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E-Books:

TumbleBooks
TumbleBooks are animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they’ll love.

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Smart Apple Ebooks cover a variety of topics including biographies, early literacy, geography, and science and technology. These books are geared towards students in kindergarten through 5th grade.

Recommended Reads:

Award-Winning Books
Lists of the most notable books, from New York Times best-sellers to Pulitzer Prize and Mann Booker Prize winners.

Read-a-likes
Would you like to find new books that are similar to those by your favorite author? Search for your favorite books and authors in the library catalog and click on one of the items. Click "Related" in the left sidebar for reader reviews and ratings, more titles in a series, and related titles and authors.

 

Below are book lists compiled by our children's librarian, Miss Lina.
Scroll down for:
Books for Preschoolers
Ethnically Diverse Picture Books
Picture Books for Kindergarten - First Grade
Books for 1st and 2nd Graders
Easy Reader Series
Early Chapter Book Series
Ethnically Diverse Juvenile Fiction
Mystery Series for Kids
Books for 3rd and 4th Graders
Books for 5th and 6th Graders

Books for Preschoolers

Hair Love:  A Celebration of Daddies and Daughters Everywhere by Matthew A. Cherry
A little girl’s daddy steps in to give her an extra special hair style.

Summer Supper by Rubin Pfeffer
Told entirely in words beginning with the letter “s,” this story follows the creation of a family meal from farm to dinner table.

Vroom! by Barbara McClintock
Follows a young girl’s imaginary journey as she zooms in a race car past fields and forests to faraway lands before returning home to her own safe bed.

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Corwall
Even after passing his swimming test, a young boy needs to work up the courage to jump from the diving board.

Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe
A little frog, Pokko, takes a magical drum deep into the quiet forest, where her playing draws the attention of musical animal friends.

Don’t Push the Button! by Bill Cotter
Even if it does look like fun, you must never press the button. Who knows what would happen?

Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris
An assortment of animals living separate lives discover they need each other when they have a chance encounter on a river.

The Bad Seed by Jory John
A naughty seed with a bad attitude, bad temper, and bad manners vows to change his life for the better, but his efforts are met with skepticism by his friends.

All the Animals Where I Live by Philip C. Stead
Follow the story of the author, who recently moved from the city to the country, and see the moments that shape his and his dog’s world.

Just in Case You Want to Fly by Julie Fogliano
What do you need for your next adventure?  Explore this nurturing tale through colorful pictures and lyrical text.

 

Ethnically Diverse Picture Books

Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie
A young boy longs to earn a name of his own that reflects something special he has done.
 
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick D. Barnes
Celebrates the magnificent feeling of a new haircut.
 
A little girl’s daddy helps her arrange her curly hair in a variety of styles that bring out her beauty.
 
Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
Having passed his swimming test, Jabari can’t wait to jump from the diving board, but must first work up the courage to do it.
 
Mrs. Goldman makes hats for everyone in her community, but doesn’t have a hat of her own.
 
Finally old enough to fast during Ramadan, Lailah must find a way to explain the custom to her classmates and teacher.
 
Harpreet loves wearing bright colors, by when his family moves to a new city his sadness makes him feel gray.
 
Natsumi! by Susan Lendroth
Natsumi is excited about the upcoming Japanese festival of arts.
 
A celebration of a cherished Seminole tradition of sharing fry bread at family meals.
 
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
Sulwe comes to understand the beauty of her dark skin despite teasing by her classmates.
 
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
A homemade quilt ties together six generations of a Jewish family.
 
My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero
At the end of the day a young girl enjoys riding around the neighborhood with her father on his motorcycle.
 
Festival of Colors by Kabir Sehgal
Siblings Mintoo and Chintoo celebrate Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors, with family and friends.
 
Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
A young Muslim girl’s imagination runs free when she puts on her mother’s headscarf.
 
A Piece of Home by Jeri Hanel Watts
Hee Jun struggles to adjust to a new home, language, and different appearances until finding a familiar flower.


 

Picture Books for Kindergarten - First Grade

Camp Tiger by Susan Choi
A young boy finds friendship in a talking tiger while on his family’s camping trip.

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Duncan arrives at school one day to find a stack of letters, one from each of his crayons complaining about the way he uses them.

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
A man made of leaves blows away, traveling wherever the wind may take him. 

Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
How big is a crocodile? What about a tiger, or the world’s largest spider? Can you imagine a tongue that is two feet long or an eye that’s bigger than your head? Sometimes facts and figures don’t tell the whole story. Sometimes you need to see things for yourself--at their actual size.

Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson
Henry decides to walk 30 miles to Fitchburg.  His friend does chores to earn money to buy a train ticket to Fitchburg.  Who will get there first?

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
A little girl’s grandmother helps her overcome her fear of thunder storms.

My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero
Daisy and her papi enjoy riding his motorcycle around their neighborhood at the end of the day.

10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathman
A boy’s hamster leads an increasingly large group of hamsters on a tour of the boy’s bedtime routine.

Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez
Ramsey dons his superhero cape to rescue Grandma from the huge octopus she is trying to cook--or is he simply telling a story?

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
A comical story of an endearing squirrel who learns what can happen when he’s brave enough to take a risk. 

 

Books for 1st and 2nd Graders

Chapter Books
Inspector Flytrap by Tom Angleberger   (First book in the Inspector Flytrap series)
A Venus Flytrap hopes to become the greatest detective ever when he investigates a series of mysteries.

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Stanley wakes up one morning to discover he has been flattened to half-inch thickness by a falling bulletin board.  Adventure ensues.

Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo  (First book in the Mercy Watson series)
After Mercy the pig snuggles to sleep with the Watsons, all three awaken with the bed teetering on the edge of a big hole in the floor.

Eva’s Treetop Festival by Rebecca Elliott   (First book in the Owl Diaries series)
Eva, a young owl, learns there is a lot of work involved in planning the spring festival for school.

Stealing the Sword by Wendy Mass   (First book in the Time Jumpers series)
Chase and his little sister, Ava, acquire an old suitcase at a flea market and when examining the objects in it suddenly find themselves transported back in time to King Arthur’s castle.

Stink, the Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald   (First book in the Stink Moody series)
Stink, the shortest kid in the second grade, learns all about the shortest president of the United States, James Madison, when they celebrate Presidents' Day at school.

Nonfiction
Fly Guy Presents by Tedd Arnold
Tedd Arnold brings nonfiction to life with the help of his very popular main character, Fly Guy in a series of books covering a wide variety of subjects in an easy reader format.

National Geographic Kids Readers by various authors
A variety of topics of interest to kids in an easy reader format.

Ordinary People Change the World by Brad Meltzer
Easy picture book biographies tell the stories of great Americans, including presidents, inventors, athletes, explorers, and entertainers.

Rookie Read About by various authors
A wide variety of subjects presented in an easy to read format with lots of pictures.

 

Easy Reader Series

Books designed for kids who are beginning to read independently.

Mo Jackson series by David A. Adler
Mo loves sports, but his passion for playing outweighs his skills.
Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold
When a boy named Buzz and a fly meet it’s the beginning of a beautiful and funny friendship.
 
Berenstain Bears series by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Brother and Sister Bear learn lots of lessons while growing up in Bear Country.
 
Biscuit series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
A lively yellow puppy has lots of adventures with his little girl.
 
Pete the Cat series by James Dean
A groovy young cat named Pete loves to have fun and try new things.
 
Meet Yasmin series by Saadia Faruqi
A young girl with a big imagination shows that she can handle all of life’s little problems.
 
Fancy Nancy series by Jane O’Connor
Every day in every way Nancy tries to be fancy in everything she does.
 
Henry and Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant
Henry finds love and companionship in a big dog named Mudge.
 
Nate the Great series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
A young boy is always up for solving mysteries that come his way.
 
Best friends Elephant and Piggie always have fun together. 
 
 

Early Chapter Book Series

A step beyond easy readers.

The Critter Club by Callie Barkley
Amy and her friends form an animal shelter to care for homeless animals.

Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows
Could puddle-stomping, fence climbing Bean possibly become friends with a new neighbor, the dress-wearing, neatly combed Ivy?

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
Humorous stories, tongue-in-cheek commentary, and lots of illustrations will make you understand how this kitty got her name.

The Buddy Files by Dori Hillestad Butler
A mystery-solving Golden Retriever is adopted from the pound by a new family and sets out to find out what happened to his old family.

The Chicken Squad by Doreen Cronin
They’re darling. They’re daring. They’re chicks on a mission, determined to have adventures beyond the chicken coop.

Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet by Jacqueline Kelly
Callie and her little brother Travis take in and care for injured or orphaned animals, nursing them back to health before returning them to the wild.

Horrible Harry by Suzy Kline
The adventures and misadventures of Harry and his classmates at South School.

Zach and Zoe Mysteries by Mike Lupica
A series of sports-themed mysteries featuring eight-year-old twins Zach and Zoe.

Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne
Siblings Jack and Annie find a tree house that is able to send them traveling through time to see dinosaurs, witness historical events, and more.

Amelia Bedelia by Herman Parish
Wordplay, puns, and humor add up to chaotic fun with a little girl who takes everything literally. 

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park
Follow the hilarious mishaps of Junie B. Jones through one adventure after another. 

 

Ethnically Diverse Juvenile Fiction

Two Roads by Joseph Bruchac
In 1932 12-year-old Cal goes to A Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school and learns about his heritage as a Creek Indian.
 
Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
A book of poetry by Langston Hughes helps a young boy named Langston cope with changes in his life.
 
New Kid by Jerry Craft     (Graphic novel)
Jordan finds himself torn between two worlds when he enters a prestigious private school.
 
Refugee by Alan Gratz
Stories set in three different time periods tell of young people trying to flee war and violence.
 
Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes
A boy who prefers science and reading to sports endures teasing and insecurity before finding acceptance.
 
A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata
Having endured an internment camp in the USA during World War II, Hanako and her family relocate to Japan.
 
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan
Amina, a Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her cultural roots while dealing with the problems of everyday life.
 
For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama Lockington
An African-American girl adopted into a white family explores family, race, and the concept of belonging.
 
Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis
When the Umpqua tribe is legally terminated Regina tries to understand her identity as an Indian when her family relocates from Oregon to Los Angeles.
 
Merci deals with changes in her life including starting a new school, her grandfather’s dementia, and jealousy from a classmate.
 
White Bird: A Wonder Story by R. J. Palacio     (Graphic novel)
A Jewish girl is hidden by a family in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.
 
The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy
An Indian American boy living in a small town tries to find and master his purpose in life.
 
Mananaland by Pam Munoz Ryan
A legend about a mythical gatekeeper leads to a young boy learning about an old family secret.
 
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Mia tries to fit in at school when her Chinese immigrant parents take a job at a rundown motel.

 

 

Mystery Series for Kids

Series for Younger Kids
A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy
Dirk and his friends work together to solve mysteries.
 
Ballpark Mysteries by David A. Kelly
Cousins Mike and Kate solve mysteries set in major league baseball stadiums.
 
The Buddy Files by Dori Hillestad Butler
Buddy the dog detective, adopted from the P-O-U-N-D, works to solve puzzling cases that come his way.
 
The younger siblings of the detectives from the A to Z Mysteries series work together to solve a new mystery every month.
 
Cam Jansen Adventures by David A. Adler
A girl uses her photographic memory to solve crimes.
 
Jigsaw Jones Mysteries by James Preller
Jigsaw Jones pieces together clues like a puzzle to solve crimes.
 
Third Grade Detectives by George Edward Stanley
Third grade classmates Todd and Noelle solve a series of crimes.
 
Zach and Zoe Mysteries by Mike Lupica
A series of sports-themed mysteries featuring eight-year-old twins Zach and Zoe.
 
Series for Middle Grade Kids
American Girl Mysteries by various authors
The heroines from the American Girl books become mystery sleuths, each in her own time period.
 
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
Sixth grade classmates Petra and Calder use intuition, problem solving, and their knowledge of art to solve mysteries in the world of art.
 
Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer
Teenage Enola follows in the footsteps of her older brother, detective Sherlock Homes to investigate crimes.
 
A girl uses her genius mind and detective skills to solve crimes at her boarding school.
 
Teenage Gilda uses her psychic abilities and detective skills to solve mysteries.
 
A fast-paced, funny series featuring a super-sleuth fourth grader.
 
Nick and Tesla by Bob Pfugfelder
Siblings Nick and Tesla solve mysteries using their skills for science and electronics.

 

Books for 3rd and 4th Graders

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger     (First of a series)
A boy uses an origami finger puppet to dispense advice to his classmates.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner's run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house, endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be reunited and free.

The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall
Adventure, mayhem, and fun with a family of four lively sisters.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Peter, who is tired of having to keep mischievous two-year-old Fudge out of trouble, discovers that his pet turtle is missing.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn and discovers the joys of motorcycling.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper
Growing up in the segregated South Stella and her little brother witness a terrible event that compels them to fight back and bring about fundamental changes.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Christ Grabenstein     (First of a series)
A group of kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route out of the new library.

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
Candice finds a letter that sends her on a treasure hunt that will also lead to a mystery and expose a long-ago crime.

My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O’Hara     (First of a series)
Tom's goldfish is horrifically transformed after his evil scientist big brother's experiment goes wrong, an accident that imbues the goldfish with hypnotic powers and a thirst for revenge.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him. 

 

Books for 5th and 6th Graders

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
A novel in verse follows the experiences of twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan who struggle with challenges on and off the court.

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.

The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan
Disappointed when he is rejected by the battleschool from becoming a knight, Will instead finds himself training to become a King’s Ranger, an elite corps that makes use of stealth and skill in protecting the kingdom.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Nobody Owens is a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of a graveyard.

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Young Jack spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with an unusual chore.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Meg and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for her father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis
When Regina's Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and her family must relocate from Oregon to Los Angeles, she goes on a quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home.

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina
Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suarez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between.

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older     (First of series)
An alternative history fantasy in which dinosaurs are still alive in New York City in the 1860s and a group of orphaned kids work to overthrow an organization that supplies kids to the slave trade.

The Best Man by Richard Peck
Archer has always admired three role models in his life – his dad, his grandfather, and his Uncle Paul.  Then a new role model enters his life - a student teacher, Mr. McLeod, who happens to be dating Archer’s uncle.

Magyk by Angie Sage     (First of series)
Ten years after a complicated bit of baby-switching, young Jenna learns that she's not a member of the tumultuous Heap household, but is actually a princess. 

Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Mia and her parents, immigrants from China, take a job working at a rundown motel while trying to make a better life for themselves.

 

Early Childhood Literacy Resources:

ABC Mouse
An early childhood learning website for children ages 2-7+. Children learn reading, math, science, social studies, art, and music through interactive activities. Can only be used within the library.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
A library program promoting reading before kindergarten. Build vocabulary and language skills while bonding with your little one by taking part in this fun challenge