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This list of 3rd grade read alouds for 3rd grade (8 year olds) contains teacher-recommended, kid-favorite read aloud books for third (3rd) grade. (Third grade is about age 8 years old here in the U.S.)
How do you pick the right books to read with your class or children?
READ ALOUD INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSE
Consider your instructional purpose as well as cross-curricular themes in science, social studies, and writing. You can also use the books on this list to model and practice reading strategies and literacy skills. For each of the read alouds for 3rd grade, I’ve listed ideas for theme, author’s craft, and literacy skills.
HIGHER READING LEVEL
Generally, you’ll want to choose 3rd grade read aloud books at a higher reading level than your students can independently read. Listening to a more difficult text introduces new vocabulary to kids. As you know, knowing more words improves reading comprehension.
INTRODUCE A SERIES
Alternatively, with read alouds for 3rd graders, you might choose a book to get kids excited about a series or author for independent reading. Your goal is to get them hooked on a series they can read themselves.
One way to do this is First Chapter Friday. Reading one chapter gives kids a taste of the book. (It works, too!) If you’re doing this at home, read until your kids get so into the story, that they have to keep reading even when you get “too busy.”
If you’re looking for recommended independent reading books, visit: The Best Books for 8-Year-Olds.
More Read Aloud Book Lists:
6th Grade
5th Grade
4th Grade
2nd Grade
1st Grade
Families with Kids of Different Ages
Good 3rd Grade Read Alouds
Cress Watercress by Gregory Maguire, illustrated by David Litchfield
THEME/TOPICS: grief, family, friendship, kindness
SKILLS: making predictions, making inferences, sensory images, plot, characterization, problem/solution, cause/effect
SYNOPSIS: With delicious figurative language and deliberate word choice, this is a stunningly beautiful story about family, community, grief, and stories that begs to be read aloud. Cress and her family leave their cozy burrow after the death of her father. They move to the Broken Arms oak tree ruled by a cranky Owl with a noisy neighbor squirrel family. Cress navigates her new environment, the natural world, and the stories around her, all of which help her understand her inner world, especially how grief waxes and wanes like the moon’s cycles. Filled with immensely lovable characters, a gentle storyline of adventure and discovery, and lavish illustrations, I adore everything about this book.
Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen by Niki Lenz
THEME/TOPICS: bullying, family, friendship, kindness
SKILLS: making predictions, determining importance, making inferences, character arc/characterization
SYNOPSIS: This genuinely sweet story is about a girl who goes from a bully to a trying-to-do-better model citizen. It will make you laugh and warm your heart. When Bernice’s mom sends Bernice to live with her nun aunt, it’s a chance for this former bully without any friends except the town’s librarian, to reform her mean-spirited ways. Bernice does it — she makes a friend, becomes nicer, and finds an unexpected home with the nuns.
What the Moon Saw by Laura Resau
THEME/TOPICS: identity, culture, family, rural life, Spanish language, indigenous life, immigration, dreams, nature, stereotypes, magical realism
SKILLS: making predictions, determining importance, making inferences, analyzing word choice
SYNOPSIS: Mexican-American Clara Luna doesn’t know anything about her father’s Mexican heritage until she spends the summer with her grandparents in rural Mexico. There, she discovers the beauty of her grandparents’ life and culture and grows into her own identity. This is a beautiful, important book, one that I’ve read several times and highly recommend.
Holes by Louis Sachar
THEME/TOPICS: bullying, belonging, sense of self, family, loyalty, friendship, courage, growth mindset
SKILLS: making predictions, determining importance, making inferences, making sensory images, plot, characterization, sequence, cause/effect
SYNOPSIS: Poor Stanley. He’s got the worst luck of anyone — and is now sent to a youth detention camp in the desert where he has to dig holes all day long. All because of his no-good, pig-stealing great-great-grandfather. This was one of my students’ favorite books (mine, too)! You’ll love the crazy adventures as Stanley and his new friend figure out what’s really happening at this supposed detention camp. They escape and survive the desert by eating onions. Surprisingly, even the onions tie into the bigger story involving Stanley’s pig-stealing grandfather.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
THEME/TOPICS: animal cruelty, friendship, advocacy, family, home, empathy
SKILLS: predicting, determining importance, making mental images, making inferences, point of view, characterization
SYNOPSIS: Narrated by one gorilla named Ivan, this story will immediately grab your heart — it’s sad but keep reading, it’s an amazing story. Making it even more compelling, it’s true! Ivan is kept in a cage in a run-down mall for 27 years without seeing another gorilla. He’s friends with the stray dog, Bob, who sleeps with him, Stella who is a full-grown elephant, and Ruby, a newly purchased baby elephant. Due to maltreatment, Stella gets sick and dies. But before she does, she begs Ivan to help Ruby find a better life. Despite his fear, Ivan agrees and gets help from the janitor’s kind daughter.
In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz
THEME/TOPICS: bullying, self-acceptance, determination, storytelling, family
SKILLS: accessing background knowledge, determining importance, asking questions, making mental images, voice, figurative language, compare and contrast, plot, sequence, POV, vocabulary, making inferences, author’s purpose, characters, setting, word choice
SYNOPSIS: We love the message of this book, the fairy tale mash-up, the humor, everything! More Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson tales await in the harrowing, hilarious adventure about Frog, Jack, and Jill on an adventure to seek a magic mirror.
The Magical Reality of Nadia by Bassem Youssef and Catherine R. Daly, illustrated by Douglas Holgate
THEME/TOPICS: self-acceptance, friendship, racism, growing up
SKILLS: background knowledge, connections, inference
SYNOPSIS: Funny, entertaining! 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, like the new kid who is prejudiced about her Egyptian culture, as well as her troubles with working on a school project with friends. A wonderful, heartfelt, and relatable 3rd grade read aloud.
The Wishing Spell (Land of Stories) by Chris Colfer
THEME/TOPICS: fairy tales, family, loyalty, good vs. evil, storytelling, hero’s journey
SKILLS: accessing background knowledge, making connections, determining importance, making inferences, synthesis, figurative language (alliteration, allusion, foreshadowing, personification, metaphor,) characterization, plot
SYNOPSIS: Fairy tales become very real when Alex and Conner (a brother and sister) find themselves taken to the fairy tale world through a book given to them by their grandmother. In the first story, their only way out of the Fairy Tale world is to find the ingredients for a Wishing Spell. Finding the items will be dangerous, mysterious, and life-changing.
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Skottie Young
THEME: storytelling, family, humor
SKILLS: making inferences, sensory images, synthesis, hyperbole
SYNOPSIS: If you like quirky humor, then this is your perfect book. Because you will never believe, except you totally will, what happens when the kids’ father goes out to get more milk. He doesn’t even get the milk but he does run into pirates, aliens, and all sorts of incredible things! Totally hilarious and quite short–this is a fantastic read aloud book for 3rd grade.
More to the Story by Hena Khan
THEME/TOPICS: culture, friendship, kindness, growing up, family
SKILLS: connecting to background knowledge, character arc, making inferences
SYNOPSIS: Jameela is one of four girls in a Pakistani-American family and she’s passionate about journalism but in her enthusiasm, she hurts a new friend when she writes something he isn’t comfortable sharing with the world. While she digests these hard-earned lessons, she learns that her beloved little sister has lymphoma. Khan skillfully weaves a story of family, culture, community, and social justice that is sure to become a modern-day Little Women-type classic.
The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors
THEME/TOPICS: fantasy creatures, animals, kindness, friendship
SKILLS: asking questions, making inferences, determining importance, character traits, plot sequence, problem/solution, compare/contrast
SYNOPSIS: Ben doesn’t think his summer could be any more boring. Until he rescues a baby dragon. He and his new friend, Pearl Petal, learn the town has a secret veterinarian for imaginary creatures. That’s when they accidentally let a Sasquatch escape. Whoops. Now the pair must lure the big guy back to the veterinarian. (Which is easier said than done.) This read aloud series is a page-turner.
Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
THEME/TOPICS: fantasy creatures, kindness, friendship
SKILLS: asking questions, making inferences, determining importance, character traits, plot sequence, problem/solution
SYNOPSIS: 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. We love this story!! This is a great family read-aloud choice!
Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake
THEME/TOPICS: kindness, friendship
SKILLS: asking questions, making inferences, character traits, plot sequence, problem/solution
SYNOPSIS: If you like sweet stories of friendship, you won’t want to miss this new story. Prickly Badger’s life and rock studies are the most (and only) important thing in his life. Unexpectedly, he’s rudely interrupted by a new roommate, the helpful, philosophical, and curious chicken-loving Skunk. Badger wants Skunk to leave but he’s surprised when he enjoys Sunk’s cooking and company. Then after a spray incident and cruel comments he regrets, Badger fixes his mistake the two friends find that they’re better off together.
Dragon Slippers trilogy by Jessica Day George
THEME/TOPICS: friendship, courage, female empowerment, moral quandries
SKILLS: asking questions, character traits & development, making predictions, making inferences, problem/solution, story arc
SYNOPSIS: We can’t recommend this book series enough! Young and brave Creel wants nothing more than to own her own seamstress shop. In her pursuit of this dream, she befriends a special dragon who, along with magical dragon slippers, changes her life.
Wild Robot by Peter Brown
THEME/TOPIC: family, kindness, inclusion, belonging, life, technology, nature (forest, predator/prey, habitat, etc,) STEM,
SKILLS: making connections, asking questions, predicting, character development, making mental images, cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence of events, POV, dialogue, setting
SYNOPSIS: When a ship of robots crashes into an island, Roz is the only survivor. She observes her surroundings, trying to make friends with the animals who consider her a monster. When she adopts a gosling whose family she accidentally killed, everything changes. Roz gets help from other animals to raise her new son, Brightbill. Loudwing helps him learn to swim, the beavers build them a lodge, Tawny the deer helps with the garden. Throughout the months, Roz learns to be wilder and more kind, in the end making the ultimate sacrifice to protect her friends.
Fenway and Hattie by Victoria J. Coe
THEME/TOPIC: friendship, family, moving, growing up, dogs
SKILLS: making predictions, asking questions, POV, perspective, making sensory images, making inferences, character traits, and development
SYNOPSIS: Narrated by Fenway, a young Jack Russell terrier, Fenway isn’t happy that his best buddy, a human girl named Hattie, isn’t playing with him anymore. Fenway’s perspective is hilarious — and will encourage 3rd grade readers to make inferences to figure out what’s going on.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
THEME/TOPIC: teamwork, friendship, board games, libraries
SKILLS: making predictions, asking questions, making inferences, perspective, problem/solution, character traits, synthesizing information
SYNOPSIS: Kyle and a few classmates win a sleepover at the town’s newly created library developed by the rich game- reator Mr. Lemoncello. Once there, the kids have to solve the puzzles around the entire library to get out. Will the kids work together or will it be every person for themselves?
Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q Raúf
THEME/TOPIC: immigration, refugees, friendship, activism
SKILLS: prediction, asking questions, making inferences, perspective, character arc, problem / solution
SYNOPSIS: Alexa and her friends learn that the new kid, Ahmed, was in a real war and has been separated from his family. So when Alexa and her friends hear that England is going to shut the borders, they decide they must go to the Queen to help Ahmed be reunited with his family. They go to the palace in person, tangling with the guards, and getting in big trouble but it eventually leads to media attention and a happy solution. Showing the power of individuals to make a difference, this moving novel for upper elementary and middle school ultimately is about human kindness and friendship.
More Recommended 3rd Grade Read Aloud Books
Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Restart by Gordon Korman
Rump: The Fairly True Tale of Rumplestiltskin by Liesel Shurtliff
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
Dungeoneer Adventures by Ben Costa
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Elements of Genius: Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray by Jess Keating
The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
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