I can’t believe summer is here! This year, both of my girls started reading chapter books on their own. They love reading and it’s something I want them to keep up over the summer. They really like series of books and enjoy “trading” with each other once they finish one of the books in the series. It’s also great for reading comprehension because they chat with each other a lot about the characters and what’s going on with the characters in the book they are each reading.

I spoke with friends, the girls’ teachers and browsed the web to come up with a list of 20 book series for girls their age/ reading level. Maggie and Alex are heading into grades 1 and 2. Maggie loves animals and Alex likes princesses & unicorns and any book that has an “adventure” in it. Many of these books are their current favorites and the rest we’ll be reading this summer.

Note: If you’re looking for a similar list for boys, visit Julie’s book list here.

20 Book Series for Girls, Grades 1 to 3

1. Cam Jansen
2. The Princess in Black
3. Sprout Street Neighbors
4. Hamster Princess
5. Magic Tree House
6. Horrible Harry
7. Junie B Jones
8. Critter Club
9. Wellie Wishers
10. Ivy & Bean
11. Judy Moody
12. Frog and Toad
13. Mr. Putter and Tabby
14. Amelia Bedelia
15. Puppy Place
16. A Picture Book of… Biographies
17. Magic Treehouse Fact Tracker
18. Who Was
19. Let’s Read and Find Out Series (Level 1)
20. National Geographic Readers

Nonfiction Books for Girls

There are both fiction and nonfiction on the list. The first 15 are fiction series and the last 5 are non fiction. Maggie and Alex are both expressing interest in non fiction books lately and their teachers have really encouraged reading both fiction and nonfiction over the summer. These non fiction series have great biographies, neat science and more.