Fantasy Books for 3rd Graders

Zom and Skel have raced to the top of a hill - but what is that strange, glowing egg Zom has found at the bottom? Nobody seems to want it. Not a hen, not a squid, not even a dragon! Will Skel ever find out what laid this odd egg, and what sort of creature might hatch out of it? This decodable reader practices the ‘kn’ phonogram in words like ‘knew,’ ‘kneel,’ ‘knocking,’ and ‘unknown.’

In the coral-stone town of Lamu, a girl named Pendo sells fish and can read faces like a sailor reads the sky. When a powerful merchant accuses her father of theft, who will believe a girl’s word against three witnesses? Then, in a warm tide pool, her fingers touch a strange singing shell that holds the truth of that morning. Will anyone else listen? This Bookbot Level KN story practices the /n/ sound in words like ‘knew’, ‘knows’, ‘knot’, and ‘knuckles’.

Everyone in the coastal village knows the old baobab is wise, but no one dares ask it anything. When the well suddenly runs dry and the elders argue for days, can a quick ten year old named Nuru find the courage to climb the red-sand ridge and listen to a tree? What will the baobab tell her, and will anyone believe a girl who says she ‘knows’ the answer? This Bookbot level practices the ‘kn’ sound with words like ‘knew’, ‘knows’, ‘knot’, and ‘knocks’.

A stranger rolls up to the farm with llamas, chests, and a smile too big to trust. What happens when Jack spots a glowing turquoise thing the Trader swears is cursed? Can Zom and Skel stop him before beds turn to mushrooms, swords turn to carrots, and the whole house turns to watermelon? This decodable reader practices the kn phonogram in words like ‘knelt,’ ‘knew,’ ‘knickknacks,’ ‘knocking,’ and ‘knucklehead.’

When Shawn falls asleep with a brand new box of pencils, something magical stirs in the dark. Can a nervous red pencil be brave enough to color his very first page? And what happens when the pencils decide to pick up themselves and draw while Shawn is snoozing? Tiptoe into a night full of shadows, giggles, and bursts of bright, beautiful color. This decodable reader practices si making /zh/ in words like ’treasure,’ ‘pleasure,’ ‘precision,’ and ‘unusual.’

Giraffe promised Mom he wouldn’t do anything silly - but when the sun beats down and makes her droop, he makes a very silly decision indeed. What happens when a hungry giraffe swallows the sun whole? Can Bear, floating in his pond with dreams of bread, turn this glowing, rumbly disaster into something wonderful? This decodable reader practices si making /zh/ in words like “decision,” “explosion,” “confusion,” and “vision.”

When a sneaky dragon snatches Phil’s favorite toy and zooms off into the clouds, can Sophie and Phil grab hold of his mane and chase him through the sky? What happens when Dragon spots a beanstalk bursting with treasure and flings them into a storm of spinning gold? Hold on tight for a wild, tumbling ride full of giggles, gasps, and very stretchy hoodies! This decodable reader practices the ‘ph’ sound in words like ‘phone,’ ‘photo,’ ‘megaphone,’ and ’triumphant.’

At the edge of the great Congo rainforest, a girl named Amara chases a runaway hen straight past the one tree her mother warned her never to pass. What waits in the deep green shadows? When she stops to help a fallen palm, something ancient is watching, and it has a message for the proud elder who has taken too much. Will Amara find the courage to speak? This Bookbot level practices the ‘augh’ sound with words like ‘caught’, ’taught’, ’naughty’, ‘haughty’, and ‘distraught’.

When the rains fail and the fish swim deep, Tano’s village goes hungry. Then his stick hits something buried in the sand: an old drum with weird carved words that promise food to anyone who beats it right. But what happens when a greedy stranger seizes it and breaks the rules? Can Tano undo the harm before someone gets sick? This Bookbot level practices the ei vowel sounds with words like ‘weird’, ‘conceited’, ‘received’ and ’neighbor’.

Sara loves the water more than anything, and dreams that her little stream might one day carry her all the way to the sea. But what happens when a tiny, bossy fish called Pixie bursts out of the weeds and promises her a gift beyond imagining? Could there really be a secret world hiding beneath the waves, and might Sara be the very first human to find it? This decodable reader practices the ‘wr’ sound in words like ‘wriggled,’ ‘wrapped,’ ‘wrenched,’ and ‘wrinkled.’