Classroom Recommendations 2nd-3rd

The Youth Services Librarians from Happy Valley, Milwaukie Ledding, and Oak Lodge Libraries have pulled together some of their favorite books that would be great additions to classroom libraries. Below are single titles, though most are linked to series. They are sorted by suggested grade level, but feel free to "shop" high and low!

You might also be interested in:
Classroom Recommendations K-1st

Classroom Recommendations 4th-5th

Updated July 26, 2023
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LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Happy Valley Library
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Battle of the bad-breath bats
Bowles, David
Paper Book
A new silly and spooky highly illustrated series that's perfect for fans of Eerie Elementary and Notebooks of Doom, featuring art on every page and fun activities at the end of each book. It's a Halloween chapter book treat! Cousins Malia, Ivan, and Dante are visiting...
Glam Prix racers
Kent, Deanna
Paper Book
Ready. Set. Sparkle! Mario Kart meets My Little Pony in Glam Prix Racers, first in a full-color graphic novel series full of speed, glitter, and teamwork from Deanna Kent and Neil Hooson! It's the start of a new race season on Glittergear Island! Mio the...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Karen's haircut : a graphic novel (baby-sitters little sister #7)
Martin, Ann,M
Paper Book
Another graphic novel in this fun series spin-off of The Baby-sitters Club, featuring Kristy's little stepsister! Karen feels like an ugly duckling. She already has to wear glasses, and now her baby teeth are starting to come out, too. Fortunately, she knows exactly what will make her look...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

King and Kayla and the case of the missing dog treats
Butler, Dori Hillestad
Paper Book
King & Kayla are back on the case in this laugh-out-loud mystery from the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award-winning series. Kayla made peanut butter treats for Thor, Jillian's new puppy. But now the treats are missing, and King is under suspicion. Analytical Kayla...
The used-to-be best friend
Quigley, Dawn
Paper Book
American Indian Youth Literature Award: Middle Grade Honor Book! Hello/Boozhoo--meet Jo Jo Makoons! Full of pride, joy, and plenty of humor, this first book in an all-new chapter book series by Dawn Quigley celebrates a spunky young Ojibwe girl who loves who she is. Jo Jo...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Home is where the heart is
Higgins, Cam
Paper Book
Meet the loveable and rambunctious puppy, Bo Davis, in this first book of the Good Dog series! When Bo loses something important, his search takes him all over the farm. Springtime has arrived at the Davis Family Farm! Spring showers lead to muddy hijinks for a young pup named Bo...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Lunch Lady the first helping : the cyborg substitute and the league of librarians
Krosoczka, Jarrett
Paper Book
Fans of Captain Underpants won't want to miss the adventures of a lunch lady who serves justice--now available for the first time as a full-color graphic novel featuring two-books-in-one! Serving justice . . . and lunch! Hector, Terrence, and Dee have always wondered...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Grace the cove dragon
Mara, Maddy
Paper Book
We are Dragon Girls -- hear us roar! Grace, Zoe, and Sofia share an incredible secret. They can transform into powerful Sea Dragons when they travel to the Magic Forest! Each of the girls has a deep love of the water. Grace is a skilled swimmer, Zoe is an avid surfer, and Sofia is an...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

The mystery of the painted fan
Trinh, Linda
Paper Book
The third book in the early chapter book series The Nguyen Kids features the youngest sibling, Jacob, and continues the series' exploration of social justice themes, specifically gender expression and identity, with a supernatural twist. BOOK 3: THE MYSTERY OF THE PAINTED FAN  ...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Super Turbo saves the day!
Powers, Edgar J.
Paper Book
In this first installment of the Super Turbo graphic novel series, the classroom pets of Sunnyview Elementary band together to form a Superpet Superhero League to fight the crime that is all around them! Can they defeat the evil rat pack threatening their school? Turbo the...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Kitty and the moonlight rescue
Harrison, Paula
Paper Book
Girl by day. Cat by night. Ready for an adventure. Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue is the first book in a chapter book series about Kitty and her superhero adventures.  Meet Kitty, a charming chapter book character with catlike superpowers. With dramatic two-color art on...
InvestiGATORS
Green, John
Paper Book
With more than three million copies in print, John Patrick Green's goofy graphic novel series is a colossal comics hit! Join super spy alligator duo MANGO and BRASH as they surf the sewers and fight the forces of evil. With their Very Exciting Spy Technology and their tried...
My life in pictures
Zemke, Deborah
Paper Book
Bea Garcia draws everything all the time - she's an artist! But then her first and only best friend, Yvonne, moves to Australia. Bea has to draw what she wishes didn't happen - her best friend waving good-bye. What could be worse? What's worse is the boy who moves in next...
Game over, Super Rabbit Boy!
Flintham, Thomas
Paper Book
Super Rabbit Boy is the strongest, bravest, fastest animal in all the land. . .and he's also the star in a video game!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest...
The Bad Guys in Mission unpluckable
Blabey, Aaron
Paper Book
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!"I wish I'd had these books as a kid. Hilarious!" -- Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants and Dog ManThey may look like Bad Guys, but these wannabe heroes are doing good deeds...whether you like it or not! This New York Times bestselling illustrated...
A new friend
Green, Poppy
Paper Book
In this first of a charming series about a little mouse and her forest friends, Sophie Mouse must convince her classmates--and herself--that a new student is nothing to fear. Even if he is a snake! Readers will delight in The Adventures of Sophie Mouse! In the first book of The...
Cute as an axolotl : discovering the world's most adorable animals
Keating, Jess
Paper Book
"Cats of Instagram" meets National Geographic in this hilarious picture book about nature's cutest weirdos from the author of Pink Is for Blobfish! The Internet pretty much runs on cute animal photos, but "cute" is so much more than clickbait kittens and insta-pups....
The new kid
Newton, A. I.
Paper Book
Zeke's just trying to fit in, but classmate Harris is onto him! Will Harris discover that Zeke is truly out of this world?-Read Book 1 in the bestselling Alien Next Door series. Zeke the alien is on his way to his first day of school, feeling down because he has to start over...
Lily to the rescue
Cameron, W. Bruce
Paper Book
A 2020 National Parenting Product Awards (NAPPA) Winner! An irresistible chapter book series from the New York Times bestselling author of A Dog's Purpose Puppy Tales featuring Lily, a rescue dog who rescues other animals! ...
The truth about parrots
Eaton, Maxwell, III
Paper Book
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Children's Book of 2021 The eighth and final book in Maxwell Eaton III's popular series is a hilarious, kid-centered guide to the many color species, odd behaviors, and special talents (like talking!) of parrots. Did you...
The ocean disaster
McElligott, Matthew
Paper Book
The students in Dr. Cosmic's class take their lessons underwater when they're introduced to his latest invention, the SKWID--a special submarine that explores the ocean and looks like a real giant squid! With the guidance of oceanographer Professor Fathom, the class embarks on an...
Rabbit and Bear: the Pest in the Nest
Gough, Julian
Paper Book
Cheeky, delightful, and hilarious, the next title in the Rabbit & Bear series is a roller coaster ride of fun! What with his friend Bear's snoring, and a BANG! BANG! BANG! noise from up in the tree, Rabbit knows that Something Simply Has To Be Done. But high in the branches,...
Stella Daiaz leaps to the future
Dominguez, Angela
Paper Book
From award-winning author Angela Dominguez, the fifth and final novel about Stella Díaz, a Mexican-American girl who is now ready to be at the top of her school--fifth grade! Stella is getting ready for her next big step. This year, she's a fifth grader, which...
Merhorses and bubbles
Citro, Asia
Paper Book
With magical animals, science, mystery, and adventure -- the brand new series Zoey and Sassafras has something for everyone! Easy-to-read language and illustrations on nearly every page make this series perfect for a wide range of ages. In the third book of this series, Zoey and...
Mindy Kim and the trip to Korea
Lee, Lyla
Paper Book
Fresh Off the Boat meets Junie B. Jones in the adorable chapter book series following Mindy Kim, a young Asian American girl--in this fifth novel, Mindy goes to South Korea! Mindy is super excited to go to South Korea to visit her grandparents! She has never taken...
Who wants I scream?
Miedoso, Andres
Paper Book
A haunted ice cream truck is on the loose in this fourteenth chilling adventure in the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol series! Summer in Kersville is like summer in a lot of other places. The sun is bright and hot. School is closed and the pool is open. And kids know to run away as...
Curse of the shadow dragon
West, Tracey
Paper Book
Drake and Worm meet a Shadow Dragon in the latest action-packed installment of this New York Times bestselling series! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text...
Juana & Lucas. Big problemas
Medina, Juana
Paper Book
When her mami meets someone new, Juana worries that everything will change in a humorous, heartwarming follow-up to the Pura Belpré Award-winning Juana & Lucas. Juana's life is just about perfect. She lives in the beautiful city of Bogotá with her two most favorite people...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Sunny the shark
Lai, Remy
Paper Book
Planet Earth meets Narwhal and Jelly in this funny and suspenseful early reader graphic novel series featuring heroic animals surviving in the perilous wilderness! Inspired by true events, the story includes facts about climate change, sharks, and how kids can help protect the...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Exploring flight!
Beaty, Andrea
Paper Book
Why do airplanes look the way they do? Why can't birds fly when they're first born? And why do some paper planes fly farther than others? Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files is the perfect nonfiction resource for all these questions and more. Discover everything there is to...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

The coldfire curse
Quinn, Jordan
Paper Book
In the first installment of the exciting Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly graphic novel series, the scarlet dragon Ruskin's bravery is put to the test when a curse threatens his kingdom. As the pampered pet dragon of the Prince of Wrenly, Ruskin has never known life beyond the walls of...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

https://alsc-awards-shelf.org/
Award-winning books, recordings, apps, & websites for children from the American Library Association.
https://ola.memberclicks.net/bccca-home

2nd-3rd grade reading level, but excellent ideas for all readers, students can vote on their favorite title each spring

https://oregonreaderschoiceaward.wordpress.com/

3rd-5th category has new selections each year; students can vote on their favorite title each spring


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