Third Grade Winter Prompt: Realistic Fiction 

Authors to consider for realistic fiction author studies: 

Jacqueline Woodson

Eve Bunting

Patricia Polacco

some Patricia McKissack

Hannah is my name, Belle Yang

My very own room / Mi proprio cuartito, Amada Irma Perez

Chapter books (*for third grade classes who are also doing African-American author reports soon, books by African-American authors are marked with an an asterisk):

mid-level

*Sassy: Little Sister Is NOT My Name!, Sharon Draper

*Nikki & Deja, Karen English

Full Court Dreams, Jack Maddox

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little and Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes, Peggy Gifford

*Ruby and the Booker Boys: Brand-New School, Brave New Ruby and Trivia Queen, Third Grade Supreme, Brendan Frazier

Just Grace and Still Just Grace, Charise Mericle Harper

Piper Reed, Navy Brat, Kimberly Willis Holt

My Name is Maria Isabel, Alma Flor Ada

Ivy + Bean series, Annie Barrows

Marvin Redpost series, Louis Sachar

the Horrible Harry and Mary Marony books by Suzy Kline

*The Ginger Brown books by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

*Donavan's Word Jar and Donavan's Double Trouble, Monalisa DeGross

the Amber Brown books by Paula Danziger

the Clarice Bean books by Lauren Childs

the Clementine books by Sara Pennypacker

*The Stories Julian Tells and The Stories Huey Tells, Ann Cameron

*Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World, Mildred Pitts Walter

The Hundred Dresses, Eleanor Estes

Year of the Rat and Year of the Dog, Grace Lin

advanced readers

The Janitor's Boy and Frindle by Andrew Clements

About the B'nai Bagels (and others), E.L. Konigsburg

Jackson Jones and the Puddle of Thorns and Jackson Jones and the Curse of the Outlaw Rose, Mary Quattlebaum

*Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It, Sundee Frazier

Dear Mr. Henshaw, Beverly Cleary

Felita, Nicolasa Mohr

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, Sharon Creech

Loser (and others), Jerry Spinelli

Bridge to Terebithia, Katherine Paterson

Spring Prompt: Nonfiction Summary

Fall Prompt: Formal Letter

Non-fiction:

Message in the Mailbox: How to Write a Letter, Loreen Leedy

Pen Pals, Kelly Brukholder

Dear Dr. King, Jan Colbert and Ann McMillan Harms

Fiction:

Extra Credit, Andrew Clements

Dear Mr. Henshaw, Beverly Cleary

Clementine's Letter, Sara Pennypacker

Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker, Megan McDonald

(*note from Claire - this early chapter book is just so great for the prompt! Stink, Judy Moody's younger brother, spends a whole $5.00 gift certficate on a jawbreaker, but is extremely disappointed when he discovers that it does not have an actual ball of fire at the center OR the ability to break his jaw. Having just learned about letter-writing in class, he writes an indignant letter to the candy company and is rewarded with a giant box of jawbreakers. This is so fantastic that Stink sets out to write letters to more and more companies (and friends and family) as the book continues. The story also includes idiom comics and general hilarity.)

I Wanna Iguana, Karen Kaufman Orloff

Students may remember this book from its nomination for the California Young Reader Medal last year. Through a series of letters, a boy tries to convince his mother that she should let him have an iguana for a pet. His letters are passionate and persuasive; hers are logical, funny, and realistically parental.

Dear Peter Rabbit, Alma Flor Ada

With Love, Little Red Hen, Alma Flor Ada

Yours Truly, Goldilocks, Alma Flor Ada

Regarding the Fountain, Kate Klise

Dear Mrs. LaRue, Mark Teague

Dear Mr. Henshaw, Beverly Cleary

Toot and Puddle, Holly Hobbie

Stringbean's trip to the shining sea, Vera B. Williams

Dear Annie, Judith Caseley

Dear Mr. Blueberry, Simon James

A Small Dog's Big Life, Irene Kelly

the Little Wolf series by Ian Whybrow (lowbrow humor loved by 3rd grade)

My Dear Noel: The Story of a Letter from Beatrix Potter, Jane Johnson (the only letters are the endpapers)

The Gardener, Sarah Stewart 

Click here for an article from Home Education Online that has a good annotated bibliography of elementary books about letter writing, both fiction and nonfiction.

My Dear Noel: The Story of a Letter from Beatrix Potter, Jane Johnson

The Gardener, Sarah Stewart