My kids are about to end their third-grade year, and I’ve been keeping a log of even MORE book series they read this year. If you’ve got a child around eight or nine, check out this list for options they will love. These are also perfect options for summer reading programs. Read on for book series for second and third grade.
A-Z Mysteries by Ron Roy and John Steven Gurney. These are the perfect books for keeping kids interested in reading, and both my son and daughter raced through these. Each book starts with a different letter in the alphabet, and there are puzzles in each book to solve as well. If your child likes these, they can also check out the super editions, Calendar Mysteries (which occur in each of the 12 months), and Capital Mysteries, which focus on people and places around Washington, D.C. These series kept my kids occupied for a while, and I am so grateful for them.
Dork Diaries by Rachel Renée Russell. Similar in format to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, the Dork Diaries books follow eighth-grader Nikki Russell’s adventures with crushes, school, and siblings. I actually felt my daughter was kind of young for these when she first picked them up, but she seemed to really enjoy them. I would say they’re better for third and fourth grade and beyond, but some second-graders may be ready.
Mermaid School by Lucy Courtenay and Sheena Dempsay. This is a small, quick series my daughter loved that tells the story of Marnie the mermaid’s adventures at school. It also has plenty of puns (like “o-fish-ially”), so my daughter enjoyed that as well.
Secret Agent Jack Stalwart by Elizabeth Singer Hunt. My son had a lot of fun with this series, which stars a young spy that uses science and technology to solve mysteries. Apparently the author is actually the granddaughter of a former spy herself!
The Critter Club by Callie Barkley and Marsha Riti. Animal lovers will ADORE this cute series about friends who help solve mysteries involving pets in their town. These are written for a younger audience (probably about first to second grade), but my daughter still loves them and gets excited when a new book comes out.
The Alien Next Door by A.I. Newton and Anjan Sarkar. Like most of the series on this list, The Alien Next Door series centers around school — but in this one, an alien boy is going to school with humans (one of whom is sure he is an alien but can’t convince anyone else). The illustrations in this are funny and cute, and it’s written for younger readers but can still entertain a third-grader.
Secret Spy Society by Veronica Mang. While geared more toward younger readers, my daughter has enjoyed this series about three girls who join a secret women’s spy society. As an added bonus, it has codes in the back (and my daughter is currently OBSESSED with codes).
Real Pigeons by Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood. The illustrations in these graphic novels are amazing, and my son laughed his way through all five books about crazy pigeons who fight crime and save the day.
Wings of Fire (graphic novels) by Tui T. Sutherland and Mike Holmes. My kids read the first couple Wings of Fire books and were mildly interested. Then they discovered the graphic novel versions and were HOOKED. The series tells the story of five dragonets (young dragons) who have to save the dragon world from destruction.
Pizza and Taco by Stephen Shaskan. If you couldn’t tell, we are big fans of graphic novels here. This series about (you guessed it) Pizza and Taco and their adventures is similar in tone to the Narwhal and Jelly series (which we also love). The books made my son laugh out loud, so I call that a win.
Snow Sisters by Astrid Foss and Monique Dong. If you’ve got a little girl or boy who loves all things Frozen, he or she will love this series about three sisters who must rescue their parents from the evil Shadow Witch, who is trying to turn their world dark.
Whatever After by Sarah Mlynowski. My daughter flew through this series of fractured fairy tales and was so excited to tell me about how the author had turned certain familiar stories upside-down. For example, in the first book Abby and her younger brother, Jonah, stop Snow White from eating the poisoned apple and then have to figure out what to do when she doesn’t meet her prince.
Gemstone Dragons by Samantha M. Clark and Janelle O. Anderson. This is a brand-new series my daughter saw at Target, so we checked out the series from the library. She raced through all the books about the different dragons that all have powers associated with their gemstones. She now also understands that gemstones correspond with certain months (i.e., her birthstone is an emerald). The illustrations are darling!
Wayside School by Louis Sachar. Other ’80s and ’90s kids may remember the hilarious and goofy Wayside School series. Even now, 25+ years after I first read these books, I still remember them fondly. I bought the original hardcovers on eBay, and both my kids laughed my way through them.
Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly by Jordan Quinn. Anyone else noticing that dragons are OVERREPRESENTED in children’s literature right now? Regardless, my kids seem to have no problem reading alllllll the books about dragons. They like this new graphic novel series about the prince of Wrenly’s pet dragon, Ruskin, who is summoned by another dragon to help rid the kingdom of a curse that was unleashed.
Bibbidi-Bobbidi Academy by Kallie George and Lorena Alvarez Gomez. Admittedly, these books are really short and written for probably grades 1-2, but my daughter is enjoying this new series about girls learning to become fairy godmothers.
My Pet Slime by Courtney Sheinmel and Renée Kurilla. Our elementary school offers a membership to the reading subscription company Epic!, and my kids thoroughly enjoyed this series there (but you can also buy the books). A little girl named Piper longs for a pet, but since she can’t have a cat or a dog, she makes her own pet out of slime.
Unicorn Academy by Julie Sykes and Lucy Truman. In this series, students go to school to meet their very own unicorn, whom they also learn to talk to! If your kids like this series, they’ll also like the subseries Nature Magic.
Heartwood Hotel by Kallie George and Stephanie Graegin. My sweet animal-loving daughter also enjoyed this short series (only four books) about a mouse who finds Heartwood Hotel when she desperately needs a place to stay during a storm.
Mermicorn Island by Jason June. Yes, this series is about a creature who is half unicorn and half mermaid and lives in a magical undersea world. There are only four books in this series, and my daughter flew through them.
Dog Diaries by James Patterson and Steven Butler. My son laughed and laughed at these books told from dog Rafe’s perspective and was really excited when we found two-in-one books of the first four at Costco. If your kids loved Stick Dog or Stick Cat, which I shared in my list of books for first- and second-graders, they’ll enjoy this series.
Royal Rescues by Paula Harrison and Olivia Chin Mueller. A princess who finds and rescues animals even though her father (the king) says she can’t have a pet? Say no more (at least for my daughter). Kids aged six to nine will love this series.
Zoey and Sassafras by Asia Citro and Marion Lindsay. I love that this cute series features a girl who has to help magical creatures by using science (and with the help of her cat, Sassafras). Both my kids are very interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), and these books help them see examples of kids conducting experiments.
InvestiGators by John Patrick Green. I have long thought that alligators are the most fun illustrated characters, and I just wish I had come up with this punny series about alligator spies who travel through the sewers and solve mysteries. Both my daughter and my son are enjoying these books!
The Last Firehawk by Katrina Charman and Jeremy Norton. My children devoured this series about an owl, a squirrel, and a hawk who team up to fight Thorn, a powerful vulture who is using dark magic to destroy the land. Fans of Dragon Masters will love this one.
Dragon Slayers’ Academy by Kate McMullan and Bill Basso. In case your kids are like mine and immediately turned off by the title, know that this series is NOT about people slaying dragons. It’s about a kid who can’t stand the sight of blood and has help from his pig, Daisy, who also writes in Pig Latin. Kids who love jokes and puns will adore these.
Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior by Cube Kid. My son enjoys playing Minecraft here and there and loved this series about a figure (I don’t know what else to call him) who has to choose his future career at Minecraftia school and really wants to be a warrior. If you’re looking for something to get a video game-obsessed kid into reading, this could be the ticket.
Fairy Animals of Misty Wood by Lily Small. I am not a fan of these illustrations, which remind me of the creepy Beanie Baby animals with enormous eyeballs. However, my daughter flew through this series about creatures with fairy wings that help others and make their homes beautiful.
Phew! My kids read a lot of books over the past year, and now they’re both completely absorbed in the Harry Potter series, which should keep them interested this summer.
Are you looking for more series for second- and third graders? Check out this list of books for kids aged six to eight and this one for first- and second-graders. Please share your favorite series with me in the comments as well! I’m always on the hunt for new books my kids will love.
