The document is a letter from the Fulton County Schools English/Language Arts Department and Media Services Department about the summer reading list for students entering 2nd-3rd grade. It explains that the reading list contains a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction books at different Lexile levels to allow students to choose books that interest them. While Lexile levels indicate text difficulty, they do not reflect the maturity of the content. The letter encourages parents to be involved in helping their children select age-appropriate books from the list.

1. Dear Students and Parents,
The Fulton County School System strongly believes in developing readers who
read both for information and for pleasure. Books on the Summer Reading List
vary in subject matter and level of difficulty. Our intent is to provide students and
their parents with a wide range of authors and styles of writing in both fiction and
non-fiction, and to allow students to select reading materials that match their
interests.
Lexile levels are indicated for most books, and they address vocabulary and
sentence structure. When vocabulary is repeated often and sentences are more
simply written, a text has a lower Lexile scores. Texts with less frequently-used
vocabulary and with complex sentence structures have higher Lexile scores.
However, Lexile levels do not address subject matter. While a text may have a
lower Lexile number, the contents could be more mature. Parents should be
actively involved in assisting with their children’s reading choices. The short
descriptions with each book title should assist you in your selections.
Enjoy your summer reading.
Fulton County Schools English/Language Arts Department
Fulton County Schools Media Services Department

2. 2nd - 3rd Grade Fiction Chapter Books
Coleman, Evelyn The Cameo Necklace: A Cecile Mystery (American Girl Mystery
Series) (2012) Lexile N/A
Eleven year old Cecile Ray searches through many corners of 1854 New Orleans seeking
a necklace borrowed from her Tante Tay that disappeared as she was exiting a crowded
showboat. Includes facts about the 1850s.
Cronin, Doreen The Trouble With Chickens (2011) Lexile 570
A hard bitten former search and rescue dog helps solve a complicated missing chicken
case.
Draper, Sharon Sassy, Dazzle Disaster Dinner Party (2010) Lexile 530
Sassy’s fancy dinner turns into a disaster, but with the help of the items in her handy sack
and a little ingenuity, Sassy manages to make the meal memorable.
Gutman, Dan Mr. Burke is Berserk (2012) Lexile N/A
After budget cuts threaten the art and music programs at Ella Mentry School, as well as
some services, groundskeeper Burke finds gold and “gilver” on the playground, causing a
modern day gold rush.
Jenkins, Emily Toys Come Home (2011) Lexile 680
When a little girl gets a plush stingray for her birthday, it makes friends with some of her
other toys as they all try to navigate in the world of real people.
Klise, Kate 43 Cemetery Road: Till Death Due us Bark (2011)Lexile 710
In this story, told mostly through letters, Noah Breth’s feuding children come to Ghastly,
Illinois, to follow a trail of limericks to their inheritance, while Seymour tries to convince
Iggy and Olive to let him keep Mr. Breth’s dog.
Lin, Grace Dumpling Days (2012) Lexile N/A
Pacy and her family go to Taiwan to celebrate Grandma’s sixtieth birthday, and Pacy is
excited when her parents sign her up for a Chinese painting class,, but she cannot speak
the language and struggles to make friends and understand the teacher’s instructions.
McDonald, Megan Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk (2012) Lexile N/A
Stink and his friends try to earn money to buy the latest book in the Nightmare on
Zombie Street series and go to the book release party.
Osborne, Mary Pope Abe Lincoln At Last (Magic Tree House Series) (2011) Lexile
470
The Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie to Washington D.C. in the 1860’s where
they meet Abraham Lincoln and collect a feather that will help break a magic spell.
Pennypacker, Sara Clementine and the Family Meeting (2011) Lexile 630
Third-grader Clementine tries to adjust to the news that her perfect family of four is
adding a new brother or sister.
.

3. 2nd-3rd Grade Non-Fiction Book
Engle, Margarita Summer Birds : the butterflies of Mara Merian (2010) Lexile N/A
A young girl goes against medieval beliefs that insects are evil and secretly observes
caterpillars as they form cocoons and are reborn as butterflies and moths.
Gourley, Robbin First Garden: The white house garden and how it grew (2011)
Lexile 1070
The current White House garden provides vegetables for the First Family and their
guests. But it wasn’t the first garden planted there.
Hartland, Jessie How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum (2011) Lexile N/A
Describes how the bones of a diplodocus ended up in the Smithsonian Institution, from
their discovery in Utah in 1923 to their assembly.
Offill, Jenny 11 Experiments that Failed (2011) Lexile N/A
Teaches readers how to conduct science experiments through step-by-step instructions for
eleven failed inquiries designed to test such hypotheses as whether it is possible to wash
dishes in a washing machine, and if it is possible to live through the winter eating nothing
but ketchup-covered snowballs.
Pinkney, Andrea David Sojourner Truth’s Step, Stomp, Stride (2009) Lexile 650
Text and illustrations tell the life story and describe the work of African-American
abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth.
Ramsey, Calvin Belle, the last mule at Gee’s Bend: A Civil Rights Story (2011)
Lexile 710
In Gee’s Bend, Alabama, Miz Pettway tells young Alex about the historic role her mule
played in the struggle for civil rights led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Includes factual
information about the community of Gee;s Bend and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Simon, Seymour Butterflies (2011) Lexile N/A
Provides information about the physical characteristics and behaviors of butterflies.
Sweet, Melissa Balloons Over Broadway (2011) Lexile 1000
Tells the story of puppeteer Tony Sarg, the man who first invented the helium balloons
that have become the trademark of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Thimmesh, Catherine Friends: The true story of animal Friendships (2011) Lexile
N/A
Recounts the true stories of unlikely friendships between different animals.
Winter, Jonah Born and Bred in the Great Depression (2011) Lexile N/A
A boy remembers his father’s stories about life in East Texas during the Great
Depression.

4. 2nd – 3rd Grade Stories to Share Together
Arnold, Tedd Manners Mash Up :A Goofy Guide to Good Behavior (2011) Lexile
390
Simple text and color illustrations introduce young readers to proper etiquette, depicting
various setting sin which children often find themselves, and highlighting appropriate
behaviors in these settings.
Bridges, Shirin Yirn The Umbrella Queen (2008) Lexile N/A
In a village in Thailand where everyone makes umbrellas, young Noot dreams of painting
the most beautiful one and leading the annual parade as Umbrella Queen, but her
unconventional designs displease her parents.
Hall, Michael The Perfect Square (2011) Lexile 470
A perfect square that is perfectly happy is torn into pieces, punched with holes, crumpled
and otherwise changed but finds in each transformation that it can be something new, and
just as happy.
Johnson, Angela Lily Brown’s Painting (2007) Lexile N/A
When Lily Brown paints, she imagines all sorts of fantastic things in the scenes that she
sees everyday.
Joy, N. The Secret Olivia Told Me (2007) Lexile 350
Two friends learn an important lesson about telling and keeping secrets.
McDonnell, Patrick Me – Jane (2011) Lexile 740
Holding her stuffed toy chimpanzee, young Jane Goodall observes nature, reads Tarzan
books and dreams of living in Africa and helping animals. Includes biographical
information on the prominent zoologist.
Rocco, John Blackout (2011) Lexile N/A
Neighbors gather on the roof after the power goes out on a hot night in the city and start
having so much fun not everyone is happy when the lights go back on.
Smith, Lane Grandpa Green (2011) Lexile 360
A child explores the ordinary life of his extraordinary great-grandfather, as expressed in
his topiary garden.
Vamos, Samantha The Cazuela that the farm maiden stirred (2011) Lexile N/A
A cumulative tale of a farm maiden who, aided by a group of animals, prepares “Arroz
con Leche,” or rice pudding. Includes recipe and glossary of the Spanish words that are
woven throughout the text.
Wardlaw, Lee Won-Ton—A Cat Tale Told in Haiku (2011) Lexile N/A A cat arrives
at a shelter, arranges to go home with a good family, and settles in with them, all the
while letting them know who is boss and, finally, sharing his real name.