Grade 2: overview

Second graders, here are some books you might like!

Click the book titles to see if the books are currently available in our library.

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.

Ever since Stanley Lambchop was flattened by a bulletin board every trip is an adventure! The whole Lambchop family is off to see Mount Rushmore. But when Flat Stanley and his brother, Arthur, team up with a scrappy cowgirl named Calamity Jasper, their vacation turns into the Wild West experience of a lifetime. Pretty soon, they find themselves in a real tight spot—even for a flat boy like Stanley!

This illustrated chapter book is great fun. Zack is moving to a new planet! Everyone will enjoy reading far out series because it’s fun and relatable.

A MUST-READ series for all kids! These combine mystery, history, magic, and adventure as siblings Jack and Annie adventure through time.

Meet Ricky Ricotta, a little mouse with a big problem! Ricky has a hard time making friends at school, and the neighborhood bullies are always picking on him. If only Ricky could find someone to be his best buddy and keep those creepy bullies away! Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a mad scientist named Dr. Stinky McNasty has created a Mighty Robot who is as gentle as he is powerful. Dr. Stinky plans to make the Robot destroy Squeakyville, but there's one little thing in his way: Ricky Ricotta! When Ricky rescues the Robot, an unlikely friendship begins. And Ricky discovers that a little mouse can be a BIG hero -- with some help from his new best friend!

This series is full of adventure, action and dinosaurs!

Join Jamie and Tom as they dig for fossils and find a whole world of adventure.

Geronimo Stilton is a newspaper writer/adventurist. These books share his adventures with interesting fonts and colorful illustrations.

The Poppers unexpectedly come into possession of a penguin, then get a penguin from the zoo who mates with the first penguin to have 10 baby penguins. Before long, something must be done before they eat the Poppers out of house and home!

This 9-book collection of Dr. KittyCat Books is purr-fect for young readers! Super cute photographs of real puppies and kittens combine with hand-drawn colorful line art to give this set a completely unique look. Includes the following Posy the Puppy, Clover the Bunny, Daisy the Kitten, Willow the Duckling, Nutmeg the Guinea Pig, Pumpkin the Hamster, Peanut the Mouse, Ginger the Kitten, and Bramble the Hedgehog.

Princess Ellie is pony-mad! She always wants to sneak off to the stables - and especially when she realizes something's wrong with her pony, Starlight. But Meg the groom won't tell her what it is. To take her mind off it, Ellie goes for a ride on the beach. But then disaster strikes and she's stuck! How will she get back to her beloved Starlight?

Nine-year-old Benjamin Jinks and his grumpy hamster Jasper Stinkybottom are back - and this time they have a case to crack! A spate of burglaries has hit the neighbourhood, and the Jinks household hasn't been spared. With only a baby monitor, some drawing pins and a penguin suit to hand, Stinky and Ben put together a plan to catch the criminals. But how will they cope when their scheme starts to unravel? New talent Dave Lowe's third adventure is brilliantly brought to life by illustrator Mark Chambers in this hilarious read.

When a poorly pup comes into Animal Ark vets, no one knows who his owner is, and he needs an operation. Can Amelia and Sam use a TV dog show to raise the money in time?

Michael Evans travels the world with his dino hunting dad, a famous palaeontologist. As dad searches for and digs up dinosaur bones, Mike does some hunting of his own. This is the foist story in a great series.

This is three stories in one. The first story is about a boy (now a father retelling the stories to his son) who rescues a dragon held hostage on a wild island. 

Princess Magnolia isn’t a regular royal — she’s also a monster-fighting “princess in black”. Not only are these books filled with girl-power, but they’re also funny and entertaining.

This is part of the Branches series of early chapter books and a sweet story about a little girl named Stella who sees a mischievous sprite steal her Tooth Fairy money. She learns more about why Stella wants the money and helps her find different ways to solve her problems and make friends.

There are lots of different fairies to read about in this charming series. They’re about two human girls who are trusted to help the magical fairies search for something which Jack Frost’s goblins stole.

In the times of castles and kingdoms, Drake learns he is a dragon master (& that dragons are real!) He must train with the other kids to master his dragon, an earth dragon. This is a perfect fantasy chapter book with just the right amount of conflict, adventure and excitement.

Claudette is a dragon slaying, mischievous girl who tricks her little brother and her best friend (a princess) into questing to kill the dragon. It’s a delightful graphic novel, And, don’t worry, there is no killing of any dragons.

They sound like the Bad Guys, they look like the Bad Guys . . . and they even smell like the Bad Guys. But Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Shark are about to change all of that! Mr Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys first good mission. The gang are going to break 200 dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly? Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys? And will Mr Snake please spit out Mr Piranha? Read the whole series.

In this hysterical book, Bird’s over-confident, laid-back character pairs perfectly with Squirrel’s logical, fearful one. The duo crash land in the Penguin world where Bird is thought to be the “Chosen One” meant to save the penguins from the Great Whale.

In this Salem adventure, Salem predictably makes disasters happen everywhere she goes. She has some trouble with making things (herself) gigantic and other things (the birthday party kids) small. Hilarious, wacky, and totally enjoyable. 

Weird. Quirky. Funny. I think all three describe this graphic novel series rom the creator of Captain Underpants. In the first story, a police officer and a dog are joined together — the top from the dog, the bottom from the officer to make: Dog Man. Dog Man solves crimes and has adventures,

Hilo can’t remember what happened to him before D.J. finds him crashed into the earth. Hilo remembers an evil monster robot, and that he is a robot meant to protect his world from the bad robots — but those robots have followed Hilo to Earth. This ends of a cliff-note but is worth it — it’s a great page-turning adventure!

This is the first book in the series of the innocent but funny misadventures of Roscoe Riley. As you’ll learn, it is those misadventures that lead to Roscoe’s extensive list of rules for his own behavior. In this story, Roscoe wants to help his teacher with his unruly classmates during their school performance. His idea to help is super gluing kids to chairs and bug headbands onto heads! Needless to say, this latest disaster leads to more rules.

Get ready to laugh along with these charming young friends who are always involved in funny situations and problems. It’s a fantastic realistic series about two girls with unique personalities.

To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig, she's a porcine wonder. And to the portly and good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toast feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons' bed.

Louie and Ralphie Ratso keep trying to do mean, tough-guy things but every time it ends up helping someone. Ultimately, both boys and their dad decide to be kind but before they do, their experiences are very funny.

This is a great series? Judy Moody is a relatable third grader with a big personality, an annoying little brother, the coolest aunt ever, and lots of humorous antics.

I loved this series because it’s exciting as well as it includes a lot of factual information about marine life. Stink gets to sleep over at the aquarium. While he’s there, he learns more about sharks, gets to solve a mystery, learns a ghost story, and has tons of fun. I like that kids can easily relate to the characters in the story, as well as the setting.

Meet Bink and Gollie, two precocious little girls — one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible. Setting out from their super-deluxe tree house and powered by plenty of peanut butter (for Bink) and pancakes (for Gollie), they share three comical adventures involving painfully bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion. No matter where their roller skates take them, at the end of the day they will always be the very best of friends.

These are updated Amelia chapter books by the original author’s son. In this silly story, Amelia looks for ways to earn money for a new bicycle.

What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted?
To the Gregg family, hunting is just plain fun. To the girl who lives next door, it's just plain horrible. She tries to be polite. She tries to talk them out of it, but the Greggs only laugh at her. Then one day the Greggs go too far, and the little girl turns her Magic Finger on them. When she's very, very angry, the little girl's Magic Finger takes over. She really can’t control it, and now it's turned the Greggs into birds! Before they know it, the Greggs are living in a nest, and that's just the beginning of their problems…

The girls in the Critter Club love animals and want to help them any way they can. Sweet stories that will interest anyone who loves animals and mysteries!

This is a great series about an eight-year-old girl with a knack for science, math, and solving mysteries with technology.

This addictive mystery series will keep your kids reading for hours and days and months as you wor your way through the alphabet. I highly recommend this series.

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.

Fancy Nancy now has her own chapter books! Nancy and her best friend Bree have love on the brain, but it’s not surprising since they are studying the human heart. This story shows the beauty of true friendship.

Can Eugene aka. Captain Awesome, comic-book and superhero fan, save the town from villains without revealing his secret identity? Totally funny — and a great action-packed adventure.

What an adorable main character! Yasmin is an exuberant girl who is interested in everything from exploring to building to fashion. This book tells four short stories from Yasmin’s life, all in chapters with lively, full-color illustrations. Each story shows Yasmin as a creative problem solver even when things get hard.

Jasmine is so jealous that the older kids in her family have important jobs on the 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 decide it’s okay to break some rules like who gets to pound the rice. Not only is the story’s message sweet, Jasmine’s Japanese-American culture and warm family community shine through

Tori and her little sister are spending the summer at their grandma’s ranch. Tori falls in love with the spunky pony named Jewel who she can’t ride just yet, which is really hard. This is a sweet story and great for animal lovers!

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.

Lulu befriends a stray dog while on vacation. Everyone in the town thinks the dog is trouble but Lulu loves animals and she is convinced that all the dog needs is a good friend.

Kylie Jean is all Texas, determined and spunky! This is a very cute books in a series aimed at girl second-grade readers. 

Sam isn’t thrilled about becoming hall monitor. Especially when he discovers that the school is ALIVE and trying to harm him and the other students. Sam has quite a wild adventure trying to save the students from the school.

Andres moves to a new house next to a kid named Desmond who specializes in catching ghosts — of which Andres happens to have in his house!! Something you need to know about Andres, he’s scared of everything!! Luckily, Desmond isn’t. Once they trap the ghost, Desmond and Andres discover that the ghost is lonely and just wants a place to live forever. So what will they decide to do?

I adore Fly Guy. And I think it’s such a genius idea of Tedd Arnold to create a nonfiction easy reader series with his popular characters! In Dinosaurs, Fly Guy and Buzz visit the museum and learn about dinosaurs. I like the combination of comics and photographs as well as narrative and informational text. Each of the books in this series is a field trip to learn about the topic

A fantastic exploration into the world of Ancient Egyptian mummifications. Another great read from National Geographic which is just right for second grade.

This is a great read if you love dog. It is fascinating — I learned a few things myself. What a great high-interest book for beginning readers!

Magic Tree House Research Guides are now Magic Tree House Fact Trackers! Track the facts with Jack and Annie! Filled with up-to-date information, photos, illustrations, and fun titbits from Jack and Annie, the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discovered in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures.

Kids everywhere love these weird and random facts but that’s not the only awesome thing about Weird But True nonfiction books! They are just so much fun. Why? Because there are lots of colorful photographs, one-sentence facts, and you can flip around to read the pages out of order.

In this illustrated picture book, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as "colored computers," and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career. A very inspiring read.

Rubies have many different uses. They have been used in beautiful jewelry, ancient armor, and even lasers! How do people get these useful and beautiful gems? Readers explore the intricate process of mining for rubies, cutting these gems, and polishing them until they look their best. These steps are explained through clear, accessible text. Fun fact boxes provide additional information about rubies. With each turn of the page, readers encounter beautiful, full-color photographs of these radiant gems. From the Glittering World of Gems series, why not read them all.

These aren’t your princess pink variety of pink animals. No! In fact, these are gelatinous blobfish, hairy tarantulas, naked mole rats, and more — that just happen to be pink. Great writing pairs perfectly with photographs and cartoons. I love this book!

A highly addictive series. This particular book pits two ocean carnivores against each other. First, you’ll learn facts about a sperm whale, then you’ll learn about the giant squid. Finally, read what happens when these two creatures face-off.  Can you predict who will win? 

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 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.

Also recommended: Rosie Reveer, engineer and Iggy Peck, Architect

Award winning series of books with values and morals. Mama Bear is a good and wise mother whereas Papa Bear is scatty and in need of the ‘lesson’ himself.

Springtime in Motham City means baseball, but the player who could lead the Stinkbugs to a rare winning season loses confidence when his special bat is stolen, and Ace Lacewing is hired to find it before the team misses the playoffs

One day, William discovers that the tree outside his window has been sculpted into a wise owl. In the following days, more topiaries appear, and each one is more beautiful than the last. Soon, William’s gray little town is full of color and life. And though the mysterious night gardener disappears as suddenly as he appeared, William—and his town—are changed forever.

Tong Tong could never have imagined what everyone around him was thinking. But when he gets hold of some magic candies, suddenly there are voices everywhere. He can hear how his couch feels, what upsets his dog, that his demanding dad loves him. He even gets to catch up with his dead grandmother. It turns out, these voices in Tong Tong’s life have A LOT to say! Is Tong Tong ready to hear it?
At turns funny, weird, and heartfelt, this imaginative picture book from award-winning Korean author Heena Baek will take readers along on Tong Tong’s journey as he goes from lonely to brave.

Always on the sidelines, one bean unsuccessfully tries everything he can to fit in with the crowd—until one day the cool beans show him how it’s done. This story is about cliques and what to do when you are not one of them.

A young Asian boy notices that his eyes look different from his peers' after seeing his friend’s drawing of them. After talking to his father, the boy realizes that his eyes rise to the skies and speak to the stars, shine like sunlit rays, and glimpse trails of light from those who came before—in fact, his eyes are like his father’s, his agong’s, and his little brother’s, and they are visionary. Inspired by the men in his family, he recognizes his own power and strength from within.

On a snowy Chinese New Year’s Eve in North eastern China, it’s Dandan’s last night with Yueyue. Tomorrow, she moves to America. The two best friends have a favorite wintertime tradition: crafting paper-cut snowflakes, freezing them outside, and hanging them as ornaments. As they say goodbye, Yueyue presses red paper and a spool of thread into Dandan’s hands so that she can carry on their tradition. But in her new home, Dandan has no one to enjoy the gift with—until a friend comes along.

One, two; yi, er. Side by side, two bicycles, Lunzi and Huangche, come out of the factory. Side by side, they watch the city of Beijing from their shop window. Then a young girl comes in and buys Huangche, rolling him away from Lunzi! With the help of a delivery boy, Lunzi begins an epic race to find her friend that introduces readers to all the sights and sounds of Beijing.

As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil. She would use it to make everyone happy, to erase the smell of garbage from her city, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realized that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true. This beautifully illustrated volume tells Malala's story for a younger audience and shows them the worldview that allowed Malala to hold on to hope even in the most difficult of times.