Literature+Appropriate+for+Independent+Reading+and+for+Book+Clubs

====There are several books available for students who are primary leveled readers. Here are a few of many for grades kindergarten through fifth grade derived from a list by Esme Raji Codell on Education.com (2011): ====

Kindergarten
Other Authors: Ezra Jack Keats, Kevin Henkes, Tomie de Paola, Rosemary Wells, Eric Carle, Leo Lionni
 * 1) ====Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser (HarperCollins, 2005) Nancy loves all things fancy from her fuchsia colors, lace-trimmed socks, tiaras, French accents and frilly toothpicks, this little girl believes the more the fancier. How she transforms her family for one evening is a sure to entertain. ====
 * 2) ====//An Egg is Quiet // by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long (Chronicle Books, 2006) Though most children encounter eggs cold, white and by the dozen in their refrigerator, Aston celebrates eggs by commenting on there size, coloration, shape, and where they might be found. The illustrations are elegant and simple which provides a lovely literary introduction to looking closely at the natural world. [[image:http://bks3.books.google.com/books?id=tmbiAAAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&imgtk=AFLRE72f5neXanvLHOQ_9Er4SsrFoXOLn8KQnSlo0NkDzJ0t21qZCsNFWWsKL04JyC1QxEFLKK_tZhrNBPyYEpSrUftgfH5oN35mkZzqbTxvlui0f9KaFC_2aWLF2ipV9mnhgWfCWjsj align="right" caption="Front Cover"]] ====
 * 3) ====Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Jen Corace (Chronicle Books, 20050 If Little Pea doesn't eat all of his sweets, there will be no vegetables for dessert! What's a young pea to do? Children who have trouble swallowing their vegetables will love the way this pea-size picture book serves up a playful story they can relate to. ====

First Grade



 * 1) ====The Giants and the Joneses by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Greg Swearingen (Henry Holt and Co., 2005) Jumbeelia is a young giantess who has collected and Colette and her siblings, which are igglyplops or human beings, and trapped them in her dollhouse. With danger surrounding them the igglyplops must use their wit to find their way back home. Children will love the giant lingual that is fresh and funny. ====
 * 2) ====The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss (Dr. Seuss Green Back Books, 2003) A collection of subtle stories about tolerance and the value of being different. Dr. Seuss is sure to deliver his fans a book that can be enjoyed by the whole family teaching life lessons on the need for compromise, tolerance, and the fear of the unknown. ====
 * 3) ====Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies by Carolyn Crimi (Candlewick, 1995) Most pirates enjoy plundering for bunnies but not Henry. He is the laughingstock of the swarthy pirate crew because he would rather read than do pirate activities. It is not until a terrifying storm changes their mind. ====

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff0000; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">Second Grade ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.5;">Other Authors: Jack Prelutsky, John Sciezka, Chris Van Allsburg, Ruth Stiles Gannett, Suzy Klin ====
 * 1) ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.5; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2004) A hilarious Zen guide to elementary education in the schoolhouse that was built thirty stories high.  ====
 * 2) ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">//<span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Empty Pot //by Demi (Henry Holt and Co., 2007) An emperor announces a gardening contest to find his successor, but fraudulent foliage among the competitors is sprouting like weeds. The king has a trick up his sleeve to find the worthy winner. This parable brings home the importance of honesty without being preachy. ====
 * 3) ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">//<span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Poop //by Nicola Davies (Candlewick Press, 2007) Every page flows over with absolutely fascinating fecal facts, from the double-dose of digesting power that pellets afford to rabbits or the tell-tale dumps of sloths, otters and hippos that speak (or stink) louder than words. Overall, a remarkably engaging and informative science book that rises far above its genre's foul beginnings, and will make a novice scientist out of a favorite fart-joke-teller (you know you have one)! ====

Third Grade
> > > ==== ==== ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.5;">Other Authors: Don Brown, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Patricia Polacco, Loreen Leedy, Roald Dahl ====
 * 1) ====<span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline;">Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary (Harpercollins, 1992) Ramona tries to be good, but the prospect of pulling Susan’s boing-boing curls proves a little too hard to resist. Introduce kids to the series star Ramona, and she will be a friend for life! (Readers who want a more contemporary protagonist will fall in love with //<span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline;">Clementine // by Sara Pennypacker). ====
 * 1) ====<span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline;">Frindle by Andrew Clements (Aladdin, 1998)A boy named Nick invents a new word and makes an adversary of his dictionary-devout teacher. Soon the school is in an uproar as he has the whole town saying frindle, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants him to put an end to frindle but the word has spread so vastly, Nick no longer has control over the word. ====
 * 2) ====<span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline;">The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse by Ursula Moray Willliams (Kingfisher, 2005) A toy ventures out into the wide world to seek his fortune and to help the man who made him. On his way he has some adventures such as pulling the royal carriage, helping pirates dig for treasure, and walking the tight rope in a circus. His only wish is to return to his owner. ====

Fourth Grade
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">Other Authors: Kate DiCamillo, Dan Gutman, Seymour Simon, Gail Carson Levine, John Bellairs
 * 1) ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Scholastic Press, 2007) If Hugo can repair the robot-like "automaton" rescued from a fire, he feels sure its metal hand will write a note from his departed father, conveying a plan to keep him safe. Set in and out of the sewers of Paris, the cinematic quality of this novel reinvents the fiction genre for a generation of visually literate children.[[image:http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTzG9EMcL83xhPYBtFW_VI2YLqCHAHaKOSw41mtrsGDMmVA48QE align="right"]] ====
 * 2) ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">//<span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">City of Ember //by Jeanne DuPrau (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2003) The generator that provides the life-force for the city has been running well for hundreds of years, creating a society that is ambivalent and content, few venturing into the darkness that envelopes the city's perimeter. But the flickering lights indicate that it may be time to generate some new ideas, and fast! A fantastic underground world is fully realized in this cliffhanging, heart-pumping sci-fi fantasy that even studehts who don't like sci-fi fantasy will enjoy, and serves as a great springboard into ecological discussion. Students will also love the movie that goes along with the book. ====
 * 3) ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">//<span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Wish Giver // by Bill Brittain (HarperCollins Children's Books, 1990) Four creepy wishes are granted to four small-town folk, no trade-backs, no-nothing-backs. This flawless story sends shivers up a reader’s spine. ====

Fifth Grade
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">Other Authors: Eva Ibbotson, Lois Lowry, Brian Jacques, Karen Cushman, Pam Munoz Ryan
 * 1) ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">King Matt //<span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the First //by Janusz Korczak (Algonquin Books, 2004)A boy king attempts to run a country of children. Whether Matt is attempting a new reform involving the distribution of chocolate to all of his citizens, running to do battle on a war-torn front under a false name while a lifelike doll reigns in his stead, arranging for his population to attend summer camp or on a diplomatic mission to the land of the cannibals, every chapter ends with a cliffhanger. In my opinion, one of the best children’s books of all time. [[image:http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTkVknvxq7I72T3emZmr9vXd-mnPeiFN78oSgoLP70Dco1NmIgE align="right"]] ====
 * 2) ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">//<span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Maniac Magee //by Jerry Spinelli (Scholastic Inc, 2002) A larger-than-life hero confronts racism while living on the street. This story of a boy’s quest for family without a color line has amazing heart. ====
 * 3) ====<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: inherit; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Best Shorts: Favorite Short Stories for Sharing by Avi and Carolyn Shute (Houghton Mifflin, 2006) The collection is just brilliant, pulse-perfect and page-turning. It includes Louis Untemeyer's "Dog of Pompeii" about a pet who gives his all to save a blind boy during a volcanic eruption, "Rogue Wave" by Theodore Taylor which will leave readers as breathless as if they were watching any movie on the big screen, ghostly stories, classic stories, multicultural stories... It's one of those rare books that makes anyone who reads it a better person, and anyone who reads it aloud a better teacher. ====

//<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #2d8ccb; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: 21px; vertical-align: baseline;">References: // <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #363636; font-family: verdana,Helvetica,Arial,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Codell, Esme Raji (2011). //The 30 Best Books for Elementary Readers.// Retrieved from []