Suggested Summer Reading List for Rising Second Graders
St. Michael School Library
Be sure to visit your public library once a week! There are summer reading programs, activities, and
events going on at each public library. When you visit, bring your library book bag to fill with a variety
of reading: fiction, non-fiction, biography, etc. Be assured that most of what you find in the aisles of
the children's room will be of good quality, as librarians are reading reviews and making good choices.
In second grade, we start looking at chapter books. Random House has a nice group of books
published under the heading "Stepping Stones" chapter books, including history and abridged (shorter)
classics; be sure to look for these. Below is a list of some favorite series and favorite authors:
Tony Abbott, Secrets of Droon series
David Adler, Cam Jansen series
C.W. Anderson, Billy and Blaze series
Hans Christian Andersen
Jabari Asim, Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington
Annie Barrows, Ivy and Bean series
Lara Bergen, Sophie series
Jennifer Berne, On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein (new!)
Jeanne Betancourt, Pony Pals series
Judy Blume, Fudge series.
Paulette Bourgeois, Franklin series
Jeff Brown, Flat Stanley series
Marc Brown, Arthur Chapter books
The Childhood of Famous Americans series
Matt Christopher
Andrew Clements, Jake Drake series
Johanna Cole, Magic School Bus series
Ilene Cooper, Lucy series (Absolutely Lucy, Look at Lucy!, etc.)
Doreen Cronin, J.J. Tully Mysteries series
Dell Yearling Biographies
Judy Delton, Pee Wee Scouts series
Betsy Duffey
Tracy Fern, “Barnum’s Bones”
Sid Fleischman, McBroom series
Brian Floca, Locomotive (new!)
Ruth Stiles Gannett, My Father's Dragon series
Patricia Reilly Giff, The Kids of Polk Street School
series; Ronald Morgan series.
J.C. Greenburg, Andrew Lost series
Dan Gutman, My Weird School series
Katherine Hannigan, Emmaline and the Bunny
Kevin Henkes, Penny series
James Herriot’s Treasury for Children
Hadley Higgenson, Sneaky Pony series
Deborah Hokinson, Stagecoach Sal
James Howe, Pinkie and Rex series; He has a series called
Bunnicula that is more advanced, but an easier to read
series called Tales from the House of Bunnicula.
Elizabeth Singer Hunt, Secret Agent Jack Stalwart
Emily Jenkins, Toys Go Out, Toys Dance Party
Lynne Jonell, Hamster Magic, Lawn Mower Magic
Keene, Carolyn, Nancy Drew Notebooks series; Nancy Drew and the Clue
Crew series.
David A. Kelly, Ballpark Mysteries
Diana Kimpton, Pony-Crazed Princess series
Suzy Kline, Horrible Harry; Herbie Jones
Leah Komaiko, Annie Bananie series
Nancy Krulik, Katie Kazoo series
Lucinda Landon, Meg MacKintosh series
Laurie Lawlor, “Rachel Carson and Her Book that Changed the World”
Elizabeth Levy, Something Queer series
Lois Lowry, Gooney Bird Greene series
David Macaulay, Jet Plane: How It Works; Castle: How It Works
Betty MacDonald, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series
Megan McDonald, Judy Moody series, Stink series
Kate McMullan, Dragon Slayers' Academy
Ellen Miles, The Puppy Place series
A.A. Milne
Mary Pope Osborne, Magic Tree House series
Peggy Parish, Amelia Bedelia chapter books
Barbara Park, Junie B. Jones series
Bill Peet
Sara Pennypacker, Clementine series
John Peterson, The Littles series
Jerry Pinkney
James Preller, Jigsaw Jones series
Ron Roy, A to Z Mysteries, Capital Mysteries, Calendar Mysteries (new)
Rookie Biographies (Children's Press)
Amy Krouse Rosenthal, “Exclamation Mark”
Margaret Ryan, Airy Fairy series
Cynthis Rylant, Lighthouse Family series, Cobble Street Cousins series.
Louis Sachar, Marvin Redpost series
Marjorie Sharmat, Nate the Great; Olivia Sharp, Agent
for Secrets (Nate's cousin)
Marilyn Singer, Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse; Follow Follow: a Book of Reverso Poems
Shel Silverstein
Donald Sobel, Encyclopedia Brown (series)
Julie Sternberg, Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake (new!), Like Bug Juice on a Burger, Like Pickle
Juice on a Cookie
Geronimo Stilton
Greg Tang
Gertrude Chandler Warner, Boxcar Children series
Tracy West, Pixie Tricks series