By the third grade all of my kids were going strong with reading. The same might happen for your kids if you can find the right books! If you don’t read kids’ books for your own entertainment (I do!) you might have trouble coming up with some suggestions for your son. But better than my suggestions, are the suggestions of other girls. Here are 9 of the best books for girls, my daughters’ favorite books in third grade.
My daughters were pretty advanced readers at this age. Your daughter might not yet be a “reader.” Don’t worry! That’s perfectly okay. Like the previous lists, the books are ordered roughly by reading level. While the books at the bottom of the list tend to be more advanced, the books at the top of the list are easier. And sometimes a child will find a challenging book more interesting, so it’s worth trying something anywhere from this list. But also take a look at the books on my list My daughters’ favorite books in 2nd Grade.
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Best Books For Girls in Third Grade – my daughters’ favorite books
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George – The castle Celie lives in is magical. Her obsession with mapping out it’s every changing rooms and halls turns out to be important when the castle is attacked. It’s up to Celie to save everyone!
Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret by E.S. Ivy* – Miri isn’t thrilled to find out she’s a mermaid princess – she’s not a very good swimmer and isn’t fond of fish and other slimy things. On top of that, there are sharks in the ocean. The princess part almost makes up for it. Except, wait – do mermaids wear clothes? Miri’s got a lot to learn about being a mermaid. *Disclaimer: This is a book I wrote. My sweet daughters firmly insisted that it belonged on the list. And they stoutly maintain that the other mermaid books they’ve read haven’t measured up. I hope Miri Attwater ends up on your daughter’s list too! And shhhh! She might just pick up a little bit of science along the way. Mermaids aren’t magic; they’re mammals.
Good Luck, Ivy! (American Girl) by Lisa Yee – American Girl books take a character from a period of history and show they’re every day life adventures. They are well researched and well written. Pick a time period and location that you think would be interesting to explore! It can be fun for you daughter to read about the era her parents grew up in. Ivy, in this book, grew up in the 70s.
The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) by Russell H. Tandy (series) – Classic Nancy Drew, still solving mysteries over 50 years later! This can be hard to find in libraries; we ended up ordering the original set as a special Christmas gift for one of our girls.
Betsy-Tacy, by Maud Hart Lovelace (series) – A story about three friends in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A true storybook childhood that young readers enjoy visiting, there are lots of period details about life at the start of automobiles and before cell phones.
Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder (series) – The first book in the Laura Ingalls series, this title isn’t as recognizable as the second book, Little House on the Prairie. But it’s a little bit shorter and easier to read; a great place for kids to start. Each chapter is it’s own contained story, that young readers also like. And there are great details about pioneer life, such as making maple syrup and butter.
The BFG, by Roald Dahl – Classic Roald Dahl, about a giant who’s not scary. This is a big friendly giant. It’s up to him and little Sophie to save everyone.
Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine – Fairest is connected to and is set in the same world as Ella Enchanted (on the list Best books for Girls in 2nd Grade), making it an easy book for readers to follow up with. A twist on the tale of Snow White.
Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke – The journey of Ben and the young dragon Firedrake to find the mythical silver dragons home. This is a big book, a long adventure that’s great for avid readers who are finishing most books too quickly and want a good, long read, but aren’t ready for more difficult books yet.
Remember: readers’ interests and ability vary. Be sure to check out all my other lists of my kids’ favorite books, particularly my Best Books for Girls in 2nd Grade and Best Books for Boys in 3rd Grade.