This is a list of book appropriate for first graders who are ready to read more challenging books than easy readers. I have a separate list containing other series not mentioned here in the section My Daughter in 1st Grade. My son is now in 1st grade (November 2014) and I use the following list I put together as a reference because it is sometimes hard to find chapter books that interest young kids but are not daunting. I also added series for girls my daughter did not read.
If you are looking for more books, check out Random House Stepping Stones series. Also look for Trophy Chapter Books and Puffin Chapters.
The books on my lists are tips from different websites and discussion forums. Read the reviews if you’d like to learn more about the titles. Every child is unique. Books my kids liked might not be an enjoyable read for your child and the other way around. Most of these books are great for any child, no matter if it is a girl or a boy.
When my son reads a book and likes it I move it to my list My Son in 1st Grade so check out that list as well. You will no longer find it here. I can only trust other people about the books listed here but if my son actually reads a book from this category and likes it, I know that the tip was good and feel better about recommending it to other parents. I hope you will find the tips useful and will not waste time searching for a good read for your child at his/her level.
The books toward the end of the list are probably harder and I am saving them for the second half/end of 1st grade.
Mostly Monty: First Grader For a list of books in this series click here.
All Paws on Deck For a list of books in this series click here.
Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown For a list of books in this series, click here.
Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways You can find more Zelda and Ivy stories.
Iris and Walter For a complete list in this series click here.
The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding (Peter Rabbit) Look for other titles published by Frederick Warne (23 altogether)
Pinky and Rex For a list of the books in this series click here. (My daughter read this series at the end of kindergarten and at the beginning of 1st grade)
Appleville Elementary #1: First Day For a list of books in this series click here.
Captain Awesome to the Rescue! For a list of books in this series click here. My son started reading it but did not finish—said there was not much happening. But it has a lot of great reviews so maybe it would appeal to your child.
The Principal’s on the Roof: A Fletcher Mystery For a list of books in The Fletcher Mysteries series click here.
Judy Moody and Friends: Jessica Finch in Pig Trouble For a list of books in the Judy Moody and Friends series click here.
Judy Moody and Stink: The Holly Joliday For a list of books in the Judy Moody and Stink series click here.
House Of The Horrible Ghosts (Stepping Stone) My friend told me her son liked it. For the list of books in this series click here.
Be Careful What You Sniff for For a list of books in the Magic Bone series click here.
The Case of the Elevator Duck (A Stepping Stone Book)
Horrid Henry For a list of books in this series click here.
On the Road For a list of books in the Down Girl and Sit Series click here.
Princess Posey and the First Grade Parade For a list of books in this series click here.
My Happy Life and My Heart Is Laughing
The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe’s Very First Case For other mysteries in this series click here.
The Boxcar children As of now, there are 100 mysteries/books in this series.
Uh-oh, Cleo For a list of books in this series click here. My son’s friend did not like it, he said it was boring. We haven’t tried it yet.
Nikki and Deja Click here for a list of books in this series.
Arthur series For a list of books in this series click here.
A to Z Mysteries For a complete list of the mysteries click here.
Calendar Mysteries For a complete list of the mysteries click here.
Ballpark Mysteries #1: The Fenway Foul-up For a list of books in this series click here.
Capital Mysteries #1: Who Cloned the President? For a list of books in this series click here.
Junie B. Jones (series) To see all the books in order click here.
In the Bathroom For other books in the Andrew Lost series click here.
Bed & Biscuit See the titles in this series and read more about them here.
The Haunted Library To see ratings and reviews click here. For more books in this series click here.
Stink For a complete list of books in this series click here.
Cam Jansen mysteries (series) To see a list of them click here.
Judy Blume’s Fudge I always get confused which books are in this series so here is a list.
The One and Only Stuey Lewis: Stories from the Second Grade Check out the ratings and book #2 in this series (there are only 2 books at this moment) here.
Hello, Nebulon! See more books in the Galaxy Zack series on Amazon here or click this link to see a full list, the ratings and other reviews.
Goofballs: The Crazy Case of Missing Thunder Check out other titles in this series (reviews and ratings). My daughter LOVED the Secrets of Droon series by this author (Tonny Abbott) so my son will definitely try this series aimed at a younger audience.
The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster I discovered the Jigsaw Jones Mystery series at the library. The reviews I have seen are mixed so we’ll just give it a try and see. For a list of the books click here.
Maybelle in the Soup To see a list of other books in this series, and their ratings, click here. You can also find them on Amazon here.
Flat Stanley For a complete list of books in this popular series click here.
Anna Hibiscus For a list of other books about Anna click here.
Freddie Ramos Takes Off You can find more titles in Zapato Power series on Amazon here or you can check the ratings and reviews of the books here.
My Family Adventure (Sofia Martinez)
Summer Pony (A Stepping Stone Book)
Winter Pony (A Stepping Stone Book)
Starlight For a list of books in the Breyer Stablemates series click here.
The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy You can find more books in this series on Amazon here or check out their ratings and reviews here.
The Case of the Stinky Socks For other Milo & Jazz Mysteries click here. You can also check them out on Amazon here.
The Kids of the Polk Street School To see more ratings, reviews, and a complete list of books in this series click here. Don’t let the recommended age fool you. I have read reviews and it is good for beginning readers.
Case of the Secret Sauce For a list of other titles in the Pete and Penny’s Pizza Puzzles series click here.
Dog Den Mystery For a complete list of books in this series click here.
The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo
Grasshopper Magic For a list of books in the Magical Mix-Ups series click here.
Leroy Ninker Saddles Up My son did not like it. His friend did, and since they are at the same reading level I guess it was just not his cup of tea.
Jenny and the Cat Club For a list of books in this series and more reviews click here. To see more books about this cat on Amazon click here. I’ve seen this book recommended for younger kids as a read-aloud so it is probably very good.
Beast Friends Forever: Meet the Beast For other tiles in the series and ratings click here.
Horrible Harry For a complete list of books in this series click here.
Danny’s Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experiment (more reviews here) and Danny’s Doodles: The Squirting Donuts
ZigZag Kids It has mixed reviews but my daughter liked it fine. For a list of titles in this series click here (you can also read more reviews).
Secret Agent Jack Stalwart: The Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur For a complete list of books in this series click here.
Your Backyard Is Wild and The Wild, Wild Southwest! Click here for more books in the Junior Explorer series (more reviews there too).
Andrew Lost series. It should be read in order. For a list click here.
Pony Pals For a list of books in this series for horse lovers click here.
Geronimo Stilton For a complete list of books in this series click here.
Looniverse series has also very good ratings. Here is a list of the titles so far.
Third Grade Detectives For a complete list of books in this series click here.
Keyholders: This Side of Magic For a list of books (and more reviews) in this series click here.
The Turtle For a complete list of books in the Lighthouse family series click here.
How Oliver Olson Changed the World
Bella Baxter and the Lighthouse Mystery To see other titles and ratings in Bella Baxter series click here.
All About Sam For a list of books in Sam Krupnik series click here.
Keena Ford and the Second-Grade Mix-Up For other books in this series click here.
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea For a list of book in this series click here.
Daisy Dawson Is on Her Way! For a list of books in this series click here.
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow For a list of books in the Stella Batts series click here.
Marigold and the Feather of Hope, The Journey Begins For a complete list of books in The Fairy Chronicles series click here.
The Critter Club For a complete list of books in this series click here.
The Charm Bracelet Click here for a complete list of books in the Fairy Realm series.
The Full Moon Click here for a complete list of books in The Faeries’ Promise series.
Rainbow Fairies See all the titles in the Rainbow Magic series here.
Baby Mouse (graphic novel) She read one or two because her friend recommended it to her but she was not really into them. It seems very popular though so give it a try. You can find a complete list of the books in this series here.
Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy Sees the Future For a list of titles in the Nancy Clancy series click here.
Just Grace and the Super Sleepover To see a list of books in this series click here.
Princess Pink and the Land of Fake-Believe #1 (series).You can find a list of the titles here.
Tiara Club My daughter has never been into books about princesses but I have seen this series mentioned several times on different discussion forums where moms shared tips for their daughters. Click here for a list of the books in this series.
Betsy-Tacy (Betsy-Tacy Books) You can find a list of the titles in this series here. I have read somewhere that the beginning books are in simpler language, but as you progress to higher numbers, they have a more complicated vocabulary as Betsy gets older. You can read more about this series on this website or check out the article in the New York Times.
Never Girls #1: In a Blink (Disney Fairies) For a list of books in this series click here.
Lulu and the Brontosaurus My son read this book with me so I can’t tell what the level is for independent reading. It is a very nice book as well as the sequels (below).
The Mystery of the Gold Coin (Greetings from Somewhere) For a list of books in this series, click here.
Piper Green and the Fairy Tree
The Buried Bones Mystery For a list of Clubhouse Mysteries click here.
Martin Bridge: On the Lookout! Click here for more reviews. To see other titles in this series, their ratings and reviews click here. You can find them on Amazon here. My son started to read this in 1st grade in March but he did not like it.
Busybody Nora For a list of books in the Riverside Kids series click here.
Aliens for Breakfast, Aliens for Lunch and Aliens for Dinner
Mrs. Noodlekugel My kids love Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle so I will get this book for my son to try. If you like it, try also Mrs. Noodlekugel and Four Blind Mice Read more reviews here. A new addition to this series is expected in 2015 so you can check this list.
These following books were to difficult in the first trimester of 1st grade for my son. I am keeping them on this list because from my experience with my daughter, he may be ready to read them toward the end of the school year.
White Fur Flying Click here to see the ratings and reviews. I looked at this book in the library and it has no pictures so we’ll try it toward the end of the school year.
Awesome Animals series See more reviews here. It might be better for a 7-year-old but I can’t tell until my son reads it.
The Great Alaska Adventure! Click here for more books in the Junior Explorer series (more reviews there too).
Busybody Nora and Russell and Elisa For a list of books in the Riverside Kids series click here.
Dog Diaries: Secret Writings of the WOOF Society For young dog lovers; many people recommended it for 1st graders (it contains some violence though so read the reviews first before you decide)
Cat Diaries: Secret Writings of the MEOW Society For young cat lovers.
Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible For a list of books in this series click here.
Dog Days: The Carver Chronicles For a list of books in this series click here.
Dog Man For a list of books in this series click here.
The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean For a list of books in the Harriet Bean series click here.
Beast Keeper #1 (Beasts of Olympus) My son tried this book in March in 1st grade but he did not like it—he said not much was happening. I think he either needs to mature a bit more for this book or it was not his cup of tea.
Kelsey Green, Reading Queen (Franklin School Friends)
Stuart’s Cape For a list of books in The Amazing World of Stuart series click here.
The Year of the Book and its sequel The Year of the Baby
Akimbo and the Lions For a list of books in this series click here.
8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel / 1 Dog = Chaos I read this one to my kids but it was pretty easy.
Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week For a complete list of books in this series click here.
Little Wolf’s Book of Badness Read more reviews here. If your child likes it, give the Awesome Animals series by this author (Ian Whybrow) a shot. The letters are smaller and my son did not want to read this in January in 1st grade. I started reading it to him but he said it was kind of boring.
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish This book has mixed reviews but mostly from the parents (because it contains a lot of name calling, etc.) but they all agree that their boys loved it. It is apparently geared toward boys and it is funny. It reminds me Junie B. Jones books a bit—a lot of people hate them because of the way Junie B. talks and behaves. I am trying to instill a love of reading in my son and if he reads a few books with a bit less appropriate behavior, I can deal with that. I can always talk to him about it. Check out the sequel Fins of Fury.
A Mouse Called Wolf and other stories by Dick King-Smith. Parents recommend them everywhere as read-alouds or for the kids to read on their own (but I am not sure about the reading level but we will try them). Update. I checked it out from the library in January (1st grade) and it is probably not for my son yet. I could have waited a few months and let him try it but I decided to read it to both my kids and they liked it.
Pippi Longstocking or The Pippi Longstocking 4-Book Set: Pippi Longstocking, Pippi Goes on Board, Pippi in the South Seas, and Pippi on the Run
I know that most people in the US know the author Astrid Lindgren because of Pippi Longstocking. But not everybody knows that she wrote several other fantastic books that are very popular with kids in Europe. We read most of them in Czech but I looked them up, checked the reviews (if the translation is good) and decided to share them with you. Among our favorites are The Children of Noisy Village (my daughter’s all-time favorite) but it is probably more suitable for kids 7 or 8 and up, not for a beginning reader (but a great read-aloud for younger kids). However, there are other titles that are easier so I added them to this list.
The Children on Troublemaker Street Read more about this book here.
Lotta on Troublemaker Street Check the ratings and reviews here. You can also find more books about Lotta on Amazon and read reviews here.
Emil’s Pranks My daughter read it in Czech and enjoyed it. Little boys will be especially delighted. Read more reviews here. You can find more Emil books on Amazon (and you can check more reviews on www.goodreads.com). I am not sure about the reading level, maybe it is better to save this one for the end of the school year or 2nd grade.
Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything For a list of books in this series click here.
Mr Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire This is the second book in Mr. Gum series, check the reviews here. I have also seen this book mentioned several times, it is supposed to be hilarious. For a list of books in this series click here.
Moonsilver For a list of books in The Unicorn’s Secret series click here. (especially for girls, recommended for 7 and up but some girls read it in 1st grade)
Marty McGuire For other titles in this series, reviews, and ratings, click here or you can check them out on Amazon here. My daughter discovered Marty McGuire in 2nd grade and loved it.
Invisible Inkling For other books in this series and their ratings click here.
Henry Huggins For a list of books in this series click here.
The Trouble with Chickens For a list of books in the J.J. Tully Mystery series click here.
Roxie and the Hooligans Read more reviews here.
The Knights of the Kitchen Table Check out other titles in the Time Warp Trio series here. For a complete list click here.
The Vanishing Coin This series is new and there should be more books in the future (right now there is only one). Check the list here.
The Sasquatch Escape and other books in The Imaginary Veterinary series (click here for a complete list). My daughter read it at the end of 1st grade and loved it.
Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen For a list of books in this series click here.
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea For a list of books in this series click here.
Shredderman For a list of books in this series click here.
Inspector Flytrap For a list of books in this series click here.
Mac Undercover For a list of books in this series click here.
Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon
The New Kid at School and Revenge of the Dragon Lady. For more books in the Dragon Slayers’ Academy series click here. My son really enjoyed listening to the first two books. He just read one in the third trimester of 1st grade and had no problem.
Moongobble and Me For a complete list of books in this series click here. My son listened to most of the books in the car (and loved it) so he decided to read the books. They were too difficult at the beginning of 1st grade but he had no problem reading them in the third trimester.
Daisy’s Perfect Word Read more reviews here. For a list of other books in this series click here.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory My daughter had never seen the movie before she read the book. It was her first longer book to read, she couldn’t put it down. My son read it over the summer before he went to 2nd grade.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle For a list of the three books in order click here.
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things For a list of books in this series click here.
26 Fairmount Avenue For a list of books in this series click here.
Ramona A list of all 8 books can be found here.
Encyclopedia Brown For a list of books in this series click here.
The Magical Ms. Plum This one should be humorous. Read more about it here.
The Children of Noisy Village Read more reviews here. If your child likes this book by Astrid Lindgren, check out also Christmas in Noisy Village and Happy Times in Noisy Village.
If you are still looking for more recommended books for 1st and 2nd graders, check out the following links to some comprehensive summer reading lists:
List 1
2014 Notable Children’s Books The reading list from the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association includes the current Newbery, Caldecott, Belpré, Sibert, Coretta Scott King, Geisel, and Batchelder Award winners and Honor books, among other notable books.
Sharing is good karma: 
If you live close to NYC, there is a statue of Balto in Central Park. My kids always want to take a picture with him.
I decided to read it aloud during lunch or dinner. The vocabulary is very difficult and I had to stop reading and explain some words to her because she would not have understood the meaning at all (she is 8 1/2 years old). I found myself paraphrasing the sentences all the time. Although I am sure she’d rather read a Harry Potter book, I believe that reinforcing our attempts at raising individuals with great values is important so I will select a chapter now and then to read to her. It is not a book that could be read at once and my kids will probably get more out of it as they grow older and more mature. I ordered our own copy so that we could just read a chapter any time we are in the mood for it. I found the review 
How does fire get on fire? Why do penguins live at the South Pole but not the North? A fantastic book with a lot of questions, each answered on one or two pages in a way kids can understand. We are hooked. I checked it out from the library to see if it was worth it and we are definitely buying it. Read the reviews on Amazon or 
While reading from a Larousse Kids’ Encyclopedia Who is it? (in Czech) I was wondering if there are some good books in English that would give my kids more insight into world history, culture, religion, or art, books about extraordinary people. We have read some picture books about famous people such as 
Our most recent addition to our library is Gombrich’s “A Little History of the World.”t is a history book written for kids that I discovered by chance while reading an 
The 2015 issue is out already but a reviewer mentioned that it is very similar to this one so we will probably skip it.
I came across this book at a local discount store for $4.
Although my kids have not had a chance to look at it, I have viewed this pop-up book on Youtube and put it on our Christmas list for this year. Matthew Reinhart’s art is just incredible.
I bought this book when my daughter was 3 and it’s been among our favorites since then. This review from Amazon says it all:
My husband is into maps; he can never walk past a map without stopping and looking at it. He always tests our kids whenever we have a map with us, whether we are hiking or visiting an amusement park, if they know where we are and where we are headed. So one of the first non-fiction books we got was 
She even took it off the shelf the other day to look at it with her friend.
I don’t understand why the recommended age range is 6-9. I like to look it myself and learn some fascinating facts. Here is an extract from an Amazon review:
