Beginning Chapter Books

Allard, Harry. Bumps in the Night. (JUV FIC) 32p
Dudley the Stork's new house is haunted! When the clock strikes twelve there are thumps in the den, creaks on the stairs, and bumps everywhere.

Ash, Frank. Star Jumper: Journal of a Cardboad Genius. (JUV FIC) 128p
Alex's younger sibling is "the biggest pain in the butt this side of Alpha Centauri." But Alex, an immodest kid genius, has a plan: he carefully transforms cardboard boxes and duct tape into a spaceship, a micro-blaster, and a duplicator. He is going to the end of the universe to escape.

Bauer, Marion Dane. The Blue Ghost. (JUV FIC) 85p
Nine-year-old Liz is helping her grandmother prepare to sell the old family cabin. She is awakened at night by a strange blue light and a voice calling her name. In the corner of her room, a ghostly woman dressed in old-fashioned clothes beckons to her and then disappears through the wall.

Byars, Betsy. Little Horse On His Own. (JUV FIC) 48p
Little Horse sets off to find the Valley of Little Horses and reunite with his mother, a journey that is, of course, fraught with danger.

Cox, Judy. That Crazy Eddie and the Science Project of Doom. (JUV FIC) 88p
Third grader Matt is dying to win first place at the school science fair. The prize is a gift certificate for fifty dollars and will buy him the skateboard of his dreams. But when he teams up with his best friend Eddie, he finds that working together isn't so easy.

DiCamillo, Kate. Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride. (JUV RDR) 72p
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. Second book in the Mercy Watson series.

Flood, Pansie Hart. Tiger Turcotte Takes on the Know-It-All. (JUV FIC) 71p
Tiger Turcotte loves everything about second grade-except Donna Overton. He thinks she is a mean, bossy, know-it-all. Second book in the Tiger Turcotte series.

Greenberg, J.C. Andrew Lost on the Dog. (JUV FIC) 78p
When Andrew's latest invention, the Atom Sucker, goes haywire, Andrew and Judy are shrunk down to microscopic level! They find themselves lost on their neighbor's dog, where they encounter everything from colossal fleas to crab-like eyelash mites. First book in the Andrew Lost series.

Greenburg, Dan. Dude, Where's My Spaceship? (JUV SF) 81p
Klatu crashed the spaceship into planet Earth with his brother Lek and sister Ploo onboard. Stuck in the middle of the Nevada desert with nowhere to run, Ploo is captured by army Earthlings who think that she is an enemy of humankind. Can Klatu and Lek rescue Ploo from the terrifying Major Paine? First book in the Weird Planet series.

Gutman, Dan. Mr. Docker Is Off His Rocker. (JUV FIC) 100p
Mr. Docker must be a mad scientist! He does nutty experiments and he has an evil, demented, cackling laugh. Plus he invented a car that runs onto potatoes. Mr. Docker is the weirdest science teacher ever! Science isn't just for nerds, it's the coolest subject ever. Tenth book in the My Weird School series.

Hill, Elizabeth Star. Wildfire! (JUV FIC) 66p
Living with his great-grandmother in rural Florida, ten-year-old Ben looks forward to the Fourth of July celebrations, but the day becomes complicated by the presence of a new neighbor boy, a stray puppy, and local wildfires.

Hopkinson, Deborah. Sailing for Gold. (JUV FIC) 76p
The 1897 Klondike gold rush is the setting for this exciting historical adventure. Orphan David Hill, 11, tells how Seattle is suddenly mobbed with desperate, greedy "stampeders" from everywhere on their way to find gold. First book in the Klondike Kid trilogy.

Jenkins, Emily. Toys Go Out. (JUV FIC) 128p
This secret-lives-of-toys story will entertain, inspire, and comfort as it relates the adventures of three engaging toy best friends: Lumphy the buffalo, plush StingRay, and Plastic.

Jones, Miranda. Make a Wish! (JUV FIC) 113p
While shopping with her grandmother at a flea market, 9-year-old Ali buys an old lava lamp that turns out to have a wish-granting genie inside.

Kerrin, Jessica Scott. Martin Bridge on the Lookout! (JUV FIC) 142p
Three illustrated stories about Martin's well-laid plans unraveling. This time, he has to entertain an unwanted guest, share lunch with a boy who eats erasers and embark on a madcap search for his school's escaped pet parakeet.

McKissiack, Pat. Abby Takes A Stand. (JUV FIC) 104p
Gee recalls for her grandchildren, what happened in 1960 in Nashville, Tennessee, when she, aged 10, passed out flyers while her cousin and other adults held sit-ins at restaurants and lunch counters to protest segregation.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries. (JUV MYSTERY) 92p
There are some strange new pets in Sly's neighborhood: a cat on a diet that keeps getting fatter, a fish that seems angry at its owner, and a peculiar pet named Wilson that suddenly disappears! Only Sly the Sleuth can solve these mysteries. Sly (a.k.a Sylvia) is a grade-schooler by day, private detective by afternoon.

Nolan, Lucy. On the Road. (JUV FIC) 54p
Narrated from a dog's point of view, this easy chapter book covers the hilarious antics of two canine friends who puzzle through and explain life with their masters.

Smith, Janice. Monster in the Third Dresser Drawer and Other Stories About Adam Joshua. (JUV FIC) 86p
In six funny episodes, a small boy with spunk copes with moving, a new baby sister, loose teeth, monsters in the night and more.

Trine, Greg. Curse of the Bologna Sandwich. (JUV FIC) 138p
Melvin loves fighting crime in Los Angeles, until the McNasty Brothers, the baddest guys of all, start robbing banks and Melvin's superpowers mysteriously disappear. Enter Candace, a third-grade actress with some surprising new talents. Once they team up, nothing can beat these partners in uncrime. First book in the Melvin Beederman, Superhero series.

Warner, Sally. Only Emma. (JUV FIC) 115p
Third-grader Emma's peaceful life as an only child is disrupted when she has to temporarily share her tidy bedroom with four-year-old Anthony Scarpetto, a bona fide "pain in the patootie."

Wesley, Valerie. How to Fish for Trouble. (JUV FIC) 124p
When cousin Teddy visits, Willimena is jealous of the attention he receives from friends and family, especially her dad. During a fishing trip, she concocts a hair-brained scheme to get noticed, resulting in unexpected consequences. Second in the Willimena Rules! series.

Wojciechowski, Susan. Don't Call Me Beanhead! (JUV FIC) 74p
Meet Bernice Lorraine Sherwin-Hendricks, known as Beany by just about everyone except her older brother who calls her Beanhead. Beany's got 23 freckles, a bossy best friend, and a tendency to worry over just about everything. First book in the Beany series.

Worth, Bonnie. Going Quackers. (JUV FIC) 61p
The ever-helpful Babe the Sheep Pig agrees to play baby-sitter to a nest of eggs. Then the eggs hatch, and ten adoring ducklings cry "Mama!" What's a pig to do?

Great series for beginning chapter book readers:

A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy (JUV M)
Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (JUV M)
Cam Jansen by David Adler (JUV M)
Cobble Street Cousins by Cynthia Rylant (JUV FIC)
Geronimo Stilton (JUV SERIES)
Herbie Jones by Suzy Kline (JUV FIC)
Horrible Harry by Suzy Kline (JUV FIC)
Jigsaw Jones by James Preller (JUV M)
Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park (JUV FIC)
The Littles by John Peterson (JUV FIC)
Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne (JUV FIC)
Marvin Redpost by Louis Sachar (JUV FIC)
Rainbow Magic by Daisy Meadows (JUV FIC)
Secrets of Droon by Tony Abbott (JUV SERIES)
Third Grade Detectives by George Stanley (JUV SERIES)
Time Warp Trio by John Scieszka (JUV SF)
Triplet Trouble by Debbie Dadey (JUV SERIES)
Unicorn's Secret by Kathleen Duey (JUV SERIES)