Three for third grade

Third grade is an exciting time for readers. It's the stage in which many children begin their foray into chapter books, or junior novels. Here are three great ones:

White, E. B., Garth Williams, and Edith Goodkind Rosenwald. Charlotte's Web. New York: Harper, 1952.

Even arachnophobes can't help but to fall in love with Charlotte the Spider.

Atwater, Richard, Atwater, Florence, and Lawson, Robert. Mr. Popper's Penguins. Little, Brown, 1938.

Mr. Popper the House Painter dreams of visiting the polar regions. His life changes when he writes a fan letter to Admiral Drake the Explorer and receives a live penguin in return.

Dahl, Roald, and Quentin Blake. The Twits. New York: Scholastic, 1980.

The twits are a miserable old married couple who play hilarious tricks on each other. They're kind of like the Lockhorns, only funnier. Much of the humor is geared for adults, but kids love it, too.

ps. You may also want to check out books by Beverly Cleary, Daniel Pinkwater, Patricia Reilly Giff, and Jon Scieszka.