Good 3rd grade read alouds
September 20, 2021 3:49 PM Subscribe
This question is super super similar to a recent question of mine, but now I am looking for good but short chapter book read alouds for third graders, starting in November (and beyond). Many many thanks! Current would be best, too. I see them 1x per week.
Best answer: The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis would be appropriate for that age and is pretty delightful.
posted by gideonfrog at 5:43 PM on September 20, 2021
posted by gideonfrog at 5:43 PM on September 20, 2021
Hearing E.B. White's Charlotte's Web being read aloud to me in 3rd grade was a positive experience I never forgot.
posted by apartment dweller at 5:46 PM on September 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by apartment dweller at 5:46 PM on September 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
My kid's class did The Secret Garden at a similar age and he really enjoyed it. It's the kind of book they wouldn't read themselves and that benefits from the guided adult hand-holding (presuming you're also talking about it with them and not just reading). If you're not also talking about it with them, I suppose YMMV.
posted by contrapositive at 7:09 PM on September 20, 2021
posted by contrapositive at 7:09 PM on September 20, 2021
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
posted by rozee at 8:28 PM on September 20, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by rozee at 8:28 PM on September 20, 2021 [3 favorites]
My teacher that year read us a Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, and we loved it.
posted by ananci at 9:36 PM on September 20, 2021
posted by ananci at 9:36 PM on September 20, 2021
The Wild Robot is lovely and was one of our home read alouds in 3rd grade.
My kid’s third grade teacher was a big Kate DiCamillo fan—she read at least two that year— and her books were the first where my kid noticed prose quality.
The Ranger in Time series are pretty short and were a big winner, too.
posted by tchemgrrl at 3:49 AM on September 21, 2021
My kid’s third grade teacher was a big Kate DiCamillo fan—she read at least two that year— and her books were the first where my kid noticed prose quality.
The Ranger in Time series are pretty short and were a big winner, too.
posted by tchemgrrl at 3:49 AM on September 21, 2021
I loved The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden. Listed at Read To Them.
E. B. White was a champ, of course, though kids these days may be unused to his gentle tone?
posted by wenestvedt at 5:50 AM on September 21, 2021
E. B. White was a champ, of course, though kids these days may be unused to his gentle tone?
posted by wenestvedt at 5:50 AM on September 21, 2021
Response by poster: Thanks all. I appreciate your fond childhood memories. Ideally I am looking for a more modern book. Dragon with a Chocolate Heart is lovely so far but probably too long?
posted by bookworm4125 at 8:22 AM on September 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by bookworm4125 at 8:22 AM on September 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
How do you feel about Rick Riordan's various series, starring teen-agers and Greek gods -- too violent? They're like a decade old.
Are the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books not right? Those are still being written.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:50 AM on September 21, 2021
Are the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books not right? Those are still being written.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:50 AM on September 21, 2021
And not to suggest the obvious, but this is MeFi so: have you contacted your local public library and asked what titles & authors they are seeing popular among that age, and what they select for read-aloud sessions?
posted by wenestvedt at 8:52 AM on September 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 8:52 AM on September 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
the story of the blue planet by Andri Snær Magnússon is marvelous.
posted by wowenthusiast at 9:24 AM on September 21, 2021
posted by wowenthusiast at 9:24 AM on September 21, 2021
Song of the Trees by Mildred Taylor is an all-time classic.
Catwings by Ursula LeGuin is a nice short fantasy story.
/Saving Winslow/ by Sharon Creech is pretty short and very heartwarming but also funny.
/A Boy Called Bat/ by Elana Arnold is another short story about caring for an animal, featuring a non-neurotypical kid.
I’ve read all of these with fourth graders but they would work for third grade too.
posted by mai at 6:49 PM on September 21, 2021
Catwings by Ursula LeGuin is a nice short fantasy story.
/Saving Winslow/ by Sharon Creech is pretty short and very heartwarming but also funny.
/A Boy Called Bat/ by Elana Arnold is another short story about caring for an animal, featuring a non-neurotypical kid.
I’ve read all of these with fourth graders but they would work for third grade too.
posted by mai at 6:49 PM on September 21, 2021
The Last Last Day of Summer by Lamar Giles
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (this is not quite as new, but not yet old)
Bob by Wendy Mass
Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship by Chitra Soundar
posted by tangosnail at 9:34 AM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (this is not quite as new, but not yet old)
Bob by Wendy Mass
Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship by Chitra Soundar
posted by tangosnail at 9:34 AM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
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