This list of the best first chapter books for six to ten year olds is important because let’s face it: boys and girls don’t always enjoy the same kinds of books. children are known to be reluctant readers, especially when they are younger. if you have one that enjoys reading, then you (and him)! but usually when kids start reading they like funny stories, adventure stories, fantasy, science fiction and a good dose of graphic novels. And that’s what I’ve included in this list, minus the fantasy.
All of these books are series, which is great for kids to come back to. I have listed the first book in the series. I’ve also broken this list down into early chapter books for kids for first & second grade and books for third and fourth grade. still, it is worth mentioning that children read what they can, want and enjoy. and reading levels vary, so feel free to choose books that suit your children. I have also tried to select books that present good role models, and not ones in which naughty children never face any consequences.
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Best Chapter Books for First and Second Grade Boys
ellray jakes is not a chicken
ellray jakes is tired of being bullied by his classmate jared matthews. but when ellray tries to defend himself against him, he ends up in trouble. so his dad offers him a deal: if he doesn’t get in trouble for a week, they’ll go to disneyland! Ellay says that he can do it. but saying it and doing it are two very different things.
andy shane and the very bossy Dolores Starbuckle
andy shane didn’t want to be in school. she didn’t want to be at the morning meeting. she didn’t want to sit up straight on the rug. Andy Shane would rather be at home catching bugs with Granny Webb than sitting in class with know-it-all Dolores Starbuckle. At any moment, Dolores is likely to yell, ‘Mrs. janice, someone is not sitting properly! or “mrs. Janice, someone is misusing the math materials! (referring to him, of course). At the time of the rhyme, the words bug and rug get stuck in Andy’s throat as Dolores yells out of turn, “fuss and kalamazoo!”
“I hate school,” he snaps at the end of the day to grandma webb, who is understanding but firm. But when Grandma pays a surprise visit to the school with a monarch caterpillar, everyone is mesmerized and Ella Andy Ella remembers how much he himself knows about insects. Even Dolores Starbuckle can’t help but be impressed!
truman the dog (my furry foster family)
“t” is for truman, tricks and trouble. Truman the black Labrador may be an older rescue dog, but he still has enough mischief under his collar to keep eight-year-old Kaita Takano and his foster family on their toes from morning till night. Chewed from cover to cover, the playfully illustrated chapter book narrated by Kaita promises plenty of canine fun.
charlie & mouse
four fun children’s stories, two witty brothers, an irresistible, award-winning chapter book for beginners, now in paperback! Join Charlie and Mouse as they talk to the lumps, take the neighborhood to a party, sell some rocks, and invent the sleeping banana. With imagination and humor, Laurel Snyder and Emily Hughes paint a lively picture of sisterhood that children will enjoy in a beginner chapter book format. making this a perfect book for young readers graduating from picture books.
peter, first grade hero
Spend some time with Pedro, Katie Woo’s fun-loving friend. From a dune buggy disaster to a run for class president, Pedro has what it takes to be the first grade hero. No matter what he’s doing, Pedro is always up for fun and adventure.
mainly monty: first grader
A shy boy with asthma begins first grade—and grows himself—in this engaging story for early chapter book readers.
Monty, age six, doesn’t have a brother, sister, or pet. what she does have is asthma, which sometimes makes it hard for her to breathe and often makes her feel like she’d rather be someone else. and now that he’s starting first grade, he’s very nervous about being with all those kids he won’t meet. Luckily, he loves to read, even really hard books, and he has a talent for finding things from a cocooning caterpillar to classmates who want to be in his own club. With familiar situations and gentle humor, Johanna Hurwitz follows an endearing character as she discovers that being himself can be quite a good thing after all.
7 x 9 = trouble!
Wilson Williams is worried about passing his times table tests
wilson has difficulty with math, especially with mrs. Porter’s timed multiplication tests. if only he was as fast as laura vicks, the smartest kid in third grade, or as fast as his brother, kipper, a kindergartener. Wilson’s mom and dad try to help, but Wilson doesn’t like having to do practice tests on a play date. Fortunately, his friend Josh Hernandez is a comfort, as is Doodles, the class hamster. Wilson is sure that with his own little animal squealing and snuggling up next to him, he could learn anything. but his mom doesn’t like pets. So Wilson continues to fight bravely, hoping that one day in the not-too-distant future, he will pass all the tests of the multiplication table. then surprisingly, kipper comes to the rescue.
With sensitivity and humor, Claudia Mills examines a common childhood fear and a common family experience. gram. brian karas offers tender and funny images.
stink: the amazing shrinking boy
shrink, shrink, shrink!
Every morning, Judy Moody’s measurements suck and they’re always the same: three feet eight inches tall. stink feels like even the newt in the class is growing faster than he is. then, one day, the rule says: can it be? three feet seven and three quarters of an inch! is the stench reducing? he tries everything to make him look like he’s growing out, but wearing top-to-bottom stripes and spiky hair doesn’t fool anyone into thinking he’s taller. If only you could ask James Madison, the hero of Stink and the smallest person to ever serve as President of the United States.
In stink’s first solo adventure, his special style becomes apparent, enhanced by a series of comic strips, drawn by stink himself, that are scattered throughout the book. From “The Adventures of Stink on the Shrinking Monster” to “The Adventures of Stink on Newt in Shining Armor,” these hilarious home sagas reflect the familiar voice of a young boy who imagines himself with superpowers to deal with the tribulations of everyday life. including the occasional banter from a bossy older sister!
here’s hank: bookmarks are people too! #1
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hank stars as the same hank as in the hit series hank zipzer, only this time he’s in second grade! Hank is a kid who doesn’t try to be funny, but somehow always makes the kids in his class laugh. he’s pretty bad at memorizing things, and spelling is his worst subject. (But so is math and reading!) In the first book of this new series, Hank’s class is putting on a play and Hank wants the lead: a water fly. but he freezes at hearing him and can only buzz like a fly. his teacher creates a special part for hank, a silent marker. This may seem like an insignificant role, but when his nemesis, Nick McKelty, freezes during the performance, it’s up to Hank to save the play!
narwhal: unicorn of the sea (a book of narwhals and jellyfish #1)
the narwhal is a happy-go-lucky narwhal. jelly is a sensible jellyfish. The two of them may not have much in common, but they love waffles, parties, and adventures. Join Narwhal and Jelly as they discover the wide ocean together.
a wonderfully silly first series of graphic novels featuring three stories. In the first one, Jelly learns that the narwhal is a very good friend. Then the narwhal and jelly form their own pod of wonder with their ocean friends. and lastly, narwhal and jelly read the best book ever, even though it has no words…no pictures!
ben clanton showcases the joys of friendship, the benefits of working together, and the power of imagination in the enchanting narwhal: unicorn of the sea.
Detective Camp (A-Z Mysteries Super Issue #1)
Welcome to Detective Summer Camp! kids are looking forward to spending a week following clues and learning about the science of crime solving. soon all the campers are working on a mystery. But while Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose are figuring out their piece of the puzzle, they stumble upon something fishy. Could a real crime be happening at detective camp?
best chapter books for third and fourth graders
a boy named bat
for bixby alexander tam (nicknamed bat), life tends to be full of surprises, some good, some not so good. today, however, is a good day of surprises. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she must care for until she can deliver it to a wildlife shelter.
but the moment the bat meets the kit, it knows they belong to each other. And he has a month to show her mom that a baby skunk would make a great pet.
the carver chronicles: dog days
It’s hard being the new kid at Carver Elementary. Gavin had a lot of friends at his old school, but the kids here don’t even know that he’s pretty good at skateboarding or how amazing he is at soccer. And when his classmate Richard arrives and the boys end up in trouble, Gavin not only risks losing his new friend, but he has to take care of his Great Aunt Myrtle’s hideous little dog as punishment. To make matters worse, Gavin appears to have attracted the attention of the school bully. Will he be able to avoid getting hit at the skate park? And how is he going to show that he’s okay with a little barking pomeranian wearing a pink bow next to him?
weekends with max and his dad
max and his dad love weekends together. weekends mean pancakes, pizza, spy games, dog walking, school projects, and amazing neighbors. Every weekend Ella hosts a little adventure as Max gets to know her dad’s new neighborhood and learns new ways to think about home. Acclaimed author Linda Urban deftly portrays the inner world of a third grader during a time of transition in this sweet and humorous illustrated story that bridges the beginning reader and the middle grade novel.
road trip with max and his mom
3rd grader max goes on a road trip with mom. With miles to travel, cousins to meet, and a tall roller coaster to ride (maybe), it’s going to be an adventure! but max always spends the weekends with dad; Will dad be okay if he stays behind? Will max be brave enough for all the new explorations that lie ahead?
bobby against girls (accidentally) (bobby against girls)
With the hilarious adventures of Bobby Ellis-Chan, Lisa Yee and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat bring their gifts for finding the funny (and the truth) in everyday situations to chapter-book readers.
meet robert carver ellis-chan, a perfectly normal fourth grader who gets himself into perfectly crazy situations. Like when he ran for class president and discovered his older sister’s panties (static-) stuck to the back of her sweater. or when he got stuck in the rare sticky (and stinky) koloff tree on a hike. . . . then there’s his family: a busy mom, a former pro soccer player dad, a bossy older sister and an adoring younger sister, and his best friends (one of whom is a secret, because she’s a *girl* ). Life can be complicated for Bobby, but he’s going to be fine.
dog man: from the creator of captain underpants (dog man #1)
george and harold have created a new kind of justice. With the head of a dog and the body of a human, this heroic hound burrows into deception, scratches thieves, tramples thieves and scampers after squirrels. Will he be able to resist the call of nature to answer the call of duty?
Dav Pilkey’s popular Dog Man series appeals to readers of all ages and explores universally positive themes such as empathy, kindness, persistence, and the importance of being true to yourself.
alvin ho: allergic to girls, school and other scary things
Alvin, an Asian American second grader, is afraid of everything: elevators, tunnels, girls, and most of all, school. he is so afraid of school that, while he is there, he never, ever says a word. But at home he’s a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, brother to Calvin and Anibelly, and a knight in training, so he can be like his father.
the mouse and the motorcycle
When the ever-curious Ralph sees Keith’s red toy motorcycle, he vows to ride it. So when Keith leaves the bike unattended in his room one day, Ralph makes the move on him. but with all this freedom (and speed!) comes many obstacles. Whether it’s fending off a noisy terrier or keeping his nosy cousins away from his new wheels, Ralph has plenty to do! And with a friend like Keith always looking out for him, there’s nothing this little mouse can’t handle.
george brown, class clown: super burp! #1
The first day at a new school is always the hardest, right? no, not always like george finds out the hard way. On the second day at… Sugarman Elementary School, he’s suddenly attacked by uncontrollable burps, burps so loud they practically break the sound barrier, burps that make him do wild and crazy things and get him into trouble with a capital T. One thing is for sure: these are not normal burps, they are magical burps, and they need to stop! but how?
school is alive!: a branch book (elementary eerie #1)
eerie elementary is one scary school! This series is part of Scholastic’s line of opening chapter books called Branches, which is aimed at new independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will build reading confidence and stamina. branch books help readers grow! In this first book in the series, Sam Graves discovers that his elementary school is alive! Sam learns of this on his first day as the school’s hall monitor. Sam must defend himself and his classmates against the evil school! Is Sam up to the challenge? he will soon find out: the play is just around the corner. Sam teams up with his friends Lucy and Antonio to stop this scary school before it’s too late!
penguin problems (the life of ty book 1)
Winnie Perry’s sweet little brother, Ty, is the quintessential dreamer, full of big ideas and wacky plans only a seven-year-old could hatch. Whether battling the family cat with a dustpan or smuggling a baby penguin out of the aquarium, Ty is always in the middle of a well-intentioned and big-hearted scheme. In the spirit of Judy Moody’s Stink spin-off series, Ty will find his way into the funny hearts and bones of a whole new generation of Myracle fans.
the adventures of captain underpants: color edition (captain underpants #1)
george and harold are a pair of class clowns. the only thing they enjoy more than playing practical jokes is creating their own comics. And together they created the greatest superhero in their elementary school history: Captain Underpants! His real identity from him is so secret that even he doesn’t know who he is!
car spotter #1
the beginning of a new and exciting series about the irresistible no. 1, whose hobby is spotting cars but who is good at solving all kinds of problems for his village.
When the family car breaks down and there’s no way to get the produce to market, it’s no. 1 who invents the toyota cow-rolla and saves the day. he runs errands for his family and helps mama coke feed the buses full of people who stop for her delicious fried akara. No. 1 even helps grandma get to the medical center when she can’t afford treatment.
calvin coco: problem magnet
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calvin, a fourth grader, lives near the beach in oahu with his mother and little sister. mom says, “you are the man of the house”. But Calvin is not good at being the man of the house or taking on his responsibilities. he is too busy having fun with his friends and avoiding tito the bully.
Trouble Magnet is the first book in a new series for younger readers filled with all the fun of growing up in Hawaii. features a wonderful multicultural cast of characters, including mr. Purdy, who calls his fourth-grade class boot camp; Uncle Scoop, who drives the lunch cart on the beach; ledward, 6’7″ mom’s boyfriend; and the beautiful and intimidating 15-year-old Stella from Texas, who arrives to be the live-in nanny and step all over Calvin’s territory.
a bear named paddington
the classic novel about paddington, who is now a big movie star!
paddington bear had traveled from peru when the browns first met him at paddington station. since then, their lives have never been the same. . . because ordinary things become extraordinary when it comes to a bear named paddington.
horrible henry
Horrid Henry and his cranky neighbor Margaret decide to make it as sloppy, slimy, slimy, gooey, smelly, sticky, gooey, gummy, greasy, and lumpy as possible. Is it the best thing in the world or the worst thing that has happened to them? plus three other stories so funny we can’t even mention them here.
freddie ramos takes off (power shoe)
one day freddie ramos comes home from school and finds a strange box just for him. what’s inside? shoe power-shoes that change freddie’s life giving him super speed! But what will Freddie do with his speedy new abilities? Strange things are happening in the Starwood Park apartments where he lives, and his friends at school need his help. is freddie ramos ready to be a hero? In this imaginative new story from Jacqueline Jules, an ordinary boy from an inner city learns to use his newfound powers for good. illustrations by miguel benítez add a touch of comic book style to this chapter book adventure.
the miniature world of marvin & james (the adventures of the masterpiece, 1)
In this adventure masterpiece, the first in a companion series for younger readers from bestselling author Elise Broach, James goes on vacation for a week. her best friend, marvin the beetle, has to stay home. Without James to keep him company, Marvin has to play with her annoying cousin, Elaine. Marvin and Elaine quickly find themselves in all kinds of trouble, including getting trapped inside a pencil sharpener! Marvin misses James and begins to worry about their friendship. Will James still be friends with Marvin when he gets home or will he have found a new best friend?
all about sam
Sam Krupnik finally gets to tell his side of life with his older sister, Lowry’s popular Anastasia Krupnik.
roscoe riley rule #1: never hit your friends on chairs
When his classmates can’t sit still for a big school presentation, Roscoe Riley takes matters into his own hands with a generous dose of super-mega-gonzo glue, which his mom calls “don’t you dare.” . glue because roscoe isn’t supposed to use it.
roscoe doesn’t mean to break the rules, he just can’t help it! After all, his teacher’s job could be on the line and desperate times call for desperate measures.
roscoe and his comical misadventures will appeal to fans of megan mcdonald’s stinky series; nancy krulik’s george brown, class clown series; rebecca elliott’s owl diaries series; and dan gutman’s weirdest school series. This redesigned edition includes Roscoe Riley’s time-out activities, with lists, games, and more.
Ballpark Mysteries #1: The Fenway Trouble
thanks to kate’s mom, a sports reporter, cousins mike walsh and kate hopkins have tickets to the red sox game and all the passes to fenway park. But while watching batting practice before the game, Red Sox star slugger Big D’s lucky bat is stolen. . . right in front of dozens of people. without the bat, the big d can’t seem to hit anything. can kate and mike figure out who pinched the bat before big d and the sox scored a loss?
bad beauty
bella is the best dog a family could wish for. only her family, the mcbrides, don’t see it that way.
since mrs. McBride’s belly started to grow, they don’t seem to appreciate the way Bella wipes the crumbs off the kitchen floor or how she’s always down to play after a long day. And when Belle’s valiant attempt to save the Christmas tree ends in disaster, she quickly finds herself abandoned in the kennel.
As she realizes she’s unwanted, Bella is heartbroken. What did she do wrong?
Things look bleak until a kind couple, the roses, take Belle in. His new life is filled with wonderful things like parks and snow globes, vanilla ice cream, and the National Geographic Channel. but as the weather turns cold again, the roses start to act strange and beautiful wonders if she can really trust them. Do they really love her or is history about to repeat itself?
Can Bella find a real home in time for Christmas this year?
there they are: 33 of the best first chapter books for children between the ages of six and ten! Whether your child is in first, second, third, or fourth grade, I hope they find some fun options here. Do you want more books for boys (and girls) of different ages? take a look at these lists:
more books for boys (and girls)
- 77 best middle grade books for kids (about kids!)
- best chapter books for second graders
- fun middle grade books to make you laugh
- li>
- the 35 best books for third graders
- the 33 best books for fourth graders
- the 25 best books for fifth graders
- the 25 chapter books for beginning readers
Which of these best first chapter books for kids have you read? and which one would you recommend? I’d love to know!
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