This list started as a collaborative effort on Karen O.'s Facebook page! Many thanks to all who contributed. Annotations are mine unless otherwise noted.
God knows I'm not the reading level police, but I've added the Fountas and Pinnell reading levels for teacher use.
God knows I'm not the reading level police, but I've added the Fountas and Pinnell reading levels for teacher use.
Part 1: Weird Schools, Secret Agents, and Time Travel
Gutman, Dan. My Weird School; My Weirder School; Weird School Daze (O)
Start with Miss Daisy, the dumbest teacher in the world, and progress through the rest of the frankly bizarre faculty at Ella Mentry School. There are three series with 45 books so far, so settle in for the long haul.
McMullan, Kate. School! Adventures at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School (O)
Follows a week in the adventures of Ron Faster and his four friends as they experience everything their unusual elementary school has to offer. Includes black-and-white illustrations. (Mackin)
Krulik, Nancy. George Brown Class Clown: Super Burp! (N)When fourth-grader George starts at a new school, he vows to become a model student instead of the class clown he has always been, but just as his plan is going really well, he is overtaken by a magic burp that turns him back into a mischief-maker. (Mackin)
Kirby, Stan. Captain Awesome to the Rescue! (P/Q)
Evildoers in Sunnyview will have to reckon with the small town's new superhero: eight-year-old Eugene McGillicudy, better known as Captain Awesome. Like his comic book hero Super Dude, Eugene is on a quest to save the world from his archenemies.O'Ryan, Ray. Galaxy Zack: Hello, Nebulon! (M/N)
In Hello, Nebulon!, Zack makes the big move from Earth. He is already nervous about starting school and making new friends, but it only gets worse when he dreams that his classmates are slimy aliens with tentacles, pizza comes covered in gross bugs, and he can never communicate with his Earth friends again! Fortunately, when Zack arrives at Sprockets Academy for his first day of school, he meets and befriends Drake Tucker, a Nebulite boy who also loves to explore and learn about the planets. (From the publisher) Singer, Elizabeth Hunt. Secret Agent Jack Stalwart: Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur (P)
Jack Stalwart is an ordinary kid by day and a secret agent by night. Searching the world for his missing brother, Max, Jack encounters a flesh-eating dinosaur determined to destroy New York City. (Mackin)
Based on the children's television program. Dipper finds a way to travel back in time to improve his chances with Wendy, but his quest ends up changing his friend Mabel's fate for the worse. And when Mabel's beloved pig Waddles is stolen, the Gravity Falls gang bands together to rescue him. (Mackin)
Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dawn. (M)
Eight-year-old Jack and his younger sister Annie find a magic treehouse, which whisks them back to an ancient time zone where they see live dinosaurs. (Mackin)
First in an extremely long, still-running series that covers many time periods and interest areas. The sun will self-extinguish before these stop coming out and you do NOT have to read them in order, so two thumbs up. They often have companion research guides which are very fun nonfiction.
Abbott, Tony. Secrets of Droon: The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet (M)
Eric, Julie, and Neal discover a hidden staircase in Eric's basement that leads them to a magical land. Now they, and their new friend Princess Keeah, must find their way home.
Greenberg, Dan. The Zack Files: Great-Grandpa's In the Litter Box (N)
Zack takes home from the local animal shelter a scruffy tomcat who not only talks but claims to be the reincarnation of Zack's Great-Grandpa Julius. (Mackin)
The first in a junior X-Files series. This was made into a television show, but the books came first!
Dadey, Debbie. The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids: Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots (M)
The kids in the third grade at Bailey Elementary are so hard to handle that all of their teachers have quit. But their new teacher, Mrs. Jeepers, is different to say the least. She's just moved from the Transylvanian Alps and she seems to have some strange powers that help her deal with these mischief-makers. Her methods may be a little unconventional, but, then again, Mrs. Jeepers may be just what the Bailey School kids need. (From the publisher)
Lasky, Kathryn. Guardians of Ga'Hoole: The Capture (Q/R)
Soren the owl is taken captive and brought to an "orphanage," but Soren knows it is something worse and in order to escape, Soren must fly for the first time with his friend Gylfie. (Mackin)
McMullan, Kate. Dragon Slayer's Academy: New Kid at School (O)Wiglaf is off to Dragon Slayers' Academy and in for a first day of school he will never forget. (Mackin)
This is a funny spoof of sword-and-dragon fantasy stories- a Harry Potter crossed with My Weird School at a 2nd and 3rd grade level.
Bacon, Lee. Joshua Dread. (Q/R)
Besides being bullied, Joshua faces one more obstacle in middle school, trying to hide his identity as the son of supervillains, the Dread Duo. (Mackin)
Stay tuned for part two: Mysteries, Realistic Fiction, and Talking Animals
