Book Ideas for 2nd Grade Book Clubs

If you’re ready to start a book club for 2nd graders, you’ll need some 2nd grade book club book ideas. These recommended chapter books contain themes of friendship, identity, culture, kindness, writing, and more.

Pick a chapter book that you know will appeal to the readers in your book club…and that touches upon subjects that could be discussed.

It’s also important to pick a book that is comprehensible to all the children in the group. Make sure you’re aware of the general reading levels of the students and if anyone is struggling. (Alternatively, you could choose a book to listen to on audiobook or have an adult read it to them.)

When you think of your purpose for a book club, one of the biggest reasons usually is to encourage more reading.

In that spirit, I’m sharing many books that are the first in a series. Once kids read and enjoy the first book, they’ll love to keep reading more books in the series. At least, that’s the hope.

Second-grade book clubs can be at school, the library, or at home. You could have only students or students with adults, such as a parent-child or grandparent-child book club.

Book Ideas for 2nd Grade Book Clubs

Super Detectives Simon and Chester by Cale Atkinson
MYSTERY (GRAPHIC NOVEL) (series)
A new, funny beginning graphic novel for 2nd graders! Nic and his ghost friend Simon are bored, so they dress up and pretend to be detectives. The friends advertise, but no one shows up — except a mysterious pug who doesn’t belong to them. Who is the pug? The detectives ask around and follow clues — and it’s hilarious!

Mighty Meg and the Magical Ring by Sammy Griffin, illustrated by Michah Player
SUPERHERO (series)
Meg gets a ring for her 8th birthday–that gives her superpowers–speed, strength, super senses, and invisibility! At first, she doesn’t want to use her powers, but she sees a dog drowning in a river and feels she must help so he doesn’t die. Doing so changes her mind about her using powers — and sets us up for more books in the series.

Too Small Tola by Atinuke, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu
REALISTIC (series)
Tola lives in Nigeria in an apartment with her sister, brother, and Grandmommy. Readers feel the love in Tola’s close-knit family and experience her life in her Nigerian community with kind-hearted neighbors and diversity of religion (Eid and Easter) and see that even when you’re small, you can make a difference.

Bunny and Clyde written by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Scott Nash
HUMOR (series)
In this funny and charming story, Bunny and Clyde (a chipmunk) decide they’re sick of being good…In fact, they want to be rotten. First, they read books to learn how to be bad. They read books like Bad Kitty and Interrupting Chicken. (You’ll laugh at their bad examples. Interrupting is so naughty!) Then, they go on a bad, bad, bad spree. Unfortunately, badness doesn’t work out because, somehow, their attempts always help others. Which makes them so mad! Being bad never was so good.

Emmet and Jez Adventures in Fosterland by Hannah Shaw, illustrated by Bev Johnson
REALISTIC / ANIMAL RESCUE (series)
Jez, a kitten with three legs, assumes that Emmett is a kitten. She teaches him about their food fairy and tuna and climbing and telling cat jokes. The two friends sleep in the same bed, even when Emmett grows MUCH bigger than Jez. But Emmett notices that he’s not a very good kitten — because he’s a pig. Eventually, they both will go to their Foreverlands. Sweet, meaningful, and sometimes funny, this is a new favorite chapter book.

Sadiq and the Desert Star by Siman Nuurali, illustrated by Anjan Sarkar
STEM (series)
Not only is this a great STEM story about a young boy who finds the stars to be fascinating, but it’s also a story with diversity because Sadiq’s Muslim family is originally from Somalia. The story is also about how after a field trip to the planetarium, Sadiq and his friends start a space club and work together to raise money for a DIY telescope. Growing readers will enjoy the friendship, teamwork, STEM topics, and diversity found in this first book of the Sadiq series.

White Fur Flying by Patricia MacLachlan
REALISTIC
Zoe’s family rescues dogs in need. A new family has moved in across the street and Phillip, the boy, has stopped speaking. He doesn’t even want to try. But Zoe’s new rescue dog might just help the boy heal and speak.

Rabbit & Bear: Rabbit’s Bad Habits by Julian Gough & Jim Field
FRIENDSHIP / FUNNY (series)
This beginning chapter book is delightfully weird, hilarious, and tender-hearted! Neil Gaiman says this book is “a laugh-out-loud story” and I completely agree. There’s a lot to love about this book including the tidbits of science like gravity and a rabbit’s diet (they eat their poop– but only some of their poop!) In a lovely redemptive story arc, Rabbit starts out by stealing Bear’s food and is a rude, know-it-all but becomes self-reflective, repentant, and kind.

Planet Omar by Zanib Mian
REALISTIC (series)
I love the playful writing, whimsical illustrations, and rich Pakistani-American culture in this beginning chapter book. One of the best things about Omar is his HUGE imagination! In fact, he faces his new experiences in life with a rich, creative mind filled with dragons, Ferraris, and zombie aliens. He uses his imagination to deal with moving, starting a new school, making friends, and dealing with racism. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book for home, classrooms, and libraries.

Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business by Lyla Lee, illustrated by Dung Ho
REALISTIC (series)
Mindy and her dad recently moved to Florida after her mom’s death. When the other kids at school make fun of her seaweed snacks at lunch, Mindy and her new friend Sally start a snack business to save money for a puppy.  This doesn’t go as planned yet it’s a big learning experience showing Mindy to be herself and be proud of her Korean-American culture.

Ava Lin Best Friend by Vicky Fang
REAL LIFE (series)
A strong voice and a fun main character who has a zest for life and discovery. Ava is in first grade and wants to make a best friend. To do so, she must navigate communication issues with new people, which isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. Also, Ava loves collecting treasures, but she needs pockets. Without a pocket, she stores her special pebble in her ear–which doesn’t go well! Ava is a cute, relatable girl who kids will love.

A to Z Mysteries by Rob Roy
MYSTERY (series)
This compelling mystery series for 2nd graders will keep your kids reading for days and months. My kids read each book more than once — we highly recommend this series because it’s a good mix of mystery and adventure and appeals to boy and girl readers.

The Dragonsitter by Josh Lacey, illustrated by Garry Parsons
HUMOR (series)
Written in increasingly funny (and alarming) letters we learn that Uncle Morton left his pet dragon for Edward and his mom and sister to watch — with no directions!! The dragon poops in their shoes, eats their pet bunny, and causes all kinds of destruction which all are the subjects of Edward’s letters to his nowhere-to-be-found uncle. Finally, Edward hears from his uncle who suggests feeding the dragon chocolate. Will Edward’s mom lose her mind? Will the chocolate work?

Also Read: