Ray School Library Media Center
Recommended Books for Second and Third Grade
(Mostly new... some tried and true!)
Summer 2008

Atwater, Richard and Lawson, Robert. Mr. Popper's Penguins. [1988, 1938].

The unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an Antarctic penguin
changes the life and fortunes of Mr. Popper, a house painter obsessed by
dreams of the Polar regions.

Avi and Floca, Brian, ill. Poppy's Return. [2005].

Poppy, accompanied by her troublesome son Junior, his skunk friend and
Uncle Ereth the porcupine, responds to a summons to return to her ancestral home, Gray House, to save the mice there from destruction by a bulldozer. [S]

Barrows, Annie. Ivy & Bean Break the Fossil Record. [2007]

Everyone in second grade seems set on breaking a world record and friends Ivy and Bean are no exception, deciding to become the youngest people ever to discover a dinosaur skeleton.

Burgess, Thornton W. Mother West Wind's Children. [1911, 1985].

Fifteen tales that explain why Danny Meadow Mouse has a short tail, the reason Reddy Fox has no friends, and other mysteries about the residents of the Green Meadow. [S]



Blume, Judy. Soupy Saturdays with the Pain & the Great One. [2007]

Seven stories with universal situations giving a peek at how a brother and sister relate to each other.

Byars, Betsy. The Dark Stairs. [1994].

The intrepid Herculeah Jones helps her mother, a private investigator,
solve a puzzling and frightening case. [S]

Cameron, Ann and Strugnell, Ann. The Stories Julian Tells. [1981].

Relates episodes in seven-year-old Julian's life which include getting
into trouble with his younger brother Huey, planting a garden, what he did to try to grow taller, losing a tooth, and finding a new friend. [S]

Dahl, Roald and Chaffin, Donald. Fantastic Mr. Fox. [1970].

Three farmers, each one meaner than the other, try all-out warfare to get
rid of the fox and his family.

DiCamillo, Kate. Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride. [2006].

Mr. Watson’s usual Saturday drive in his Cadillac with his favorite pig, Mercy, turns into an adventure when an unexpected passenger shows up in the back seat and Mercy finds herself behind the wheel. [S]

Fienberg, Anna. Tashi and the Forbidden Room. [2006]

Tashi meets a monster named Blackbeard and has to complete three tasks in order to save the life of the Baron's dog. [S]

Funke, Cornelia. Igraine the Brave. [2007]

The daughter of two magicians, twelve-year-old Igraine wants nothing more than to be a knight; and when their castle is attacked by a treacherous neighbor bent on stealing their singing magic books, Igraine has an opportunity to demonstrate her bravery.


Gannett, Ruth Stiles and Gannett, Ruth Chrisman. My Father’s Dragon [1948].

A young boy determines to rescue a poor baby dragon who is being used by a group of lazy wild animals to ferry them across the river on Wild Island. [S]

Harper, Charise. Still Just Grace. [2007]

Seven-year-old Grace gets so involved in working with Grace W. and Grace F. on a school project that she fails to understand why she and her best friend, Mimi, are drifting apart. [S]

Howe, James. Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow. [2006]

An overly-alarmed Chester the cat predicts a gruesome fate for the pets in the Monroe household when a writer of juvenile horror fiction and his bird companion stay overnight. [S]

McDonald, Megan. Judy Moody: Around the World in 8 1/2 Days
[2006]

Judy Moody’s new friendship with Amy Namey causes problems with her old friends and the school project they are working on together. [S]

Mills, Claudia. Being Teddy Roosevelt. [2007]

When he is assigned Teddy Roosevelt as his biography project in school, fourth-grader Riley finds himself inspired by Roosevelt's tenacity and perseverance and resolves to find a way to get what he most wants--a saxophone and music lessons.

Rupp, Rebecca. The Return of the Dragon. [2005].

Hannah, Zachary, and Sarah Emily return to Lonely Island to save their
friend Fafnyr, a three-headed dragon, from being captured by a rich man who wants to put the creature on display. [S]

[S] = Sequel or Part of a Series

Bernice A. Ray School

Summer Library
July 7 - August 8, 2008
Hours: 9:00 - 12:00
643-6655 http://www.rayschool.org

The Howe Library

Monday - Thursday 10 - 8, Friday 10 - 6, Saturday 10 - 5
Sunday 1 - 5 from September - May
(closed on Sunday during the summer)
643-4120 http://www.thehowe.org


Etna Library

Mondays & Thursdays: 2 - 7
Tuesday: 9 - 2
Friday: 9 - 4
Saturday: 10 - 12 noon
(closed on Wednesdays and Sundays)
643-3116 Email: etna.library@hanovernh.org