Book Club Book Ideas for 3rd Grade

When you’re choosing a book club book for your 3rd grade readers, give students, or kids help with selection, but ultimately, let them choose the book to read. These chapter books are great for discussion about the topics and themes of problem solving, friendship, and family.

You can help children by giving them choices of books, doing book talks, watching book trailers, and reading book reviews. Ownership is essential.

The suggested books on this list are in no way all-encompassing. They’ll be a place to start.

And, certainly, if you’re running a multi-age book club, you’ll want to consider readability. In other words, is the book comprehensible for all the members of the book club?

I’ve chosen books for this list of book club book ideas that will make kids think, question, wonder, imagine, and enjoy.

Book Club Book Ideas for 3rd Grade

Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
REALISTIC (SERIES)
In this heartwarming story about the life of an old doll who gets a new life as a book buddy, Ivy is donated to the Book Buddy’s shelf at the library. A lonely girl named Fern borrows Ivy. Fern needs a friend like Ivy because she feels so many different feelings about her dad’s new family. Then, when Ivy gets left outside in the rain, she has a surprise adventure of her own and makes friends with two other Book Buddies. Eventually, Fern feels better about her new blended family and returns her to the library.

The Magical Reality of Nadia by Bassem Youssef and Catherine R. Daly, illustrated by Douglas Holgate
MAGICAL REALISM (SERIES)
Funny, entertaining, and filled with important themes of friendship, growing up, and racism, this is one of my new favorite books! Nadia unexpectedly discovers an ancient Egyptian teacher (Titi) trapped in her hippo amulet. He comes out onto a paper and TALKS! Tita helps Nadia with problems she faces at school, including the new kid who is prejudiced about her Egyptian culture and friendship troubles.

Stella Diaz has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez
REALISTIC
Loosely based on the author’s own childhood, 3rd grader Stella is very, very quiet in both Spanish and English. She feels separate, just like the word alien that describes her green card status being born in Mexico and moving to Chicago as a baby. A fish research project helps Stella find her voice and overcome her fears.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
REALISTIC
Opal’s preacher father is always too busy, and her mother has been gone since Opal was three, something Opal has always wondered about. But Opal finds someone to care for, a stray dog that she names Winn-Dixie, and that dog brings hope and meaning into 10-year-old Opal’s life. Brilliant, heart-warming storytelling.

Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
MAGICAL REALISM
In the sweetest story of friendship, 10-year-old Livy meets Bob, a green zombie-looking monster wearing a chicken costume living in the closet at her grandma’s house. He’s been waiting for her to return for the last 5 years. Only Livy can’t remember him at all. Even when she leaves the house for an errand, she forgets. But she’s determined to help Bob find his way back home. Wherever that may be.

Ninja Kid: From Nerd to Ninja by Anh Do
ADVENTURE (SERIES)
Nelson is a nerdy and likable main character who wakes up on his 10th birthday with perfect vision and… ninja moves! His mum and grandma explain that, like his missing fisherman dad before him, Nelson is the last ninja in the world — and he’s destined to save the world. He immediately gets to use his powers for good on a field trip when ginormous evil spiders attack the group of kids.

Word Travelers and the Taj Mahal Mystery by Raj Haldar, illustrated by Nehra Rawat
MYSTERY / ADVENTURE (SERIES)
Best friends Eddie and MJ open a book about words, and they’re magically transported to India. There, they help a boy solve the clues to find his family’s missing fortune before a bad guy gets it. As they solve the clues, they learn more words with Indian roots — many are from Hindi, like bangle and bungalow, and others are from Sanskrit, like the words jackal and jungle.

Sarai and the Meaning of Awesome by Sarai Gonzalez and Monica Brown
REALISTIC
A warm-hearted, sweet story about a Latinx girl who’s an entrepreneur and devoted daughter and granddaughter. When her grandpa (tata) tells Sarai Gonzalez that his rental house is being sold, she determines to help by selling more cupcakes than ever. Even her sisters join in to help and so do her cousins. A darling start to a new series inspired by Sarai’s own life!

Lily and the Great Quake: A San Francisco Earthquake Survival Story by Veeda Bybee
HISTORICAL FICTION (SERIES)
In the early 1900s in San Francisco, California, if you were of Chinese descent, it was illegal to live anywhere else except for Chinatown. When a huge earthquake hits California, its destruction caused fires to burn Chinatown to the ground. The earthquake’s destruction forces young Lily and her family to leave Chinatown for Oakland amidst the chaos. Throughout her story of life in Chinatown and evacuating during the fires, we see the prejudice she faces due to her looks and culture. There’s a lot to discuss in this book for 3rd grade.

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Geneva B
FANTASY (SERIES)
When Jax’s mom drops him off with an irascible old lady named Ma, he learns that she helps magical animals travel between worlds. In this case, three dragons. But, he and Ma accidentally travel back in time instead of to the world of magic, and Ma gets stuck there. It’s up to Jax to rescue Ma and deliver the dragons to where they belong. The only problem? Besides finding the transporter, one of the dragons is missing– stolen by his best friend’s little sister!

The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg
MYSTERY (SERIES)
A fantastic Sherlock-inspired book series that is well-written and tells a great story. John Watson and his mom move to Harlem where he meets a unique girl named Shelby Holmes who reluctantly allows him to tag along with her as she solves her latest crime — the mystery of who took a posh, show-dog from a classmate’s secure house.

Jada Jones Rock Star by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton
REALISTIC
Jada starts the school year hoping to find new friends, hopefully ones that love rocks, too. She misses her best friend but feels excited when her class studies geology. Unfortunately, one bossy girl in Jada’s group project makes fun of Jada’s interest in rocks. This is a well-written STEM story that shows the challenges of getting along with others and staying true to yourself. Plus, you’ll like that the main character is a big science nerd!