The following is not a complete list. I tried to recall all the books she read but it’s been a year so I probably missed some. It was especially hard to remember if she read certain books at the end of 1st grade or the beginning of 2nd. I know she read different mysteries that are listed in the 1st grade category, Judy Moody books, etc. so just go through those lists first.
I created this category to save you from mistakes I made when I chose books from the large 8 – 12 age category on Amazon only to realize later that my daughter was either not mature enough to read them or they contained difficult vocabulary for her. If you are looking for safer bets this is it. She read them and enjoyed them in 2nd grade.
Always check the previous age categories to see if there are titles s/he hasn’t read yet. Many books have a wide age range and I tried to place them in the lowest possible age category (i.e. in the age group when I thought kids could read the book on their own, not listen to it.)
Cobble Street Cousins For a complete list of books in this series click here.
Emma Dilemma For other books in this series click here.
Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great If your child did not read the other books in the Fudge series, look for them here.
The Secrets of Droon For a list of books in order in this series click here.
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 To see other books in this series click here.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing For a complete list of books in the Fudge series click here.
Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One For a list of books in the Pain and the Great One series click here.
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator She found it a bit dull at the beginning but finished it anyway. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is definitely better.
The Indian in the Cupboard Check out its sequel The Return of the Indian.
The World According to Humphrey and all the other books in this series.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School and other Wayside School books. For a complete list click here.
The Doll People She enjoyed the other books in the series, click here for a complete list.
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle For a list of books in this series click here. My daughter LOVES the stories of “naughty” children. She just read a few of them at bedtime the other night (in 3rd grade).
Gooney Bird Greene and other titles. Check the books in this series, their ratings and reviews here.
The Lemonade War For a list of books in this series click here. For rating and reviews click here. She loved all the books in this series.
Boy/Girl Battle: The Boys Start the War She read the whole series, practically devoured it. Read the books in the right order. Click here to see a list of 12 books in this series in order.
Frindle and other books by Andrew Clements. I did not realize that Andrew Clements has written several great books for kids until my daughter’s teacher gave her Frindle to read in 2nd grade. Then I realized that it is the same author of No Talking (a audiobook she loved) and looked up the rest of his books. When my son is in 2nd grade, I will introduce him to this author for sure, starting with Frindle.
She read the following books by Andrew Clements:
No Talking She listened to this book when she turned 7. Then she read it. It is one of her favorite books.
Extra Credit (more reviews here)
Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School For a complete list of books in this series in order click here. She enjoyed the whole series.
Lisa and Lottie My daughter read this book in Czech but I checked the reviews of people who read it both in the original and in English and they loved the translation. It might be hard to obtain at the library but I would not hesitate to spend $5 (right now on Amazon including shipping) on a used copy because it is a wonderful story and all girls would enjoy it I think. Although the summary is in another language, read the English reviews below it here. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10101074-lisa-and-lottie?from_search=true
Emil’s Pranks My daughter read the book in Czech and enjoyed it. Like all other Astrid Lindgren books, this one didn’t disappoint. It is even better for little boys. Read the reviews here and see a list of other books about Emil (check the reviews on www.goodreads.com)
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles I bought this book for her in summer after she finished 1st grade. She did not enjoy the first pages of the book and said it was hard for her. Then her teacher started reading it to them in school and she fell in love with this book. She reread it later. For independent reading you should maybe wait till the middle of 2nd grade.
Half Magic For a complete list of 7 books in Tales of Magic series click here.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone She tried this one earlier during 2nd grade but found it too confusing. I thought she would not be the type to read Harry Potter so I let her watch the first movie a few months after that. Suddenly she understood everything and expressed a wish to try the first book again (in the last month of 2nd grade). She fell in love with this series and has been reading the Harry Potter books since then (she is reading the last book as I write this–she is in 3rd grade now).
