Fantasy Books for 2nd Graders

When a sudden tapping wakes Kim from her nap, she tiptoes out the doorway to find where the noise is coming from. What could be hiding inside a dusty cottage? And what happens when Kim sits down at a loom that weaves all by itself? Follow along as a brilliant pattern carries her somewhere she never expected to go. This decodable reader practises VC/CV syllables in words such as ‘cottage,’ ‘pattern,’ ‘yellow,’ and ‘sudden.’

Diamond sword? Check. Diamond axe? Check. Diamond armour head to toe? Check! But to beat the Ender Dragon, our hero needs something even tougher - Netherite. And the only way to get it is to step through the portal into the Nether. Can they dodge the lava, survive the pigmen, and dig deep enough to find the ancient debris? This decodable reader practises the le/al/el/il endings in words like ‘battle,’ ‘metal,’ ’tackle,’ and ‘stumble.’

Meet Hantu, a mischievous spook who loves to scare everyone in sight! From dogs to lions, from little boys to big guards with guns, no one is safe when this ghost is in the mood to spook. He zooms through the night chasing and scaring everyone he meets. But what happens when Hantu tries to scare a tiny little mouse? Will the smallest creature be the easiest to frighten, or will Hantu finally meet his match?

Nib is happily spinning red wool when her brothers head off to the hills, leaving the door unlocked as always. But what creeps out of the woods with a rumbling belly and a hungry grin? When a shaggy troll snatches Nib up and carries her off to his cave, can one clever girl and a ball of red wool really outsmart a beast? This decodable reader practises the ‘oo’ sound in words like ‘wool,’ ’look,’ ‘boom,’ ‘hoot,’ and ‘food.’

The Wind Princess is coming to visit at sunrise, and everything must sparkle! But when Kate grabs the Rainbow Broom to help with the housework, it growls, dodges, and zooms straight out the doorway with Kate clinging on for dear life. Why is the magical broom so grumpy? Can Kate calm it down before their special guest arrives? This decodable reader practises compound words such as ‘sunrise,’ ‘hallway,’ ‘bathtub,’ ‘cobweb,’ and ‘sunshine.’

When three wild siblings sneak a peek at Dad’s magic mirror, they expect to see treasure - but horrid green monsters stare back instead! Why does the mirror show trolls with horns and jagged grins? Can a fancy jacket or a big smile fix what’s staring back from the glass? Or is something else going on inside these rotten little troublemakers? This decodable reader practises VC/CV syllables in words like ‘bucket,’ ‘pumpkin,’ ‘fancy,’ and ‘jacket.’

Auma carries water to the great silver lake each evening, but tonight a ripple moves against the wind and a green hand rises with a gift wrapped in reeds. When a terrible storm swallows her father’s canoe, will one small feather and a whispered name be enough to calm the furious water? A tender tale of courage and kindness rewarded. This Bookbot story practises splitting two syllables between two vowels, with words like ‘being’, ‘quiet’, ‘giant’, ‘react’, and ’triumph’.

When Zom and Skel race to the top of a giant hill, Skel wins in triumph - but what has Zom found down below? A strange, glowing egg sits quietly in the dirt, humming with blue and white light. Is it a bird’s? A fish’s? A dragon’s? Will anyone claim this odd egg before Zom turns it into his next snack? This decodable reader practises vowel team syllables in words like ‘diet,’ ‘giant,’ ‘quiet,’ ‘ruins,’ and ’triumph.’

Pendo can tell truth from lies just by watching faces, but when a powerful merchant accuses her father of stealing his cloth, who will believe a girl with no proof? Then, in a warm tide pool at the beach, her fingers close around a strange singing shell. What secret does it hold, and can it help her father before it is too late? This Bookbot EA book practises the ’ea’ sound with words like ‘sea’, ‘speak’, ‘beach’, ‘please’, and ‘real’.

On a red-sand ridge above the sea, one ancient baobab has grown alone for longer than anyone can remember. When the village well suddenly runs dry and the grown-ups only argue, brave young Nuru climbs the hill to ask the wisest thing she knows: the tree itself. Could a tree really know where the water went? And will anyone believe a ten-year-old? This Bookbot level practises the ‘ou’ sound in words like ‘ground’, ‘proud’, ‘found’, ’loud’, and ‘shout’.