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FRA Summer Reading List
Students Entering Second Grade
(For books which are listed as part of a series, any book in the series is acceptable.)
| Animals--Real or Imaginary! | Family and Friends | Fantasy/Science Fiction |
| Folktales | Historical Fiction | Humorous |
| Mystery | Nonfiction/Biography | Sports |
Berenstain, Jan and Stan. The Berenstain Bears and the Dress Code
Even though they are not into "rad" fashions, Brother Bear and Sister Bear join the other cubs' protest when Mr. Grizzmeyer enforces a strict dress code at Bear Country School. (chapter book—series)
DiCamillo, Kate. Mercy Watson to the Rescue
After Mercy the pig snuggles to sleep with the Watsons, all three awaken with the bed teetering on the edge of a big hole in the floor. (picture chapter book—series)
George, Jean Craighead. Look to the North: a Wolf Pup Diary
Three wolves are chronicled through the seasons as they grow from pups to adults who hunt with their wolf pack. (picture book)
Hayes, Geoffrey. Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! : A Toon Book
Two mice meet their new neighbor and discover that she is not as scary as they feared. (graphic picture book—series)
Howe, James. Houndsley and Catina
Houndsley and Catina run into trouble when they decide to prove that they are the best at cooking and writing, respectively. (picture chapter book—series)
Lobel, Arnold. Frog and Toad Are Friends
Five tales recounting the adventures of two best friends--Frog and Toad. (picture chapter book—series)
Lobel, Arnold. Mouse Tales
After the seven mouse boys are tucked into bed, they ask Papa to tell them a story. He tells seven stories, one mouse tale for each mouse boy. (picture chapter book)
Marshall, James. George and Martha
Relates several episodes in the friendship of two hippopotamuses. (picture book—series)
McMullan, Kate. Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day
April Fools' Day turns into a bad day for Wagner the mouse when his best friend, Pearl the rabbit, and other children and adults at school play tricks on him. (picture chapter book—series)
Miller, Sara Swan. Three Stories You Can Read to Your Dog
Stories addressed to dogs and written from a dog's point of view, featuring such topics as a burglar, bones, and running free. (picture chapter book)
Miller, Sara Swan. Three Stories You Can Read to Your Cat
A cat hears three stories about a dull rainy day, a yummy bug, and a good day of destruction in the house. (picture chapter book)
Rylant, Cynthia. Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures
Henry, feeling lonely on a street without any other children, finds companionship and love in a big dog named Mudge. (picture chapter book—series)
Rylant, Cynthia. Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog
When their neighbor Mrs. Teaberry hurts her foot, Mr. Putter and his cat Tabby agree to walk her dog for a week, not knowing what they are in for. (picture chapter book—series)
Rylant, Cynthia. Poppleton
Poppleton the pig makes a friend, reads a library book about adventure, and helps a sick friend get better. (picture chapter book—series)
Trivizas, Eugenios. The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
An altered retelling of the traditional tale about the conflict between pig and wolf--with a surprise ending.
(picture book)
Yee, Wong Herbert. Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends
When spring arrives, Mole and Mouse find a unique way to bird watcn. (picture chapter book—series)
Barrows, Annie. Ivy + Bean
When seven-year-old Bean plays a mean trick on her sister, she finds unexpected support for her antics from Ivy, the new neighbor, who is less boring than Bean first suspected. (chapter book—series)
Danziger, Paula. Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown
Amber is nervous about starting second grade with a new teacher, but despite being in the same class as mean Hannah Burton, things turn out just fine. (chapter book—series)
Conford, Ellen. Annabel the Actress Starring in Gorilla My Dreams
Though a little disappointed that her first acting part is to be a gorilla at a birthday party, Annabel determines to really get into the role. (chapter book—series)
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Lazy Lions, Lucky Lambs
Richard "Beast" Best has to write about a real person and everyone else has picked the best people to write about. Who can Richard write about? (chapter book—Kids of the Polk Street School series)
Kline, Suzy. Horrible Harry and the Drop of Doom
On the last day of second grade, Song Lee's party at the local amusement park forces Harry to face his fear of elevators when he is expected to ride the Drop of Doom. (chapter book—series)
Marshall, Edward. Three By the Sea
Each of three friends tells a favorite story as they picnic by the sea. (picture chapter book—series)
McDonald, Megan. Stink, the Incredible Shrinking Kid
The shortest kid in the second grade, James Moody, also known as Stink, learns all about the shortest president of the United States, James Madison, when they celebrate Presidents' Day at school.
(chapter book—series)
Park Barbara. Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peaky Spying
Six-year-old Junie B.'s penchant for spying on people and her curiosity about the private life of her teacher get her in trouble at kindergarten. (chapter book—series)
Benton, Jim. The Fran that Time Forgot
Franny K. Stein jumps into action as a mad scientist when Igor swallows the doomsday device. (chapter book—series)
Cazet, Denys. Minnie and Moo and the Potato from Planet X
Minnie and Moo come to the aid of a visitor from outer space. (picture chapter book—series)
DiTerlizzi, Tony. Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World, Moon Pie Adventure
When Jimmy's mother won't let him have any moon pies for a snack, he takes a trip to the moon to get some. (picture book)
O'Malley, Kevin. Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery
Captain Raptor and his spaceship crew rush to investigate when an unidentified object lands on one of the moons of the planet Jurassica. (picture book—series) This author visited our school in March 2009.
Osborne, Mary Pope. Afternoon on the Amazon
Eight-year-old Jack, his seven-year-old sister, Annie, and Peanut the mouse ride in a tree house to the Amazon rain forests, where they encounter giant ants, flesh-eating piranhas, hungry crocodiles, and wild jaguars. (chapter book—series)
Peterson, John Lawrence. The Littles
When the Biggs go on a three-month vacation and an untidy family from the city moves into the house, the Littles must take action. (chapter book—series)
Pilkey, Dav. Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot : An Adventure Novel
Ricky Ricotta, a small mouse, saves a giant robot from his evil creator, Dr. Stinky, and in turn, the robot protects Ricky from the bullies at school and it saves the city from Dr. Stinky's plan to destroy it. (picture chapter book—series)
Van Allsburg, Chris. Jumanji
Left on their own for an afternoon, two bored and restless children find more excitement than they bargained for in a mysterious and mystical jungle adventure board game. (picture book)
Yolen, Jane. Commander Toad and the Big Black Hole
The space ship Star Warts, commanded by Commander Toad, encounters a black hole which threatens the vehicle with doom. (picture chapter book—series)
Aardema, Verna. Borreguita and the Coyote: a Tale from Ayutla, Mexico
A little lamb uses her clever wiles to keep a coyote from eating her up. (picture book)
Demi. One Grain of Rice
A reward of one grain of rice doubles day by day into millions of grains of rice when a selfish raja is outwitted by a clever village girl. (picture book)
Kellogg, Steven. Paul Bunyan, a Tall Tale
Recounts the life of the extraordinary lumberjack whose unusual size and strength brought him many fantastic adventures. (picture book)
Osborne, Mary Pope. Kate and the Beanstalk
In this version of the classic tale, a girl climbs to the top of a giant beanstalk, where she uses her quick wits to outsmart a giant and make her and her mother's fortune. (picture book)
Pinkney, Jerry. Little Red Riding Hood
A sweet little girl meets a hungry wolf in the forest while on her way to visit her grandmother. (picture book)
Sierra, Judy. Wiley and the Hairy Man
With his mother's help, Wiley outwits the hairy creature that dominates the swamp near his home by the Tombigbee River. (picture book)
Stein, Ezra David. Interrupting Chicken
Little Red Chicken wants Papa to read to her a bedtime story, but interrupts him almost as soon as he begins each tale. (picture book)
Steptoe, John. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters
Mufaro's two beautiful daughters, one bad-tempered, one kind and sweet, go before the king, who is choosing a wife. (picture book)
Yolen, Jane. Sleeping Ugly
Princess Miserella, a beautiful but mean-spirited girl, Plain Jane, and a fairy all fall victim to a sleeping spell, and when Prince Jojo comes along, a youngest son with no money or property, he makes a surprising but wise choice of who to kiss first. (picture book)
Byars, Betsy. The Golly Sisters Go West
May-May and Rose, the singing, dancing Golly sisters, travel west by covered wagon, entertaining people along the way. (picture chapter book—series)
Coerr, Eleanor. The Big Balloon Race
Ariel almost causes her famous mother to lose a balloon race and then helps her win it. (picture chapter book)
Coerr, Eleanor. The Josephina Story Quilt
While traveling west with her family in 1850, a young girl makes a patchwork quilt chronicling the experiences of the journey and reserves a special patch for her pet hen Josefina. (picture chapter book)
Goble, Paul. The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
Though she is fond of her people, a girl prefers to live among the wild horses where she is truly happy and free. (picture book)
Hopkinson, Deborah. Apples to Oregon : being the (slightly) true narrative of how a brave pioneer father brought apples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, and cherries (and children) across the plains
A pioneer father transports his beloved fruit trees and his family to Oregon in the mid-nineteenth century. (picture book)
Hopkinson, Deborah. Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
A young slave stitches a quilt with a map pattern which guides her to freedom in the North. (picture book)
Levinson, Riki. Watch the Stars Come Out
Grandma tells about her mama's journey to America by boat, years ago. (picture book)
Woodson, Jacqueline. The Other Side
Two girls, one white and one African-American, gradually get to know each other as they sit on the fence that divides their town. (picture book)
Various authors. The American Girls Collection
These books explore the real world as it was in the American Girls' times, narrated through the voices of real girls from the past who tell their stories in letters and diaries. (chapter books—series)
Bloom,Becky. Wolf!
A wolf learns to read in order to impress a group of farmyard animals he has met. (picture book)
Blume, Judy. Freckle Juice
Andrew wants freckles so badly that he buys Sharon's freckle recipe for fifty cents. (chapter book)
Child, Lauren. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato
A fussy eater decides to sample the carrots after her brother convinces her that they are really orange twiglets from Jupiter. (picture book)
Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
When Farmer Brown's cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want. (picture book)
Cronin, Doreen. Diary of a Worm
A young worm discovers, day by day, that there are some very good and some not so good things about being a worm in this great big world. (picture book)
Low, Joseph. Mice Twice
A round of uneasy hospitality results when Mouse and Dog arrive at Cat's house for dinner. (picture book)
Parish, Peggy. Amelia Bedelia
A literal-minded housekeeper causes a ruckus in the household when she attempts to make sense of some instructions. (picture book—series)
Rey, H.A. Curious George
The curiosity of a newly-captured monkey gets him into continuous trouble, but he is saved by his friend, the man in the yellow hat. (picture book—series)
Shannon, David. A Bad Case of Stripes
In order to ensure her popularity, Camilla Cream always does what is expected, until the day arrives when she no longer recognizes herself. (picture book)
Various Authors. Geronimo Stilton, Secret Agent
A mother tells her son the story of Little Oh, a girl made of paper who becomes separated from her human mother. (chapter book—series)
Willlems, Mo. Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator
Amanda and her alligator have lots of fun together, but when Amanda's grandfather buys her a panda, Alligator must learn to make new friends. (picture book)
Adler, David. Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones
When she notices some bones missing from a dinosaur skeleton exhibited in the museum, a young girl with a photographic memory tries to discover who has been taking them and why. (chapter book—series)
Adler, David. Young Cam Jansen and the Lost Tooth
Cam uses her photographic memory to help a classmate find the tooth she lost at school. (picture chapter book—series)
Bonsall, Crosby. The Case of the Cat’s Meow
Four private eyes, Wizard, Tubby, Skinny and Snitch investigate a puzzling case. (picture book—series)
Cushman, Doug. Inspector Hopper’s Mystery Year
Inspector Hopper and his partner McBugg solve a mystery in each season of the year. (picture chapter book—series)
Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman. Nate the Great
Nate the Great helps his friend Annie solve the mystery of the missing picture. (picture chapter book—series)
Campbell, Sarah C. Wolfsnail
Close-up photographs and simple text describe how a wolf snail hunts, attacks, and eats its prey (picture book)
Dooley, Norah. Everybody Cooks Rice
A child is sent to find a younger brother at dinnertime and is introduced to a variety of cultures through encountering the many different ways rice is prepared at the different households visited. (picture book)
Dorros, Arthur. Ant Cities
Explains how ants live and work together to build and maintain their cities. (picture book—Let's Read and Find Out Science series)
Florian, Douglas. In the Swim
A collection of humorous poems about such underwater creatures as the starfish, piranha, and clam. (any book by this author)
Jenkins, Steve. Biggest, Strongest. Fastest
Presents 14 animals that are record holders in such areas as size, strength, speed, and age. (Any book by this author)
Streissguth, Tom. Daniel Boone
An illustrated biography of the famous pioneer and explorer. (chapter book—On My Own biography series)
Sweeney, Alyse. Frogs
A photographic introduction to frogs, discussing what they are, where they live, what they look like, what they eat, how they stay safe from predators, and their life cycle. (series—Pebble Plus science books)
Wallace, Karen. Born to Be a Butterfly
Simple text and photographs describe the stages by which a butterfly develops from an egg.
(Eyewitness Readers Level 1 series)
Wilson, Ellen. Annie Oaklely, Young Markswoman
A biographical look at the childhood of Annie Oakley, the famous American sharpshooter. (chapter book—Childhood of Famous Americans biography series)
Adler, David. The Babe and I
While helping his family make ends meet during the Depression by selling newspapers, a boy meets Babe Ruth. (picture book)
Christopher, Matt. You Lucky Dog (Soccer ‘Cats)
Lou meets a wonderful dog that seems to be able to play and follow the rules of soccer better than the 'Cats do, but his true owner is sure to want him back. (chapter book—series)
Christopher, Matt. The Dog that Called the Pitch
Mike and his dog Harry, the Airedale with ESP, are shocked to discover that the new umpire for Mike's baseball games can hear their mental conversations. (picture book—series)
Hicks, Betty. Goof-off Goalie
Ten-year-old Goose is best at goofing off, but when he decides to become the goalie for their soccer team, his friend Henry sets up a practice schedule and enlists their other friends to help Goose improve his skills. (series: Gym Shorts)
Maddox, Jake. On the Line
After breaking his arm during the first day of try-outs last season, Robby is determined to make the football team this year, but to do so he must face his own fears and the bully who tackled him the year before. (chapter book—series)
