Put the fun back into reading!
It is so important that children read books that they are interested in and that bring them joy! Reading for pleasure has many incredible benefits. Some of these include enhanced social skills, improved critical thinking skills, increased imagination, and improvement of mental health
When children love what they read, they read more! Studies show that children who read more have more success in school and in life.
We created a list of book series in hopes your child finds one they love and can immerse themselves into!
Elementary
Dog Man by Dan Pilkey
Dog Man is a graphic novel series that easily grabs children’s attention with its far-fetched plot and humorous heroic stories. This series is perfect for 2nd-4th graders who love a good comic series.
Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park
This book is best for 1st-3rd graders (DRA level of 24). Junie B. Jones is a bright and spirited young girl, but she often speaks her mind and is known for her rudeness and sometimes bad attitude. However, this series is humorously told from her point of view.
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
This series has a DRA level of 34, making it great for 2nd-5th graders who love reading about mysteries and adventures. The Boxcar Children follow 4 orphans who become amateur sleuths to solve mysteries. Also, there are over 150 titles in this series!
Middle School
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
With a DRA level of 50, this book series is best suited for 4th-8th graders. This quirky series follows a preteen named Greg as he navigates his way through middle school alongside his best friend Rowley.
The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
This series contains four books that are very loosely connected but all have main characters living in a dystopian world, but these characters are made to believe they are a part of a utopian society. With a DRA level of 60, this book is great for middle schoolers who love science fiction novels.
High School
The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
This series contains 6 young adult fantasy novels that follow the life of Clary Fray, a teenager who discovers that she is a Shadowhunter (half-angel warriors who protect humanity from evil forces). When Clary’s mother disappears, Clary joins a team of other Shadowhunters to begin the quest to find and save her mother. This adventure leads her into a world that is filled with werewolves, vampires, faeries, and other creatures that Clary thought were fictional. She also is torn between two love interests—her best friend, Simon, or the mysterious handsome Shadowhunter she just met, Jace.
The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
The series is written in the voice of a young lady named Katniss Everdeen as she is thrown into “The Hunger Games”—an annual televised event in which two children from each of the districts battle royale to the death. These 12 districts are a part of the dystopian society set in the nation of “Panem,” which was created from the remains of a post-apocalyptic North America.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
This coming of age series is about four young girls who find a pair of jeans that fit each of them perfectly despite them all being different shapes and sizes. These four best friends share this “magical” pair of pants as they all go separate ways for the summer. These books focus on the importance of friendship, family, and the search for love.
