realistic fiction writing prompts for 3rd grade

75 Of The Best Fiction Writing Prompts For All Writers

What separates the casual fiction writer from the professional one is the commitment to daily writing. But sometimes it’s more of a challenge to get the words flowing.

If nothing triggered you today, and if your mind is playing hopscotch with ideas, fiction writing prompts can get you past the brain block into full writing mode.

The following lists are fiction writing prompts for adults and realistic fiction writing prompts, and while there’s nothing NSFW ahead, the fiction writing ideas are best suited to books written for mature readers.

Here’s how to use these writing prompts:

• Choose a prompt that inspires you to write.
• Feel free to alter the writing idea to suit your creative writing needs.
• View the prompt as an idea to kickstart your writing .
• Begin writing and allow your ideas to flow and lead your writing wherever it might go.
• Write as little or as much as you wish to prime your imaginative juices.
• Don’t judge or critique what you’ve written — just enjoy the process.
• Once you’ve completed the novel prompt writing, move on to your book writing , or use the prompt writing as part of a book you might decide to write.

75 Fiction Writing Prompts and Realistic Fiction Writing Prompts

Try one of these 75 fiction writing prompts to improve your creative writing . Some of these are realistic fiction writing prompts, while others have a more fantasy or mystery bent to them.

Choose the prompt that most inspires you, and start writing!

1. This superhero lives on the streets. While the people she saves are safe and warm, she wanders alone, exposed to the elements. She’s asexual, so she’s not looking for a mate, but she wouldn’t mind having someone to watch her back.

2. An unknown spacecraft has sent a rain of unknown elements into the atmosphere, and soon every flower that blooms releases a new, sentient being into the air. And they’re all connected — except for one, whose connection to the hive mind is severed somehow before the opening of his flower. All his fellow, winged warriors have a plan for the people of Earth; he’s the only one looking for a way to save them.

3. He promised me becoming a zombie wouldn’t change him. He had a solution that would preserve his personality and make it possible for him to protect those he loved..

4. A new modern apartment complex is now open, and you’re one of the first to apply for one of its one-bedroom luxury apartments. Less than a week after you move in, tenants start disappearing. Then someone leaves a gift basket at your door….

5. Someone leaves a package with a new, loaded smartphone and a cryptic note in your mailbox. That night, you get a call on that phone, and you answer it. A voice on the other end asks, “Ready to change your life?”

6. You get a chill from something while standing in a grocery store checkout line, and someone cries out and points a finger at you, backing away. “Did anyone else see that?” she asks in a panicky voice, grabbing her baby and heading out the door without her groceries.

7. You left the windows open last night to cool the house after a 90 degree summer day. You wake up to an icy chill and snow blowing in. You soon learn that a catastrophic event has brought on a new ice age. It just so happens you know something that could reverse the freeze before humans become extinct from exposure and starvation.

8. You love how you get when a creative idea takes hold of you, but your loved ones do not. In fact, one by one, they write you off, though you can’t remember why. Then, one evening, the unthinkable happens, and your latest creative idea takes on a life of its own.

9. Your friend just committed suicide, and soon after the funeral, the letters start coming, sent by someone who knew your friend and who (apparently) knows where you live. This someone blames you for your friend’s death, and she won’t stop until you pay for it.

10. Your best friend is suffering from a life-threatening allergic reaction, and there’s no epi pen. As his airways swell shut and his heart stops, there’s no one around to help, and you scream in desperation. That’s when you hear a sound in your own voice that you’ve never heard before. Seconds later, your friend gasps and scrambles to his feet, all signs of swelling gone.

11. Your fiance’s family has staged an intervention to bully you into changing your beliefs and teaching your children to embrace their way of life — and your fiance says nothing in your defense.

12. Your supermodel-thin friend barely survives a terrible car accident, but it changes her. The happy-go-lucky girl with the racecar metabolism and the hot boyfriend has morphed into a moody but more empathetic girl who quickly grows out of her wardrobe and becomes the target of cruel jokes.

13. A predatory classmate ends up dead in your backyard just hours after making unwanted advances to you in the school library. Part of him is missing.

14. Write a story from the point of view of the villain, but don’t reveal the narrator as the villain until the end.

Related: 15 Tips To Help You Write Better And Attract More Readers

15. On Valentine’s Day (which you never celebrate), you receive a surprise anonymous package with a box of licorice all-sorts. The slogan on the side of the box reads, “Everyone is somebody’s favorite.” The last person who called you his favorite died a year ago.

16. You go to sleep one night in an immaculate, luxury apartment and wake up in a small, dingy loft apartment that is full of stacks of newspapers and magazines, elaborately arranged to form the walls of a labyrinth.

17. You’re given the chance to go back in time to save the life of your best friend, but the price is a mission only you can carry out as the doppelganger of a mass murderer’s close confidant. Your mission is to make sure he takes a trip that will lead him into a trap.

18. You write a novel with a main character who has telepathic abilities. You start having dreams about this character, who wants you all to himself. His first token of affection is to punish your neighbor, who has openly criticized your book.

19. Your quirky, potty-mouthed Aunt Em has come to live with you, and the first thing she does is rearrange the kitchen and claim the role of chef and home renovator. You’re fine with it until she hires an assistant, who just happens to be the apartment manager’s recently fired son.

20. You inherit a house from an uncle but decide to rent it out rather than living in it. After interviewing several applicants, you agree to rent it to two brothers…

21. For as long as you can remember, every time you feel panicked, you’ve found yourself quietly singing “Jingle Bells.” You’re about to find out why, and it will change everything.

22. A homeless man is attacked in your neighborhood and sustains a serious head injury. You get him to the hospital, and they save his life, but upon his discharge from the hospital, he starts making money more quickly than you thought was even possible.

23. A stray animal shows up at your door — no tags or anything — and after feeding it, you decide to adopt it. That night, when a stranger comes to your door, you find out the animal is not what it appears to be.

24. You start taking a new dietary supplement you learned about from a late-night commercial, and it does everything it promised — and more.

25. You’re on your way home after work, and you see a strange light up ahead. You get closer, and you see what looks like a black hole about to swallow up your apartment complex. You look up to see your roommate on the balcony taking pictures of it.

26. You go to sleep alone and wake up very pregnant. After checking the calendar and vomiting a few times, you call in sick and schedule an appointment for an ultrasound. Then your boyfriend shows up.

27. A strange plant appears in your window planter, and when its solitary bloom opens, impossible things start happening.

28. You wake up a different gender but with similar facial features.

29. You visit your estranged father and learn some things about him that change the way you see yourself — and everyone else. Turns out, he keeps a low profile for a reason.

30. Your kid starts manifesting a strange, new ability (or no longer hiding it from you), and you know it’s just a matter of time before he attracts unwanted attention. And you’re afraid of what he can do to protect you both — and how it could change him.

31. You’ve always had freakishly good night vision, but with that comes an extreme sensitivity to light. You live like a mole, working overnight shifts and keeping the windows of your apartment covered in blackout curtains. You’ve even disabled the light switches. So, when a thief breaks in, you make him regret it. And it starts something.

32. Your eyes are brown with flecks of green that intensify when you get a sudden chill or come close to remembering something that changed you as a child. Someone notices the intense green in your eyes one day and calls you a freak. He looks familiar.

33. You discover an ability that puts you (more) at odds with your in-laws, and you learn of their plan to get your husband to divorce you and get full custody of your two children.

34. You sign up for a wine delivery service, and while the cases are always left at your door, things start changing in your house. Though you never drink to excess, you start losing chunks of time. And the wine is better than anything you’ve ever tasted.

35. You come home one day and find someone else living there who swears she’s lived there for years. When you look for proof that she’s lying, you find proof to the contrary.

36. You’re making your usual breakfast when you suddenly find you can’t stomach the thought of eating it. When you put a name to your new craving, it scares you. But it won’t go away.

Related: How to Outline A Nonfiction Book

37. You find a ring while walking in the park. The stones aren’t diamonds, and you at first suspect it’s a piece of junk jewelry from the previous night’s Halloween revels. But you like it enough to keep it. No one is more surprised than you when it saves your life.

38. An unknown relative shows up and tells you something you didn’t know about your mother’s family history — and the power that went with it.

39. You’ve started your NaNoWriMo project, and it’s off to a decent start. But when you open the file the next day, you see much more written for it, and the writing is terrible. Then you see that the story is still developing, and while the writing makes your head hurt, the story is drawing you in. Literally.

40. You go to your closet to get a change of clothes for the day before taking a shower, and you find a huge selection of designer clothes (tags still attached) that weren’t there before.

41. You sign up for a class at a local gym, and when you meet the instructor, she seems familiar — and not in a good way.

42. Your kid takes home a Chromebook from school, and one evening you see him staring at the screen, looking entranced. He takes a sudden interest in keeping his room immaculate and volunteering as a member of a new political candidate’s campaign staff.

43. You’ve just given birth to a surprisingly healthy baby two months before the due date, but your husband has inexplicably abandoned you both, and a generous stranger has learned of your situation and offered to help you out and fill the void.

44. Your mother shows up at your door asking for help. Something has taken residence at her home, and she doesn’t feel safe there anymore. You visit the house on your own, and find someone living there who asks, “Where did Mom go?”

45. You finally find a responsible roommate to share the cost of a new luxury apartment. The problem? He knows everything about you — and there’s no reason why he should.

46. You don’t remember the last time you slept for longer than an hour at a time, and you see things others don’t. The things you see that others don’t are causing accidents, and when you try to prevent one, you end up getting blamed for it.

47. Your 12-year-old daughter goes to use the bathroom at the hospital while you’re both visiting her older sister. When she comes back, she seems visibly unsettled, but that gives way to an eery calm and unshakable confidence that her sister will make a full recovery.

48. After experiencing your first nighttime paralysis, you start to see changes in your body. Soon, those changes will be impossible to hide, and a new acquaintance surprises you by making accurate guesses about what you’ve been going through.

49. When you’re about to kill a spider, your kid stops you, catches it, and runs outside to free it. You think maybe killing the non-native spider would have been kinder than putting it outside in the frost-covered grass, but your kid knows something you don’t.

50. It’s Halloween, and your neighbor dresses up as the president and tries to repair his reputation by volunteering at a homeless shelter. Unfortunately, the costume takes over, and he starts firing the other volunteers, one of whom decides to give their homeless guests a Halloween spectacle they won’t forget.

51. Your routine doctor appointment takes a sinister turn when your doc tells you he could put you higher on the waiting list for a liver transplant if you’d pay his ex a visit and help him set a trap for her.

52. Your new smartphone is so much faster than your old one — much faster than you expected from a discounted return. Then you start getting messages made up of symbols you don’t recognize. They resemble hieroglyphs.

53. You’re a high schooler, and today’s lunch is unexpectedly delicious — so delicious that you go back for the seconds. Someone in the kitchen is watching and writing in a notebook.

54. You’re constantly attracting unwanted attention, and you meet someone who knows why. It’s not just your looks that make you unignorable. You’re actually sending out a signal that those around you can’t help responding to. Your new acquaintance offers to train you, so you’ll make better use of your power.

55. You’re sick to death of the clutter in your house, and through a magazine ad, you meet someone who says he can give you the power to instantly transform any room to match a picture you can see in front of you or in your mind’s eye. The only price is one minute of memory from each day.

56. You win a two-week vacation in a real castle (somewhere overseas) with airfare, transportation, and meals, included — along with other surprises. One of them wants to make sure you never leave.

57. You move into a house that has a treehouse out back in one of the tallest, oldest trees. You don’t know until you explore it that the treehouse changes to better suit its occupant. The tree and its house have accepted you. But what does it expect of you?

58. You find an abandoned cabin that is perfect for use as a writer’s getaway, and after some preparations, you settle in for a two-week’ reprieve from city life. The animals aren’t as shy as you expect them to be, though, and they seem to know something about the cabin that you don’t.

59. Your car goes over the edge and down a steep hill. All you remember is the flash of light and the sound of glass breaking before you open your eyes. You check your kids, but none of them answer, and your phone, which had half a charge just minutes ago, is completely dead and unresponsive.

60. You’re shopping for a new computer, and you find one on eBay that the owner says was a gift that he used only briefly before he upgraded to a MacBook. You buy it and revel in its blinding speed and special features. It wakes you that night with a loud beep and prompts you with a single sentence on the screen, “Will you play with me?”

61. Chocolate and wine have gotten you through many a break-up, but this one is harder than most. You wonder why, and a gift from this SO stares you in the face, reminding you of how different your relationship was from those you’ve had with others..

62. Your neighbor has ordered furniture for you from IKEA, and you’re not sure how to deal with it. You love the couch, but you don’t have the budget for it, and you barely know your new neighbor, who seems to have unlimited funds but spends it unpredictably.

63. One of your aunts has died leaving you her pet ______, who helps you cut the toxic people out of your life by scaring them away. One of the few visitors this pet will tolerate is someone you’ve barely noticed but who intuitively knows about and anonymously meets the needs of others in the apartment building.

64. You go fishing in the lake behind your house, and when your hook catches on something, you pull it up. It turns out to be the body of a murder victim, and when the lake is further searched, other bodies are found. Twelve other houses surround the lake, and the police suspect you as much as any of the other residents.

65. You’re renovating your basement and remove a wall that was put in place by one of the previous owners. Behind it is a garbage bag full of cash, and when you examine it, you find it to be genuine.

66. Your spouse tells other Catholics that he knew you were the one when he found out your confirmation saint was the same saint he prayed to for a good Catholic wife. Meanwhile, you’re questioning beliefs you used to take for granted.

67. You wake up to the burglar alarm, and before you can see who has broken in, someone puts a pillowcase over your head and forces you up and out the door.

68. You get a job at your favorite coffee shop, and you meet some local authors, one of whom learns of your book and invites you to their group. They meet in what used to be the living room of a house rumored to be haunted.

69. You can barely make out how many fingers you’re holding up until an elderly neighbor with perfect eyesight shares a secret with you. But there’s a price to pay.

70. You go to sleep listening to static on your radio, which can’t pick up any AM stations. You find out one night, when your bladder wakes you up, that it’s picking up something other than static.

71. You bid on and win an old record player and record collection at an auction. You don’t expect the music to affect you as profoundly as it does and your family thinks you’re just trying to make up for the amount you spent on it. You’re not.

72. You get new glasses at the new eye clinic in town, and they allow you to see better than ever. In fact, when you want to, you can see minute detail from a great distance and microscopic detail up close. This is how you find out your sister’s mole is a malignant melanoma. You also avoid being poisoned by a spiteful coworker. Your fascination with frogs and your large collection of them has made close relationships a challenge.

73. You listen to an audio file designed to make you more creative, and you go into a trance and write a book that people the world over can’t get enough of. Then a visitor asks you if you listened to the entire recording. When you admit to having stopped the recording before it was finished, the visitor smiles in relief and tells you not to listen to the end and to delete the file.

74. When a favorite aunt dies, you inherit a bookstore with an apartment on the upper floor. You look at the finances and realize you have to let go of one of your three employees.

75. You check out a house you like and find moths in every room. The realtor tells you it shouldn’t be a problem to get rid of them but that the house is completely free of other pests — including spiders (which are a huge problem in the area). You buy the house.

Did you enjoy these realistic fiction writing prompts?

Keep this list handy whenever you need a writing prompt to unlock your creativity and kickstart your daily writing.

In fact, you may find ideas for several novels or stories that you can write down the road. Take one of these ideas and begin to flesh out an outline and characters for your story. Let your imagination take you on a journey that may lead to your bestselling book!

1 thought on “75 Of The Best Fiction Writing Prompts For All Writers”

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Home / Book Writing / Realistic Fiction Story Ideas: 50+ Prompts to Get You Started

Realistic Fiction Story Ideas: 50+ Prompts to Get You Started

For some writers, it's easy to come up with a story about space aliens, vampires, superheroes, or magical beings. But what if you're looking to write a more grounded, realistic short story or book? Well, you might need some realistic fiction story ideas. Luckily, that's just what we have for you in this article. We'll talk about different ways to come up with realistic fiction ideas, and we'll provide you with a list of realistic fiction story prompts to get you going.

Let's get going!

• What realistic fiction is
• How to come up with story ideas in this genre
• Prompts for realistic fiction stories
• How to test your idea before you write

Table of contents

• What is Realistic Fiction?
• Choose a Theme
• Draft Some Characters
• Realistic Fiction Story Prompts
• Vetting Your Realistic Fiction Idea
• Realistic Fiction Story Ideas: Final Thoughts

As the name suggests, realistic fiction defines fictional stories that are grounded in reality. There are believable characters , the situations are easily recognizable, and the conflicts are genuine. These storylines can take place at any time, but they're usually contemporary to the author's life. A realistic fiction tale may seem like a true story, but it's not.

Realistic fiction is not a genre of its own. There is some definite overlap with other genres , like literary fiction and historical fiction. The main characters can be anyone from high school kids to elderly adults. Even children can be major players in a realistic fiction story. But one thing has to hold true: they need to be realistic characters in realistic settings.

Coming Up With Realistic Fiction Story Ideas

There are about as many ways to come up with story ideas as there are writers. Obviously, no one can tell you what to write, but you can get inspiration from anywhere. And the following tips should help do just that.

Writing with an overarching theme in mind can help get the ideas rolling. And there are some common themes in realistic fiction that have held true over the years.

• Love – All different types of love — new, old, unrequited, platonic, fading — make excellent themes for realistic fiction.
• Growing Up – Some of the best realistic fiction is about changing from childhood to adulthood, or from adulthood to old age.
• Life Changes – From divorce and sickness to getting fired and learning to truly live, life changes have made for many a great story in this literary genre.
• Self-Discovery – The successful woman realizes there's more to life than working 60 hours a week. The college student suddenly realizes that his true passion lies in religion after a near-death experience. Everyone goes through self-discovery, which makes it an excellent theme.
• Bravery/Perseverance – Finding the will and the way to face unbeatable odds is a very human thing. We take solace in others learning to live their best lives in the face of great adversity.
• Social Issues/Injustice – Some of the most impactful realistic fiction stories deal with social issues such as racism and injustice. Creative writing in the realistic fiction genre is all about exploring these kinds of issues through compelling and believable characters .

You may have noticed that all these themes are very human. Of course, you could argue that every story is, at its core, human. But these themes are especially human because they're about struggles that people from all walks of life have to deal with. They're about humans dealing with very human problems . If you keep that in mind, you won't go wrong while crafting your realistic story.

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Remember that characters in realistic fiction won't have superpowers, magical abilities, or the ability to read other people's thoughts. They won't live in a futuristic science fiction civilization. They're just people, which means you can take inspiration from real life .

Try to nail down some character specifics for your protagonist first. Will she be an aging woman who just lost her husband of forty years? Will he be an accountant who saves a young boy's life on his way to work?

Your main character should absolutely have a story arc , so think about what you want that arc to be. Uplifting stories generally have a positive arc with a relatively happy ending. But, like life, there's no guarantee of a happy ending in realistic fiction.

Also, think about some traits or quirks you want your main character to have. Not only physical traits, but beliefs, habits, and compulsions, as well . Check out this article for more on making believable characters .

The following prompts are designed to get the ideas flowing. You can choose a writing prompt and stick close to it, or you can let it take you in any direction you please. The story you end up with may look nothing like the writing prompt you started with! Let each prompt be the story idea that sparks a novel or a short story.

1. Write a story about a character learning that the most important aspect of a relationship isn't what she once thought it was.

2. Write a story about a group of close friends becoming a family after one of their own passes away.

3. Explore the meaning of love through the eyes of two different characters from opposite sides of the world.

4. Write about a character learning about self-fulfillment vs happiness the hard way.

5. Write about an old couple finally going on a train trip through Europe in an effort to save their marriage.

6. Write a story about a character who struggles with self-esteem and vanity.

7. Explore where true confidence comes from.

8. Write a story about characters learning what's truly important as they move from adolescence to adulthood.

9. Write about a woman who meets the love of her life as a result of the 9/11 attacks.

10. Explore the importance of learning to help others during tough times.

11. Write a story in the form of a personal narrative from the perspective of a cult leader.

12. Explore the life of a fictional 19th-century suffragette.

13. Weave the story arcs of several seemingly disparate characters into one surprise ending where they all get what they've been searching for — together.

14. Write a story about a character who loses one of their five senses but learns to live better for it.

15. Write about a character overcoming drug addiction.

16. Write about a character who willfully decides to turn around their philosophy about life, learning to live with intention.

17. Write a story about an author who struggles with writing until something drastic happens in their life.

18. Explore where morals come from and why there's such a big wide range of them.

19. Explore a situation (either real or fictional) in which the majority was wrong about something that affected people's lives.

20. Write a story about a character learning that his concept of love is unhealthy.

21. Write about a family of refugees struggling to survive as they flee their war-torn country.

22. Write a story about an aging athlete who does the impossible.

23. Write about two characters struggling to shift their priorities and keep their relationship intact as they age.

24. Explore a character's trip through the criminal justice system as she is wrongfully convicted of a crime.

25. Write about an entrepreneur's journey to start a small business while his larger competitor sabotages him.

26. Write about a man's journey to return a lost child to his parents.

27. Write about a character learning to love herself before she can love anyone else.

28. Explore the implications of obsession.

29. Write about two characters who used to be best friends when they were kids reconnecting after many years.

30. Start your story with a small moment that has outsized and unforeseen consequences.

31. Write about a teenager who runs away from home after an argument with his parents.

32. Write about the last citizens of a dying town, struggling to revitalize the area.

33. Explore a historic earthquake or natural disaster through the eyes of fictional characters experiencing it.

34. Write about two children who are accidentally left at an amusement park.

35. Write a story about characters during the Great Depression.

36. Write about a dispute between neighbors that gets quickly out of hand.

37. Explore the meaning of Christmas through the eyes of a character who has just lost her family.

38. Explore the trials and tribulations of a character who was devastated by the 2008 financial crisis.

39. Write about a person who leaves everything behind to join a cult (e.g. Peoples Temple or Heaven's Gate).

40. Explore the implications of a husband who is caught spending time with a son he's just learned about.

41. Write a story about parents who struggle with a teenager who has mental health issues.

42. Write a story about siblings who struggle to deal with the mental and physical deterioration of one or both parents.

43. Write a story about a kid who has to deal with bullying at his new school.

44. Write a real-life fairy tale without the magic. Set it in modern times.

45. Explore the high-stakes corporate world through the eyes of a woman who encounters a glass ceiling.

46. Write about a poll worker who is accused of doctoring ballots during a particularly virulent election.

47. Explore the implications of a gender reassignment operation through the eyes of the person undergoing the operation.

48. Write a story about a young woman who struggles with anxiety as she makes her way through the world.

49. Write a story about a pair of identical twins who have to learn to live their own lives after spending so much time together as children.

50. Write a story about a town that suffers a severe earthquake.

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In the realistic fiction genre, good writing is a combination of compelling story elements , characters that feel real, and situations that are easily recognizable. Of course, a knack for narrative writing is also a plus. Fortunately, all these things can be learned.

But in the competitive fiction market, you need more than just a great story to succeed . For the best chance of success, you need to position the book into the correct categories and ensure you have the best metadata so readers can find it.

And the easiest way to do this is with Publisher Rocket. If you find a story idea that you like, you can vet it with Publisher Rocket, ensuring that the category isn't too competitive. Publisher Rocket can also tell you if there is a demand for the type of realistic fiction story you're going to write.

• Publisher Rocket's keyword search tool can help you determine what phrases and keywords Amazon shoppers are actually using when looking for realistic fiction books on Amazon.
• The Competition Analyzer helps you to see what other realistic fiction authors are doing and approximately how much they're making from their books.
• The AMS Keyword Search function can help you formulate the best Amazon Ad campaigns for your realistic fiction book .
• Lastly, the Category Search function helps you to choose the best categories when you publish your book on Amazon . This is very important for visibility!

This tool does the heavy lifting for you, searching through Amazon to bring you information on keywords, categories, and competition. Learn more about Publisher Rocket here .

Each writer has their own writing process, but the prompts and tips above should help you get into the creative flow. Whether you use a prompt as the spark of inspiration for a full-length book or for a short story idea doesn't really matter. Many great realistic fiction writers got good with short stories before moving on to novels. What matters is that you stay consistent and keep writing. The more you write, the better you'll get!

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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50 Creative 3rd Grade Writing Prompts (Free Printable!)

Taking the leap from the primary level to the intermediate grades.

Third grade is a huge transitional year in elementary school. Third grade writers have learned foundational concepts and skills and have had time to practice. Now they are developing more complex skills as they dig deeper, learn to make connections, and analyze the topics they write about. Here are 50 third grade writing prompts to help your students master and refine their writing skills.

If you’d like even more upper elementary writing prompts, we publish new ones twice a week on our kid-friendly site: the Daily Classroom Hub . Make sure to bookmark the link!

(Want this entire set in one easy document? Get your free PowerPoint bundle by submitting your email here, so you’ll always have the prompts available!)

1. Tell about a special event in your life.

2. What are you best at?

3. What do you want to learn more about?

4. I could never live without______.

5. If you could go anyplace in the world, where would you go and why?

6. Interview one of your parents or grandparents and ask them to tell you a story from their childhood. Share their story here.

7. Describe one of your favorite book characters. Tell three things about their personality.

8. Do you think third graders should have to do chores at home? Why or why not?

9. What is something you would change about school if you could?

10. Tell about a time you helped somebody.

11. Tell about a time somebody helped you.

12. Tell about a memorable “first” in your life. For example, the first time you ate a particular kind of food, the first time you met your teacher, etc.

13. Describe step by step how to make a pizza.

14. What does it mean to be a hero?

15. I am afraid of _______ because_______.

16. What is the difference between being polite and rude? Give three examples.

17. What is the most important rule in the classroom?

18. What are the three most important qualities you look for in a friend?

19. Do you think kids should be assigned homework? Why or why not?

20. Nature gives us many beautiful things—plants, animals, water, weather, stars and planets, etc. What is one of your favorite things in nature and why?

21. If I were a spider, I’d _______.

22. Three things that make me happy are ______.

23. What is your favorite holiday and why?

24. Tell about one of your family’s unique traditions.

25. If you could have a pet, what would you choose? How would you take care of it?

26. Write about a dream you recently had.

27. Tell about a person that inspires you and why.

28. Name five things you are thankful for and why you are thankful for them.

29. What are ways you can be a good citizen?

30. When you and a friend disagree, how do you work it out?

31. What do you think the world will be like in one hundred years?

32. What is your favorite type of weather? Why?

33. What superpower do you wish you had? Why?

34. What famous person would you like to meet? Why?

35. In your opinion, which animal makes the best pet? Give three reasons for your answer.

36. If someone gave you $100, how would you spend it?

37. Should third graders have cell phones? Why or why not?

38. If you could be an Olympic athlete, what sport would you participate in?

39. Write about your “getting ready for school” routine.

40. Write about your “getting ready for bed” routine.

41. If you could travel through time like Jack and Annie in the Magic Tree House, where would you go?

42. In your opinion, what does a perfect weekend look like?

43. Write about the last time you felt really angry. What happened and how did it all work out?

44. Pretend there was a special zoo where animals could talk. Which animal would you talk to and what are three questions you would ask?

45. What is your favorite thing with wheels? Why?

46. Tell the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears from the point of view of Baby Bear.

47. What do you think would grow if you planted a magic bean?

48. Which would you rather be able to do—fly or read people’s minds? Why?

49. Tell about an adult in your life that you admire.

50. If you were traveling for a week and could only bring a backpack, what would you pack?

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108 Engaging Creative Writing Prompts for 3rd Grade

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Creative writing is the perfect way to get kids interested in writing. Students’ imaginations are bursting with ideas and they’re usually still willing to share them at this age. The more we can get them writing poems, songs, stories, and paragraphs now, the more they’ll start to see themselves as writers with valuable original thoughts worth expressing. For those times when imaginations are running dry and kids need a little inspiration, or when you want them to practice a specific writing skill, these 108 creative writing prompts for 3rd grade are here to spark creativity. Enjoy!

Story Starters and Other Narrative Writing Prompts

Writing stories—fictional or real—gives children a chance to develop several creative writing skills. They practice writing dialogue, developing characters, and fashioning situations that ignite their creativity and send them gallivanting down rabbit trails. 

Although 3rd-grade students are still relatively new writers and most won’t produce complete narratives yet, practicing story writing is the best way to introduce concepts like plot, character, conflict, and setting. 

Choose one of these concepts to focus on for several lessons and select third-grade writing prompts that lend themselves well to highlighting these aspects of writing. For example, you might ask students to spend a day or two focusing on their descriptions of the characters in their stories and another few days trying out different types of conflict. 

Later, they might choose to take the parts they like best from these various assignments and put them together to form a larger narrative. 

These story starters are fun writing prompts designed to push kids out of their comfort zones and put their imaginations to work. 

Instructions for students

• These storytelling prompts are written in a few different styles. Some of them offer you the first line of a story. For these prompts, copy the first line onto your page and continue writing from there. 
• Other prompts give you a specific situation and then ask you to think about what you might do or say in that situation. They could also ask you to take the idea as a starting point and expand it to make it more your own. Don’t feel like you need to answer the questions directly. They are there to give you more ideas to think about as you develop your story idea. You can write your story as answers to the questions if you like, but you can also just use them as inspiration. 
• When you see an ellipsis (three dots) at the end of a writing prompt, that means the sentence is incomplete and your version of the sentence should replace the three dots with your own words. 

24 Story Starters and Creative Writing Prompts for Third Graders

• Imagine you have the ability to become characters in video games. Write a short story that shows how you would use this power.
• Do you have a best friend? If so, write the story of how you met and became friends. (You can write what really happened or make up your own version of events to show how two people might become best friends).
• Write a story about a group of friends who build or discover a time machine. What time period do they travel to? Describe what they see, hear, smell, and eat.
• You and your friends are kayaking on a lake when you discover a hidden island. Describe what it looks like, how you explore it, and what you find there. 
• It’s the hottest day of the year. You turn on your air conditioner and, instead of giving you an icy blast, it transports you to a snow-covered tundra. You see a small cottage with lights on and knock on the door. Who greets you and how do they help you get back home?
• Your doorbell rings. You answer the door, but there’s nobody there. Then you look down and see two lizards talking on cell phones. “We need to talk,” the smaller one says to you. What do they tell you? How do you respond?
• You just learned that your good friend has special powers she’s kept secret forever. All she needs is a cup of sand, three fish scales, and a splash of mud and she can make the most incredible thing happen. Write about what happens when she shows you her secret talent. 
• There’s a big windstorm one night. The lights flicker and the power goes out. A few minutes later, it comes back on and your favorite character from the last book you read is sitting at your table. Who is it, what are they doing, and how do you make them feel welcome?
• Think about a fairy tale you know well, such as The Three Little Pigs or Little Red Riding Hood. Write your own version of the story with a few key details changed. For example, instead of The Three Little Pigs, you could write about The Three Shy Turtles or The Three Little Pigs and Their Big Sister. 
• You go to watch a play at a theater, but when the curtains open, something unexpected happens. What is it and how do you respond?
• Write about a day in which time moves backward from night to morning. 
• Write a story about two characters who don’t seem like they should be friends but somehow are. For example, you could write about a cat and a mouse, or an old woman and a little boy. What brought them together and in what ways does their friendship help them?
• You’re playing hide-and-seek with a friend and you hide in the attic. It takes her a while to find you and, while you are waiting, you start looking through some old boxes up there. You find letters written to a family member a long time ago. Who are they from? What do they say? Imagine you learn about a family secret while reading them. What could it be? 
• Write a story that happens completely in one small space like a closet or a car. Include at least two characters. 
• A young cat finds itself alone in the forest. How did it get there? What does it do? Who does it meet? Does it find its way home or stay there? Tell its story using lots of descriptive words. 
• “It’s not all your fault,” my mom said. “There’s something you don’t know.” 
• One day, everybody brings their favorite stuffie to class. A mix up happens and all the stuffies go home with the wrong kids to the wrong houses. What happens that night? Try to write from more than one perspective. For example, you could write a paragraph or two from the perspective of one of the students and then a paragraph or two from the point of view of a stuffie. You could also have a paragraph that quickly highlights the action at several houses. (“Kimmy’s little sister cried all night. Panda freaked out when he missed his dinner and tried to eat the toilet paper. Leah wanted to call the police but her mom wouldn’t give her the phone.”
• Your aunt shows up at your house with a box of glazed donuts and a canoe strapped to the roof of her car. “Time for a little trip,” she says. 
• Write a story that’s told entirely in letters between two friends. They might write about the last time they saw each other, the upcoming summer break, or some of their favorite book characters. Tell us as much as you can about the characters and their friendship without writing  about  them. Let everything come out through the letters they send. 
• What if you could invent a new planet? What sounds, sights, and smells would it have? Would people live there or some other kind of creatures? After you write down the details of your planet, write a short story that takes place there. You might write about how it was discovered or you could write a scene that shows what life is like there. 
• You’re walking through the park with your family. You come around a curve in the path and spot a fox sitting under a tree writing in a notebook. What do you do? Do you talk to it? Does it speak? What is it writing?
• You’re sitting on the sofa watching a TV show when your sister, who is an artist, comes into the room. She has taken all your favorite toys and used them in her art project. Describe what you see, the conversation you have with her, and the lengths you’ll go to to recover your treasured toys. 
• “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” said Alex. “If the owl hadn’t climbed the treehouse and eaten the fish…”
• The school year ended. You were supposed to be on holidays. Then your parents signed you up for summer school without telling you. It might have been okay if it weren’t for… 

For another take on third-grade writing prompts, check out  70 Picture Prompts for Creative Writing . 

Poetry Writing Prompts for Third-Grade Students

Another great way to introduce 3rd graders to creative writing is to get them writing free verse poetry. …

Students should be encouraged to brainstorm their own topics, as the ones they come up with will likely be the most inspiring for them. However, if they’re stuck for ideas or you want to give them a list of things to write about, have them pick one of the topics below. They may also find it helpful to use a brainstorming sheet to flesh out their ideas. 

• Make a list of three things that happened to you this week. Choose one of them and draft a poem that tells what happened and how you felt about it.
• Write a poem about a special tradition from your favorite holiday. 
• Write an ode that celebrates your favorite subject in school. For example, “The Joys of Math” or “Ode to Art Class.”
• Write a poem describing the best pet you can imagine.
• Write a poem from the perspective of an animal.
• Write a poem that tells about an imaginary being. Try to convey details about its size, appearance, feelings, problems, abilities, and lifestyle. 
• Write a haiku about your favorite summer activity.
• Write a poem detailing the first time you tried your favorite food. If you don’t remember that experience, feel free to make it up. How do you imagine it would be tasting that amazing dish for the first time?
• Write about a poem that describes a time when you lost something important. 
• Write a poem about your favorite place without naming the place. Use lots of details that help the reader see this place in their minds. 
• Write a poem about a recent dream you had. Try not to mention that it was a dream. 
• Choose one of the four seasons and write a poem describing what makes it special. 
• Write a poem about something that’s really special to you but that seems ordinary to everyone else such as an old t-shirt or a craft you made out of recycled materials. Try to help your reader understand why it’s so important to you. 
• Write a poem describing a day when everything goes wrong. 
• Write a poem about your favorite person. Include details about why they’re so important to you. Consider giving your poem to them as a gift. 
• Write a poem about a secret place (real or imagined) that only you know about. 
• Write a poem about all the things you love to do outside. 
• Write a poem that introduces your city or town to a visitor who has never been there. 
• Write a poem about a game you love playing such as Hide and Seek, Pictionary, or Charades. 
• Write a poem that includes dialogue. You could write the whole poem as a conversation or sprinkle dialogue throughout. 
• Write a funny poem listing everything you think about when you can’t fall asleep at night. 
• Write a poem that imagines something about your future. It could be a single event such as “When I Finally Go to Disneyland” or it could be a more general description of what you’d like your future life to be like such as “What I’ll Eat When I Grow Up.”
• Write a poem that explains how to do a simple task such as one of your favorite (or least favorite) household chores.
• Write a poem that uses as many sound words as possible such as bang, splash, chirp, and buzz. 

For more poetic inspiration, check out  100 Inspiring Poetry Writing Prompts for Kids . 

Journal Writing Prompts

Kids can also stretch their creative muscles through journal writing. Journaling is a precursor to memoir writing and storytelling is the heart of memoir. While journal entries can sometimes gravitate toward a mundane recitation of chronological events, they’re also an opportunity to challenge kids to become better writers. 

A nice thing about journalling is that you don’t have to invent completely original material from scratch. You are taking events from your life and making an interesting story out of them, playing with language and sentence structure, and experimenting with what to include and exclude until you end up with something enjoyable to read. 

Challenge kids to keep a running list of things that have happened to them in their writing journals so they always have a creative writing topic ready. Remind them that writing topics don’t have to be sensational (the birth of a new sibling, say). Simple events that might otherwise be overlooked—the sighting of the first blue jay to return in the spring, for example—can form the basis of strong pieces of writing when we take the time to reflect on the event and make connections. 

Continuing with the blue jay example, such an experience might lead curious children to think about the changes that come with the season and, perhaps, the seasons of their own young lives thus far. Or they might ponder the bird and wonder what she’s been up to since she last visited the backyard. Maybe they’ll see two birds competing for a choice tree and reflect on an argument they had with a sibling. The more we can get them thinking about, reflecting on, and making connections between their experiences, the more we’ll see these themes emerge in their writing. 

Here are some ideas to get them thinking about what to write in their journals:

• A trip you’ve taken
• Your feelings about a situation (losing an important toy, having to share a bedroom, or passing a swimming test, for example)
• How you spent a recent birthday or holiday
• A new skill you’ve just mastered
• A skill you wish you had but haven’t learned yet
• A food you tried but didn’t like
• A walk you’ve taken in nature
• A change in one of your friendships
• Something that scared you until you worked up the courage to try and then enjoyed doing
• A time when you really wanted something and finally got it
• A time when you really wanted something and didn’t get it
• A time when someone made you feel good
• Something you saw that turned out not to be what you expected it to be
• A time when you did something that scared you
• The way your favorite song makes you feel
• Something you’ve learned about recently that you wish you’d known sooner
• Describe your perfect day
• The toy or special thing you treasure the most and why it’s so special to you
• Your earliest memory
• A gift you received that meant a lot to you
• A time when you laughed until your belly hurt
• A teacher you’ve enjoyed learning from
• A book you’ve read over and over again
• Three things you love about your family

Need journal prompts for older kids? Check out these  60 Creative Journal Prompts for Teens

Songwriting Prompts

Writing songs is another fun way for kids to practice their creative thinking skills while also processing their emotions and experiences. Coming up with the lyrics to a song can provide stress relief for kids and give them an opportunity to express their emotions safely. 

For some kids, coming up with lyrics and a melody to a song may be too challenging. Encourage them to choose a song, jingle, or nursery rhyme they already know and write new lyrics to the same tune. Examples of simple songs they might start with include: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Baa-Baa Black Sheep, London Bridge is Falling Down, Rock-A-Bye Baby, and Waltzing Matilda. You can find more kid-friendly songs in this  playlist for kids . 

As an extra challenge, kids may want to initially write their lyrics to fit an existing tune and then come up with a new tune once they have their lyrics down. This would be a good extension activity for kids who finish their lyric writing early. 

• Write a song about your favorite animal.
• Think about three or four possessions (things you own) that are important to you. Write a song that celebrates the special role these items play in your life. 
• Think about the last time you got angry. What made you angry? How did you feel? What did you want to do about it? What did you actually do? Write a song that helps someone else understand how you felt and why. 
• What is your favorite show or movie? Choose a main character from that story and write a song inspired by them. It could be about them or it might be from their point of view. Think about what’s important to them and what they might want people to know. 
• Write a song that describes your dream day. What would you do if you could do anything you wanted? Who would be with you? Make the details as specific as possible. 
• Think about someone in your family who has an annoying habit. For example, your little brother who tells your parents everything you do wrong. Write a song that reimagines that annoying habit as a good thing. (“He must love me to pay so much attention to me…”)
• Write a song that is meant to be sung by a whole class of students. 
• Write a song about someone you look up to. 
• Write a song about something that most people seem to like but that you hate. Try to convince them they’re wrong about the thing and that it’s truly awful. 
• Write a song about someone you don’t see anymore such as an old neighbor or a friend who moved away. What do you miss about the times you had with that person?
• Think about something you loved doing when you were younger but haven’t done in a while. Write a song that shares your memories of that activity. 
• Write a song about something you hope for or would like to see happen. 

Descriptive Writing Prompts

Descriptive writing adds color and texture to many forms of writing including travel writing, poetry, fiction, and memoirs. One of our challenges as teachers is ensuring kids know how to write effective descriptions while also helping them learn how to balance descriptive prose with other written elements such as dialogue and action. A written work too heavy in descriptive writing might help the reader create vivid pictures in their minds without ever telling them anything. 

In third grade, these young writers are generally too young to discern this delicate balance between showing and telling, but it’s still a great time to develop their use of descriptive words. 

Before giving them these writing prompts, introduce them to the importance of using specific nouns and vivid verbs and adjectives in their writing. This is a wonderful time to instill thesaurus skills and show them how to choose the most appropriate words for each situation. 

When assigning prompts from this section, tell students their goal is to paint a picture with their words. If they read their work to a classmate who closes their eyes, can the classmate picture the scene clearly? If not, where do they need to add or change details?

• Write about the most memorable dream you’ve ever had. Describe it in as much detail as possible. Where did it take place? What did you see, hear, and smell? Who was there? What did they look like? What did they do?
• Choose a room in your house and describe its most important features.
• Go outside and find a tree, flower, or other plant that intrigues you. Describe it in detail: what does it look like? How big is it? What does it feel like? If one of your friends took your description and went to the same outdoor area, could they find your plant based on your description?
• If you could decorate your bedroom any way you wanted with no limits, what would it look like?
• Imagine the coziest outfit you can. Describe how it looks and feels. How do you feel when you put it on?
• Describe your mom or another woman you know well. What does she look like? What does her voice sound like? Does she have wear a certain perfume? How do you feel when she gives you a hug or puts her arm around you?
• Describe a regular tradition you have with your family, such as having a large pancake breakfast on Saturdays. Help your reader feel like they’re living the memory with you by painting a detailed picture of the scene. 
• Write about the inside of your family’s car. What does it smell like? How many seats are there? What would you find if you looked between or underneath the seats? Describe the music you listen to in the car and the kinds of conversations you have there. 
• Describe a store you go to frequently. If possible, try to visit the store before you write about it and make notes about the things you notice there using your five senses. Tell about what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. 
• Describe your writing process, that is, what you do when you write. Do you sharpen pencils and put an eraser nearby? Do you start writing right away or do you make an outline or brainstorm ideas first? Do you write single-spaced or double-spaced? Is your writing neat or messy? How do you feel when you write?
• What is the best thing about being you? Maybe it’s your sense of humor, your Lego-building skills, or the way you ride your bike fearlessly down hills. Maybe you live in a really cool city with lots of fun things to do. Whatever makes your life special, write about that and describe why you love it.
• What’s your favorite thing to do on a Sunday morning? Describe what you do, who does it with you, and how you do it.  

Other Creative Writing Prompts for 3rd-Grade Students

• Write a scene where a famous person from another time period shows up in your classroom. 
• Write a diary entry from the perspective of a Disney character or a character from a book you’ve read. 
• Think about a scene you didn’t love in your favorite movie. Rewrite the scene to make it more enjoyable. 
• Write a letter to your favorite author and tell them what you love about their book(s).
• Invent a new country with its own language, customs, and history. Write about how your country came to be and what makes it special. If you want, you can draw a map to go with your writing.
• Write a scene from the point of view of an object in your house such as a toaster, the dining table, or a video game console. 
• Write a story or poem in which each sentence starts with the next letter in the alphabet. In other words, the first sentence or line starts with A, the second with B, the third with C, and so on. 
• Write about a lost object that was found after many years. 
• Pick a city you’ve visited and make a travel brochure about it. Include a section in which you describe the city and another in which you talk about your experience there.
• Write a comic book* based on your favorite book or story. Try to include both dialogue (in speech bubbles) and descriptions of what’s happening. 
• On a big piece of paper, draw a picture of the inside of a really cool house with loads of interesting rooms. Then write a short story about the people who live there and what life is like inside their amazing house.
• Write an imaginary interview with a character from a book or movie. Pretend you’re asking them questions to publish in a magazine or newspaper and invent their answers.  

Comic book templates are available in our post,  10 Fun Writing Activities for Kids . 

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25 FUN Realistic Fiction Books For K-3 (Picture Books)

Good realistic fiction books for kindergarten to 3rd graders. These books are suitable for beginner readers age 5-8 year-olds.

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Best Realistic Fiction Books for K-3rd Graders (Picture Books)

Beautiful illustrated realistic fiction picture books for beginner readers of kindergarten to 3rd grade.

Those Shoes

Those Shoes . Jeremy wants a new pair of shoes like the one everyone has at school. He is determined to have that, while his grandma tries to explain that they may have just enough for ‘need’ and not ‘want’. In the end, Jeremy does realize what is truly valuable in life – a loving family, friendship . A must-read book for today’s kids brought up in the consumeristic world.

Third Grade Angels

Third Grade Angels . George has entered the third grade. When his teacher Mrs. Simms holds a competition to award the best-behaved student- George, is determined to win the first prize. But being well behaved all the time is not easy . Should he be nice even outside school as well? Even to his annoying little sister?

A warm story every child in a new grade would relate to . The chapters end with a cliffhanger to keep students hooked for more.

Skinnybones

Skinnybones . This book from Barbara Park has been a favorite of children and teachers for thirty years and sold 1 million+ copies .

Alex Frankovitch’s big bragging mouth gets him into trouble. How would he come out of this mess now? Find out in this laugh riot storybook. The protagonist’s character is etched well. He is a troublemaker at school and funny.

The topic of bullying is covered from a fun angle. It is an excellent book for the classroom.

Going Places

Going Places . There is a go-kart contest at school, where kids received identical kits to build one, race, and win. However, Maya does not copy others. Using her imagination and teaming up with another friend, she creates something different looking.

This is a good relatable story – encouraging kids to think out of the box . This contemporary realistic fiction book is suitable for 5-8 year-olds.

Freedom Soup

Freedom Soup . Ti Gran is teaching Belle how to make the Freedom Soup – just like the one her own grandmother taught her when she was a little girl.

The soup is made as a celebration of the Haitian Revolution.

While the soup is being made, To Gran is telling Belle about her roots, history of Haiti, her family, etc. A book celebrating love and cultural traditions passed through generations.

The Paperboy

The Paperboy is a Caldecott Honor- award winning picture book . A boy leaves early morning to deliver newspapers, accompanied by his dog.

As they continue the routine day after day, the child and the dog share a special bond in the solitude of early morning when everything else is asleep.

Grace for President

Grace for President . The United States has never had a female president . A surprised Grace, hearing that, decides to break that and become the first female president.

To practice, first, she plans to participate in the school’s mock election.

However, it is just not easy to break the deep-rooted patriarchy, even at the school level. But, Grace is determined and is ready to put in the hard work she needs to win.

I’m Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem

I’m Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem This book tells kids to love themselves first, no matter what.

Narrating the story through the viewpoint of a boy and a girl, the author states different scenarios that may not seem ideal – but still one should always love self.

Get chosen last in the sports team, maybe not as good as others in running and many more. It is a timely book teaching about self-esteem.

Bad Bye, Good Bye

Bad Bye, Good Bye . Changes are hard, especially moving places. The story narrates how a boy is sad about waving byes to all familiar things.

However, his mood lightens up upon meeting new friends, new sets of welcoming surroundings, etc. It is suitable for early elementary kids going through changes in life.

Soccer Star

Soccer Star . Paulo plans to become a famous soccer star one day. Once he achieves success, his mother can finally stop working these long hours .

But for now, Paulo is busy the entire day working in a fishing boat and helping in other household work, and taking care of his younger sister. While his other teammates are also busy doing other chores to support the family.

This story showcases the need for dreaming and keeping hope alive through challenging situations .

The ending of the sister kicking the winning goal, when a teammate is hurt, perfectly scores a point about gender equality. A perfect read-aloud and independent read for kids 5 to 8-year-olds.

New Kid . Jordan Banks likes to draw cartoons. However, his struggle starts when his parents enroll him in a new prestigious private school.

Being one of the only few kids of color is not easy . Read on how Jordon navigates this change in life with usual middle school problems.

The book has Jordon’s drawings throughout that are honest and hilarious . The story showcases the struggle of kids from diverse backgrounds to fit it beautifully.

Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story

Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story . The story narrates the tale of four kids and how their life intertwines before and after the tragic September 11, 2001 event. These four kids come from completely diverse backgrounds. One is struggling with an absentee father, while another’s dies in a car accident.

The other two kids have their challenges starting in a new school, with one being a Muslim girl with a headscarf. Read on to see how their stories intersect, and their lives change. The writing is honest and emotional.

This one is a perfect book for kids who have never known about the ‘before’ part of this tragic event.

Fish in a Tree

Fish in a Tree . The name of the book says it all. This heart-touching story is about a dyslexic girl Ally . Her father’s frequent transfers never let her stay in a single school for long.

In all the new schools she goes to, she avoids reading and writing by creating distractions. She is low in confidence about her capability, and her dyslexia never gets diagnosed.

The story starts when a new teacher joins the school, and he realizes the truly creative potential Ally has.

The book shows how a kind and good teacher can change children’s lives for the better . This one is a good read for struggling early elementary graders.

A Different Pond

A Different Pond . This one is a touching story about a Vietnamese immigrant father and son , who go fishing early in the morning.

The catches were not for recreation, rather meant to feed the family.

The illustrations by  Thi Bui  weave life into the story. A poignant book- subtly touching subjects of diversity, different culture, immigration, etc. A heart-warming story for kids 5 to 8 year-olds.

How to Steal a Dog

How to Steal a Dog . A homeless girl wants to secure a house for herself, her mother, and her little brother. An opportunity presented itself when she sees a missing dog picture with a reward.

The only thing she has to do now is to find the ‘right’ dog or maybe ‘borrow’.

The story consequently touchingly narrates the moral conflict the child faces, and the hard choice she has to make.

It is thought-provoking and inspirational. The sensitive subject, which many kids face in their life, is handled beautifully by the author.

It is an insightful easy chapter book for beginner readers.

Measuring Up

Measuring Up . This book gives a pleasant twist to the topic of diversity. Cici moves from Taiwan to America and makes new friends at school.

However, she wants to surprise her grandmother on her birthday by buying a flight ticket for her. To earn money, she enters a cooking competition at school.

Read the story to find out what happens during this competition. Between her Taiwan food cooking for the American friends, and her bossy teammate, she has a lot on her plate.

The book subtly touches on the topics of making friends, family love, food, culture – without being too preachy. A feel-good storybook.

WALK . The best learnings happen outside the classroom in the real world, as the boy Jamie Bacon discovers.

When Jamie grudgingly agrees to go on a 500 miles walk in Spain as part of their homeschooling plan, he had no idea how his view would change forever.

Join the little boy in his walking adventure as he marvels at the architecture of castles, churches, caves. Janie meets pilgrims on the way and learns about legends and history.

He also discovers the heroic side of himself while he ends up saving a puppy, a child, helps his mother out of a panic attack, and more.

The book throws a sweet surprise in the end. It is a story for inquisitive and adventurous kids.

One for the Murphys

One for the Murphys . This one is a powerful story about a tween girl named Carley. She is in foster care. Carley learns to take care of her emotional and physical well-being by putting a wall around.

However, when placed in the foster care of the Murphy family, she comes to realize how true love and family feel.

The journey of Carley is believable and handled with lots of vulnerability, love, and care. The ending is realistic and not the typical happily ever after.

Watercress . A girl learns about her family root and heritage while the entire family stops to collect wild watercress on an Ohio roadside.

A beautifully illustrated tale about immigrant children growing up in America and discovering her motherland roots. The simple story is for early Elementary kids.

White Water

White Water . A fiction story set in the year 1962 – a racial segregation era in America. The story is simple.

A black boy drinks the water of a fountain to quench his thirst. And realized that it tasted dirty. His longing for the water from the ‘white fountain’ showcases the division that existed in society.

The story is based on the real-life childhood experience of the author.

My Papi Has a Motorcycle

My Papi Has a Motorcycle . A small child Daisy waits every day for her father to come home and take her on a motorcycle ride around the city.

Through the changes happening around the city, the girl realizes that this is her home. Irrespective of all the changes, this remains the place she loves.

With vivid illustrations, the book depicts a vibrant city. This picture book is for early elementary kids.

Twins . This story is about twins Maureen and Francine. They are best friends and do everything together.

But just as middle school starts, Francine tries to fit in with the crowd and carve a place for herself. Find out if the pressure of middle school will break the girls’ bonding.

Career Day . A child – Simone, learns about the options she has in the STEAM career. A beautifully illustrated book for children, especially girls, to follow their dreams.

Binny’s Diwali

Binny’s Diwali . A book for kids about the Indian festival Diwali. This book depicts the parts of Diwali- the current generation of children can relate to.

It is a visual treat, as the festival of Diwali is.

The Sweetest Season

The Sweetest Season . How does everyone’s favorite maple syrup get made? Follow the story of a father and daughter as they harvest sap from trees for maple syrup .

The rhyming book is enjoyable to read. And the pictures depict the early springtime in the forest beautifully. A beautiful picture book for 5 to 8-year-olds.

How to introduce the realistic fiction books to Elementary Kids?

Here are few ways parents and educators can introduce realistic fiction books to kids.

• Always proofread the book before handing it over to the child to decide if the content matches the child’s emotional maturity level.
• Discuss with your kid the topic handled in the book, and make him or her know that you are available for a talk if needed.
• Ask questions frequently to understand if the child could comprehend the subject matter as intended.
• Follow up with another book of the same and next level if your child enjoyed reading this book. Or bring down a level if the content was too mature.
• Explore variety when choosing books.

Why is realistic fiction a good genre?

The realistic fiction stories cover a broad range of topics reflecting everyday happenings, issues, resolutions. The characters are relatable and stories believable, making it easier for the readers to connect to them. This genre makes it easier to educate and drive home a point about any issue.

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100 Fun Third-Grade Writing Prompts for Kids: Journal Prompts

• Journal Writing Prompts
• Funny Writing Prompts
• Narrative Essay Writing Prompts
• Fiction Writing Prompts
• Poetry Writing Prompts 
• Informative Essay Writing Prompts
• Opinion Writing Prompts
• Animal Writing Prompts
• Descriptive Writing Prompts
• Emotion Writing Prompts

The power of stories is immense. It not only unlocks the imagination but also improves creativity and vocabulary. For kids as young as third graders , writing prompts can be beneficial to kick-start their writing spree. It is a great way to build various genres of writing skills in kids- from narrative and informative to poetic and funny.

Stick to this blog to track down century options of 3rd grade writing prompts for kids .

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Here are more educational resources to get your third grader learning!

6 Reasons To Give Your 3rd Graders a Writing Prompt?

When it comes to keeping your students busy with something beneficial, writing prompts are a wonderful tool. Here are a few major ways in which 3rd grade journal prompts can help children.

• Allows children to think around creatively
• Enhances a sense of expression
• Eliminates the dread of writing
• Improves story-telling
• Boosts self-confidence in children
• Refines grammar, spelling, and handwriting with practice

While they get busy writing the best out of their imagination, you can enjoy a sip of hot coffee (a bonus, you know!).

100 Fun Third-Grade Writing Prompts for Kids

10 journal writing prompts.

The habit of journaling must be inculcated in kids from a young age. Wondering why? Well, it goes a long way in developing the ‘writer-like’ mindset in them. Moreover, journaling is known to be a stress reliever in teens and adults alike. Whether they make it a daily or alternate habit later, here are ten examples of 3rd grade journal topics that can be perfect for giving them a needed push.

1. What has been your favorite memory of 2nd grade ?

2. On a rainy day, would you rather be inside or outside? Why?

3. How did you meet your best friend?

4. What flavor of chips do you like the most and why?

5. Who is the favorite cousin in the family?

6. When was the last time you had your favorite dinner outside?

7. Do you have someone who makes you feel special? Who and How?

8. Which school period do you like the most and why?

9. What are you most thankful for in life and why?

10. What is your favorite cartoon character?

10 Funny Writing Prompts

This is every child’s favorite! Funny Writing prompts can help develop an expression of humor sense in young children. Moreover, it will allow the classroom to have a light moment together when each of them will read their chucklesome experiences aloud. We can already hear the giggles!

Check out these fun writing prompts for 3rd grade kids.

1. If your pencil boxes could talk to each other, what would they be?

2. What if you were an Easter egg?

3. Imagine if cows gave ‘Skittles’ instead of milk. What would the world be like?

4. What makes you laugh?

5. What was the best joke that your best friend cracked recently? How can you make it funnier?

6. What would happen if it did rain cats and dogs?

7. Imagine there’s a kangaroo in the classroom. How did it reach there, and what would the scenario be like?

8. Would you rather wear a swimming suit in a snowstorm or wear a snowsuit to the beach? Which kind of silly will you be and why?

9. Write a review of the animated movie for kids that you have seen recently.

10. Imagine you and your best friend switch families for a day. What would the day be like?

10 Narrative Essay Writing Prompts

Narrative essay prompts can sow seeds for a future author of an American best-seller. One of the most favored writing prompts by teachers, 3rd grade narrative writing prompts expect students to tell a story based on their imagination or actual incidents. They could either build their story on dialogues or use descriptive writing. Let’s head to the list.

1. If your shoe could speak, what story would it tell?

2. One fine morning, you woke up with wings. Narrate the day.

3. If you are allowed to make classroom rules , which new rule would you make and why?

4. Make a story about where thunder comes from.

5. Imagine a boy who only eats oranges to survive. Narrate the story of his life.

6. Describe your last vacation. Where did you go, and what did you do?

7. What is the most interesting story that your family member has told you about?

8. You are given $200 to spread kindness around your city. How will you spend it?

9. If you could fly wherever you would want to, what places would you go and why?

10. What is one thing you do very well? Describe it in detail.

10 Fiction Writing Prompts

Here’s another set of 3rd grade writing prompts that will make the creative juices flow in the students. Fiction writing prompts are a great stimulus for young minds to develop their characters, work on a plot line and narrate a story. 

They not only allow expand their imagination in children but gives them an opportunity to enjoy the writing process. Have a look at writing ideas for 3rd grade students:

1. What story does a camera want to tell the world?

2. A princess is trapped in a castle that is guarded by a beast. Instead of waiting for her prince charming to save her, she uses the resources and tools from inside the castle to build her escape plan. What all would she use and how? Write her escape story.

3. ‘There was a knock on the door. I opened it and saw a cat sitting there and,….’. Finish the story.

4. You had a chance to take over your father’s job for a day. Write a story narrating all your day’s events.

5. ‘On a vacation to paradise, something unexpected happens.’ Continue with the story.

6. There was a butterfly in Ohio who needed to earn the colors for herself. She could only earn five colors for herself. What would she do to earn colors, and how?

7. One day, you woke up and realize that you have a magic pen next to you. Narrate the events that followed it.

8. Imagine you get to choose how you would want to live your next 50 years. What would you choose? Who will be the people with you?

9. Your balloon just blew away! Write the story from the balloon’s perspective.

10. You ate a brownie, and now you are 20 feet tall. What do you do next?

10 Poetry Writing Prompts 

With Tik Toks and Reels throwing rubbish in the name of poems for kids , now is the time to introduce young minds to the real essence of poetry. They must be taught the power of syllables, rhymes, apostrophes, punctuation, and word choice to recognize the poetry. 

Poetry Writing Prompts can give good practice to 3rd graders to improve their phrasing ideas and, ultimately, the poetry sense! Whether it’s a limerick or haiku, here’s the suggestion list that you shouldn’t miss.

1. ‘Whenever I sing a silly song,

Whenever I daydream for too long..’ Continue the poem.

2. ‘Within the wrapping paper brown,

the smallest gift I’ve found. Write a poem to talk about the gift.

3. ‘Dear Friend,’. Write a short poem for your best friend.

4. Challenge yourself to write a poem that is no longer than 25 words.

5. Imagine you came from another planet, lost on Earth, and longing for home. Write short poetry to express yourself.

6. ‘Look at the stars and name them all….’ Continue an interesting poem.

7. ‘Through the trees, I go…’ Write a few lines of a Haiku poem.

8. Write a poem about your grandparents.

9. ‘It was quite a big day for me.’ Write a limerick using this line.

10. ‘I met a funny little woman,

As I walked along one day…’ Write a silly poem using this starter.

10 Informative Essay Writing Prompts

A highly beneficial writing exercise for all ages, informative writing prompts are about informing the reader without persuading or making an opinion to it. For 3rd graders, these essays could be a powerful tool to enable them to write from what they already know. It advances their memorization, learning, and reflective ability in them.

Check out the ideas that can be used as writing topics for 3rd graders.

1. Write a process to build a birdhouse in your backyard.

2. If you could meet any famous person in the world, who would it be and what conversion would you have with them?

3. Why is it important to preserve the environment around us? How can you help with it?

4. Do you have a pet? If yes, how do you take care of it?

5. Describe what all do you see on your way to school.

6. How do you prepare for a test? Share some tips with your friends.

7. Write the importance of a healthy diet in our lives. How can we make our diet healthier?

8. Describe life in the coldest cities of the world. Would you live in such places?

9. Doctors, Firefighters, Policemen, Delivery boys, etc., are all heroes. Write about their selfless contribution to our lives.

10. Why do leaves change color during autumn?

10 Opinion Writing Prompts

We all have opinions, and so do the little ones! Teaching young kids to form an opinion can be rewarding for their future goals and personality development. 

It is important to familiarize them with understanding their mind and heart and strike a balance between the two. Opinion writing prompts for 3rd graders can be instrumental in getting them moving in that direction.

To ease the writing process, you can teach the kids about the OREO framework.

O – Opinions

E – Examples

O – Opinion (restated in a concluding note)

Let’s dive into some interesting topics for 3rd grade writing prompts.

1. Do you think teachers should give homework to students?

2. What are some important rules that must be followed in life?

3. How to become a kind human being?

4. What do you do when you are angry? Write some ways to calm yourself down.

5. How to make yourself happy when you are sad? Write from your experience.

6. What is the best restaurant in your city, and why?

7. Should 10-year-olds have their mobile phone? Why or why not?

8. Why should children not eat chocolates very frequently? How should they practice control?

9. Should everyone wear school uniforms in school? Why or why not?

10. If there could only be one season throughout the year, which one would you choose and why?

10 Animal Writing Prompts

If animals bring so much joy to us just by existing, how joyful it’d be to write about them? There are so many reasons to ask children to write about animals. It can be a wonderful way to enhance their creativity, fascination, attention to detail, and of course, writing skills. 

Here’s a list of animal writing prompts for 3rd graders.

1. Which animal would you like to meet and why?

2. Would you rather have a rabbit or a penguin as a pet? Why?

3. If you had a chance to become one farm animal, which one would it be and why?

4. If I were a turtle, I would…

5. Imagine waking up in the morning and seeing your favorite animal getting ready for school. What would the scenario be like?

6. Write how the world would be if humans could talk to animals.

7. You can choose either an animal or a human as your best friend. Which one would you pick and why?

8. If you could choose a different name for ‘Cow,’ what would it be? Why?

9. What I know about chickens is that….

10. A fish took a solo trip to London. Narrate the story.

10 Descriptive Writing Prompts

What do you do when you want your students to go into the tiniest details while writing? Try Descriptive writing prompts for 3rd graders. Whether they write a story or a personal experience, ignite the spark of description with these writing prompts.

1. What is your favorite math game ? Why do you like it? Also, write the steps to play.

2. Imagine you are traveling on a ship in the ocean. What does your ship look like? And, why would you like the best about your ship? Describe your journey.

3. Describe your favorite activity in the mall.

4. Which is better, winter or summer? Support your take with reasons.

5. Share a memorable experience at the park. What made it so memorable? Would you like to relive it?

6. Describe a beautiful scene from nature.

7. Alice gets to visit Wonderland in the movie ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ Describe all that you can think about Wonderland- the location, the environment, the colors, the people, etc.

8. What is a perfect day for you? Include the weather, your clothes, your friends, what you eat, and your activities.

9. Write a description of a trip to the zoo.

10. Who is your favorite teacher, and why? Describe him/her.

10 Emotion Writing Prompts

School is not limited to books and assignments. It’s also about preparing students to reflect on their feelings and being able to jot them down. Guess what? Emotion prompts can be the right choice here as well! They inspire creativity in kids and aid them in connecting with their feelings and emotions. Few third-grade emotion prompts that you shouldn’t miss.

1. My biggest dream is…

2. My favorite thing about myself…

3. What do you do when you make a mistake? How do you feel?

4. When was the last time you helped someone? What was it about?

5. Write about the happiest day of your life.

6. If you could have any special talent, what would it be and why?

7. What five things do you love about your family?

8. I feel sad when…

9. Imagine your friend is feeling scared. What would you do to calm him/her down?

10. Write a list of 10 things you are grateful for.

Now that you know 100 writing prompts for 3rd grade, there’s nothing that can stop your students shape into brilliant writers. However, a little something that we would like you to know- make writing as much fun as possible for these young minds. Look at a few tips which will help you chart out easy ways to teach writing to 3rd graders.

5 Steps To Help 3rd Graders With Writing

Step 1: sentence-formation.

If students struggle with understanding and forming sentences, they must be taught sentences as a single complete thought. Reading sentences aloud with necessary pauses will bring more clarity to them about the nature of a sentence. Let the children practice in small groups to make the instructions more effective.

 Step 2: Paragraph Writing

The next step will be to familiarize the children with writing small paragraphs. Don’t go throwing the list of 3rd grade writing prompts in one go. Instead, focus on strengthening the core concepts of writing. Introduce children to the parts of a paragraph-head, body, and conclusion.

Step 3: The ‘Sandwich’ Rule

It is a great way to simplify the writing process for third-graders. Teach the children that writing a paragraph is similar to making a sandwich. 

It begins with a piece of bread, i.e., the topic sentence, followed by adding some ingredients in the middle, i.e., the transition sentences, and finally, fishing it with another piece of bread, i.e., the concluding sentences. 

The rule can also be practiced in small groups to enjoy the maximum benefits.

Step 4: Additional Cues

Besides creative writing prompts for 3rd graders, emphasis must be made on using words like ‘because,’ ‘since,’ ‘for example,’ ‘another,’ ‘also,’ etc., to make meaningful connections while writing. Set 30 minutes initially for most pieces. Once they have had enough practice, you can reduce the time accordingly.

Step 5: Technical Cues

In the age of digitization, you cannot fathom eliminating the aid of digital tools to help children write. Teachers must pick something fun and let the students research about them on the internet. Noting down the point will help them build a story or idea smoothly.

Get, Set, Writing!

Writing prompts are not the end but the beginning of a brilliant writing spree for your students. Nonetheless, encouragement and support from your side are imperative to build their confidence. We hope the class will enjoy these 3rd grade writing prompts as much as we enjoyed curating them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How should i motivate my child to write at home.

Before introducing them to prompts, the most important way you can help your child with writing is to give them a journal, a storybook, a pencil, and an eraser. Keep a separate basket for their stationary supplies so that they can instantly grab them whenever they are in the mood to write.

What can be the first set of prompts that I should begin with?

Children are most closely knit to their parents. Giving them writing prompts to recount a happy family vacation or their favorite family members can be an ideal beginning. Moreover, in the classroom, teachers can use prompts related to their best friend, learning environment, and favorite school activity.

How many writing prompts can I use in one go?

Depends on the length of the class period. However, it is recommended to use one prompt in each class to preserve the class’s interest. Otherwise, children often feel burnout and pressure from having too many topics to write on in a single class.

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Reading Middle Grade

Books for Kids and Grown Ups

Realistic Fiction for 3rd Graders

If you’ve been on the hunt for realistic fiction 3rd graders love, this is the list for you. Third graders are special because this is when many kids break into reading middle grade books. For this list, I’ve included several of my favorite young middle grade books perfect for advanced 2nd graders ( 2nd grade chapter books here ) and 3rd graders who love realistic fiction. You’ll find a healthy mix of classics and new releases to add to your lineup.

Join our Patreon community to get the printable version of this li st ! You’ll also get access to other kid lit resources, like our seasonal guides and educator interviews, to inspire you.

Realistic Fiction Books for 3rd Graders

Here are 20 wonderful realistic fiction for 3rd graders:

This classic about a boy who won’t stop calling a pen a frindle is full of hijinks and the audiobook is funny beyond belief. Your kids will ask you to play this story of the boy who kept calling a pen a frindle until you’re sick of it. Such a fun, fun book! Great for introducing kids to chapter books and absolutely delightful!

Mr. Whiskers and the Shenanigan Sisters

Mr. Whiskers is a street-wise stray dog with a nose for trouble and a fondness for two girls he calls the Shenanigan Sisters. So when Misty and Zelda’s professor father is kidnapped, Mr. Whiskers follows that car, picking up vital clues. With the help of his street friends and the Shenanigan sisters, Mr. Whiskers leads the way to finding Mr. Shenanigan. I liked this better on audio and if your kids like gentle, quirky anima-led mysteries, they’ll enjoy this.

Ways to Make Sunshine

Ryan Hart and her family are going through many changes — new house, new baby, money struggles! Still, there are small joys. She doesn’t have to change schools and is still close enough to one of her best friends. With the new house and selling one of their cars, her parents can better deal with their financial struggles. Throughout this slice-of-life book, Ryan learns how to believe in herself, enjoy public speaking, be a bigger person, and love who she is. This is an absolutely delightful early middle-grade book with a memorable protagonist.

Link + Hud: Heroes by a Hair

Brothers Lincoln and Hudson Dupré are constantly pretending to be on one adventure or another–and destroying their home in the process. Until their parents get an experienced babysitter who wrangles both boys using unconventional methods–much to their dismay. Their plot to get rid of her yields unexpected results. This hilarious graphic novel-prose hybrid shows the brothers’ imaginations in panels and the real story as plain text with illustrations.

Just Harriet

Harriet’s mom is pregnant and has been placed on bed rest until the baby is born. Harriet, an energetic child, has been sent to Marble Island, where her grandmother lives and runs a bed and breakfast. She’s understandably frustrated and feeling abandoned by her parents. Thankfully, she takes her cat, Matzo Ball, with her. When she arrives at Marble Island, Harriet starts to learn more about her father’s childhood and discovers that they have more in common than she expects. Just Harriet is a charming, engaging chapter book/young middle grade book with a memorable, relatable protagonist.

Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business

Mindy and her father have recently moved from the city to a suburb in Florida, where she is the only Asian girl in her school. Mindy wants to be liked at her new school. Things start to look up for Mindy when the kids try and love her seaweed snacks. At first, she starts a snack trade-off but later decides to start selling the snacks so she can save up money to buy a puppy. However, Mindy’s new business and friendship run into some problems along the way. This series provides much-needed Asian-American representation, much like the  Jasmine Toguchi  books. If you’re looking for a chapter book with a sweet protagonist  dealing with grief,   moving,  and fitting in with a new school crowd, this is your pick.

My Weird School #1: Miss Daisy Is Crazy! 

In the first My Weird School book ever, second-grade teacher Miss Daisy is in over her head at Ella Mentary School. She doesn’t even know how to add or subtract! But the students, like A.J. and his friends, have other things on their minds. Principal Klutz has promised their class that if they read a million pages in books, they can turn the school into a video-game arcade for one whole night! Perfect for reluctant readers and word lovers alike, Dan Gutman’s insanely popular My Weird School series has something for everyone.

The Un-Friendship Bracelet (Craftily Ever After Book 1)

This cute series about a group of friends who love crafts and all things DIY is perfect for little craft fiends who love books about friendship.

Twig and Turtle: Big Move to a Tiny House

Twig and Turtle are two sisters whose parents have just moved into a tiny house! The family has done some major downsizing — the kids even had to choose just five toys they could keep, and now they have to clean up after playing with their toys. Both girls are also adjusting to a new neighborhood and new school. This is a delightful start to a compelling new chapter book series featuring two sisters whose lives are changed by a move to a tiny house. It’s perfect for kids navigating a  move to another house , depicts a  positive sister relationship , and shows kids how to handle bullying at school.

Shermy and Shake

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. 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?

Julia on the Go: Swimming into Trouble

Julia LOVES to swim and is excited to participate in Personal Best Day with her swim team. Unfortunately, she develops an ear infection and the doctor’s orders are clear: stay out of the water. But Julia won’t give up and tries several wacky ways to stop water from getting in her ears when she swims, with disappointing and hilarious results. Eventually, she learns there are different ways to be part of a team. I loved this chapter book, especially the depiction of Julia’s immigrant parents, their sushi shop, and Julia’s adventures in the library and with frenemies. It’s an excellent choice for older readers who want the comfort of pictures in their stories.

Ava Lin: Best Friend

This is a hilarious and adorable chapter book about 6-and-a-half-year-old Ava Lin and her exploits in the first grade, which involve finding treasures, a maybe-new best friend, and lots of “explanation points.” This one skews much younger and may appeal to kids who aren’t quite strong readers yet, or for your advanced second graders. I loved it and smiled so much while reading it. It also features a mix of text, illustrations, and comic panels, which I enjoyed.

Emma McKenna, Full Out (The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class #1)

Emma McKenna is stoked for third grade until she discovers that her former best friend is also in her class. As she tries to make new friends and use her voice in her class, Emma learns that it’s okay to be herself and share her opinions, even if it’s different from others. This is the first book in the new series featuring several acclaimed authors including Karina Yan Glaser, Rajani LaRocca, and others. Each book in the series will focus on a different kid and be written by a different author.

Too Small Tola

Too Small Tola is a new chapter book from Atinuke featuring three stories about a girl living with her grandmother and siblings in Lagos, Nigeria. Everyone teases Tola — sometimes lovingly — for being so small. They think she can’t lift heavy loads or do other things because of her size. But Tola’s grandmother reassures her that you can be small, but mighty, and Tola proves that she is!

Marya Khan and the Incredible Henna Party

In this sweet, delightful story, Marya Khan has gotten herself in a fix by claiming she’s having a henna party for her birthday when, in reality, she’s having no party. Marya is convinced that all her classmates have more exciting lives than she does but over time, she realizes that no one has a perfect life and she needs to appreciate hers more.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things

This series is so quirky and humorous and my heart always goes out to Alvin on his quest to make new friends and talk at school despite being nervous and afraid of everything. Kids who are shy or struggle with social situations will find a sure friend in Alvin.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel

The Lemoncello Library series was a hit for many middle schoolers and the graphic novel version is even more accessible, especially for advanced third graders who can’t get enough of realistic graphic novels.

Accidental Trouble Magnet (Planet Omar #1)

Omar is a young Muslim boy with a huge imagination. He and his family (his mom, dad, and two siblings) are adjusting to a new move (new house, new school) and approaching the month of Ramadan. Unfortunately, the adjustment process is NOT smooth. First, there’s a neighbor who doesn’t seem to like Omar’s family and a bully at school who keeps making fun of him. Things come a head when Omar and Daniel, the bully get lost together during a school trip. Can Omar escape all this trouble he keeps attracting? This is a charming chapter book about the life of a Muslim imaginative boy during Ramadan, adjusting to a new school, befriending a bully, and navigating family/sibling relationships.

The Terrible Two

Miles is devastated to be moving from his town to another one called Yawnee Valley. He loved his town, had good friends, and, most importantly, was well-known as the best prankster around. When he arrives in Yawnee Valley, he immediately discovers that there’s already a superb prankster there — with a secret identity no less. When Miles gets out-pranked by the Yawnee Valley prankster, it starts a prank war between both kids until they decide to join forces. The Terrible Two is a riotous, animated middle grade book about pranks, unlikely friendships, and cows.

The One and Only Ivan

This is a slightly more advanced book (that also isn’t 100% “realistic”) that makes for a good classroom read-aloud. It’s about a mall gorilla and the connections he makes with the other animals there, as well as what we can learn about animal confinement. It’s a sweet verse novel that’s great for kids who love animal stories.

There they are: 20 of the best realistic fiction books for 3rd graders! Which of these have you read? What did I miss?

More 3rd Grade Books

• Great books for 3rd graders
• Good books for 3rd grade girls
• Best books for 3rd grade boys
• Book series for 3rd graders

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• About Afoma Umesi

Afoma Umesi is the founder and editor of Reading Middle Grade where she curates book lists and writes book reviews for kids of all ages. Her favorite genre to read is contemporary realistic fiction and she'll never say no to a graphic novel.

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100 Excellent Realistic Fiction Books for Kids

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Realistic fiction books for kids start include excellent chapter books , relatable  middle grade books , and compelling YA novels. Realistic fiction is either relatable to children’s own lives (mirrors) or builds empathy as readers walk in the shoes of another (doors.) But which titles are the best choices for readers? I can help you pick.

I’m Melissa Taylor. Not only am I a former teacher and parent of two, but reading fast is my superpower. I have read all these books, and I recommend the best choices for kids, writing original reviews to help you decide if the book is right for your reader and to save you time. (You don’t have to read them– because I’m reading them for you!)

Whether the realistic fiction books on this list are windows, mirrors, or doors, they are all well-written and highly recommended. And quite frankly, no matter the circumstances, the genre of realistic books shows us that we are more alike than we are different. We love, we feel sad, we want friends, we yearn to find our identity, no matter what life circumstances or culture, or language.

Top Realistic Fiction Books with Girl Main Characters

• Because of Winn-Dixie  by Kate DiCamillo (ages 6 – 9)
• Ellie Engineer  by Jackson Pearce
• Starfish  by Lisa Fipps
• Pippa Park Raises Her Game  by Erin Yun
• From the Desk of Zoe Washington  by Janae Marks
• Roll with It  by Jamie Sumner
• Smile, Drama, Sisters   by Raina Telgemeier
• Genesis Begins Again  by Alicia D. Williams
• Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus  by Dusti Bowling
• Maybe He Just Likes You  by Barbara Dees
• A Good Kind of Trouble  by Lisa Moore Ramée
• Penderwicks  by Jeanne Birdsall

So, if your readers enjoy fiction books about fictionalized real people and relatable issues like friendship, growing up, coming of age, going to a new school, moving, identity, and other such topics and themes, then these books will hit the spot.

Top Realistic Fiction Books with Boy Main Characters

• Isaiah Dunn is My Hero  by Kelly J. Baptist
• House Arrest  by K.A. Holt
• All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook  by Leslie Connor
• Wink  by Rob Harrell
• Boy at the Back of the Class  by Onjali Q Raúf
• No Fixed Address  by Susin Nielsen
• Pie in the Sky  by Remy Lai
• The Crossover  by Kwame Alexander
• Pay Attention, Carter Jones  by Gary D. Schmidt
• How to Stay Invisible  by Maggie C. Rudd
• Crenshaw  by Katherine Applegate
• Ghost  by Jason Reynolds

Get ready to discover many wonderful realistic fiction books for kids ages 5 to 18.

Realistic Fiction Books for Kids

Realistic beginning chapter books, ages 6 – 9.

Grin and Bear It  by Leo Landry This is a darling easy reader book about  a bear who wants to be a comedian but he has a problem with stage fright.  Fortunately, the hummingbird helps the bear’s dream come true. VERY EASY.

Here’s Hank: Bookmarks Are People Too! #1  by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver Hank is a relatable, neurodiverse character to whom learning doesn’t come easily.  These are easy to read, well-written beginning illustrated chapter book series for readers transitioning to chapter books.

The Year of  the by Andrea Chang Growing up is challenging and in the first novel,  The Year of the Book , Anna turns to books for company while she learns how to make friendships in real life. The subsequent books in the series are just as realistic and well-written. I highly recommend them.

Dory and the Real True Friend  by Abby Hanlon Dory is one of my favorite book characters because her imagination is THE BEST!  She has three imaginary friends: one monster friend, one fairy godmother that’s actually not a lady, and one bad lady nemesis. I love this story because she meets a real-life friend who understands all about imaginary friends and together, they’re the perfect match. 

Miranda and Maude: The Princess and the Absolutely NOT a Princess  by Emma Wunsch, illustrated by Jessika Von Innerbner These two girls are different — one is a more sensitive, pinked-up princess and the other is a chicken-raising, social justice-loving regular girl.  They are in the same class at school where right away, a misunderstanding grows and grows until it results in a disastrous birthday party with no one attending. Don’t worry — it will end up well. It’s a terrific story with great life lessons about communication and kindness.

Jasmine Toguchi Mochi Queen  by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Eliazbet Vukovic Jasmine is jealous that the older kids in her family can help on mochi-making day; she wants to do what the older boys and men are doing, pound the mochi rice.  Her understanding father figures out a way for Jasmine to join in. And even though it didn’t work out how she wanted, her family is proud of her and decides it’s okay to break some rules, like who gets to pound the rice.

Zoo Camp Puzzle  by Gail Herman Ava and Rosie move to the zoo for the summer with their brother, writer mom, and teacher dad where they worry about the missing pronghorns and the suspicious trucks just outside the fences.  With the help of their brother Ethan, the siblings must figure out what’s happening and how to keep the animals safe.  Throughout the book, you’ll find pages with activities like puzzles and mazes as well as information about the animals at the zoo.

The World According to Humphrey   by Betty Birney Class pet, Humphrey, is a hamster who travels to a student’s home on the weekends  and has lots of adventures.

Lola Levine Is Not Mean  by Monica Brown Second-grade soccer-loving Lola, the daughter of a Peruvian mom and Jewish dad, is misunderstood.  I loved the diversity and the realistic topics of life and playing sports –so many kids will be able to relate to this charming story. See also:  Lola Levine: Drama Queen .

Bink & Gollie Best Friends Forever  by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile The second book of  funny Bink and Gollie (mis)adventures  in friendship and life is filled with wonderful color illustrations.

Ellray Jakes Walks the Plank   by Sally Warner, illustrated by Jamie Harper Little sister overfeeds Ellray’s class fish and kills it. Ellray takes the blame to protect his sister, after all family is family, and gets to help find a new class pet.

Sydney & Simon Full STEAM Ahead!  by Paul A. Reynolds, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds Sydney and Simon are twins working on their flower show project.  Throughout the book, they work together, questioning, predicting, and experimenting, as well as using art, music, and technology to make their booth the best it could be.

Weekends with Max and His Dad  by Linda Urban, illustrated by Katie Kath This is a terrific book that captures the  fun of time spent with a caring parent who is totally present for his son.  I loved the short story format of adventures and that the story didn’t make a big deal of Max’s parents’ divorce but was simply part of the way life was. Excellent.

Jenny and the Cat Club: A Collection of Favorite Stories about Jenny Linsky Join Jenny and her friends, including fearless Pickles the Fire Cat, on their spirited downtown adventures  and discover why The Atlantic Monthly called Jenny “a personality ranking not far below such giants as Peter Rabbit.”

Stink and the Shark Sleepover  by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds These are great realistic fiction books with the exciting adventures of Stink.  Stink gets to sleep over at the aquarium. While he’s there, he learns more about sharks, solves a mystery, learns a ghost story, and has tons of fun. Of course, the Peter H. Reynolds illustrations are ah-mazing as always.

Shelter Pet Squad: Jelly Bean   by Cynthia Lord Suzannah joins the Shelter Pet Squad because her apartment building doesn’t allow pets.  She meets a sad girl who has to leave her guinea pig, Jelly Bean, at the shelter due to moving. Suzannah promises the girl she’ll find Jelly Bean a good home. Only it’s not as easy as she first thought. The Shelter Pet Squad works together to find the perfect home — a kindergarten classroom.

Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake  by Julie Sternberg, illustrated by Matthew Cordell This story told in first person from Eleanor’s point of view is about the challenges when Eleanor gets jealous  of a new girl she thinks her best friend Pearl might like better than her. This made my top five list of best books for the year.

Because of Winn-Dixie  by Kate DiCamillo 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.

Charlotte’s Web  by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams This is so much more than a sad book about farm animals, this story is  a beautiful tribute to friendship that incorporates love and death as well.  It’s a classic for a reason and one of the best-written children’s books in existence.

Princess Posey and the First Grade Boys  by Stephanie Greene, illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson Posey gets annoyed about those crazy first-grade boys and makes up a mean song about Henry. When Posey’s teacher, Miss Lee, says to stop and that Posey was bullying Henry, Posey feels very mad. Until her neighbor boys make fun of Posey’s little brother, and suddenly Posey realizes the truth.  I loved the life lesson, the relatable characters, and the excellent pacing . 

Little Rhino My New Team  by Ryan Howard and Krystle Howard Little Rhino joins a little league baseball team only to discover that the boy who bullies him is on his same team.  His wise grandfather and daily lunch at the dinosaur table help Rhino and his shy friend gain new social skills and the confidence to deal with the bully.

Piper Green: Too Much Good Luck  (book 2) by Ellen Potter, illustrated by Qin Leng Piper is a lovable girl who just like all of us, makes mistakes, and hopes for her luck to change. S he learns a valuable lesson about jealousy and friendship in this short and sweet story. 

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things  by Lenore Look Second grader, Alvin Ho, is afraid of everything, especially school.  At school, he’s quiet, but at home, he’s Firecracker Man, superhero .

Wedgie & Gizmo  by Suzanne Selfors Dog owners will relate to the ADHD stream of conscious narration from Wedgie, the barking dog who LOVES everything. Contrast this with the diabolical plotting narration of the evil genius guinea pig Gizmo  (remind anyone of Pinkie and the Brain?) who is horrified to be living in a Barbie house instead of his own habitat. The two pet’s alternating narrations show a newly blended family that Gizmo’s servant/owner, Elliot, is not happy about.

Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus!  by Atinuke Anna Hibiscus lives in amazing Africa, but in this story, she goes by herself to visit her Granny Canada in Canada  where it’s snowy and cold. Anna gets to wear warm clothes and eat new foods. She even gets comfortable with Granny Canada’s dog and makes new friends. This is a delightful story of a sweet girl on an exciting new adventure.

Mouse Scouts: Make a Difference  #2  by Sarah Dillard Six new Mouse Scouts and friends share adventures as they seek new merit badges. In this story,  the girls must to work together to rescue a CAT!  What a sweet new illustrated series for beginning chapter book readers. See also  Mouse Scouts #1 .

The Vanishing Coin (Magic Shop Series)  by Kate Egan and Mike Lane, illustrated by Eric Wight Kids like fourth-grader Mike who can’t sit still will relate to Mike’s struggles with getting work done, avoiding the school bully, and staying out of trouble. It’s such  a great story because Mike discovers something that he  IS  good at  —  magic . And, you’ll learn how to do the tricks as you read the book.

Shredderman: Secret Identity  by Wendelin Van Draanen Illustrated with comics, hilarious, and relatable events, this book has it all. Awesome.

Amelia Bedelia Unleashed   by Herman Parish, illustrated by Lynne Avril I’ve been enjoying these updated Amelia chapter books by the original author’s son. In this story,  Amelia searches for the perfect puppy.

Drama Queen (Kylie Jean)  by M. Peschke Kylie Jean Carter wants to be a beauty queen but also a rodeo queen, blueberry queen, hoop queen, singing queen . . .  Kylie Jean is adorable!

Esme’s Birthday Conga Line  by Lourdes Heyer, illustrated by Marissa Valdez Esme lives with her grandparents, but since they didn’t plan a birthday party for her, she decides to plan one for herself. Her plan includes and involves her neighbors like the Gracia girls who help her make the piñatas and Lupe who bakes the cake under Esme’s watchful eye and Mr. Leon who plays a solo on Esme’s new guitar.  Enthusiastic Esme, with her can-do attitude is sure to be a favorite with readers!

Ellie Engineer  by Jackson Pearce These are well-written realistic fiction books that makes engineering seem enticing and creative!  After a disastrous “french braid machine” tangles her best friend’s hair, Ellie, who already identifies herself as an engineer, plans to make her BFF a new birthday present — a dog house, getting help from a neighbor boy and a group of girls from school who are bitter rivals up until Ellie helps them work together.

Marya Khan and the Incredible Henna Party  by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Ani Bushry Marya feels jealous of her neighbor’s big, fancy birthdays, so she lies to her friends and says she’ll be throwing a big party even though her parents are against it. She tries to be helpful and good, but that doesn’t always work out.  Will she get her big party and learn a few things about herself and others in the process?

FIND MORE CHAPTER BOOKS:

Books for 1st Graders (age 6)

Books for 2nd Graders (age 7)

Books for 3rd Graders

Realistic Fiction Middle Grade Books, Ages 9 – 12

Cress Watercress  by Gregory Maguire, illustrated by David Litchfield A beautiful story about family, community, and grief with lovable characters and lavish illustrations .  After the death of her father, Cress and her family move from their cozy burrow into the Broken Arms oak tree ruled by a cranky Owl with a noisy neighbor squirrel family. There, Cress helps her mom collect moths to pay their rent, leaving her mom time to work and gather ingredients for her sickly brother’s tea. As Cress navigates her new environment, the natural world, and the stories around her, it helps her understand her inner world, especially how grief waxes and wanes like the moon’s cycles.

Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Matthew Cordell Leeva’s horrible Matilda-like parents ask her sarcastically, What are people for? And Leeva, who isn’t allowed to go to school and does the chores, cooking, and other tasks to help her parents become rich and famous, decides to investigate the question. She discovers the library and books — but more than that, she discovers kind new friends, including the librarian and her grandson and two kids her age. She realizes that people help you not be lonely because they share life with you…and hugs are a nice bonus, too. I love the writing and the message of kindness and good things from books!

Star in the Forest  by Laura Resau Star in the Forest  is a good introduction to  the situation of Mexican children illegally in the U.S. , who are fearful and sometimes separated from their family members. We learn that friendship comes from the most unlikely of friends, even someone like Crystal, who, despite her lies, is a loyal friend. And we find that Zitlally’s love for her father helps her do courageous things.

Get a Grip Vivy Cohen  by Sarah Kapit Vivy is a girl on the autism spectrum who loves baseball , particularly pitching knuckleballs.  The book is written as letters and emails between Vivy and her favorite baseball player, VJ Capello. Vivy writes to VJ all about getting to play on a team as well as making her first friend, pitching, and getting bullied by the coach’s son. When she gets hit in the head with a ball and her mom won’t let her play anymore. How can she convince her mom to change her mind when her mom won’t listen?

My Not-So-Great French Escape by Cliff Burke Rylan hopes that traveling to work on a farm in France with his former best friend will repair their friendship. But once there, Rylan is separated from his arrogant friend which helps him be open to befriending other international kids, milking a goat named Bijou, growing a garden from scratch, and discovering the truth about his father, who’d abandoned him years before. The growth that Rylan experiences is incredible; readers will be cheering him on as he forges his path, experiencing hard-earned, painful truths about his former friend and his dad and finding wonderful new lessons about what he values.

Dragon Vs. Unicorns: Kate the Chemist  by Dr. Kate Biberdorf with Hillary Homzie Exciting from the first page (a fire-breathing science experiment!!), this awesome new STEM chapter book series is hard to put down.  There are lots happening in Kate’s busy life every day but no matter if she’s dealing with science, the school play, or friends, she’s a determined problem solver. When she tries to figure out who is sabotaging the school musical, it’s going to take all her skills to find the culprit.

Wink  by Rob Harrell A funny cancer story based on the author’s life… When Ross is diagnosed with a rare kind of tumor, he immediately starts radiation treatment. School becomes pretty challenging because his eye is goopy, he has to wear a hat, and his hair starts falling out in clumps– among other things made funny with his cartoon drawings. A goofy, kind-hearted radiation tech gets Ross interested in alternative punk music and guitar lessons. Turns out, the guitar and his new music help Ross express his frustrations and find his joy. (Note: a few bad words.)

The Friendship Code #1 Girls Who Code  by Stacia Deutsch Lucy joins coding club so she can make an app for her uncle to remember his medications.  But the class is moving TOO slowly. Then, a mysterious letter arrives in her locker with instructions in code. The subsequent messages in code put her back in touch with old friends and help her build a new friendship. But who is sending her messages? Whoever it is, they’re teaching Lucy and her friends about input/output, conditionals, loops, and variables. To solve the mystery, the girls decide to write their own code.

One-Third Nerd   by Gennifer Choldenko, illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans I love these three unique, wonderful siblings — they stick together and look out for each other. Liam is a responsible, kind big brother in fifth grade. His mom and dad have recently divorced and now their grumpy landlord has given them an ultimatum — they’ll have to give away their German Sheperd dog, Cupcake, unless her peeing problem gets solved.  Choldenko crafts a beautiful, multi-layered, warm-hearted story that celebrates family, unique personalities as well the richness in having a dog . I love this story so much. If you like the Penderwicks or the VanderBeekers, you will love this book, too.

Starfish  by Lisa Fipps Heartbreaking and inspiring, this poignant story in verse shows a girl who learns, after years of fat-shaming and bullying , to define herself  not  based on what others say but on who she really is.  Ellie’s nickname is Splash because of her size, but Ellie loves swimming; it’s her safe escape where she feels the most comfortable. Her biggest bully is her mother–who won’t buy her new clothes because she thinks it encourages Ellie’s weight gain and is pushing for gastro-bypass surgery. Not even Ellie’s dad stands up to her mom’s cruel treatment of Ellie. Fortunately, Ellie finds an understanding therapist who helps her move from powerless to powerful. 

Worser   by Jennifer Ziegler Worser is floundering after his mom’s stroke left her unable to talk.  He finds solace in words and grammar, but it’s not the same without his mom. Worser attends the Literary Club, run by a girl he has a crush on and begins to share his love of words with other word-loving kids. As he develops friendly connections with the other group members, he finds that he likes being part of something and having friends. Then, jealousy leads him to a terrible decision that changes everything –but maybe the lessons learned will be what he and others need.

The Fort  by Gordon Korman (his 100th book!) Tension-filled, disturbing, and powerful, this realistic fiction book alternates the points of view of a group of boys who are each dealing with their own struggles, including poverty , OCD, bullying, and domestic abuse.  When the boys discover an abandoned bomb shelter in the forest, they make it their fort, which becomes a special and safe place. When one boy, the outsider who isn’t friends with everyone yet, figures out what’s happening with the abused boy who is secretly sleeping in the fort, all the friends try to help him, but it’s tricky and complicated.

Boy at the Back of the Class  by Onjali Q Raúf When a new  refugee  boy from Syria arrives at Alexa’s London school, she can’t wait to be friends with him. However, Ahmed doesn’t talk or make eye contact. Alexa and her friends learn that Ahmed was in a real war and has been separated from his family. 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. 

Louisiana’s Way Home  by Kate DiCamillo A luminous, sparkling gem of a book with quirky, complex characters!  Granny drags Louisiana out of bed in the middle of the night, insisting that they leave their home to confront the family curse. Not only does Louisiana not want to leave her friends and home, but things also get even worse when Granny abandons Louisiana at a motel along the way. Forced to fend for herself, Louisiana figures out how to survive miles from home while worrying that the family curse has destined her for an unhappy life.

Tumble   by Celia C. Pérez Pulsating with longing and confusion about family relationships, this heartfelt story is about heritage, identity, and…Mexican wrestling.  When Adela’s stepdad wants to adopt her, Adela secretly uncovers who her biological dad is — and finds out he’s from a famous luchador family. She contacts him with high hopes of connecting but he consistently drops her off with his family and leaves. Adela must figure out what it means to have Manny in her life or not.

Honestly Elliott  by Gillian McDunn Elliott’s shuttling between his dad’s and mom’s houses. He’s often overwhelmed with emotions, particularly anger and sadness, plus his ADHD makes it hard to focus. Not to mention, his dad’s constant criticisms aren’t helping either. For a buy-local school project, Elliot pairs up with a girl with Celiac disease. But Elliott’s rigid black-and-white thinking softens as he opens to different perspectives, including his new friend’s. 

No Fixed Address  by Susin Nielsen Felix doesn’t want to tell anyone that he’s been living in a van for months and months. His hope is that he can win his favorite TV game show so they’ll finally have enough money to get an apartment. This story shows a child’s love for a parent despite all the parent’s flaws–and his mom has many like lying and not holding down a job.  It also depicts homelessness as circumstances beyond a child’s control — which is something most kids don’t know or think to consider.  This well-written book is beautiful, important, and highly recommended.

Pie in the Sky  by Remy Lai Pie in the Sky  is an insightful, funny, and poignant look at the struggles of  immigrating  to a new country (Australia) and the difficulties of learning English while grieving the loss of a father.  Jingwen’s observations and wit make him a likable main character, and the illustrations capture the flavors of his experiences. After school with his brother, he bakes the cakes that his father wanted to include at his dream Pie in the Sky bakery. It’s a coming-of-age story that is both salty and sweet, the perfect blend. (Includes an occasional bad word.)

Pippa Park Raises Her Game by Erin Yun Korean American basketball-loving Pippa uses a new school to reinvent herself, hiding her background from the popular kids. In a satisfying ending with valuable life lessons,  Pippa decides not to be ashamed of her working-class family, her culture, or her friends. Girl readers, in particular, will be able to relate to the social hierarchy of middle school and the temptation to change yourself to suit others.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington  by Janae Marks On her 12th birthday, Zoe, a girl who loves to bake, discovers a hidden letter to her from her incarcerated biological father, Marcus. She writes him back and Marcus tells Zoe that he’s innocent and he can prove it. Zoe enlists the help of her Grandma and her best friend, Trevor.  You won’t be able to put down this winsome story with a heroine you can’t help but adore; a story that illuminates social justice with themes of family, friendship, and love.

Thirst   by Varsha Bajaj Set in Mumbi, this is about water inequities with themes of advocacy, education, and community.  12-year-old Minni’s community has access to water only a few hours per day with severe water shortages. When Minni is forced to leave school to work as a maid, she sees the water (and other) iniquity first-hand and discovers that the family’s dad is the water mafia boss. Her decision and action to report him makes a difference — and gives us hope that one person can make a difference.

Flipping Forward Twisting Backwards   by Alma Fullerton Claire is the best at gymnastics, but she’s not the best at reading. In fact, she can’t read AT ALL–and has fooled everyone for years.  She lashes out to protect her secret and often gets sent to the principal. The principal figures out that Claire needs learning testing, but Claire’s mom is adamantly against testing. Claire’s friends, her sister, and a supportive teacher help her with word recognition — but she continues to ask her mom to let her get tested, which she eventually does. There’s so much to love about this fast-paced book in verse.

Jacky Ha-Ha  by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein Jacky stutters badly, so she makes jokes . . . about everything.  Now, at age 12, she’s starting the new school year with tons of detentions. Luckily, someone sees the potential in Jacky and lets her “serve” those detentions in the school play, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.” It turns out Jacky is a natural actor — which helps distract her from her Nonna being sick, her mom being deployed, and her dad never being home. Very enjoyable!

Operation Sisterhood  by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich A rich slice-of-Black-blended-family life in New York City. Jo and her mum move into a big brownstone with Bill and his daughter Sunday, plus twins Lee and Liland, their parents Mama Hope and Papa Charles, and so many animals — chickens, cats, a lizard, a turtle, and a dog. It’s hard for Bo to get used to so much togetherness, and she misses the one-on-one time she used to have with her mum. While she’s adjusting to her new patchwork-quilted family, she and her new sisters embark on a project to make the upcoming wedding a special day.

Tornado Brain  by Cat Patric When 7th grade Frankie’s former best friend, Colette, vanishes, Frankie begins to look for clues on her own. Frankie realizes that Colette was trying to finish the list of dares that they made up when they were younger. The mystery of Colette’s whereabouts keeps every moment of the story suspenseful. Frankie and her twin sister piece together Colette’s last known locations.  It’s a brilliant, touching first-person story that gives us insights into a neurodivergent character’s brain in a suspenseful mystery story.

Isaiah Dunn is My Hero  by Kelly J. Baptist Grief , family, poverty , poetry , the power of writing, and friendship…  After Isaiah’s dad dies, his mother stops working and starts drinking too much. The family of three now lives in a smokey motel where Isaiah watches his 4-year-old sister when his mom is passed out. He finds strength and inspiration in his father’s journaled stories about Isaiah Dunn Superhero and eventually, begins to write poems again in his own journal…poems that he and a new friend named Angel sell as a business, money he wants to give to his mom for a new place.

Ghosts  by Raina Telgemeier Catrina’s little sister, Maya, is sick with cystic fibrosis.  A ghost tour outing with a neighbor boy sends Maya to the hospital. Cat feels guilt and fear for her sister, knowing that her sister’s lungs will never get better. But as the neighbor introduces Cat to the beautiful Day of the Dead celebration, Cat starts to see death and life differently. Beautifully written and illustrated, this story deftly deals with big issues in an interesting, unique way.

I Can Make This Promise  by Christine Day The author skillfully weaves an important, heartfelt story about growing up, family, and finding your identity in the context of adoption, the historical maltreatment of Native Americans , and the mystery of your own heritage.  When Edie unexpectedly finds a box of photos and letters from the woman she suspects was her mom’s birth mother, it prompts a journey to discover the truth of her Native heritage.

Smile, Drama, Sisters   by Raina Telgemeier Raina shares her growing-up stories with humor and amazing art in these three popular books. My 10-year-old daughter read  Sisters  four times the first week she owned it – they’re excellent books and quite addictive.

Genesis Begins Again  by Alicia D. Williams Don’t miss this important story about  self-worth, beauty, and   colorism.   Genesis hates that her skin is so dark; she knows her grandma and father hate that about her, too. In her self-loathing, she believes that if only she were lighter-skinned, she’d be pretty and have all the things that go along with being pretty. In this coming-of-age story, Genesis finds her voice both literally and metaphorically. It will start the conversation about who defines beauty and how we can do better individually and as a society.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus  by Dusti Bowling Aven Green makes up creative stories about why she doesn’t have any arms. Especially now in Arizona where her parents are the new managers at a rundown theme park. She befriends a boy at school who, like her, feels different and isolated from the other kids. His name is Connor and he has Tourette Syndrome. Together, he, another new friend named Zion, and Aven investigate a mysterious storage shed at the theme park, which leads them to a mystery involving Aven’s past. 

Unteachables   by Gordon Korman The middle school assigns the worst teacher, Mr. Kermit, to a class of the so-called worst kids –the class known as the unteachables  because Mr. Kermit hates teaching. As we get to know the kids in the small class, something surprising happens that gets Mr. Kermit to care just a little. And that opens the gates to even more caring and a big life change. Heartwarming and hopeful.

Emmy in the Key of Code   by Aimee Lucido This is an exquisite book that celebrates music, STEM , making friends, and growing into yourself.  Emmy’s eager to start a new school but she’s thwarted by rudeness at every turn. A girl in her programming class named Abigail is friendly, but only during class. As Emmy’s family adjusts to San Francisco, Emmy begins to love programming. Lucido skillfully connects music and programming in a memorable, poetic story that even non-programmers can understand.

Maybe He Just Likes You  by Barbara Dees Middle schooler Mila is feeling trapped— a group of basketball-playing boys is getting too close, grabbing her, touching her, and then telling her that she’s imagining it.  Nothing works to deter the boys’ unwanted attention, but unexpectedly, Mila finds inner strength when she starts karate classes. That strength helps her find what works to put a stop to the harassment.   I highly recommend this essential book; it should be shared widely with middle school boys and girls. 

A Good Kind of Trouble  by Lisa Moore Ramée Middle school is hard enough with friend drama, but add to it not-being-black-enough drama, personal and community race-related drama, and boy drama.  Frankly, it’s a lot for 12-year-old Shayla. When a jury finds a cop innocent in the shooting death of a black boy, Shayla decides to take a stand and support the Black Lives Matter movement. She wears an armband to school and rallies many of her classmates of all ethnicities to join her, even though the principal says it’s against the rules.

Each Tiny Spark  by Pablo Cartaya Each Tiny Spark  addresses learning differences , PTSD, and prejudice in a beautiful, important story.  Emilia is a Cuban-American girl whose ADHD makes focusing on school and schoolwork a challenge. When the community proposes to redraw the school district’s boundary lines, exposing prejudice and ongoing injustice, Emilia becomes a passionate activist against injustice. Meanwhile, Emilia’s father’s return from the Marines is different than before; he’s quiet and distant this time.

For Black Girls Like Me  by Mariama J. Lockington It’s hard for Makeda to be a black adopted girl in a white family . But there are even more challenges for Makeda these days, starting with being the little sister to a newly distant teenager, moving to a new town away from her BFF, having parents who are constantly fighting, and watching her mom’s mental health deteriorate and thinking it’s somehow her fault. After her mom’s mania takes them on a trip to Colorado which abruptly nose dives into severe depression and a suicide attempt, Makeda reaches out for help.

Guts  by Raina Telgemeier GRAPHIC NOVEL Raina shares her own life story, how in elementary school, her fears and anxieties led to terrible stomach aches, days of missed school, and time in therapy.   Guts  sensitively delves into the mind-body connection, showing therapy in a positive light. I wholeheartedly appreciate that the story shows a kind counselor who gives Raina helpful strategies. My daughter and I both love when Raina bravely presents to her class a strategy she learned in therapy — deep breathing.

Focused   by Alyson Gerber Clea is a chess-loving girl who gets distracted easily (except when she hyper-focused on chess.)  She’s resistant considering that she could have  ADHD . But blurting out things and living with regret, she feels like she’s not in control. As she learns more about her brain, she realizes that she can figure out strategies to help her keep focused. Readers who don’t have ADHD will get a glimpse into the way this kind of brain works.

Song for a Whale  by Lynne Kelly Iris is a lonely Deaf girl who relates to Blue 55, the loneliest whale in the world, because his song is at a different hertz than other whales. Iris uses her compassionate heart, intelligence, and tinkering skills to write and record a whale song that Blue 55 will hear. She and her grandmother, who is also Deaf, sneak off without Iris’ parents’ permission on a cruise to visit Blue 55.  It’s a heartening, poignant story that gives readers insight into the richness of Deaf culture and the life-changing power of compassion.

Roll with It  by Jamie Sumner Ellie is a girl who loves to bake, has cerebral palsy, and who rolls through life in a wheelchair.  When her mom moves them to Oklahoma to help care for her grandfather, even though she’s from the so-called wrong side of the tracks, she makes friends with other trailer park kids — the first friends she’s ever had. It’s a sweet story about taking risks, the importance of finding your tribe, and growing up. 

The Crossover  by Kwame Alexander Because this is written in verse , this is a fast read but packs a big punch.   Basketball player and twin Josh narrates his life in quarters, just like the game he plays.  He writes about missing his twin when his twin, Jordan, gets a girlfriend; about getting in trouble when he hits Jordan in the face with a basketball; and about watching his father as his heart fails. This is a coming-of-age, gripping story about a boy who is just trying to figure out life like most boys at age 12.

Extraordinary Birds  by Sandy Stark-McGinnis Don’t miss this tender, beautiful, redemptive story.  December is a  foster child  who believes with all her heart that she will soon grow wings and fly living in yet another foster home.  After another jump off a high branch in a tree and a trip to the hospital, injured December finally accepts the truth about everything, including her mother, being a bird, and the future. These hard-earned, poignant realizations shift her future, allowing for love and happiness, and will make you cry.

Black Brother Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes Twins with different skin colors, one whiter and one darker, are treated differently because of it.  Donte is unfairly accused of something, and when he tries to defend himself, the police are called and he’s suspended from school. Not to mention, a popular guy at his school calls Donte “black brother” because he’s darker than his twin, Trey. Donte starts fencing to get revenge, but as he trains, he finds that he’s smart, good at fencing, and courageous. If you think the world still isn’t racist and colorist, read this compelling story and you’ll see that we still have a long way to go.

Planet Earth is Blue  by Nicole Panteleakos Nova is autistic and nonverbal, in this sad book she writes verbal letters to her runaway big sister, Bridget, telling Bridget everything since the two were separated.  Nova holds fast to Bridget’s promise that she will come back to Nova for the Challenger launch. But the launch comes and goes. And Nova will have to face the truth about her older sister… And it will make you cry like a baby. Beautiful, gifted storytelling.

The Bridge Home  by Padma Venkatraman Set in  India , Vijiand her little sister Rukku who has intellectual disabilities run away from an abusive father and sick mother to the big city where they meet two friendly brothers and live with them under a bridge, scrabbling to survive by collecting trash. Their days are hard, but Rakku learns how much more capable her sister is than she thought. Unfortunately, Rukku gets a terrible cough and fever and what happens next will almost destroy Viji.  It’s an honest, eye-opening story that reveals the plight of many homeless children in India and yet, finds a way to be hopeful, too.

Pay Attention, Carter Jones  by Gary D. Schmidt When his grandfather’s butler arrives to help out 6th grade Carter’s family, Butler becomes a big asset to the family, filling a void the family didn’t know they had. “M ake good decisions and remember who you are, ” he often reminds Carter and Carter’s sisters. This wisdom helps Carter as he tries to understand why his dad abandoned their family. When Butler teaches Carter the game of cricket it transforms not just Carter’s life but the school community’s as well.

Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties by Kellye Crocker REALISTIC I loved this book so much that I read it in one sitting! Ava’s dad surprises her with a visit to his girlfriend in the mountains of Colorado. This is a big problem for Ava because 1) a GIRLFRIEND? and 2) the mountains are DANGEROUS! (Ava knows!) Even though the Girlfriend’s daughter Z is nice, Ava wants to go home, so she sabotages the trip. But they don’t go home and Ava ends up hurting her new friend Z and her new ally, the Girlfriend, who is keeping a big secret. This is an emotional, multi-layered story of change, family, growing up, and living with anxiety with a main character you will adore.

Caterpillar Summer  by Gillian McDunn McDunn beautifully weaves an emotion-filled, coming-of-age story with a strong female main character named Cat.  Cat is a protective big sister for her special-needs brother but she’s ready to have her own life.  Cat finds the opportunity when her children’s book author-illustrator mom leaves her and her brother at their estranged grandparents’ house for the summer. There, Cat develops a special relationship with her grandparents, helps heal the rift between her grandfather and her mother, makes a good friend, and learns how to fish so she can enter the local kids’ fishing contest.

Harbor Me  by Jacqueline Woodson Harbor Me  tackles some very big issues, including race, immigration, bullying, learning differences, friendship, and forgiveness.  The story is about six diverse children with learning differences. They bond during a special kids-only time on Friday afternoons, where they share their stories, many of which Haley records on a tape recorder. Even as she learns about the other kids who are, Haley is reluctant to share that her own dad is in jail for the car accident killing her mother. When she does eventually share, it’s beautiful to see the other kids support her.

The Benefits of Being an Octopus  by Ann Braden Zoey is trying to stay hidden, living with their mom’s newest boyfriend in his trailer. She’s required to care for her siblings while her mom works, all the while avoiding making a mess or too much noise. A kind teacher at school persists with a reluctant, non-participative Zoey, encouraging her to try debate club. It’s that activity that eventually gives Zoey the courage and perspective to talk to her mom about everything — from her mom’s boyfriend’s belittling to her own friend getting threatened with a gun. 

Twin Cities  by Jose Pimienta GRAPHIC NOVEL Twins who live on the Mexico-US border make two different choices in middle school, separating for the first time.  Fernando stays in Mexicali, Mexico and Teresa crosses the border every day to go to school in Calexico, United States. Their choices lead them down different paths with Fernando finding a friend who is a bad influence with prejudices and a drug business and Teresa commuting for hours and spending more hours doing homework.

You Are Here , edited by Ellen Oh, written by Linda Sue Park, Erin Entrada Kelly, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Minh Lê, Ellen Oh, Randy Ribay, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan Tan It’s one day at the Chicago airport. Twelve Asian American kids at the airport are either traveling or, in one case, accompanying his mom to work. They all experience racism and feel scared and uncomfortable. In each case, the kids find their inner strength, either with help or by themselves. The stories are exceptionally written and put us in the children’s shoes so we can see how harmful and hurtful racism is. While these are short stories, this is most meaningful when you read all of the interconnected stories as a cohesive story.

The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett (For this book review, I’m not going to tell you too much about the story– because it would spoil your reading experience.) Kemi adores her close-knit family, her African-American artist mom, her baby sister, a baby on the way, and most of all, her beloved Nigerian dad. When an asteroid threatens everyone on Earth with imminent death, Kemi and her family leave for her cousins’ house, where she starts a time capsule. The exceptional storytelling is emotional (I cried SO MUCH) and important with themes of family, racism, and values. A must-read, must-experience-for-yourself-kind-of book.

How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd A heartbreaking and hopeful survival story . Raymond’s neglectful parents abandon him completely, so he takes his dog Rosie, and they set up camp in the woods behind his middle school. There, he survives on his own, foraging in dumpsters and fishing for food as he continues to attend school. When a playful coyote hurts Rosie, he meets an old man who helps them both — which is especially significant because it’s over the Christmas break when he can’t get dumpster food from school. Raymond doesn’t want to tell anyone, including the old man or his two friends at school, what he’s surviving, but the truth comes out when another boy discovers his campsite and a snake bite almost kills him. HOW TO STAY INVISIBLE is a powerful story of grit, survival, and longing for family. I couldn’t put it down.

The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla Maudie is an autistic girl staying with her father for the summer, but a California fire forces them from their cabin. She and her dad head south to where her dad grew up. A friend sets them up in an old camper at a campground near the beach. While her dad looks for work, Maudie works up her courage to ask an older surfer woman for lessons. She spends the summer worrying about her big secret and learning to surf, hoping to win the beginning surfer competition at the end of the summer. Maudie makes a new friend who is friendly and neurodiverse like her. All of these things help her consider that she is more than what her mom and her abusive stepdad think of her. This is a moving coming of age story of a girl who learns to thrive instead of survive.

Elephant Secret  by Eric Walters Sam lives in an elephant sanctuary with her father. A mysterious benefactor has paid for an elephant to become pregnant — but it’s not actually an elephant that she births, it’s a wooly mammoth cloned from DNA. Sam’s connection with the elephant is amazing, especially the baby mammoth whom she names Woolly. Things go very wrong when their benefactor forces them to leave the sanctuary. As she deals with this, Sam must also come to terms with her father’s long-term girlfriend.

Falling Short  by Ernesto Cisneros Neighbors and best friends, Marco and Issac, are different but loyal to each other. One is short and academic, the other is tall and sporty.  In the end, a high-stakes basketball game and a bad car accident show these friends, and their teammates, that friendship matters most of all.

Science of Breakable Things   by Tae Keller Natalie wants to figure out how to help her mother, who we gather is depressed (in her bed all day long, no longer working.)  As Natalie prepares for an egg drop contest with two other kids, she looks at her mother’s situation with the same scientific process zeal. Her ultimate plan is to win the contest then use the prize money to whisk her mother away on a special trip. Throughout the story, we see Natalie’s friendships develop as well as the difficult understanding that life and depression are not an exact science.

Greetings From Witness Protection  by Jake Burt A winsome story of adventure and finding where you belong.  Nicki leaves the group home to live with a family in the witness protection program.  She likes her newest foster family and takes her role seriously. She must stay vigilant against potential threats, not stand out, and try to keep her kleptomania under control. As she grows closer to her new family, both their past and hers catch up to them.

Just Like Jackie  by Lindsey Stoddard Jackie’s grandpa is forgetting things so Jackie tries to pick up the slack — helping more than ever at his mechanic shop and at home.  But she keeps getting in trouble at school, ending up in a special group with the school counselor. A family tree project feels like absolutely too much for a girl with only a grandpa as her family. It’s a brilliant story about aging and what makes a family. It will rip you up and put you back together.

House Arrest  by K.A. Holt Timothy is under house arrest for the next year, living with a brother who needs constant medical care.  Part of his year-long punishment is to meet with a probation officer, meet with a therapist, and write in a journal which is the book we’re reading. When his little brother gets assigned an abusive new nurse, Timothy feels like even if he gets thrown in juvie, he must do something drastic to help his brother. Written in poetic verse, this book speeds along and pulls your heart along with it.

Tangerine  by Edward Bloor Paul is a soccer player — at least he will be if he can go to a different school that doesn’t know about his IEP for vision. If he can avoid his dangerous brother and play soccer on this team, maybe Tangerine County, Florida, won’t be so bad after all. After some horrific things occur, including a murder, Paul remembers how he lost his vision and makes a stand for what is right. EXCELLENT!!

Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall This summer, the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel.  Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel’s owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer  by Kelly Jones, illustrations by Katie Kath The book is written as letters from a girl named Sophie, who is newly living at the farm of her dead great-uncle Jim. She writes to her dead abuelita, her dead great-uncle Jim, and Agnes of the Extraordinary Chickens catalog.  While her parents are figuring out their new lives, Sophie figures out the farm. Specifically the chickens — starting with the first one she discovers wandering around. She learns that Jim had more than one chicken, and they are quite exceptional! (Think telekinesis, invisibility, and carnivorous chicks.) But a neighbor chicken thief is also interested in Jim’s chickens — and Sophie must stop her.

Roller Girl  by Victoria Jamieson GRAPHIC NOVEL Roller Girl  shows the struggles of friendship and finding your place in the world  as Astrid works hard to become a better roller derby skater, reconcile her ending a friendship with her best friend, and develop a new one. (I recommend going to a roller derby event with your kids to help them know more about this cool sport for girls — it’s such a blast and would be helpful for reading this book, but not essential.) Well-written and relatable.

All Four Stars  by Tara Dairman I loved this engaging story about  food-enthusiast Gladys suffering in a house of microwaving parents  without a taste bud between them. Gladys not only appreciates good food, but she also loves to cook and wants to be a food critic. She already has lots of practice writing her daily notes about her parents’ horrid creations. When a mix-up in a writing contest has the editors of a paper thinking she’s an adult, can she actually write a published review without letting anyone know she’s 10 years old?

Gaby, Lost and Found  by Angela Cervantes I picked this realistic middle-grade book because of the cat pictured on the front cover — and found it to be way more powerful and meaningful than I had expected.  Gaby’s mom is deported and her father doesn’t remember he has a daughter.  Gaby’s holding out hope for her mom’s return… and maybe a pet kitty.

The Seventh Most Important Thing: One Kid. One Crime. One Chance to Make Things Right.  by Shelley Pearsall Angry with grief, Arthur throws a brick at Junk Man’s head.  The judge sentences Arthur to work for the Junk Man who asks Arthur to collect the items on the list of the Seven Most Important Things . Transformed by the experience, Arthur becomes an advocate for the Junk Man’s art. This is fictional but is inspired by the true story of  American folk artist James Hampton  whose work is in the Smithsonian. This story resonates emotionally and would make for a great bedtime or class read aloud.

Link + Hud Heroes by a Hair  by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey Jarrett and Jerome are brothers with BIG imaginations. When they go on imaginary adventures, read those in a graphic novel format. They also use their creative powers to get rid of babysitters. Currently, they’re working on terrorizing their older babysitter, Ms. Joyce. But she’s smart–and isn’t fooled by the boys’ behavior. In fact, she saves their dad’s failing hair product business by turning it into a cleaning product. Kids will love the action, humor, and fun of this illustrated adventure!

Awkward  by Svetlana Chmakova GRAPHIC NOVEL My daughter found this graphic novel book SO RELATABLE — just like she struggles with confidence and speaking up, so does the main character, Peppi.  This well-done graphic novel tackles the issues of friendships and confidence, among other things.  (So glad I’m not in middle school anymore.) We highly recommend this graphic novel.

Growing Pangs  by Kathryn Ormsbee, illustrated by Molly Brooks GRAPHIC NOVEL Katie’s a homeschooled kid with crooked teeth and red hair and a best friend forever named Kacey. When they start camp and Katie makes a new friend and Kacey gets jealous. But what’s even harder is Katie’s buzzing thoughts that tell her to do repetitive things and they’re getting worse. Eventually, Katie tells her parents about the buzzing and they get her help for what she learns are obsessive-compulsive thoughts. 

The Summer of June  by Jamie Sumner I ADORE this hopeful, realistically beautiful story about living with anxiety !  June experiences severe anxiety, which sometimes makes her pull out her hair and have panic attacks. That’s why she starts the summer by shaving her hair off completely. She spends her summer days at the library with her youth librarian mother and befriends a boy named Homer. June’s therapist’s gentle care gets June the medication and guidance she needs, and her new and old friends from the library show June that many people care about her and accept who she is.

The One and Only Ivan  by Katherine Applegate Narrated by one gorilla named Ivan, this story will immediately touch your heart. Making it even more compelling, it’s a true story! Ivan is kept in a cage in a run-down mall for 27 years without seeing another gorilla, only the stray dog, Bob, who sleeps with him, Stella the Elephant, and Ruby, a newly purchased baby elephant. Before she dies, Stella begs Ivan to find Ruby a home with other elephants — and Ivan agrees, but it won’t be easy.

The One and Only Bob  by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Patricia Castelao Bob lives with his friend, who adopted him after the mall zoo closed, but he believes that he’s a fraud. When Bob visits his friends Ivan and Ruby at the zoo, a hurricane hits. Animals are on the loose, there’s flooding, Ivan is trapped under a building, and Bob can’t find his people. As Ivan says, there’s one and only Bob to help rescue everyone. Surprisingly, his search and rescue involve his long-lost sister and her puppy.   Sweet, redemptive, and adventurous, this is a story of a dog who finds himself while searching for others.

Everyday Angel   by Victoria Schwab My 10-year-old loves these stories about an  angel named Aria who is earning her wings by helping girls who are struggling in some way.  In the first book, she helps Gabby. Gabby’s brother is hospitalized indefinitely and her mom is totally focused on her brother. It’s up to Aria to help Gabby at her new school and discover who she is. These are sweet, uplifting stories.

Stepping Stones  by Lucy Knisley GRAPHIC NOVEL After her parents’  divorce , Jen moves to a farm with her mom and her mom’s boyfriend whose kids visit on the weekends. It’s a huge transition — she doesn’t love how bossy and whiney her stepsisters are and how annoying her mom’s boyfriend is. But she loves the chicks she takes care of and the farmer’s market.  Well, she loves it until her math skills aren’t good enough to be helpful.  This story gently shows the ups and downs of living with a new family in a new place.

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook  by Leslie Connor A coming-of-age story that is both heartbreaking and filled with hope.  Perry is well-loved by his mother and her friends. . . in prison.  That’s where Perry has lived since he was born eleven years ago. But in an unexpected and unpleasant turn of events, his best friend’s stepfather, the new District Attorney, forces Perry to leave the prison. Not only that, the DA tries to stall Perry’s mother’s parole hearing. Perry discovers the stories behind the inmates’ lives, hoping that they’ll help reunite him with his mother. This story will stay with you long after you read the last page.

All’s Faire in Middle School  by Victoria Jamieson GRAPHIC NOVEL Growing up, Imogene (aka. Impy) always loved her family’s part in the Renaissance Faire . . . that is, until middle school.  Even though she gets her dream to work in the faire as a squire, she also just wants to be like the other girls at her school, too. Her journey is painful and honest as she figures out who she wants to be. It’s narrated as a hero’s journey which with the faire background and middle school drama, feels perfect. Beyond being a terrific coming-of-age story, I’m sure this book will interest your kids in Renaissance festivals themselves.

The Many Fortunes of Maya  by Nicole D. Collier Because MJ adores her soccer-loving dad, she tries to be the best soccer player she can be while secretly still playing the flute. When her parents separate, it forces her on a summer journey of self-discovery at  soccer  camp where she tries too hard, in the swimming pool where she can’t swim well enough to go in the deep end, and at home with her family, including her music-teacher uncle.  Eventually, MJ realizes that her dad will love her even if she picks the flute and not soccer– and that she can figure out what she likes and who she is without trying to please anyone except herself.

Orbiting Jupiter  by Gary D. Schmidt ages 10+ Joseph is an abused boy with a violent father, a parent at age thirteen, and is now living as a foster kid with Jack’s family on their organic farm.  As he learns to trust them, we slowly learn about Joseph’s deep love for a rich girl named Maddie, his daughter named Jupiter who he’s never seen, and his shattering heartbreak. This is an amazing story– painful yet filled with redemption and hope — beautifully written and one that will give readers so much to ponder.

Crenshaw  by Katherine Applegate After losing their home and living in their van for three months, the family is about to lose their apartment.  Although Jackson’s parents don’t tell him this, he knows the signs. He knows why they’re having a yard sale. He knows it’s not his dad’s fault for having MS, but he’s mad and worried and alone. It isn’t until Crenshaw shows up and pushes Jackson to speak the truth to his parents that Jackson learns that he’s not facing the hard situation alone. Oh, and who is Crenshaw? He’s Jackson’s large, imaginary cat friend from when he was little and returned to help Jackson in his time of need.

No Place Like Home  by James Bird Beautiful character development, vivid details, and a strong narrative voice draw you into this story about homelessness, Ojibwe culture, growing up, family, and the love of a dog. Based on James’ childhood,  Opin is a sweet, hopeful boy who lives with his mom and his older brother in their car, traveling from city to city.  He adores his mother, but he’s scared of his angry, violent older brother, who comes and goes as he pleases. When Opin finds a hurt dog, the love of a dog fills a friend void for Opin–until his brother takes the dog away. Despite the challenges of Opin’s life, beauty and joy are threaded throughout this compelling story that is one of the best of 2023. *Sensitive readers, there are a few swear words.

Rare Birds  by Jeff Miller Graham’s mom moves them to Florida to wait for a heart transplant. When his mom gets approved, Graham stays with his mom’s friend and his angry son. Fortunately, at the hospital, he befriends a girl named Lou.  When he finds his mom’s rare bird journal, Lou helps him search for the last bird on the list–the Snail Kite.  But because there’s prize money for finding the bird, bully kids not only thwart them but endanger them–stranding Lou and Graham in a swamp with a giant alligator and no cell service. The friends’ search is filled with challenges, which they face with bravery and determination, including the truth about Lou. I loved the two-page chapter lengths and the emotionally resonate story of friendship and family that will make you cry .

Wonder  by R. J. Palacio Wonder   helps us see compassion, empathy, and acceptance from a variety of characters’ points of view.  When I first read this book last year, it struck me as a powerful ways to meaningfully talk about bullying and kindness. I believe that it’s easier to see things first not in the lives of characters we read, so that as we read, we can apply those lessons to our own lives. In my experience as a teacher, this especially applies to kids.

The First Rule of Punk  by Celia C. Perez An excellent, diverse, page-turning coming-of-age story, this is about a girl who is half-Mexican on her mom’s side and half-punk rock on her dad’s side , both of which are cultures prominently featured in the story and her life. Malú’s unhappily forced to move to Chicago with her mother where she eventually finds her place when she starts a Latinx punk band. When their group doesn’t get into the talent show, they decide to play anyway. In the parking lot. (So punk!) We see Malú discover herself through life’s challenges and adventures and also learn what the first rule of punk actually is.

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street  by Karina Yan Glaser Like The Penderwicks, you’ll fall in love with this quirky, wonderful family. The Vanderbeekers’ landlord wants them out by the end of December, but the Vanderbeeker kids are determined to change his mind, even though he hates noise, kids, and their family. But it’s almost Christmas, and their efforts are only making things worse. What will they do?  Charming and heart-warming.

Dust  by Dusti Bowling Avalyn, a spelling bee fanatic, lives in dry Arizona, which is supposed to be better for her asthma–until  Adam moves to town, bringing pain and throat-clogging, asthma-attack-inducing dust storms.  She wonders if her superpower is sensing energy– like Adam’s negative energy. As she investigates and observes Adam, she and her friends continue to be relentlessly bullied at school. She is also struggling with the challenges that come with food and environmental allergies. This story deftly addresses abuse, bullying, asthma, and allergies. The end pages also have discussion questions which will be helpful for  book clubs .

The Kicks Hat Trick  by Alex Morgan Finally, a fantastic sports-related book (series) for soccer girls! Written by Olympic Gold Medalist and U.S. Soccer team member (among other things),  Alex Morgan , it’s a realistic story of life, friendship, and playing soccer.  As happens in the real world, struggles and conflicts arise. In this particular story, Devin’s beloved Kicks team is separated in the winter soccer league. Not only does it seem like her friends are drifting away, but Devin’s new coach also encourages aggressive playing –and Devin’s not loving it.

Match Point   by Maddie Gallegos GRAPHIC NOVEL Match Point by Maddie Gallegos is one of my favorite books I’ve read in the past year,   with a cute style, wholesome story, and a message about the importance of communication.  They also integrate ASL into the book in a really natural and interesting way for the graphic novel medium. Rosie’s dad wants her to become the racquetball champion, but she hates the sport. When she meets Blair, a cool girl her age who plays as well, she finally starts to learn how to have fun with the game again. 

Rain Rising  by Courtne Comrie ages 10 – 13 RAIN RISING is a multilayered story about mental health, racism, family, friendship, and self-love — with a main character that you’ll cheer on through her complicated growing-up journey.  Rain’s older brother Xander has always taken good care of her; he helps her on her saddest days, especially after their dad left and their mom is always gone at work. But, when Xander gets brutally attacked, he’s a shell of himself and barely speaks and Rain can barely cope. In an after-school group, she starts to make new friends, and she slowly finds her way back to health through therapy and group support. Intense, heartbreaking, and heart-putting back together, I couldn’t put this novel in verse for one second!

All the Impossible Things  by Lindsay Lackey Tender, eye-opening, and heartfelt — this is the story of a  foster  kid named Red and her journey of abandonment, growing up, empowerment, and finding a family.  Red’s in the foster care system with kind-hearted people who run a petting zoo. Understandably, Red is mistrustful and prickly at first with everyone but the Grooves’ gigantic tortoise. This bond is the first step in unthawing Red’s broken heart. Soon, she becomes friends with a neighbor boy and starts developing a relationship with her foster parents. Unexpectedly, her mother announces that now that’s she’s out of jail, she wants visitation. Red wants her mom to love her that she’s willing to overlook her mom’s self-centered behaviors and the signs that her mother is using drugs again.

Pretty  by Justin Sayre Beautifully written and plotted, Justin Sayre has created a coming-of-age masterpiece not to be missed. Sophie’s life is complicated.  Hiding her mom’s alcohol addiction affects everything, even her school work.  When her mother leaves for a trip, her aunt moves in and gently helps Sophie learn about being a strong, beautiful, biracial woman. Sophie blossoms with the love and kindness of her aunt. Soon, Sophie must decide what she’ll do next — move with her aunt or stay with her mother who eventually returns home from rehab.

The Gray  by Chris Baron Chris Baron packs a lot of meaningful themes and topics into this hopeful, complex story about mental health, abuse, death,  Jewish  wisdom, friendship, bullying, and family. Sasha is a Jewish boy with severe anxiety, “the Gray” who is staying at his aunt’s for the summer. He’s bullied by a group of small-town kids but hires the town’s outcast, a kid named Eli, as his bodyguard. Sasha practices his strategies for the Gray, spends time with his aunt and his two friends, and learns Krav Maga. Then, Sasha risks a trip to the Gray when he searches for his missing friend Eli on horseback. This is a hopeful, complicated story about self-love and acceptance.

Click’d  by Tamara Ireland Stone At coding camp, Allie makes an app to help kids can find new friends.  When she returns to school, she releases it only to discover it has a major glitch. Relatable and engaging, this is a cool STEM-themed story of a middle school girl’s coding project that has unexpected consequences both positive and negative.

Young Adult

Visit my Recommended Books for Teens list for all realistic fiction choices.

Books for 4th Graders

Books for 5th Graders

Books for 6th Graders

Books for 7th Graders

Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She's a mother, former teacher & literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House's Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they'll love.

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• Picture Book Brain

Realistic Fiction Books For 3rd Graders: The Definitive List

• August 3, 2022

Looking for the best realistic fiction books for 3rd graders to read to your kids? Here are some great realistic fiction chapter books for 3rd graders for classroom read alouds. These realistic children’s books include both contemporary realistic fiction picture books as well as historical realistic fiction books. Ideas for third grade teachers looking for realistic fiction books including lesson plans and activities! Great realistic fiction for 3rd graders.

If you’re a member of the  Picture Book Brain Trust Community , you already have access to EVERY lesson plan and activity for these books! Just click on the Lesson Plans button in the menu!

Realistic fiction books for 3rd graders.

There are so many great fantasies, fairytales and fables for 3rd graders. It’s also important sometimes for third graders to have realistic fiction books. There’s a place and time for all kinds of book, this list of realistic fiction books for 3rd graders is sure to have something for every and any situation you need.

Realistic Fiction Children’s Picture Books:

Here are the best realistic fiction picture books for 3rd graders.

Mr. Peabody’s Apples by Madonna

Tommy Tittlebottom sees Mr Peabody taking an apple from Mr Funkadeli’s fruit market and is very surprised that he doesn’t pay. Then Tommy sees it happen again and decides that Mr. Peabody is a thief. Word spreads quickly around the town. When Mr Peabody arrives at the baseball ground, ready for the usual Saturday game, only Billy Little turns up and he soon explains what has happened. It is then up to Mr. Peabody to teach Tommy about the importance of truth and the power of words.

Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard

The kids in Room 207 were misbehaving again. Spitballs stuck to the ceiling. Paper planes whizzing through the air. They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.

So begins this quirky classic, first published in 1977 and still relevant today as a lighthearted reminder to show our appreciation to those we value. The students don’t proffer a shred of respect for their good-natured teacher Miss Nelson, but when the witchy substitute Miss Viola Swamp appears on the scene, they start to regret their own wicked ways.

Proud As A Peacock, Brave As A Lion by Jane Barclay

As questions come from a young grandchild, his grandpa talks about how, as a very young man, he was as proud as a peacock in uniform, busy as a beaver on his Atlantic crossing, and brave as a lion charging into battle. Soon, the old man’s room is filled with an imaginary menagerie as the child thinks about different aspects of wartime. But as he pins medals on his grandpa’s blazer and receives his own red poppy in return, the mood becomes more somber.

Outside, the crowd gathered for the veterans’ parade grows as quiet as a mouse, while men and women — old and young — march past in the rain. A trumpet plays and Grandpa lays a wreath in memory of his lost friend. Just then, the child imagines an elephant in the mist. “Elephants never forget,” he whispers to his grandpa. “Then let’s be elephants,” says the old man, as he wipes water from his eyes and takes his grandson’s hand. A really great book for Memorial Day or Veterans Day .

Emily by Michael Bedard

What if your neighbor were the reclusive poet Emily Dickinson? And what if one day she sent a letter inviting your mother to pay her a visit? A little girl who lives across the street from the mysterious Emily gets a chance to meet the poet when her mother goes to play the piano for her. There, the girl sneaks a gift up to Emily, who listens from the landing, and in return, Emily gives the girl a precious gift of her own—the gift of poetry .

What If by Samantha Berger

This girl is determined to express herself! If she can’t draw her dreams, she’ll sculpt or build, carve or collage. If she can’t do that, she’ll turn her world into a canvas. And if everything around her is taken away, she’ll sing, dance, and dream…

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp’s wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.

Step back in time and through the door of this iconic lighthouse into a cozy dollhouse-like interior with the extraordinary award-winning artist Sophie Blackall.

Akiak by Robert Blake

What happens when you can’t control your life? How do you take control of your fate? When she hurts her paw on the fourth day of the race, Akiak can no longer compete in the Iditarod —the famed dogsledding race through 1,151 miles of Alaskan terrain. Her musher has no choice but to leave her behind. The rules say once a dog is dropped from the race, it may not rejoin the team. But ten-year-old lead dog Akiak doesn’t know the rules, and nothing will stop her from catching up to her team. Akiak has never won the race before. Will she be able to help her team win this time? A great book to read in winter or to talk abou the Iditarod race in March.

Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match by Monica Brown

My name is Marisol McDonald, and I don’t match. At least, that’s what everyone tells me.

Marisol McDonald has flaming red hair and nut-brown skin. Polka dots and stripes are her favorite combination. She prefers peanut butter and jelly burritos in her lunch box. And don’t even think of asking her to choose one or the other activity at recess—she’ll just be a soccer playing pirate princess, thank you very much. To Marisol McDonald, these seemingly mismatched things make perfect sense together.

Unfortunately, they don’t always make sense to everyone else. Other people wrinkle their nose in confusion at Marisol—can’t she just be one or the other? Try as she might, in a world where everyone tries to put this biracial, Peruvian-Scottish-American girl into a box, Marisol McDonald doesn’t match. And that’s just fine with her.

Waiting For the Biblioburro by Monica Brown

Ana loves stories. She often makes them up to help her little brother fall asleep. But in her small village there are only a few books and she has read them all. One morning, Ana wakes up to the clip-clop of hooves, and there before her, is the most wonderful sight: a traveling library resting on the backs of two burros‑all the books a little girl could dream of, with enough stories to encourage her to create one of her own.   Inspired by the heroic efforts of real-life librarian Luis Soriano, award-winning picture book creators Monica Brown and John Parra introduce readers to the mobile library that journeys over mountains and through valleys to bring literacy and culture to rural Colombia, and to the children who wait for the BiblioBurro.

Sugarbush Spring by Marsha Wilson Chall

In the month of the Maple Sugar Moon in early spring , the snow’s too wet for angel making, icicles rain from Grandpa’s porch roof, and something is stirring in the woods. It’s sugarbush spring–time to tap the trees, prepare the bottles, then gather round the cook fire to eat chicken and dumplings, roast marshmallows, and tell stories while the cold sap heats through, thickens, and boils to make syrup.

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

A heartwarming story about the new girl in school, and how she learns to appreciate her Korean name.

Being the new kid in school is hard enough, but what happens when nobody can pronounce your name? Having just moved from Korea, Unhei is anxious about fitting in. So instead of introducing herself on the first day of school, she decides to choose an American name from a glass jar. But while Unhei thinks of being a Suzy, Laura, or Amanda, nothing feels right. With the help of a new friend, Unhei will learn that the best name is her own.

Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Climbing aboard the New York bound Silver Meteor train, Ruth Ellen embarks upon a journey toward a new life up North– one she can’t begin to imagine. Stop by stop, the perceptive young narrator tells her journey in poems, leaving behind the cotton fields and distant Blue Ridge mountains.

Each leg of the trip brings new revelations as scenes out the window of folks working in fields give way to the Delaware River, the curtain that separates the colored car is removed, and glimpses of the freedom and opportunity the family hopes to find come into view. As they travel, Ruth Ellen reads from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, reflecting on how her journey mirrors her own– until finally the train arrives at its last stop, New York’s Penn Station, and the family heads out into a night filled with bright lights, glimmering stars, and new possiblity.

Oliver Button Is A Sissy by Tomie DePaola

Oliver Button is a sissy. At least that’s what the other boys call him. But here’s what Oliver Button really is: a reader, and an artist, and a singer, and a dancer, and more. What will his classmates say when he steps into the spotlight? A great anti bullying book .

Islandborn by Junot Diaz

When Lola’s teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can’t remember The Island—she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of her family and friends, and their memories—joyous, fantastical, heartbreaking, and frightening—Lola’s imagination takes her on an extraordinary journey back to The Island.  As she draws closer to the heart of her family’s story, Lola comes to understand the truth of her abuela’s words: “Just because you don’t remember a place doesn’t mean it’s not in you.” A great book for talking about immigrants and immigrant communities.

Grace For President by Kelly DiPucchio

“Where are the girls?” When Grace’s teacher reveals that the United States has never had a female president , Grace decides to be the first. And she immediately starts off her political career as a candidate the school’s mock election. But soon, she realizes that she has entered a tough race. Her popular opponent claims to be the “best man for the job”–and seems to have captured all the male votes–while Grace concentrates on being the best person. In this timely story, author Kelly DiPucchio not only gives readers a fun introduction to the American electoral system, but also teaches them the value of hard work, courage, and independent thought–and offers an inspiring example of how to choose our leaders.

City Green by Dyanne DiSalvo-Ryan

Right in the middle of Marcy’s city block is a vacant lot, littered and forlorn. Sometimes just looking at it makes Marcy feel sad. Then one spring , Marcy has a wonderful idea: Instead of a useless lot, why not a green and growing space for everyone to enjoy?

Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones

H, Little O, and Baby Em are stuck in the city for the summer with only their pet goldfish—Barracuda, Patch, and Fiss—for company. It’s looking like it might be a pretty boring vacation, but one day, something exciting happens. Someone starts fixing up the old fountain down the street—the one Grandpa says horses used to drink from before everyone had cars—and a sign appears: “Calling All Goldfish Looking for a Summer Home.” H, Little O, and Baby Em can’t wait to send their goldfish on vacation, and the fish, well, they seem pretty excited too. Based on the true story of Hamilton Fountain in New York City, this charming tale of one special summer will delight readers young and old. Author’s Note included.

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon

An incredible story about the Christmas Truces during World War 1.

Someday by Alison McGhee

A mother’s love leads to a mother’s dream — every mother’s dream — for her child to live life to its fullest. A deceptively simple, powerful ode to the potential of love and the potential in life. A book about teaching kids that no matter how young or old, we always need our mothers. The perfect book for Mothers’ Day! Literally everyone will be in tears by the end of the book.

Nadia’s Hands by Karen English

When Nadia is chosen to be a flower girl in Auntie Laila’s traditional Pakistani wedding, her hands are decorated with beautiful designs made with mehndi, and she comes to understand the rich culture she has inherited.

Teach Us Your Name by Huda Essa

Embracing the diversity of our names is one of the first steps we can take to show our appreciation of diversity and inclusion. Everyone has a name and every name has a story. Teach Us Your Name focuses on the many stories and ways we can all connect by helping children take pride in their many identities and to utilize the opportunity to learn from others. This book lends itself to countless invaluable discussions about cultural norms, languages, unconscious bias, and much more.

Boxes For Katje by Candace Fleming

After World War II there is little left in Katje’s town of Olst in Holland. Her family, like most Dutch families, must patch their old worn clothing and go without everyday things like soap and milk. Then one spring morning when the tulips bloom “thick and bright,” Postman Kleinhoonte pedals his bicycle down Katje’s street to deliver a mysterious box – a box from America! Full of soap, socks, and chocolate, the box has been sent by Rosie, an American girl from Mayfield, Indiana. Her package is part of a goodwill effort to help the people of Europe. What’s inside so delights Katje that she sends off a letter of thanks – beginning an exchange that swells with so many surprises that the girls, as well as their townspeople, will never be the same.

How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham

“No one saw the bird fall.” In a city full of hurried people, only young Will notices the bird lying hurt on the ground. With the help of his sympathetic mother, he gently wraps the injured bird and takes it home. In classic Bob Graham style, the beauty is in the details: the careful ministrations with an eyedropper, the bedroom filled with animal memorabilia, the saving of the single feather as a good-luck charm for the bird’s return to the sky. Wistful and uplifting, here is a tale of possibility — and of the souls who never doubt its power.

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho

A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers’. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother’s, her grandmother’s, and her little sister’s. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future.

Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self-love and empowerment. This powerful, poetic picture book will resonate with readers of all ages. A great book about identity and for Asian American Heritage Month !

Get the lesson plan and activities for Eyes That Kiss in the Corners HERE

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

Grace loves stories, whether they’re from books, movies, or the kind her grandmother tells. So when she gets a chance to play a part in Peter Pan, she knows exactly who she wants to be. Remarkable watercolor illustrations give full expression to Grace’s high-flying imagination. Amazing Grace is an amazing diverse picture book !

Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson

Apples, ho!

When Papa decides to pull up roots and move from Iowa to Oregon, he can’t bear to leave his precious apple trees behind. Or his peaches, plums, grapes, cherries, and pears. Oh, and he takes his family along too. But the trail is cruel. First there’s a river to cross that’s wider than Texas, then there are hailstones as big as plums, and then there’s even a drought, sure to crisp the cherries.

Luckily Delicious (the nonedible apple of Daddy’s eye) won’t let anything stop her father’s darling saps from tasting the sweet Oregon soil. A hilarious tall tale from the team that brought you  Fannie in the Kitchen  that’s loosely based on the life of a real fruiting pioneer.

The Raft by Jim LaMarche

Nicky is convinced that his summer with his grandmother in the Wisconsin woods is going to be the worst summer ever. She cooks food that he doesn’t like, there’s an art studio where her living room should be, and he’s expected to do chores—including fishing, the most boring chore ever.

But one afternoon, while Nicky is trying to catch their dinner, a raft drifts down the river towards him. The raft has a calming magic about it, affecting both Nicky and the wildlife of the river and woods. Through the raft and the adventures it brings him on, Nicky finds new common ground with his grandmother, a fellow river rat, who encourages him to explore his newfound talent for art.

Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson

In this wordless picture book, a little girl collects wildflowers while her distracted father pays her little attention. Each flower becomes a gift, and whether the gift is noticed or ignored, both giver and recipient are transformed by their encounter. “Written” by award-winning poet JonArno Lawson and brought to life by illustrator Sydney Smith, Sidewalk Flowers is an ode to the importance of small things, small people, and small gestures.

You can try a sample lesson and activities for Sidewalk Flowers FREE by signing up below:

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran

From two-time Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Barbara Cooney and celebrated children’s book author Alice McLerran comes Roxaboxen, a treasured story about the magic of a child’s imagination .

Marian called it Roxaboxen. There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill—nothing but sand and rocks, and some old wooden boxes. But it was a special place. And all children needed to go there was a long stick and a soaring imagination.

Saturday by Oge Mora

How do you control yourself when everything goes wrong? Today would be special. Today would be splendid. It was Saturday! But sometimes, the best plans don’t work out exactly the way you expect….

In this heartfelt and universal story, a mother and daughter look forward to their special Saturday routine together every single week. But this Saturday, one thing after another goes wrong–ruining storytime, salon time, picnic time, and the puppet show they’d been looking forward to going to all week. Mom is nearing a meltdown…until her loving daughter helps her practice a calming strategy and reminds her that being together is the most important thing of all. A great book for social emotional learning!

Thank You Omu by Oge Mora

Everyone in the neighborhood dreams of a taste of Omu’s delicious stew! One by one, they follow their noses toward the scrumptious scent. And one by one, Omu offers a portion of her meal. Soon the pot is empty. Has she been so generous that she has nothing left for herself?

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

Teach kindness, courtesy, respect, and friendship :  It was the perfect summer. That is, until Jeremy Ross moved into the house down the street and became neighborhood enemy number one. Luckily Dad had a surefire way to get rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But part of the secret recipe is spending an entire day playing with the enemy! In this funny yet endearing story one little boy learns an effective recipe for  turning a best enemy into a best friend .

Marching With Aunt Susan by Claire Rudolph Murphy

An inspiring story of the fight for women’s suffrage, based on the experiences of a real girl. All Bessie wants is to go hiking with her father and brothers. But it’s 1896, and girls don’t get to hike. They can’t vote either, which Bessie discovers when Susan B. Anthony comes to town to help lead the campaign for women’s suffrage. Stirred to action, Bessie joins the movement and discovers that small efforts can result in small changes―and maybe even big ones. A great book for Women’s History Month .

Gittel’s Journey by Leslea Newman

Gittel and her mother were supposed to immigrate to America together, but when her mother is stopped by the health inspector, Gittel must make the journey alone. Her mother writes her cousin’s address in New York on a piece of paper. However, when Gittel arrives at Ellis Island, she discovers the ink has run and the address is illegible! How will she find her family? Both a heart-wrenching and heartwarming story, Gittel’s Journey offers a fresh perspective on the immigration journey to Ellis Island. The book includes an author’s note explaining how Gittel’s story is based on the journey to America taken by Lesléa Newman’s Jewish grandmother and family friend.

Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathmann

It’s the first day of school, and Ruby is new. When her classmate Angela wears a red bow in her hair, Ruby comes back from lunch wearing a red bow, too. When Angela wears a flowered dress, suddenly Ruby’s wearing one, too. Fortunately, Ruby’s teacher knows a better way to help Ruby fit in–by showing how much fun it is to be herself!

Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel

In a letter to his children, a father recounts memories of the role Steve, the tree in their front yard, has played in their lives. Turtleback binding is a highly durable alternative to a hardcover or paperback book. The comprehensive cover reinforcement process will drastically combat wear and tear, keeping your favorite books in great condition for years to come! Turtleback books are ideal for any reader, or for use in schools or libraries.

The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen by Thelma Lynne Godin

Kameeka yearns to continue her hula hooping competition with her rival, Jamara, rather than help prepare for Miz Adeline’s birthday party, and “the itch” almost ruins the party before the girls learn who the real winner is.

That Book Woman by Heather Henson

Cal is not the readin’ type. Living way high up in the Appalachian Mountains, he’d rather help Pap plow or go out after wandering sheep than try some book learning. Nope. Cal does not want to sit stoney-still reading some chicken scratch. But that Book Woman keeps coming just the same. She comes in the rain and in the snow. She comes right up the side of the mountain, and Cal knows that’s not easy riding. And all just to lend his sister some books. Why, that woman must be plain foolish—or is she braver than he ever thought? If you want to talk about the importance of libraries and reading , this book is perfect!

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki

A Japanese American boy learns to play baseball when he and his family are forced to live in an internment camp during World War II, and his ability to play helps him after the war is over.

One Little Bag by Henry Cole

From a tall tree growing in the forest–to the checkout counter at the grocery store–one little bag finds its way into the hands of a young boy on the eve of his first day of school.

And so begins an incredible journey of one little bag that is usedand reusedand reused again.

In a three-generation family, the bag is transporter of objects and keeper of memories. And when Grandfather comes to the end of his life, the family finds a meaningful new way for the battered, but much-loved little bag to continue its journey in the circle of life. A great story for Earth Day to talk about recycling.

Wishes by Mượn Thị Văn

An arresting, poetic journey and a moving reflection on immigration, family, and home, from an acclaimed creative team.

Wishes  tells the powerful, honest story about one Vietnamese family’s search for a new home on the other side of the world, and the long-lasting and powerful impact that makes on one of the youngest members of the family. Inspired by actual events in the author’s life, this is a narrative that is both timely and timeless. Told through the eyes of a young girl, the story chronicles a family’s difficult and powerful journey to pack up what they can carry and to leave their world behind, traveling to a new and unknown place in a crowded boat.

America’s White Table by Margot Theis Raven

The White Table is set in many mess halls as a symbol for and remembrance to service members fallen, missing, or held captive in the line of duty. Solitary and solemn, it is the table where no one will ever sit. As a special gift to her Uncle John, Katie and her sisters are asked to help set the white table for dinner. As their mother explains the significance of each item placed on the table Katie comes to understand and appreciate the depth of sacrifice that her uncle, and each member of the Armed Forces and their families, may be called to give.

The Camping Trip That Changed America by Barb Rosenstock

Caldecott medalist Mordicai Gerstein captures the majestic redwoods of Yosemite in this little-known but important story from our nation’s history. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt joined naturalist John Muir on a trip to Yosemite. Camping by themselves in the uncharted woods, the two men saw sights and held discussions that would ultimately lead to the establishment of our National Parks.

An Angel For Solomon Singer by Cynthia Rylant

Solomon Singer is a middle-aged man who lives in a hotel for men in New York City. One night his solitary wanderings take him into a restaurant where he reads these words on the menu: ”The Westway Cafe — where all your dreams come true. ” A soft-voiced waiter (metaphorically named Angel) welcomes him and invites him back. Each night Singer returns, ordering food and, silently, ordering his wishes for the things he remembers from an Indiana boyhood.

Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

A khimar is a flowing scarf that my mommy wears. Before she walks out the door each day, she wraps one around her head. A young girl plays dress up with her mother’s headscarves, feeling her mother’s love with every one she tries on. Charming and vibrant illustrations showcase the beauty of the diverse and welcoming community in this portrait of a young Muslim American girl’s life.

Undocumented by Duncan Tonatiuh

Undocumented is the story of immigrant workers who have come to the United States without papers. Every day, these men and women join the work force and contribute positively to society. The story is told via the ancient Mixtec codex—accordion fold—format. Juan grew up in Mexico working in the fields to help provide for his family. Struggling for money, Juan crosses over into the United States and becomes an undocumented worker, living in a poor neighborhood, working hard to survive. Though he is able to get a job as a busboy at a restaurant, he is severely undercompensated—he receives less than half of the minimum wage! Risking his boss reporting him to the authorities for not having proper resident papers, Juan risks everything and stands up for himself and the rest of the community.

Galimoto by Karen Williams

Kondi, a seven-year-old African boy, decides to make a galimoto — a toy vehicle — out of scraps of wire. He finds some wire…but it’s not enough, so Kondi searches out more….Gentle text and…soft watercolors capture the essence of life in a contemporary African village.

Four Feet Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams

When relief workers bring used clothing to the refugee camp, everyone scrambles to grab whatever they can. Ten-year-old Lina is thrilled when she finds a sandal that fits her foot perfectly, until she sees that another girl has the matching shoe. But soon Lina and Feroza meet and decide that it is better to share the sandals than for each to wear only one.

As the girls go about their routines — washing clothes in the river, waiting in long lines for water, and watching for their names to appear on the list to go to America — the sandals remind them that friendship is what is most important.

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

Each kindness makes the world a little better

This unforgettable book is written and illustrated by the award-winning team that created The Other Side and the Caldecott Honor winner Coming On Home Soon. With its powerful anti-bullying message and striking art, it will resonate with readers long after they’ve put it down.

Chloe and her friends won’t play with the new girl, Maya. Every time Maya tries to join Chloe and her friends, they reject her. Eventually Maya stops coming to school. When Chloe’s teacher gives a lesson about how even small acts of kindness can change the world, Chloe is stung by the lost opportunity for friendship, and thinks about how much better it could have been if she’d shown a little kindness toward Maya.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Late one winter night a little girl and her father go owling. The trees stand still as statues and the world is silent as a dream. Whoo-whoo-whoo, the father calls to the mysterious nighttime bird. But there is no answer. Wordlessly the two companions walk along, for when you go owling you don’t need words. You don’t need anything but hope. Sometimes there isn’t an owl, but sometimes there is.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction Children’s Books:

Thunder boy jr. by sherman alexie.

Thunder Boy Jr. wants a normal name…one that’s all his own. Dad is known as Big Thunder, but little thunder doesn’t want to share a name. He wants a name that celebrates something cool he’s done like Touch the Clouds, Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth, or Full of Wonder.

But just when Little Thunder thinks all hope is lost, dad picks the best name…Lightning! Their love will be loud and bright, and together they will light up the sky. Also an excellent book for Native American Heritage Month !

Watercress by Andrea Wang

Driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl’s parents stop suddenly when they spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. Grabbing an old paper bag and some rusty scissors, the whole family wades into the muck to collect as much of the muddy, snail covered watercress as they can.

At first, she’s embarrassed. Why can’t her family get food from the grocery store? But when her mother shares a story of her family’s time in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged. Together, they make a new memory of watercress. A great book about Asian Americans and family history.

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Pena

Milo is on a long subway ride with his older sister. To pass the time, he studies the faces around him and makes pictures of their lives. There’s the whiskered man with the crossword puzzle; Milo imagines him playing solitaire in a cluttered apartment full of pets. There’s the wedding-dressed woman with a little dog peeking out of her handbag; Milo imagines her in a grand cathedral ceremony. And then there’s the boy in the suit with the bright white sneakers; Milo imagines him arriving home to a castle with a drawbridge and a butler. But when the boy in the suit gets off on the same stop as Milo–walking the same path, going to the exact same place–Milo realizes that you can’t really know anyone just by looking at them. A great book about imagination and for talking about point of view .

Outside In by Deborah Underwood

Outside is waiting, the most patient playmate of all. The most generous friend. The most miraculous inventor. This thought-provoking picture book poetically underscores our powerful and enduring connection with nature, not so easily obscured by lives spent indoors. Rhythmic, powerful language shows us how our world is made and the many ways Outside comes in to help and heal us, and reminds us that we are all part of a much greater universe. Emotive illustrations evoke the beauty, simplicity, and wonder that await us all . . . outside.

Brick By Brick by Heidi Woodward Sheffield

Papi is a bricklayer, and he works hard every day to help build the city, brick by brick. His son, Luis, works hard too–in school, book by book. Papi climbs scaffolds, makes mortar, and shovels sand. Luis climbs on the playground and molds clay into tiny bricks to make buildings, just like Papi. Together, they dream big about their future as they work to make those dreams come true. And then one Saturday, Papi surprises Luis with something special he’s built for their family, brick by brick.

Small in the City by Sydney Smith

It can be a little scary to be small in a big city, but it helps to know you’re not alone. When you’re small in the city, people don’t see you, and loud sounds can scare you, and knowing what to do is sometimes hard. But this little kid knows what it’s like, and knows the neighborhood. And a little friendly advice can go a long way. A great book about seeing a things in another’s eyes as the child attempts to find her lost cat.

Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayor

Feeling different, especially as a kid, can be tough. But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful.

In  Just Ask , United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities kids (and people of all ages) have. Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges–and looks at the special powers those kids have as well. As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we’re not sure why, all we have to do is  Just Ask .

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He’s finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he’s a great jumper, so he’s not scared at all. “Looks easy,” says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back. He needs to figure out what kind of special jump to do anyway, and he should probably do some stretches before climbing up onto the diving board. In a sweetly appealing tale of overcoming your fear and anxiety , Gaia Cornwall captures a moment between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can’t help but root for.

Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall

Jabari is inventing a machine that will fly all the way across the yard! But making it go from CRASH to WHOOSH will take grit, patience, and maybe even a little help from his sister.

Jabari is making a flying machine in his backyard! “It’ll be easy. I don’t need any help,” he declares. But it doesn’t work! Jabari is frustrated. Good thing Dad is there for a pep talk and his little sister, Nika, is there to assist, fairy wings and all. With the endearing father-child dynamic of Jabari Jumps and engaging mixed-media illustrations, Gaia Cornwall’s tale shows that through perseverance and flexibility, an inventive thought can become a brilliant reality.

Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham

  At Granny’s, Sunday isn’t Sunday without a big family gathering over a lovingly prepared meal. Old enough now, our narrator is finally invited to help cook the dishes for the first time: He joins Granny in grating the cheese, cleaning the greens, and priming the meat for Roscoe Ray’s grill. But just when Granny says they’re finished, her grandson makes his own contribution, sweetening this Sunday gathering—and the many more to come.

Hair Love by Matthew Cherry

Zuri’s hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it’s beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he’ll do anything to make her — and her hair — happy.

Ish by Peter H. Reynolds

Ramon loved to draw. Anytime. Anything. Anywhere.

Drawing is what Ramon does. It¹s what makes him happy. But in one split second, all that changes. A single reckless remark by Ramon’s older brother, Leon, turns Ramon’s carefree sketches into joyless struggles. Luckily for Ramon, though, his little sister, Marisol, sees the world differently. She opens his eyes to something a lot more valuable than getting things just “right.” Combining the spareness of fable with the potency of parable, Peter Reynolds shines a bright beam of light on the need to kindle and tend our creative flames with care.

Playing From the Heart by Peter H. Reynolds

When a young boy begins to play on his family’s piano, reveling in the fun of plunking the keys, his father signs him up for lessons so that he can learn to play properly. With his father’s encouragement, Raj learns notes, then scales, then songs, and finally classical pieces that his father can recognize and be proud of. But the more Raj practices and the more skilled he becomes, the less he enjoys playing, until he grows up and stops playing altogether. But when his father becomes ill and asks Raj to play for him, will Raj remember how to play from the heart?

Blackout by John Rocco

One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, “Mommm!” His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can’t work on her computer, and Dad can’t finish cooking dinner. What’s a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights–in stars that can be seen for a change–and so many neighbors it’s like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun–talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal . . . but not everyone likes normal. The boy switches off the lights, and out comes the board game again.

Hike by Pete Oswald

Take to the trails for a celebration of nature — and a day spent with dad.

In the cool and quiet early light of morning, a father and child wake up. Today they’re going on a hike. Follow the duo into the mountains as they witness the magic of the wilderness, overcome challenges, and play a small role in the survival of the forest. By the time they return home, they feel alive — and closer than ever — as they document their hike and take their place in family history. In detail-rich panels and textured panoramas, Pete Oswald perfectly paces this nearly wordless adventure, allowing readers to pause for subtle wonders and marvel at the views. A touching tribute to the bond between father and child, with resonant themes for Earth Day ,  Hike  is a breath of fresh air.

A Different Pond by Bao Phi

As a young boy, Bao and his father awoke early, hours before his father’s long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. A successful catch meant a fed family. Between hope-filled casts, Bao’s father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam. Thi Bui’s striking, evocative art paired with Phi’s expertly crafted prose has earned this powerful picture books six starred reviews and numerous awards.

My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero

When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she’s always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her. But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there.

Hum and Swish by Matt Myers

It’s a glorious summer day at the shore, and all Jamie wants is to finish her art project in the sand. A little time to herself is all she needs. But everyone around keeps asking her pesky questions she doesn’t know how to answer: what are you making? Aren’t you clever?

Jamie does her best to tune it all out and focus on her creation . . . until she finds a like-minded friend, who’s as happy to work quietly as she is. A great book about creating art .

Crown by Derrick Barnes

The barbershop is where the magic happens. Boys go in as lumps of clay and, with princely robes draped around their shoulders, a dab of cool shaving cream on their foreheads, and a slow, steady cut, they become royalty. That crisp yet subtle line makes boys sharper, more visible, more aware of every great thing that could happen to them when they look good: lesser grades turn into As; girls take notice; even a mother’s hug gets a little tighter. Everyone notices. A fresh cut makes boys  fly .

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes

The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He’s got big plans, and no doubt he’ll see them through–as he’s creative, adventurous, smart, funny, and a good friend. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he’s afraid, because he’s so often misunderstood and called what he is not. So slow down and really look and listen, when somebody tells you–and shows you–who they are. There are superheroes in our midst!

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Ada Twist’s head is full of questions. Like her classmates Iggy and Rosie—stars of their own  New York Times  bestselling picture books  Iggy Peck, Architect  and  Rosie Revere, Engineer —Ada has always been endlessly curious. Even when her fact-finding missions and elaborate scientific experiments don’t go as planned, Ada learns the value of thinking her way through problems and continuing to stay curious.

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

Rosie Revere: currently the most famous children’s book engineer. Rosie Revere dreamed of becoming a great engineer. Where some people see rubbish, Rosie sees inspiration. Alone in her room at night, shy Rosie constructs great inventions from odds and ends. Hot dog dispensers, helium pants, python-repelling cheese hats: Rosie’s gizmos would astound—if she ever let anyone see them.

Afraid of failure, she hides them away under her bed. Until a fateful visit from her great-great-aunt Rose (AKA Rosie the Riveter!), who shows her that the first flop isn’t something to fear—it’s something to celebrate. And you can only truly fail, if you quit. This is one of the great books about perseverance and to inspire engineering activities for elementary students.

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty

Some kids sculpt sand castles. Others make mud pies. Some construct great block towers. But none are better at building than Iggy Peck, who once erected a life-size replica of the Great Sphinx on his front lawn! It’s too bad that few people appreciate Iggy’s talent—certainly not his second-grade teacher, Miss Lila Greer. It looks as if Iggy will have to trade in his T square for a box of crayons . . . until a fateful field trip proves just how useful a mast builder can be.

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty

Every morning, Abuelo walks Sofia to school . . . until one day, when Abuelo hurts his ankle at a local landfill and he can no longer do so. Sofia (aka Sofi) misses her Abuelo and wonders what she can do about the dangerous Mount Trashmore. Then she gets an idea—the town can turn the slimy mess into a park! She brainstorms and plans and finally works up the courage to go to City Hall—only to be told by a clerk that she can’t build a park because she’s just a kid! Sofia is down but not out, and she sets out to prove what one kid can do.

All Because You Matter by Tami Charles

Discover this poignant, timely, and emotionally stirring picture book, an ode to Black and brown children everywhere that is full of hope, assurance, and love.

Carmela Full Of Wishes by Matt De La Peña

When Carmela wakes up on her birthday, her wish has already come true–she’s finally old enough to join her big brother as he does the family errands. Together, they travel through their neighborhood, past the crowded bus stop, the fenced-off repair shop, and the panadería, until they arrive at the Laundromat, where Carmela finds a lone dandelion growing in the pavement. But before she can blow its white fluff away, her brother tells her she has to make a wish. If only she can think of just the right wish to make. Another one of my favorite September read alouds especially for Hispanic Heritage Month !

Last Stop On Market Street by Matt de la Pena

Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don’t own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn’t he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty—and fun—in their routine and the world around them. An amazing diverse picture book !

What If Everybody Said That? by Ellen Javernick

What if everybody chose to be kind?

If you tell someone that they can’t play with you, there’s no harm done, right? But what if everybody said that? What if everybody forgot to be kind―and made fun of other kids’ artwork at school, or told a fib, or refused to share with a person in need? The world wouldn’t be a very nice place to live. But what if everybody thought before they spoke, so the world would be a kinder place? Kids need to learn to be kind to each other which is why this is one of the first September read alouds I do during social emotional learning time!

A Stone For Sascha by Aaron Becker

This year’s summer vacation will be very different for a young girl and her family without Sascha, the beloved family dog, along for the ride. But a wistful walk along the beach to gather cool, polished stones becomes a brilliant turning point in the girl’s grief . There, at the edge of a vast ocean beneath an infinite sky, she uncovers, alongside the reader, a profound and joyous truth. In his first picture book following the conclusion of his best-selling Journey trilogy, Aaron Becker achieves a tremendous feat, connecting the private, personal loss of one child to a cycle spanning millennia — and delivering a stunningly layered tale that demands to be pored over again and again.

A Bike Like Sergio’s by Maribeth Boelts

Finders keepers, right? When Ruben picks up someone’s lost money, he finds out how hard it can be to do the right thing.

Ruben feels like he is the only kid without a bike. His friend Sergio reminds him that his birthday is coming, but Ruben knows that the kinds of birthday gifts he and Sergio receive are not the same. After all, when Ruben’s mom sends him to Sonny’s corner store for groceries, sometimes she doesn’t have enough money for everything on the list. So when Ruben sees a dollar bill fall out of someone’s purse, he picks it up and puts it in his pocket. But when he gets home, he discovers it’s not one dollar or even five or ten—it’s a hundred-dollar bill, more than enough for a new bike just like Sergio’s! But what about the crossed-off groceries? And what about the woman who lost her money?

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. Though Jeremy’s grandma says they don’t have room for “want,” just “need,” when his old shoes fall apart at school, he is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. But sore feet aren’t much fun, and Jeremy soon sees that the things he has — warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend — are worth more than the things he wants.

The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers

There is a wonder and magic to childhood. We don’t realize it at the time, of course . . . yet the adults in our lives do. They encourage us to see things in the stars, to find joy in colors and laughter as we play. But what happens when that special someone who encourages such wonder and magic is no longer around? We can hide, we can place our heart in a bottle and grow up . . . or we can find another special someone who understands the magic. And we can encourage them to see things in the stars, find joy among colors and laughter as they play.

Going Down Home With Daddy by Kelly Lyons

“On reunion morning, we rise before the sun. Daddy hums as he packs our car with suitcases and a cooler full of snacks. He says there’s nothing like going down home.”

Down home is Granny’s house. It’s where Lil Alan and his parents and sister will gather with great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. And down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to their family history. All the kids have to decide what they’ll share, but what will Lil Alan do?

The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad

With her new backpack and light-up shoes, Faizah knows the first day of school is going to be special. It’s the start of a brand new year and, best of all, it’s her older sister Asiya’s first day of hijab–a hijab of beautiful blue fabric, like the ocean waving to the sky. But not everyone sees hijab as beautiful, and in the face of the hurtful, confusing words of bullies, Faizah will find new ways to be strong.

Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes — and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself? Mesmerizing and full of heart, Jessica Love’s author-illustrator debut is a jubilant picture of self-love and a radiant celebration of individuality. A great LGBT children’s book !

Realistic Fiction Chapter Books:

The bridge home by padma venkatraman.

Life is harsh on the teeming streets of Chennai, India, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter–and friendship–on an abandoned bridge that’s also the hideout of Muthi and Arul, two homeless boys, and the four of them soon form a family of sorts.

While making their living scavenging the city’s trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to take pride in, too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves and no longer dependent on untrustworthy adults. But when illness strikes, Viji must decide whether to risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again. Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Caitlin has Asperger’s. The world according to her is black and white; anything in between is confusing. Before, when things got confusing, Caitlin went to her older brother, Devon, for help. But Devon was killed in a school shooting, and Caitlin’s dad is so distraught that he is just not helpful. Caitlin wants everything to go back to the way things were, but she doesn’t know how to do that. Then she comes across the word closure–and she realizes this is what she needs. And in her search for it, Caitlin discovers that the world may not be so black and white after all.

Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

It’s the start of a new year at Snow Hill School, and seven students find themselves thrown together in Mr. Terupt’s fifth grade class. There’s . . .  Jessica , the new girl, smart and perceptive, who’s having a hard time fitting in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next;  Peter , class prankster and troublemaker;  Luke , the brain;  Danielle , who never stands up for herself; shy  Anna , whose home situation makes her an outcast; and  Jeffrey , who hates school. They don’t have much in common, and they’ve never gotten along. Not until a certain new teacher arrives and helps them to find strength inside themselves—and in each other. But when Mr. Terupt suffers a terrible accident, will his students be able to remember the lessons he taught them? Or will their lives go back to the way they were before—before fifth grade and before Mr. Terupt?

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.   Thus begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She’s spent years trying to teach David the rules from “a peach is not a funny-looking apple” to “keep your pants on in public” — in order to head off David’s embarrassing behaviors.But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she’s always wished for, it’s her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie’s picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton; she also has to contend with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who’s determined to sabotage the contest.

But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship — and challenge each of them to come to the rescue in unexpected ways.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It’s practically another member of the family. So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are.

Conclusion: Best Realistic Fiction Books For 3rd Graders

What are some of your favorite realistic fiction books for 3rd graders? Are there any must read realistic fiction books for 3rd graders that I left out? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it!

Other Great 3rd Grade Read Aloud Stories

Looking for other great 3rd grade read alouds? Here are a few more to explore:

Best 3rd Grade Picture Books

Author Study 3rd Grade – The Ultimate List of Books

Summer Reading List for 3rd Grade

32 Black History Month 3rd Grade Books

20 New Back to School Books for 3rd Grade

37 Narrative Nonfiction Books For 3rd Grade

50 Read Aloud Books For 3rd Grade

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Free Printable Realistic Fiction Worksheets for 3rd Grade

Realistic Fiction: Discover a collection of free printable Reading & Writing worksheets for Grade 3 students, crafted by Quizizz, to help them dive into the world of realistic fiction stories and enhance their literary skills.

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Explore printable Realistic Fiction worksheets for 3rd Grade

Realistic Fiction worksheets for Grade 3 are an excellent resource for teachers looking to engage their students in the world of Reading & Writing. These worksheets provide a creative outlet for young learners to explore and develop their Fiction Writing skills, while also improving their reading comprehension and critical thinking abilities. By incorporating relatable characters, settings, and situations, Grade 3 students can better connect with the stories and lessons presented in these worksheets. Teachers can use these materials to introduce new concepts, reinforce previously learned skills, and assess student progress in their Reading & Writing journey. With a variety of topics and themes to choose from, Realistic Fiction worksheets for Grade 3 offer a versatile and engaging tool for educators to enhance their students' learning experience.

Quizizz is an innovative platform that not only offers Realistic Fiction worksheets for Grade 3 but also provides a wide range of additional resources for teachers to utilize in their classrooms. This interactive platform allows educators to create and share quizzes, polls, and other activities that can be easily integrated into their lesson plans. By incorporating Quizizz into their Reading & Writing curriculum, teachers can provide their Grade 3 students with a more engaging and interactive learning experience. The platform also offers valuable insights and analytics, allowing educators to track student progress and identify areas for improvement. With Quizizz, teachers can access a wealth of resources and tools to support their Grade 3 students' growth in Fiction Writing and other essential skills.

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Fictional Narrative Writing (Grades 2-5)

The Step-By-Step Way to Get Your Students Writing a Fictional Narrative

When it comes to writing fiction, your students may feel intimidated. They aren’t writing about themselves, they are actually being creative and making up a story. This can make them feel shy, reluctant to write, or even embarrassed to share.

I have broken these units down into easy to implement lesson plans and have included all of the materials you need to guide your students through the process of crafting a fictional narrative.

Each Fictional Narrative Writing Unit (Grades 2-5) has 12 lessons . The lessons can be implemented at an easy pace—spread out over four weeks, or can be condensed to be taught in a shorter time period.

Since there are twelve fictional narrative lessons, you have time to build in any of your own mini lessons you feel your class needs. (For instance, if you see your students are struggling with a particular skill, such as capitalizing proper nouns, you can spend a day practicing that skill without falling behind with the unit.)

These lessons are included: 1. Brainstorming Characters & Settings 2. Fictional Narrative Organizer 3. Setting the Scene 4. Introducing the Problem (Conflict for 4th & 5th Grade) 5.Sequential Unfolding of Events 6. Character Responds to Events 7. Elaborating on Character Response 8. Sense of Closure 9. Show, Don’t Tell 10. Editing With a Partner 11. Revising & Revisiting the Rubric 12. Publishing

The units include a student friendly rubric as well as a checklist they can use as they write. They help keep students focused on the skills taught during the unit, without overwhelming them.

Posters are provided to help teach certain skills. You can print them and put them in students’ writing notebooks. This allows them to reference them at any time.

FAQ: I teach multiple grade levels. Are the units different? The units are mostly similar, but include different mentor texts, and have different examples in the centers. There are a few other minor differences throughout the units that reflect grade level expectations.

Click the images below to see more & preview the fictional narrative unit for your grade level.

• Personal Narrative Writing (Grades 2-5)
• Opinion Piece Writing (Grades 2-5) 
• Informational Report Writing (Grades 2-5)  
• Biography Writing (Grades 2-5) 

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Teaching Students to Write Biography Reports

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Realistic fiction writing prompts

Realistic Fiction Writing Prompt Task Cards + FREE Spanish

Realistic Fiction Writing Prompts for Google and Seesaw + FREE Spanish

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Narrative Writing Prompts – Highlighting Realistic Fiction

Realistic Fiction Writing Prompt Bundle + FREE Spanish

Realistic Fiction Writing Prompts

Digital Realistic Fiction Writing Prompts + FREE Spanish

Realistic Fiction Writing : Narrative Prompt , Project & Activities 4th 5th Grade

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Realistic Fiction - Narrative Fiction Writing Prompt Task Cards

Halloween Realistic Fiction Writing Prompt

The Adventure Dogs 3rd Grade Realistic Fiction Writing Prompts with Pictures

No Prep Realistic Fiction Writing Prompt Ideas Chart + FREE Spanish

First Chapter Friday Journal Prompts ( Realistic Fiction )

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts - Realistic Fiction & Opinion

REALISTIC FICTION Prompt #2 - Creative Writing , Brainstorm, Outline, Story!

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16 REALISTIC FICTION CREATIVE WRITING PROMPTS -- BUNDLE!! --

Realistic Fiction Prompt 1 - Creative Writing , Brainstorm, Outline, Story!

Christmas Writing Prompts - Realistic Fiction and Opinion

Realistic Fiction Journal Prompts (for analyzing & reflecting)

Realistic Fiction : Creative Writing Prompts for 12-18 years

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ECONOMICS: REALISTIC FICTION WRITING PROMPT: BUYING BREAD

Daily Picture Writing Prompt Slides 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Grade Creative Story Writing

The Relatives Came { Realistic Fiction Mini Unit}

Creative Writing Prompts Choice Boards Writing Topics for High School English

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