Chapter books are books written for kids aged 6-10. There are still illustrations on almost every page, but they are usually black and white, and text is still needed to understand the story. The print is usually bigger and easier to read, and there are often ten chapters. These are almost always published as series, because once kids find one they like, they want more. The plots are usually fairly simple. Here are some of our favorite series from over the years.
The Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne
The Magic Treehouse series centers around siblings Jack and Annie Smith from the small fictional town of Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Each adventure originates in their treehouse, but takes them to cool and magical places “around the world and throughout history!” With titles like Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, Sunset of the Sabertooth, Vacation Under The Volcano, and a total of 28 other exciting books, kids are sure to find topics that keep them excited and engaged in reading!
Rainbow Magic by Daisy Meadows
Rainbow Magic by Daisy Meadows is a series that includes over 200 books! Within the overall series are a slew of smaller series of 4 to 7 books focused on a central theme. Such topics include The Weather Fairies, The Endangered Animal Fairies, The Party Fairies, The Helping Fairies, Sport, Music, Princess, Superstar, and so many more! Most books also include a mix of actual events, like school, sports, and attending Brownie meetings, as well as fantasy, such as visiting fairy lands. This makes it easy for readers to connect to the story and have a bit of adventure, too!
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
The Flat Stanley series starts when Stanley gets flattened by a bulletin board—and discovers that being ½” thick has its perks! Flat Stanley can be rolled up and mailed, or flown like a kite, for example. In the fabulous series, Stanley’s adventures continue. While he isn’t always flat in every book, each one is filled with some sort of adventure, such as turning invisible, magic genies, going to space, and more! Plus, there’s a worldwide adventure set that takes Stanley across the world to Africa, Australia, France, and more. And each character in the adventure set has a great historical aspect involved. A great series for this age group!
Geronimo Stilton/Thea Stilton by Geronimo Stilton
Geronimo Stilton is another huge series, with over 75 books, not including additional special editions, graphic novels, or the 30-plus books in the Thea Stilton series. Geronimo Stilton is a mouse (and the author of the series) living on Mouse Island as a journalist and publisher of a famous newspaper. Geronimo himself is a very quiet and polite mouse who prefers a quiet, normal life; however, in each story he somehow ends up involved in far-away adventures with various characters, including his sister, Thea. These books are fun and exciting, and most are written in an almost autobiographical format.
I Survived Series by Lauren Tarshis
The I Survived Series is a thrilling series detailing actual events from history. There are over 20 books in the series, and each is told from the perspective of the survivor! Stories include events like volcanic eruptions, sinking ships, hurricanes, shark attacks, and more! While these books are still considered fiction, they bring to life many historical events and help kids become interested in history and reading! Win-win!
Cam Janson by David A. Adler
Cam’s real name is Jennifer, but she’s known as “the Camera” for her amazing memory. These books are great entry into the mystery genre, as each story is filled with mysterious cases to solve! Readers will follow along as Cam uses her photographic memory to solve mysteries from missing monkeys to school play divas! Plus, Cam is a great role model for children - she’s full of wit, curiosity, and uses her intelligence for good!
My Weird School by Dan Gutman
My Weird School is a very fun series that features A.J., his friends, and their super weird school! AJ is a second grader at Ella Mentry School, and each book in the series focuses on an adult who is seriously weird. From food fights, teachers thrown in jail, a principal who finds himself stuck at the top of a flag pole, and so much more, there’s no shortage of hilarity! And aside from all this crazy stuff, the stories are actually quite relatable to a typical elementary school when it comes to dynamics of friends, homework, and more. Plus, there are over 20 books to choose from! And if your readers finish this series and want more, the author has written a third grade follow-up called (My Weird School Daze), as well as a fourth-grade series (My Weirder School), with another series on the way!
Who Would Win Series by Jerry Pallotta
In each of these Who Would Win Series, two unlikely animals or creatures are paired together in a theoretical match up. Lions vs. Tigers, Komodo Dragons vs. King Cobras, Tarantulas vs. Scorpions, and 9 other awesome matchups make up the series. The author provides tons of facts and content-related vocabulary, so your child will learn lots about each animal! From size, body type, where they live, adaptations, what they eat, interesting facts, and so much more, there’s a ton of information to help kids better understand each animal AND decide who would win! After roughly 30 pages of facts and information, the theoretical battle takes place over several pages, and a winner is deemed victorious!
A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy
A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy is a great mystery series that features three third grade friends: Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose from Green Lawn, Connecticut. In each book, the friends solve different crimes and mysteries. With 26 books in all, and each with its own clever title, like “The Absent Author” or “The Canary Caper,” readers can go in alphabetical order or “skip around without missing anything!” This is a great chapter book series with just the right number of words and fun illustrations scattered throughout!
Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows
Ivy and Bean are unlikely friends. While Bean loves to run around and yell, Ivy spends most of her time quietly reading books. So when their parents pair them as friends, they initially think there is NO WAY that will happen! Luckily for us, Ivy and Bean realize that their differences actually make life way more fun! Each book is full of their “adventures and disasters.” From finding a ghost at school to visiting forbidden dark places and trying to cast spells, these two have lots of fun while creating some trouble along the way. And not to worry—there are illustrations every few pages to help aid comprehension!