Last year I shared with you an Ultimate Guide to 5 Star Books for Kindergartners by Reading Level as I prepared for Peanut’s Kindergarten/First Grade year. This year, as I now prepare for her First/Second grade year (I’m always preparing for the next year while teaching the current so I can enjoy my summer) I am once again preparing for a year of excellent reading. As such I have again consulted the Scholastic’s Book Wizard and Amazon to come up with an ultimate list of 5 star books appropriate for 1st and 2nd grade students.
Upon doing my research there were very few books recommended for the lower reading levels. That said, if you need more readers in the 1.0 to 1.9 or other range in which no readers are listed, I recommend looking at the Ultimate Guide to 5 Star Books for Kindergartners where the content and reading level would still be most appropriate as the list includes many incredible classics. Also, feel free to scroll through the list below or download a pdf of the list at the end for you to keep and browse later. Happy reading!
Criteria for This Reading List
- No Twaddle (meaning no books created as a result of movies or TV shows or what Charlotte Mason may have otherwise considered fluff)
- Only the first book of a series is included (even if others in the series would also qualify). The only exception to this are books that could also serve as stand-alone books (i.e. If You… series).
- Books must have a 4 1/2 or 5 star rating on Amazon with a minimum of 10 reviews
- Books must claim a 1st or 2nd grade interest level on Scholastic Book Wizard (meaning, the content therein is appropriate for 1st or 2nd grade students to read and/or understand).
- No books in the “Horror” Genre (yes, they have some even for this age)
- Only books with a year-round subject (no holiday books with the exception of Thanksgiving if the book contains historical content)
The Ultimate Guide to 5-Star Books for First and Second Grade Students by Reading Level
2.0
- Penny and Pepper by Betancourt
2.1
- Grapes of Math by Tang
2.2
- Queen of the World by Holm
- My Brother Charlie by Peete
2.3
- Ponies by Marsh
- Callie by Miles
- Third Grade Angels by Spinelli
2.4
2.5
- If You Hopped Like a Frog by Schwartz
- Very Greedy Bee by Smallman
- Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Sternberg
2.6
- Dolphins and Sharks by Osborne
- Animal Strike at the Zoo. It’s True! By Wilson
2.8
- Pink Princess Rules the School by Crowne
2.9
- Ginger by Voake
- Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs by Applegate
3.1
- Moon Book by Gibbons
- Math-terpieces by Tang
- If You Lived in Williamsburg in Colonial Days by Brenner
3.2
- Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Osborne
- Flossie and the Fox by McKissack
- My America: Starving Times by Hermes
- My American: Freedom’s Wing by Wyeth
3.3
- Mapping Penny’s World by Leedy
- Dog Lost by Lee
- When a Dragon Moves In by Moore
- Tigers by Marsh
3.4
- Perfect Thanksgiving by Harimann
- Miss Child Has Gone Wild! By Gutman
3.5
- Shark Lady by McGovern
- Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Viorst
- Wagon Wheels by Brenner
- If You Lived in Colonial Times by McGovern
- Thunder Cake by Polacco
- If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad by Levine
- If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King by Levine
- Cats in Krasinski Square by Hesse
3.7
- Boy of the Three-Year Nap by Snyder
- I, Freddy, Book One in the Golden Hamster Saga by Reiche
- If You Lived with the Hopi by Kamma
- Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Yee
- Elephants by Marsh
- Mummies by Carney
3.8
- If You Lived with the Cherokee by Roop
- Math Curse by Scieszka
- If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Kamma
- Bones: Skeletons and How They Work by Jenkins
- Marty McGuire by Messner
- Junkyard Wonders by Polacco
- Ape Escapes! By Newman
3.9
- Helen Keller by Davidson
- Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Dahl
- If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon by Levine
- If You Lived with the Sioux Indians by Levine
- If Your Names Was Changed at Ellis Island by Levine
- If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by McGovern
- To Be a Chimpanzee by Kratt
4.1
- Amazing Grace by Hoffman
- Gleam and Glow by Bunting
- Grandad’s Prayers of the Earth by Wood
4.2
- Louis Braille by Davidson
- Armadillo Tattletale by Ketteman
- Measuring Penny by Leedy
4.3
- Meet Abraham Lincoln by Cary
- Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil by Miller
- Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School by Sierra
- Brand New School, Brave New Ruby by Barnes
4.4
- Shark Wars by Altbacker
4.5
- If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Moore
- Catwings by Guin
- If You Lived with the Iroquois by Levine
- Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Morpurgo
- What Presidents are Made Of by Piven
- The Buck Book: All Sorts of Things to Do with a Dollar Bill Besides Spend It by Johnson
4.6
- Dessert First by Durand
4.7
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by MacDonald
- Lucy’s E-Journal by Harrington
4.8
- Thank You, Mr. Falker by Polacco
- If You Lived When There Was Slavery in American by Kamma
4.9
5.1
- Aesop’s Fables by Jacob Lawrence
- This Can’t Be Happening at MacDonald Hall by Korman
5.2
- Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by Steptoe
- If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by Levy
5.3
- Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson by Robinson
- Deadliest Animals by Stewart
5.4
- Balloons Over Broadway by Sweet
5.5
- Helen Keller: Her Life in Pictures by Sullivan
- Dear Hound by Murphy
5.6
- Mermaid Tales from Around the World by Osborne
5.7
- Pecos Bill by Kellogg
5.9
- Alice in Wonderland by Caroll
- Aida by Price
6.0 to 6.9
- Building Big by Macauley
- Weetamoo, Heart of the Pocassets by Smith
- Don’t Know Much About the Presidents by Davis
- Walt Whitman: Words for America by Kerley
- Beetle Book by Jenkins
Think I’ve missed a good book?
With so may good choices that wouldn’t surprise me a bit. Please, let me know in the comments below and if it meets the criteria above, I’ll be more than glad to add it and send you a pdf update too! Thanks!
