Every year on the first day of school, each of my children find a book waiting for them on the breakfast table. Their book nearly always has something to do with the grade they are beginning. They love it.
It was incredibly easy to find books about kindergarten. I’d spent three years teaching kindergarten, and had built up quite a collection for my classroom. There are SO many great titles about starting kindergarten. Several years ago, I wrote a post sharing my 25 favorites. If you have a kiddo ready to start kindergarten this fall, I highly encourage you to check it out!
As my kids got older, it became more challenging to find titles related to grade level. When you google “Books About Third Grade” you get results for books that are recommended for third grade readers. I wanted to find books ABOUT each grade featuring characters IN that grade! I’ve had to do some digging and some research, but over the years, I’ve had some incredible finds, and wanted to share them with you. I’ve organized my lists by grade level.
First Grade Books:
- Junie B. First Grader at Last by Barbara Park
- The Night Before First Grade by Natasha Wing
- First Grade, Here I Come! by D.J. Steinberg
- First Grade Here I Come by Nancy Carlson
- First Grade Jitters by Robert Quackenbush
- First Grade Stinks by Mary Ann Rodman
- Princess Posey and the First Grade Parade by Stephanie Greene
- Pedro, First Grade Hero by Fran Manushkin
Second Grade Books:
- The Best Seat in Second Grade by Katherine Kenah
- The One and Only Stuey Lewis: Stories from the Second Grade by Jane Schoenberg
- Second Grade Rules, Amber Brown by Paula Danziger
- Second Grade Holdout by Audrey Vernick
- Herbie Jones and the Second Grade Slippers by Suzy Kline
- Keena Ford and the Second Grade Mix-Up by Melissa Thomson
- Second Grade Here I Come by D.J. Steinberg
Third Grade Books:
- Rent a Third Grader by B.B. Hiller
- Horrible Harry Moves up to the Third Grade by Suzy Kline
- I Was a Third Grade Spy by Mary Jane Auch
- How to Be Cool In Third Grade by Betsy Duffey
- Stuey Lewis Against All Odds: Stories From Third Grade by Jane Schoenberg
- Third Grade Angels by Jerry Spinelli
Fourth Grade Books:
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
- The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School by Candace Fleming
- Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli
- Who’s Afraid of Fourth Grade? by Nancy E. Kulik
- Fourth Grade Fairy by Eileen Cook
- Amber Brown Goes Fourth by Paula Danziger
- Fourth Grade Wizards by Barthe DeClements
Fifth Grade Books:
- The Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary School by Candace Fleming
- Nothing’s Fair in Fifth Grade by Barthe DeClements
- President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston
- My Life as a Fifth Grade Comedian by Elizabeth Levy
- Amelia’s 5th Grade Notebook by Marissa Moss
Sixth Grade Books:
- Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja by Marcus Emerson
- President of the Whole Sixth Grade by Sherri Winston
- The 6th Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman
- Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements
- Amelia’s 6th Grade Notebook by Marissa Moss
Have a great school year and happy reading everyone!!
Looking for more book recommendations? You don’t want to miss these lists:
Thank you for sharing this! I am hoping to find most of these books at my local library.