Third Grade Summer Reading List

Author	Title	Subject	Summary Notes
Blume, Judy	Fudge-A-Mania	Fiction, Vacations, Brothers, Family Life, Humorous Stories	Pete describes the family vacation in Maine with the Tubmans, highlighted by the antics of his younger brother Fudge.
Blume, Judy	Super Fudge	Fiction, Humorous stories, Brothers, Family life	Peter describes the highs and lows of life with his younger brother.
Blume, Judy	Freckle Juice	Fiction, Freckles, Humorous Stories	Andrew wants freckles so badly that he buys Sharon’s freckle recipe for fifty cents.
Blume, Judy	The Pain and the Great One	Fiction, Brothers, Sisters, Sibling Rivalry	A six-year old (The Pain and the his eight year old sister (The Great One) see each other as troublemakers and the best-loved in the family.
Aardema, Verna	Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears	Fiction, Animal Folklore, Mosquitoes	1995 Caldecott Medal, Reveals the meaning of the mosquito’s buzz. McGraw-Hill©2001 Suggested Reading –Grade 3
Bunting, Eve	Dreaming of America: An Ellis Island Story	Historical Fiction, Ocean Travel, Emigration, Irish Americans, Brothers and Sisters	Annie Moore cares for her two younger brothers on board the ship sailing from Ireland to America where she becomes the first immigrant processed through Ellis Island, January 1, 1892, her fifteenth birthday.
Bunting, Eve	How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story	Historical Fiction, Refugees, Thanksgiving Day	Refugees from a Caribbean island embark on a dangerous boat trip to America where they have a special reason to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Cleary, Beverly	Beezus and Ramona	Fiction, Sisters, Family Life	Four-year-old Ramona has an imagination that makes her a menace to everyone around her, particularly her older sister Beezus.
Lobel, Arnold	Aseops Fables	Fiction, Animals, Fables	1981 Caldecott Medal. Twenty original fables about an array of animal characters from crocodile to ostrich.
MacDonald, Betty Bard	Mrs. Piggle Wiggle	Fiction, Human Behavior	Mrs. Piggle Wiggle loves children, both good and bad. She never scolds, but has positive cures for children with special problems such as answering back or never wanting to go to bed.
Maclachlan, Patricia	Through Grandpa’s Eyes	Fiction, Blind, Grandfathers, Physically Handicapped	A young boy learns a different way of seeing the world from his blind grandfather.
Rockwell, Thomas	How to Eat Fried Worms	Fiction, Humorous Stories	Two boys set out to prove that worms can make a delicious meal.
Cohen, Barbara	Molly’s Pilgrim	Fiction, US, Jews, Thanksgiving Day, Emigration	Told to make a Pilgrim doll for the Thanksgiving display at school, Molly is embarrassed when her mother tries to help her out by creating a doll dressed as she herself was dressed before leaving Russia to seek religious freedom. McGraw-Hill©2001 Suggested Reading – Grade 3
Coville, Bruce	My Teacher is an Alien	Fiction, Extraterrestrial Beings, Schools	After Susan sees Mr. Smith the substitute teacher peel off his face, she knows he’s an alien and only Peter believes her. Together they work to save the class from Mr. Smith’s horrible plans.
Rappaport, Doreen	Freedom River	Nonfiction, John P. Parker (1827-1900), African Americans, Underground Railroad, Slavery, Abolitionists	A 2001 Notable SS Trade Book. Describes an incident in the life of John Parker, an ex-slave who became a successful businessman in Ripley, OH, and who repeatedly risked his life to help other slaves escape to freedom.
Robinson, Barbara	The Best Christmas Pageant Ever	Fiction, Christmas	Recommended for use with the character education: caring. The six mean Herdman kids lie, steal, smoke cigars (even the girls) and then become involved in the community Christmas pageant.
Spinelli, Jerry	The Bathwater Gang	Fiction, Gangs, Grandmothers	Bertie’s all-girl gang becomes involved in a harmless but heartfelt war with an all-boy gang, until Bertie’s grandmother steps in with the perfect solution.
St. George, Matt	So, You Want to Be the President	Nonfiction, Presidents, Miscellaneous	2001 Caldecott Medal. Presents an assortment of facts about the qualifications and characteristics of US presidents from George Washington to Bill Clinton. Se the Dec. 2001/Jan2002 issue of the Reading Teacher for an article about the book and its illustrator, David Small.
Christopher, Matt	The Dog that Pitched a No-Hitter	Fiction, Dogs, Extrasensory Perception, Baseball	Mike’s telepathic dog Harry is able to send him secret signals about the opposing players on the baseball field, but Mike’s weak pitching arm requires them to find another plan to save the game
Christopher, Matt	The Lucky Baseball Bat	Fiction, Baseball, Self-Confidence	Marty loses his lucky baseball bat, and his confidence along with it, and wonders if he will recover both in time to help the Tigers win the championship.