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Why read?

Reading is a great activity that can help you in many ways.

 

Reading is fun.

 

Reading is a building block for learning.

Reading lets you imagine and develop creativity. 

Reading gives you a wider view.

 

Reading helps you see yourself, others, and the world.

 

You can relate things you read to what is happening in your own world.

When you improve in reading, you improve in other language skills including writing, speaking, and listening.

Reading is an important skill for a job. 

Reading develops the mind. 

Reading helps you discover new things.

 

Things you read can inspire you. 

Reading helps you practice skills in:

thinking

logic

understanding

comprehension

vocabulary

communication

cause and effect

Quotes
Reading tips

"A book is a dream that you hold in your hand."

- Neil Gaiman

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."

- Joseph Addison

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

- Dr. Seuss

"A good book has no ending."

- R. D. Cumming

"Books are good company, in sad times and happy times."

- E. B. White

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers."

-Charles William Eliot

"We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel, an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become."

-Ursula K. Le Guin

How to read more often:

Choose a book over a video game, television, or other screen type of entertainment. Keep a reading log. Set a goal to read at least 20 minutes a day. Use time wisely by reading when you are waiting for something. Visit your local library about once a week.Look for ebooks and websites with reading topics.

Questions to ask before reading:

What does the title tell you about the book?

What does the cover tell you about the book?

What do you think the book is about?

What do you already know about this book?

What do you want to learn from the book?

Why do you want to read this book?

Questions to ask during reading:

What pictures do you see in the illustrations or in your head as you read the words?

What do you think will happen next?

What is the problem in the book?

Who are the characters in the book, and what are they doing?

Questions to ask after reading:

Where was the setting?

How did the characters change by the end of the book?

Which character did you like best and why?

What was your favorite part of the book and why?

Was there a part of the book you disliked and why?

How to be a better reader:

Find reading material that interests you and is a good reading level for you. Don't limit reading to only books, also use the internet, magazines, and comics. Read in a comfortable place. Read together with someone. Take breaks to restore concentration.

Reading List

2nd grade

My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza

Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton

David Gets In Trouble by David Shannon

Binky the Cat by Ashley Spires

Ivy and Bean by Barrows

Tumtum and Nutmeg by Bearn

Violet Mackerel by Branford

Flat Stanley by Brown

Chicken Squad by Cronin

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by DiCamillo

Nikki and Deja by English

Princess Posey by Greene

Just Grace by Harper

Ballpark Mysteries by Kelly

Alvin Ho by Look

Stink by McDonald

Lulu and the Duck in the Park by McKay

Nancy Clancy by O’Connor

Clementine by Pennypacker

A to Z Mysteries by Roy

No-Dogs-Allowed Rule by Sheth

Geronimo Stilton / Thea Stilto by Stilton

Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Viorst

Daisy Dawson by Voake

Ellray Jakes by Warner

 

3rd grade

Stuart Little by E.B. White

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

The BFG by Roald Dahl

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Lincoln and His Boys by Rosemary Wells

Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke Sarah, Plain and Tall

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

The Twits by Roald Dahl

Time Warp Trio Series by Jon Scieszka

 

4th grade

Charlotte’s Web by E.B.White

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli

The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

Gentle Ben by Walt Morey

Hang Tough Paul Mathier by Alfred Slote

Indian in the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks

The Mandie Books by Lois Gladys Leppard

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert O’Brien

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

The Paint Brush Kid by Clyde Robert Bulla

The Song of the Trees by Mildred D. Taylor

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardner

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

 

5th grade

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry

The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Downriver by Will Hobbs

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker

Around the World by Matt Phelan

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

The Wizard of Oz series by L. Frank Baum

Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng

Gregor the Overlander (The Underland Chronicles) by Suzanne Collins

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Dragon Rider and Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

The Unseen World of Poppy Malone series by Suzanne Harper

The Orge of Oglefort by Eva Ibbotson

Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Pendragon series by D. J. MacHale

The Doll People trilogy by Ann M. Martin

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott

© 2025 by Reading Balloon

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