The Books for Newly Independent Readers: Kids Core Collection is perfect for readers who are ready for something more challenging than beginning readers, but aren't ready to transition to long chapter books. These engaging chapter books and graphic novels are 100 pages or less, and they include ample illustrations, short chapters, and large clear fonts.
Graphic Novels - Easier | Graphic Novels - Harder | Chapter Books - Easier | Chapter Books - Harder
At the start of a new school year Eraser notices best friend Pencil has a dull point, so they must leave the comfort of their desk and venture out to find a sharpener before Stella and her classmates return from recess.
Read all the Pencil & Eraser books.
Peter and Ernesto are sloths, friends, and nothing alike, so Ernesto decides to go off on an adventure alone. Will the pals' separation tear them apart or bring them closer together?
Read all the Peter & Ernesto books.
A happy-go-lucky, waffle-loving narwhal and a cynical, no-nonsense jellyfish forge an unlikely friendship and share adventures while exploring the ocean together.
Read all the Narwhal and Jelly books.
Ally the alligator is perfectly happy being alone... until one day a noisy bird named Beak lands on her snout. Much to Ally's annoyance, this chatty bird likes to sing all the time and has chosen a nearby tree to build his new nest. Even worse, he insists that he and Ally will be best friends. In fact, he has all kinds of friendship goals in mind, and it seems nothing Ally says will convince him that she'd rather just be alone. Nothing beats peace and quiet... except for maybe a new best friend?
Read all the Beak & Ally books.
Meet Mimi. She's charming! She's cheerful! She's cute! But that's not all! She's also a loyal friend and fun playmate, who has the best adventures with Penelope, her magical toy dog. But when Mimi notices people treating her like she's too cute, can she show them that she's much more than meets the eye? Or will she be stuck in this cute-astrophe?
Read all the Mimi books.
In Fruitdale best friends Peach and Plum enjoy many fun summer activities, such as playing ball, going to the beach, and riding a bike--although Plum often seems to find the down-side of fun. Told in rhyming text.
Read all the Peach and Plum books.
Nail is stuck. When Nail needs help getting un-stuck, who from the toolbox will be the best tool for the job?
Read all the Fix-Its books.
Hugo, a young boy who changes the world around him, climbs, smashes and goes on adventures with his best friend, Dino.
Read all the Super Magic Boy books.
Fox is calm and thoughtful. Chick is hyperactive and flighty. They don't always agree, but they are friends anyway.
Read all the Fox + Chick books.
Best friends Pizza and Taco agree on nearly everything until Pizza declares himself the best of all, leading to debating, voting, competing, and finally defining what being the best really means.
Read all the Pizza and Taco books.
Gregory likes to be equipped for any situation and carries several essential items in his backpack like a feather duster, a colander, and even a kazoo! 'There might be a kazoo emergency,' Gregory explains to his new friend, Lola, on their way to school. Not long after, their school bus gets into trouble! As the bus gets tangled in a rope hanging from a hot air balloon and crashes into a dinosaur, Gregory wonders if this is just the kazoo emergency he's been waiting for!
Simon and Chester are bored...until they pretend to be detectives.
Star the Elephant and his herd are searching for a new home. But when Star is separated from his family, he must journey alone into the great unknown. He'll come face to face with giant spiders, the vast ocean beyond his island, and strange humans. Can Star find his way back to his family?
Read all the Surviving the Wild books.
The hard-to-handle third graders at Bailey Elementary School wonder if their new teacher, Mrs. Jeepers, who just moved from Transylvania and has glowing green eyes, is a vampire.
Read all The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids graphic novels.
Tiger is a very lucky kid: she has a monster living under her bed. Every night, Tiger and Monster play games until it's time for lights out. Of course, Monster would never try to scare Tiger--that's not what best friends do. But Monster needs to scare someone...it's a monster, after all. So while Tiger sleeps, Monster scares all of her nightmares away. Thanks to her friend, Tiger has nothing but good dreams. But waiting in the darkness is a nightmare so big and mean that Monster can't fight it alone. Only teamwork and a lot of bravery can chase this nightmare away.
Ava Lin is six and a half years old, loves bubble tea and animals, and is very good at finding treasure and balancing pasta on her nose. And there is a very exciting thing happening in her life right now : tomorrow is the first day of first grade! In first grade, Ava is sure she is going to find a best friend, even if she isn't sure how to go about it. When her efforts land her in some sticky (and funny) situations, Ava always manages to wiggle her way out of her mishaps.
Read all the Ava Lin books.
Who says princesses don't wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black.
Read all the Princess in Black books.
This is an old story. It is about a girl named Otilla who runs away. It is also about a house in the woods, and a skull who lives there, and a secret the skull has, and the night that Otilla finds out what that secret is.
Puppies Hocus and Pocus are ... waiting to be adopted from the Shelter for Slightly Magical Pets. Even though Hocus can see two minutes into the future and Pocus can turn bad feelings into bubbles (which he eats!), nobody seems to want them. This could be because the two keep causing mischief so they won't be separated. When Jinx the witch uses a 'spell for home' potion to help a color-changing tortoise find his match, the puppies know what to do: sneak both their hairs into the mixture to ensure they get adopted together. But with these two, anything can happen--from a shrinking spell to giant bees.
Read all the Hocus and Pocus books.
Presents three tales of an endearing and enduring character, Tola, who lives in an apartment in the busy city of Lagos, Nigeria, with her sister, brother and grandmommy.
Read all the Too Small Tola books.
One day eight-year-old Auggie Pound, the caretaker of the rare animals in the Fabled Stables, ventures into the swamp to save a new rare creature, the wisp.
Read all the The Fabled Stables books.
An artistic, fashion-loving boy unlocks a new talent--and learns to stand up for it--in this chapter book perfect for fans of the Sadiq series and Meet Yasmin! Tehzeeb drew curvy clouds, grand galaxies, squirmy squiggles, and delicate dots. He made charming checkerboards and even perfected paisleys. His practice was finally paying off! The first time Tehzeeb tries mehndi, his passion for the art form blossoms. Soon, he's creating designs for all his friends and family, and dreams of becoming the most in-demand mehndi artist in town. So Tez is hurt and confused when his favorite uncle tells him mehndi isn't for boys. His art brings people joy. How could it be wrong? Tehzeeb doesn't want to disappoint his uncle. But when a crisis before his cousin's wedding puts his talents to the test, Tehzeeb must find the courage to be his true creative self. Jani Balakumar's expressive, vibrant illustrations bring Tehzeeb's designs--and his community--to life. This charming, affirming story by debut author Zain Bandali will have you celebrating creativity, artistic expression, and being unapologetically yourself. Readers can learn more about mehndi at home with activities at the end of the book.
Second-grader Lola has a wonderful family, a great teacher, and the best friend ever, Josh, and they all help her feel better after she is teased and forbidden to play team sports at recess for having accidentally hurt classmate Juan during a soccer game.
Read all the Lola Levine books.
Spunky third-grader Dyamonde Daniel misses her old neighborhood, but when she befriends a boy named Free, another new student at school, she finally starts to feel at home.
Read all the Dyamonde Daniel books.
Family, friendship, new school challenges, and a rather large dog problem combine as sisters adjust to their new tiny house.
Read all the Twig and Turtle books.
When a new kid comes to stay with his grandmother at the house next door, Shermy's plans for a quiet, relaxing summer are completely upended. That's because Shake is nothing like Shermy. And Shermy is nothing like Shake. Shermy likes to read quietly in the shade of a tree. He knows the proper way to do a puzzle. He collects treasures in the pouch he wears around his neck, and the books on his shelves are alphabetized by author. Shake likes to play street hockey or space explorers. He gobbles up rocket ice pops and Toaster Tarts. He shows up unannounced and plays board games by his own rules. As the two boys are forced to spend more and more time together, will they learn how to get along? Or will it be one long countdown until Shake goes home?
Read all the Shermy and Shake books.
Mindy Kim wants to fit in at her new school, but her favorite lunch leads to scorn, then a thriving business, and finally big trouble.
Read all the Mindy Kim books.
Fourth-grader Jada's best friend moved away but a class project on rocks and minerals, her favorite topic, could mean new friends. For Jada, rocks are easier to find than friends. Or are they?
Read all the Jada Jones books.
When supernatural things start happening in the house timid Andres and his parents just moved into, next-door-neighbor Desmond Cole, eight, comes to the rescue.
Read all the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol books.
Jo Jo Makoons Azure is a spirited seven-year-old who moves through the world a little differently than anyone else on her Ojibwe reservation. It always seems like her mom, her kokum (grandma), and her teacher have a lot to learn--about how good Jo Jo is at cleaning up, what makes a good rhyme, and what it means to be friendly. Even though Jo Jo loves her #1 best friend Mimi (who is a cat), she's worried that she needs to figure out how to make more friends. Because Fern, her best friend at school, may not want to be friends anymore...
Read all the Jo Jo Makoons books.
Charming, creative Salma takes on big feelings with even bigger ideas as she navigates life in a new country, Syrian identity, family changes and new friendships in this engaging and heartfelt early chapter book series. After a year, eleven months, and six days apart, Salma's dad is finally joining her family in their new home. Salma is so happy to see her baba-but she's also worried. What if he misses Syria so much that he leaves them again? She throws herself into showing him around the city and helping him learn English, but as Baba shares memories of Damascus Salma starts to realize how much she misses Syria, too. Can Salma make space in her heart for two homes? And can Baba?
Molly gets things stuck in her head sometimes. When she sees a jar of candy on Principal Shelton's desk, she absolutely needs to know how many candies are in that jar! Luckily, her two best friends, Simon and Rosie, are ready to help her find the answer--even if it means detention for all of them!
Read all the Trouble at Table 5 books.