books are also great.)

Rylant, Cynthia Poppleton (ICR) (series)
Enjoy another series by this great author. Poppleton loves to go to the library (like you!).

Schwartz, Alvin In a Dark, Dark Room (ICR)
If you don't know this collection of scary stories, it's a must!

Seuss, Dr. Fox in Sox (ICR)
Just try to read through this book of tongue twisters. Read all of Dr. Seuss's books!

Sharmat, Marjorie Nate the Great (ICR) (series)
All you budding detectives will want to read this series of I Can Read mysteries.

Shub, Elizabeth The White Stallion (ICR)
A little girl gets lost from the wagon train and is helped by a beautiful white stallion.

Smith, Janice Lee The Kid Next Door and Other Headaches; Stories About Adam Joshua
Adam Joshua and Nelson are best friends but they are not alike. Can their friendship survive their differences? (series)

Turner, Ann Dust for Dinner (ICR)
A family has a difficult time finding enough food to eat during the Great Dust Bowl. historical

Van Laan, Nancy Moose Tales
Three stories about a moose and some of his forest friends. (ICR)

Van Leeuwen, Jean Amanda Pig On Her Own (ICR) (series)
Amanda is very upset that Oliver is going off to school. Look for more books about Oliver and Amanda on the V shelf.

Viorst, Judith Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day
Alexander starts out one morning with nothing going according to plan. Would he be better off, he wonders, if he moved to Australia?

Willner-Pardo, Gina Jumping Into Nothing
Sophie faces her fear of the high diving board!

Wiseman, Bernard Morris and Boris (ICR) (series)
Two friends, one a bear one a moose, drive each other crazy with riddles and tongue-twisters.

FAMILY READ-ALOUDS

Atwater, Richard and Florence Mr. Popper's Penguins
You will be thoroughly entertained by Mr. Popper and his vaudevillian troop of penguins. Your older brother or sister will enjoy hearing this again.

Collodi, C. The Adventures of Pinocchio
Pinocchio is a story that has stood the test of time with children and adults. The movie is almost as good as the book but you will notice some differences.

Milne, A. A. Winnie-the-Pooh
What could be nicer than spending the summer with Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo? They will become friends for life.