Fantasy Books for 2nd Graders

Today is Sen’s birthday, and the giant boy has crawled up from his underground cave with one enormous wish: to find a friend. But when three village children spot him patting a shiny little bike, everything goes CRUNCH! Can a boy with banana-sized fingers and a thunder-loud voice ever show the kids he only wants to play? Will anyone be brave enough to come back? This decodable reader practises suffixes in words such as ‘boldly,’ ‘gently,’ ‘friendly,’ ‘sadly,’ and ‘slowly.’

Kojo has a big reading test on Friday, and his stomach is full of bees! But when he sounds out the first word, something very strange happens - the word leaps right off the page! Can Kojo read his way to a whole crew of friends before the test? What magical creature might pop out next? This decodable reader practises 2-syllable open words like ‘cosy,’ ‘frozen,’ ‘open,’ and ’tiny.’

Look up! Can you spot a human figure dancing in the clouds? When a cloud man waves down at three curious kids, a whole sky-band joins in with music, jigs, and opera singing. But what happens when the drummer pounds too hard and the sky turns dark? Will the children make it home before the storm? This decodable reader practises 2-syllable open words such as ‘human,’ ‘music,’ ’lady,’ and ’tiny.’

Long ago, the Sun and the Moon shone together, blazing side by side until the tired world had never once slept. What could the gentle Moon possibly do when her proud brother refused to share the sky? Could she soften her fierce light enough to bring the very first night, and what would happen to her calm silver face along the way? This Bookbot level practises two-syllable words split between two vowels, with lesson words like ‘quiet’, ‘giant’, ‘create’, ‘beings’, and ‘react’.

Jack has never caught a fish - not one, not ever - but today feels different. With a bent oak branch, a bit of string, and Meow padding beside him along the coast, he casts his line into the foam and waits. But what happens when the line yanks back hard, and the thing he pulls from the sea is definitely not a fish? This decodable reader practises the ‘oa’ sound in words like ‘boat,’ ‘coast,’ ‘foam,’ ‘oak,’ and ‘road.’

Bob loves fishing at the dock - mostly because it’s the perfect spot for a nap! But what happens when something tugs hard on his line and drags him into the deep? Could the huge, hissing sea beast actually need his help? Join Bob on a wild underwater ride full of glowing eggs, tiny snakes, and a secret he’ll carry home in his hands. This decodable reader practises the ea phonogram in words like ‘beast,’ ’leaps,’ ‘great,’ and ‘dreams.’

When Ben calls his cat for dinner, not a whisker stirs - so where has she gone? Following paw prints through the soil, Ben finds his cat perched like a queen on a huge pile of junk. Then the pile BLINKS. Then it WALKS. Can Ben rescue one very happy cat from a rubbish-munching monster that just keeps growing? This decodable reader practises the oi/oy phonogram in words such as ‘soil,’ ‘coin,’ ‘joy,’ ’noise,’ and ’toys.’

Dhegdheer the ogress has one giant ear that hears everything for miles, so when a girl named Asad wakes one afternoon to find her mother gone, how can she possibly sneak past a monster who catches every footstep? Asad follows the great footprints toward a cave full of frightened prisoners, but the danger is only beginning. Can a rattling seed pod and a clever plan outwit an ear that never sleeps? This Bookbot level practises reading longer words of three or more syllables, like ‘afternoon’, ‘dangerous’, ‘prisoners’, ‘suddenly’, and ‘immediately’.

Dibs the little dragon has the most wonderful golden bell in the world - it jingles on his tail wherever he goes. But what happens when his precious bell bounces straight into the Dragon School? And when a cheeky purple dragon snatches it away, how will a tiny dragon who can’t even fly get it back? A brave, funny adventure full of smoke, sparks, and courage. This decodable reader practises the oo phonogram in words like ‘cool,’ ‘zoom,’ ‘stood,’ ’look,’ and ‘whoosh.’

The Mage has a secret - his magic just won’t sit still! It fizzes, crackles, and bounces around inside him until he simply has to let a little out. But what happens when “just one spell” turns into walls of stone, spiky shelves, and chickens in all the wrong places? And who is waiting in the doorway when his pranks finally catch up with him? This decodable reader practises the ‘oa’ sound in words like ‘moan,’ ‘groan,’ ’loaf,’ ‘foam,’ and ‘oath.’