Spring is here and now we can take our reading outside!! 👏🏻 I’m sharing another round up of chapter books for kids to read during these beautiful spring months! I’m a little late to getting my spring chapter book list out, it’s been a busy few months, but these are great books to carry into summer too!
I’m sharing books perfect for beginning chapter book readers, more advanced readers, or any could be used as a family read aloud. They are grouped together by age range, with a quick synopsis of each book.
**I have not read ALL of these books, but have read most of them or reviews. I am only sharing books we have loved or plan to read in the future. I’ll definitely update this list as we read through them all.
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Ages 5-9
The Adventures of Sophie Mouse: It’s Raining, It’s Pouring by Poppy Green
Any of these Sophie Mouse books are perfect for spring and such sweet stories! This book is about Sophie Mouse preparing for the first Silverlake Forest Spring Fling, but on the day of the party it rains and pours. Sophie needs to find a way to save the day and the party!
Pig & Goose and the First Day of Spring by Rebecca Bond
A great beginning reader with five short chapters. “Meet Pig and Goose. Pig is happy. She loves to dance. She loves to eat. But she cannot fly. And she cannot swim. Goose can fly like a bird. Goose can glide across the water beautifully. But he cannot tell stories or host a party like Pig can. Pig and Goose are very different. But what they do have in common is that they like each other. And they love springtime.” (Amazon)
Dragon Masters: Land of the Spring Dragon by Tracey West
My son loves these books and this one is perfect for spring! “Drake’s kingdom is in trouble — a terrible earthquake has destroyed Bracken’s crops! A magical Spring Dragon has the power to save the kingdom and regrow the crops, but he lives deep inside a secret fairy world. To find the Spring Dragon, Drake must pass a series of tests given by a Dragon Master named Breen. But the fairy world is full of confusing tricks and mysterious riddles! Can Drake save his kingdom?” (Amazon)
Cowgirl Kate & Cocoa: Spring Babies by Betsy Lewin
Another sweet easy-to-read chapter book! “Baby animals are springing up on the ranch. Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa have a lot to do to help these new friends feel at home. But Cocoa’s not sure he wantsnew friends, especially if they mean more work. With Cowgirl Kate’s gentle nudging—and snacks!—Cocoa’s happy to help out, and work is as fun as play.” (Amazon)
Welcome to the Bed & Biscuit by Joan Carris
A funny and heartwarming story with animal characters. Definitely grabbing this to read this spring! “Grampa Bender wouldn’t be able to run the Bed and Biscuit animal boardinghouse without the help of Ernest the pig, Gabby the mynah bird, and Milly the cat.” (Amazon)
The Chicken Squad by Doreen Cronin
Another series my boys really enjoy! “Meet the Chicken Squad: Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie. These chicks are not your typical barnyard puffs of fluff, and they are not about to spend their days pecking chicken feed and chasing bugs. No sir, they’re too busy solving mysteries and fighting crime.” (Amazon)
Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay
“When Lulu finds a duck egg that has rolled out of its nest, she takes it to class to keep it safe. Lulu isn’t allowed to bring pets to school. But she’s not really breaking the rules because it’s just an egg. Surely nothing bad will happen…” (Amazon)
Hardy Boys Clue Book: The Missing Playbook by Franklin W. Dixon
Baseball season is in full swing at my house! My boys would love this baseball mystery. “Frank and Joe and the rest of their Bayport Bandits teammates can’t wait for Little League to start! Everyone is celebrating the beginning of the season at Speedy Zermino’s house. While they’re all together, Coach Quinn shows off the Bandit’s new playbook that contains all of the new strategies and plays that will help them to a winning season.
The next day at practice, Coach Quinn realizes the all-important playbook has gone missing! With their teammates counting on them to get the book back, Frank and Joe must take a swing at cracking this case…or their season will be over before it even begins.” (Amazon)
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
A classic and fun story that is perfect to read in spring! One of my all time favorites! “Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte’s Web, high up in Zuckerman’s barn. Charlotte’s spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur’s life when he was born the runt of his litter.” (Amazon)
Ages 7-9
Heartwood Hotel: Better Together by Kallie George
Another favorite series with the sweetest stories everyone will enjoy! “Spring has come to Fernwood Forest, and the Heartwood Hotel is all a-bustle. With Mr. Heartwood off on vacation, it’s up to Mona and the rest of the staff to keep everything running smoothly.” (Amazon)
The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels
We read this book this year and really enjoyed it! It is definitely a Mary Poppins type story, but with a lot of cats haha! This book has 5 different short stories of magical Miss Petitfour’s adventures with her 16 cats in tow.
Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr
We have listened to the audiobook of this story and my kids really enjoyed it! “Hardly a day passes without Trille and Lena inventing some kind of adventure that often ends in trouble. Whether it’s coaxing a cow onto a boat or sledding down the steepest and iciest hill with a chicken, there is always a thrill—and sometimes an injury—to be had. Trille loves to share everything with Lena, even Auntie Granny’s waffles. But when Lena has to move away and Auntie Granny leaves the world, it sometimes seems like nothing will ever be right again. The warmth of friendship and the support of family suffuse this lightly illustrated novel, proving that when times are tough, a little taste of sweetness can make all the difference.” (Amazon)
The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
Classic Winnie the Pooh is great for anytime of year, but this sequel, where we meet Tigger for the first time, definitely makes me think of spring with all the adventures they have. A great book for the whole family!
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew: Chick-napped! by Carolyn Keene
A favorite series of my daughters and this one is great for spring! “Spring has sprung in River Heights! Nancy’s class is hatching chickens to celebrate. Some of Nancy’s classmates are excited, especially Tommy Maron. Tommy has even named all the eggs! But other classmates are less thrilled about the arrival of the little birds. Catherine Spangler is peeved because the chicks are due to arrive on HER birthday — the nerve! But when the chicks vanish from the classroom, everyone is upset. Who would steal helpless chick eggs? Nancy knows she has a real egg of a mystery to crack this time!” (Amazon)
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
My kids loved this book and there is a movie coming out this fall! Great book for the whole family! “Can a robot survive in the wilderness?When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is–but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home–until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.” (Amazon)
Ages 8-12
The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall
I love the Penderwick series and this one is great for the whole family this spring! “Springtime is finally arriving on Gardam Street, and there are surprises in store for each member of the family. Some surprises are just wonderful, like neighbor Nick Geiger coming home from war. And some are ridiculous, like Batty’s new dog-walking business. Batty is saving up her dog-walking money for an extra-special surprise for her family, which she plans to present on her upcoming birthday. But when some unwelcome surprises make themselves known, the best-laid plans fall apart.” (Amazon)
When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad
I saw someone recently share this book and I think my daughter would love it! “When Inge Maria Jensen’s mother dies, the ten-year-old girl in braids is sent from Copenhagen to live on her grandmother’s farm on the Danish island of Bornholm. The whimsical Inge is desperate to tease a smile out of her stern-seeming but “jelly-soft” grandmother with nonsensical songs and Hans Christian Andersen stories. A nostalgic nod to Pippi Longstocking and Heidi, this cozy, humorous novel explores love and loss . . . and the unsung magic of mischief.” (Amazon)
Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson
My daughter recently loved these books and read all of them quickly! They are sweet stories that teach valuable lessons. “Ryan is all about trying to see the best in people, to be a good daughter, a good sister, a good friend. But even if her life isn’t everything she would wish for, when her big brother is infuriating, her parents don’t quite understand, and the unexpected happens, she always finds a way forward, with grace and wit. And plenty of sunshine.” (Amazon)
The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth
I know my son would love to read this type of story! “When twelve-year-old Nate Twitchell takes care of a gigantic egg laid by one of his hens, he is shocked to find that it hatches into a triceratops.” (Amazon)
The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden by Karina Yan Glaser
Another super entertaining series about the Vanderbeeker children to are trying to build the best, magical garden in Harlem! “While Isa is off at sleepaway orchestra camp, Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney are stuck at home in the brownstone with nothing to do but get on one another’s nerves. But when catastrophe strikes their beloved upstairs neighbor, their sleepy summer transforms in an instant as the Vanderbeeker children band together to do what they do best: make a plan. They will create the most magical healing garden in all of Harlem.” (Amazon)
Ages 9-12
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
A big book, but one of my all time favorites from my childhood! “Anne Shirley is an eleven-year-old orphan who has hung on determinedly to an optimistic spirit and a wildly creative imagination through her early deprivations. She erupts into the lives of aging brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a girl instead of the boy they had sent for. Thus begins a story of transformation for all three; indeed the whole rural community of Avonlea comes under Anne’s influence in some way. We see her grow from a girl to a young woman of sixteen, making her mistakes, and not always learning from them. Intelligent, hot-headed as her own red hair, unwilling to take a moral truth as read until she works it out for herself, she must also face grief and loss and learn the true meaning of love.” (Amazon)
First Born by Tor Seidler
“Blue Boy, the alpha male of his pack, is the largest wolf many have ever seen, and his dream is to have a firstborn son who will take after him in every way. But Lamar is not turning out the way his father hoped. Lamar likes to watch butterflies. He worries if his younger siblings fall behind in the hunt. He has little interest in peacocking in front of other clans. Blue Boy grows increasingly dismayed at Lamar’s lack of wolf instincts, and then Lamar does the intolerable: he becomes attracted to a coyote. While the other infractions can be begrudgingly tolerated, this one cannot, and the unity of the pack is in jeopardy. Lamar wants to make his family happy, but is doing what is expected of him worth losing the only true friend he’s ever had?” (Amazon)
The Sheep, the Rooster, and the Duck by Matt Phelan
This book sounds so fun! Full of adventures, hijinks, and reimagined historical events. “The very first passengers to ride in a hot-air balloon were a sheep, a rooster, and a duck in 1783. And while hot-air balloons are indeed wondrous, ten-year-old Emile is too busy being the fastidious caretaker of ambassador Benjamin Franklin’s château in Paris to think much about them. But soon, young Emile finds himself right in the middle of a sinister plot. And right in the middle of the secret headquarters for France’s undercover guardians—the very same sheep, rooster, and duck that piloted the first hot-air balloon. If Emile can muster his courage and be bold, he may be the key to helping the heroes save both Benjamin Franklin and the world.” (Amazon)
The Maloney’s Magical Weatherbox by Nigel Quinlan
“Neil and Liz Maloney have a secret: Their father is the keeper of the Weatherbox, a magical phone booth that rings four times a year, signaling the changing of the seasons. But this summer when the family gathers to send off the season, the phone doesn’t ring and autumn does not arrive. Instead a mysterious tourist of magic shows up at their doorstep, along with two nonsensical hags and one cat-shaped bog beast. The only one not taken by surprise is their neighbor Mrs. Fitzgerald, who seems to be able to make the elements of weather itself do her bidding. Now it’s up to Neil and Liz to discover the source of Mrs. Fitzgerald’s power and restore order to the climate.” (Amazon)
So many great books out there and I hope you found some new ones to read together this spring! Please leave your reviews of any of these or more recommendations in the comments below! I’ll be sure to have a summer chapter book list for kids soon too!
Happy Reading!
-Lindsay
Related Posts:
February Chapter Books for Kids
January Chapter Books for Kids
Beginner Chapter Books for Boys
Beginner Chapter Books for Girls
