Hamden Hall Entering Grade Three
Summer Reading List
2005

Mrs. Schroeder’s and Mrs. Aceto’s Quick Picks

Sachar, Louis.  There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom
This humorous story is about a fifth grader named Bradley Chalkers, who is a bully.

Rylant, Cynthia.  The Islander
After his parents die and he is sent to live in British Columbia, young Daniel has a difficult time coping with his emotions. However, a magical encounter with a mermaid and the gift of a special key placed inside a shell, turn his life around.

Spinelli, Jerry.  Fourth Grade Rats
This is a Newbery award winning book. In a funny, believable way, it looks at peer pressure and growing up. Suds enters fourth grade and is pressured by his friend Joey to be independent. – such as being mean to first graders and creating chaos in his room- in other words a “fourth grade rat”.

Grover, Wayne.  Dolphin Adventure : A True Story
Eighty feet below the ocean’s surface, Wayne Grover hears a clicking sound. Soon he sees three dolphins-two adults and a baby- swimming toward him. A large fishing hook is embedded in the baby’s back and suddenly Wayne realizes that, in their own way, the dolphins are asking for his help.

Danziger, Paula.  You Can’t Eat Your Chicken Pox, Amber Brown
This is a sequel to other Amber Brown stories. Amber is the plucky heroine of the third grade who continues to offer reflections and humorous observations on her adventures.

Adler, David A.  Cam Jansen and the Scary Snake Mystery
Cam uses her photographic memory to help catch the slippery criminal.

Allard, Harry.  Miss Nelson Is Missing
The substitute teacher arrives!

Alarcón, Francisco X.   Iguanas in the Snow
A collection of seventeen bilingual poems depicting winter in San Francisco and nearby mountains, surprise and delight like peppermint candy on the tongue.

Arnosky, Jim.  Crinkleroot's 25 Fish Every Child Should Know                                              (Science)

Barrett, Judy.  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Meals rain from the sky!

Bemelmans, Ludwig.  Madeline
Classic story of Madeline in Paris !

Blume, Judy.  The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo
Freddy Dissel, a second grader and middle child in his family, has a chance to show everyone how special he is and to prove it to himself as well.

Borden, Louise and Kroeger, Mary Kay.  Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman was the first African American to earn a pilot’s license.  Her words, “Keep trying! Fly high!” inspire children to higher goals.

Brown, Marc.  Arthur Meets the President
A contest brings Arthur to the White House.

Bulla, Clyde Robert.  The Ghost of Windy Hill
Lorna and Jamie meet the Ghost of Windy Hill.

Bunting, Eve.  Twinnies
An older sister adjusts to twins.

Burton , Virginia .  Katy and the Big Snow
Katy is a powerful red tractor that rescues the city of Geoppolis from a snow storm.

Byars, Betsy.  Seven Treasure Hunts
Jackson and Goat are tricked by Rachel, Goat’s older sister.

Cameron, Polly.  "I Can't" Said the Ant
A rhyming story describing the repair of a teapot.

Cole, Joanna.  The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top: A Book About Volcanoes
Ms. Frizzle and her class take a trip to a volcano on an undiscovered island.  Part of the Magic School Bus series.

Cooney, Barbara.  Miss Rumphius
How one girl fulfilled her grandfather's wish-"You must do something to make the world more beautiful."

Dahl, Roald.  The Twits
The Twits are gross and disgusting. You will love them!

Freeman, Don.   Norman the Doorman
Norman, a mouse and artist, goes to a lot of trouble to enter an art show!

George, Jean Craighead.  Look to the North: A Wolf Pup Diary                                              An account of the first 10 months of a wolf pup's life.

Gerstein, Mordicai.  The Man Who Walked Between the Towers 
This is the true story of the daring feat of a spirited young Frenchman who walked a tightrope between the World Trade Center twin towers in 1974. 2004 Caldecott Medal.

Grimes, Nikkie.  Shoe Magic
Poems describe the different shoes children wear and the career dreams that go with them.

Henkes, Kevin.  Kitten’s First Full Moon
2005 Caldecott Medal.

Hoban, Lillian.  The Case of the Two Masked Robbers
Raccoon twins Arabella and Albert track down the robbers who stole Mrs. Turtles’s eggs.

Hulme, Joy.  Sea Squares
Rhymes and ocean creatures depict counting and multiplication facts.

Jaspersohn, William.  Cranberries
Where do cranberries come from?

Jenkins, Steve.  What Do You Do With a Tale Like This?
Fascinating facts of nature draw readers into this book.

Keats, Ezra Jack.  Whistle for Willie
A city child on a summer day!

Kellogg, Steve.  Pinkerton Behave!
Children are sure to be delighted by Pinkerton, a puppy as big as a pony.

Kirk, David.  Miss Spider's New Car
Miss Spider searches for the perfect means of transportation.

Leaf, Murno.  Story of Ferdinand
Story of the little bull who would rather sit and smell the flowers than fight.

Lehman, Barbara.  The Red Book
In this wordless story, a magical red book has the power to take its reader to different places.  2005 Caldecott Honor.

M cDermott, Gerald.  Anansi the Spider
The six sons of Anansi, the spider hero of many African tales, combine their special talents to save their father's life.

McGovern, Ann.  Stone Soup
Folk tale about soup made from stones and little else.

Medearis, Angela Shelf.  Our People
Poetic text about African American ancestors who built the pyramids, explored new lands, and emerged from slavery to become scientists, inventors, and "anything they wanted to be."

Moss, Marissa.  Oh Boy, Amelia
Ten year old Amelia is studying her older sister, who has a crush on Oliver.

Murphy, Stuart.  Too Many Kangaroo Things To Do
Introduction to the concept of multiplication

O'Neill, Mary.  Hailstones and Halibut Bones
This childhood classic explores the spectrum in twelve poems and twelve different colors.

Parish, Peggy.  Amelia Bedelia
Laugh with the literal-minded Amelia Bedelia , as she begins her new job as a maid for the Rogers family.

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw.  Horses
Nonfiction book about horses with many photos, a glossary, and an index.

Peterson, John.  The Littles
Tales of a tiny family, only six inches tall, who often end up in giant dilemmas.

Prelutsky, Jack.  For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle Your Funnybone
A book of delightful poems.

Rylant, Cynthia.  Henry and Mudge
Henry’s best friend is Mudge, his 180 pound dog, and together they have many adventures.

Schwartz, David.  How Much Is A Million?
Meet Marvelosissimo the mathematical magician

Soto, Gary .   Chato and the Party Animals
Discovering that his best friend, Novio Boy, has never had a birthday party, Chato the Cat plans a surprise pachanga. Everything is set except that Chato forgets to invite the guest of honor.

Standiford, Natalie.  The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto
Balto, the lead dog of his sled team, must find his way to deliver medicine to sick children in Nome , Alaska during the worst storm ever. (Step Into Reading series).

Silverstein, Shel.  Light in the Attic
A collection of fun poetry.

Tang, Greg.  The Grapes of Math
Mind- stretching math riddles.

Waber, Bernard.  Lovable Lyle
Lyle the gentle crocodile changes an enemy into a friend.

Wittman, Sally.  Plenty of Pelly and Peak
What a surprise when the egg hatches!

Chapter Books

Brock, Betty.  No Flying in the House
This fantasy story will both amuse you and make you think.

Brown, Jeff.  Flat Stanley
Stanley is just a normal boy, but his life changes when a bulletin board falls on him.

Byars, Betsy.  The Not-Just-Anybody Family.
The Blossom family is beset by bizarre mishaps. Mother is always on the rodeo circuit, Pop manages to get arrested for dumping 2,147 soda cans, and junior tries to fly and breaks two legs.

Christopher, Matt.  Tough to Tackle
A tackle wants to play QB but the coach won't let him.

Cleary, Beverly .  Ramona 's World
Further adventures of Ramona at home and at school.

Clements, Andrew.  The Janitor’s Boy
The adventures of Jack, the janitor’s son, will give you a new way of looking at chewing gum in school.

Dadey, Debbie.  Unicorns Don't Give Sleigh Rides
There are some pretty weird grown ups living in Bailey City , but could Mr. Withers at the Bailey Stables really be hiding a magical unicorn? The Bailey School Kids are going to find out!  (Adventures of the Bailey Street Kids series #28).

Dixon , Franklin .  The Hardy Boys
Joe and Frank solve mystery after mystery in this classic series.

Duffey, Betsy.  How to Be Cool in the Third Grade
Robbie York, an eight year old, has plans for becoming cool. Rob's story is told with humor and empathy as he discovers that there is more to being cool than having the right name.

Fritz, Jean.  Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?
A witty look back at American History.

Giff, Patricia.  The Beast in Mrs. Rooney 's Room
For Richard "Beast" Best, being left back means being teased and having to face the same teacher.

Gutelle, Andrew.  Baseball's Best - Five True Stories
Interesting facts and stories related to Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson , Roberto Clemente, and Hank Aaron.

Hildick, E.W.  Case of the Nervous Newsboy
Is Simon, the local newsboy, really an unsuspected criminal?

Hurwitz, Johanna.  Aldo Applesauce
Just when he wants to make a good impression at his new school, Aldo spills his tray of food in the cafeteria. From then on he must live with his reputation as a klutz.

Manes, Stephen.  Make Four Million Dollar$ By Next Thursday!
Is this possible?

MacDonald, Betty.  Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is the kind of grown up every child wishes he knew. She lives in an upside down house, smells like cookies, and was married to a pirate who buried his treasure in the backyard.

MacDonald, Margaret Read.  Mabela the Clever
An African folk tale about a mouse who pays close attention to her surroundings and avoids being tricked by the cat.

Marzollo, Jean.  Soccer Sam
The adventures of a Mexican exchange student visiting Sam's family.

Myers, Laurie.  Earthquake in the Third Grade
Using an ant farm earthquake as an example in this warm and entertaining story, the author draws a parallel as to how both ants and people must challenge themselves to make the best of unexpected circumstances.  Illustrated by Karen Ritz.

Sacher, Louis.   Wayside School is Falling Down
All the strange stuff that happens in Mrs. Jowl 's class.

Shaw, Janet.  Meet Kirsten
First in a series of short historical fictions about the Larson family who emigrate from Sweden and settle in Minnesota in 1854.

Smith, Robert Kimmel.  Chocolate Fever
Henry ate so much chocolate, he came down with chocolate fever.

Sobol, Donald.  Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
Ten-year-old Leroy Brown opens his own detective agency and solves ten crimes.

Tripp, Valerie.  Meet Molly
Molly McIntire grows up in America during World War II.

Warner, Gertrude.  Box Car Children
An adventure series about children who live in a boxcar and solve mysteries.

Wolf, Ferida.  Watch Out for Bears: the Adventures of Henry and Bruno                           Henry comes face to face with a real live bear. Find out what he does! (Step Into Reading Series).