Curious Picks for Grades 2-4

Top picks for grades 2-4 inspired by the Summer Reading Club 2024 theme: World of Curiosities

Updated July 4, 2024
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Dragons and marshmallows
Citro, Asia 
Paper Book
A New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2017 Pick 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...

Primary fiction

Legend of the Star Dragon
West, Tracey, 1965- author. 
Paper Book
The legendary Star Dragon must battle the powerful 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...

Primary fiction

The eyes & the impossible
Eggers, Dave
Paper Book
THE 2024 NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER * THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * THE HOLIDAY GIFT OF THE YEAR FOR ADULTS AND KIDS. An enthralling novel for all ages by award-winning author Dave Eggers, told from the perspective of one uniquely endearing dog--featuring beautiful...

Intermediate fiction

Ruffing it
Patterson, James, 1947- author. 
Paper Book
Junior, the first dog author to make the New York Times bestseller list, tells his latest howlarious tale of going off-leash in the wilderness.​ Junior is so excited--his human family is going on vacation and this time they're taking him with them. And...

Primary fiction

Time of the turtle king
Osborne, Mary Pope 
Paper Book
The #1 bestselling Magic Tree House series is ready to whisk you away across the world with Jack and Annie--this time as World Turtle Experts in the Galapagos Islands!! It's just a regular day when ordinary kids Jack and Annie are whisked away in the magic tree house to the...

Primary fiction

Magic tree house. 1, Dinosaurs before dark, the graphic novel
Laird, Jenny, 1969- adapter. 
Paper Book
The #1 bestselling chapter book is now a graphic novel! Magic. Mystery. Time-travel. Get whisked back in time in the magic tree house with Jack and Annie! Where did the tree house come from?      Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious...

Graphic novel

The Wondrous Wonders
Jourdy, Camille, 1979- author, artist. 
Paper Book
With irresistible wit and brilliant strokes of watercolor, Camille Jourdy brings this dreamlike fable to life. Wondrous Wonders is a tale of pure magic for children and adults alike. Hurt by her parents' divorce and struggling to accept her new stepfamily, she decides to...

Graphic novel

Baby-sitters little sister. 1, Karen's witch
Farina, Katy, author, artist. 
Paper Book
A fresh and fun graphic novel series spin-off of The Baby-sitters Club, featuring Kristy's little stepsister!Karen Brewer lives next door to Mrs. Porter, who wears long robes and has wild gray hair. Mrs. Porter has a black cat named Midnight and always seems to be working in her garden. Karen...

Graphic novel

Spirited. 1, Day of the Living Liv
Livingston, Liv, author, artist. 
Paper Book
The only living girl in a ghost town struggles to find her place in the first book in the Spirited graphic chapter book series. Olivia "Liv" Livingston thinks life on the right side of Narrow Bridge is, well, just right! What's not to love about the perfect town of Pleasant Place...

Graphic novel

A true home
George, K.
Paper Book
Courage, kindness, and adventure abounds in this charming, illustrated chapter book about a little mouse who finds the perfect home with some help from new friends. When Mona the Mouse stumbles across the wondrous world of the Heartwood Hotel in the middle of a...

Primary fiction

Rez dogs
Bruchac, Joseph, 1942- author. 
Paper Book
Renowned author Joseph Bruchac tells a powerful story of a girl who learns more about her Penacook heritage while sheltering in place with her grandparents during the coronavirus pandemic. Malian loves spending time with her grandparents at their home on a Wabanaki reservation...

Intermediate fiction (novel in verse)

Dr. Wangari Maathai plants a forest
Purtill, Corinne 
Paper Book
From the world of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls comes a historical novel based on the life of Dr. Wangari Maathai, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist and environmentalist from Kenya. Wangari lives in the lush, green, land of rural Kenya where the soil is perfect...

Intermediate fiction

Dogtown
Applegate, Katherine 
Paper Book
Now a New York Times bestseller, an Indie bestseller, and an Amazon Best Children's Book! From beloved authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko and with illustrations by Wallace West, Dogtown is at once an uplifting story and a page-turning adventure, sure to find a...

Intermediate fiction

Skunk and Badger
Timberlake, Amy
Paper Book
A Best Book of 2020: People * Kirkus Reviews * Booklist  * School Library Journal * Publishers Weekly * Shelf Awareness for Readers * New York Public Library * Chicago Public Library * Evanston...

Intermediate fiction

Worst love spell ever!
Coven, Wanda
Paper Book
In this hilarious sequel to the New York Times bestseller Worst Broommate Ever, witch-in-training Heidi Heckelbeck wants her crush to notice her. Featuring black-and-white illustrations and doodles throughout and sparkly foil on the cover! Heidi is...

Intermediate fiction

And then I turned into a mermaid
Kirkpatrick, Laura
Paper Book
For fans of Emily Windsnap and Maybe A Mermaid, And Then I Turned into a Mermaid is a funny, heartfelt coming-of-age story, perfect for 10 year old girls and any young mermaid fan! Will Molly sink or swim as she attempts to hide her (Very Weird) new double identity? Molly Seabrook's...

Intermediate fiction

Welcome to Camp Woggle
Griffin, Adele
Paper Book
Get set for another West Woggle adventure, starring Oona, her wacky Stone Age family and some unforgettable pets!Who says kids are the only ones who can have fun during the summer? Oona Oodlethunk and her brother Bonk are ready to change all that. When they hatch a plan to create a "Collected...

Intermediate fiction

Willow Moss and the lost day
Valente, Dominique
Paper Book
The ordinary becomes extraordinary in this sparkling first book in the Starfell series, a modern classic perfect for fans of Nevermoor and The Land of Stories. Willow Moss's small magic has always seemed unremarkable. But when the most feared witch in the land of Starfell appears on the...

Intermediate fiction


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