Fantasy Books for 2nd Graders

A stranger arrives at the farm with a kiosk full of rare wares. One glowing thing hums quiet and bright - but the Trader says it carries a curse. Why would Jack grab it and run? What happens when chaos creeps into a quiet room? Can the duo undo the ruin before the whole house turns to watermelon? This decodable reader practises vowel team syllables in words like ‘chaos,’ ‘kiosk,’ ’neon,’ and ‘ruin.’

Dragon is sure he’s a natural. Why practice for the big fire test when he could lounge on a sunny hillside with a basket of tasty snacks? But when the day arrives, only puffs of grey smoke come out - and everyone is watching! Can a strange little chilli plant with a spicy red pepper help Dragon find his missing flame before it’s too late? This decodable reader practises VC/CV syllables in words like ‘basket,’ ‘sunset,’ ‘pepper,’ and ‘hillside.’

When Shawn falls asleep with a brand new box of pencils, something extraordinary begins to stir. The lid creaks open, the pencils tiptoe out, and they discover a book full of drawings - but every page is grey! Can a box of colourful pencils fix a black-and-white world before morning? And what will Shawn say when he wakes at dawn? This decodable reader practises the aw/au phonogram in words like ‘dawn,’ ‘draw,’ ‘yawn,’ and ‘fault.’

When the sun beats down and Mum’s smile starts to wobble, Giraffe hatches a plan so silly it might just work - he’ll climb sky-high and eat the sun itself! But what happens when a giraffe swallows the brightest thing in the whole universe? Can Bear’s bowl of bread dough save the day, or has Giraffe cooked up the biggest mess ever? This decodable reader practises the ’ea’ sound in words like ‘beat,’ ‘dream,’ ‘peach,’ and ’treat.’

Diane is the proudest litterbug around - until she wakes up one morning to find a stinking cloud of rubbish hovering right above her bed! Flies buzz, wrappers swirl, and the cloud follows her everywhere she goes. Can Diane figure out how to make her smelly shadow disappear? Will anyone want to sit with her at lunch, or is a small grey rat her only friend now? This decodable reader practises 2-syllable open words such as ‘about,’ ‘open,’ ’even,’ and ‘only.’

Dragon has stolen Shawn’s toy again! Can Dawn and Shawn catch a mischievous dragon who zooms through clouds and never, ever slows down? Hold on tight as they grab Dragon’s mane and shoot up into a sky full of swirling coins and spinning junk. Will they snatch the toy back before Dragon’s jaws chomp it to bits? This decodable reader practises the aw/au sound in words like ‘dawn,’ ‘claws,’ ‘pause,’ and ‘sprawl.’

Have you ever daydreamed so hard you forgot where you were? Boy can’t stop! One minute he’s bouncing on the moon, the next he’s a woodpecker tapping a tree, a goat on a sunny hillside, or a mole munching earthworms underground. But what could possibly be strong enough to pull him out of his wildest daydream yet? Something warm and delicious is drifting through the doorway… This decodable reader practises compound words such as ‘backpack,’ ‘daydream,’ ‘goldfish,’ and ‘sunshine.’

When Amara chases a runaway chicken deep into the great Congo rainforest, she stumbles far past the tree her mother told her never to pass. Can a lost girl find her way home when the forest hides every path? And when a tall green spirit steps from between the trunks, what will it ask of her? A tender tale of courage, kindness, and speaking up for the trees. This Bookbot level practises two-syllable words with prefixes, like ’explore’, ‘defend’, ‘restore’, ‘unfair’, and ‘return’.

The village of Shela has fallen on a hungry year, with failed rains and fish that hide in the deep. Then Tano’s stick strikes something buried in the wet sand: an old drum carved with waves and hands, and a rule scratched into its base. Three beats to ask, one to say thank you, and only one wish a day. But what happens when a bigger boy grabs the drum and breaks the rule? This Bookbot level practises open syllables in two-syllable words like ‘magic’, ‘secret’, ‘silence’, ‘panic’, and ‘over’.

Zom’s pumpkins are the biggest, plumpest crop he’s ever grown, and he’s already dreaming of the delicious cakes he’ll bake. But when one pumpkin vanishes overnight without a single footprint left behind, his suspicion grows. Who - or what - is sneaking through the patch after dark? Can Zom and Skel stake out the garden and catch the mysterious thief before every last pumpkin disappears? This decodable reader practises ci/si/ti making /sh/ in words such as ‘attention,’ ‘delicious,’ ‘suspicion,’ and ‘determination.’