Books We Read
Every book on our Reading & Writing plan, sorted by level from PreK to high school. Books marked Read in class are ones our classes have already finished; the rest are class reads, read-alouds and library-shelf picks for 2026–27.
Level 1 · Sounds & Letters
Children learn letter sounds, blend them into words, and hear picture books read aloud every day. By June they read simple words and a first decodable book, and write a sentence of their own.
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Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes
Eric Litwin
Read in class · Ms. O’Neill’s Little Readers & Writers
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Buffalo Fluffalo
Bess Kalb
Read in class · Ms. O’Neill’s Little Readers & Writers
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Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late
Mo Willems
Read in class · Little Readers & Writers
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The Good Egg
Jory John
Read in class · Ms. O’Neill’s Little Readers & Writers
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The Bad Seed
Jory John
Read in class · Ms. O’Neill’s Little Readers & Writers
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The Smart Cookie
Jory John
Read in class · Ms. O’Neill’s Little Readers & Writers
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The Sour Grape
Jory John
Read in class · Ms. O’Neill’s Little Readers & Writers
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Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak
Read in class · Little Readers & Writers
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Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon
Patty Lovell
Read in class · Little Readers and Writers PreK–K
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The Mitten
Jan Brett
Read in class · Ms. O’Neill’s Reading and Writing
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Bob Books Set 1: Beginning Readers
Bobby Lynn Maslen
Class read · Decodable books children read themselves
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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault
Read-aloud · Letters
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Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle
Read-aloud · Patterns and sight words
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle
Read-aloud · Sequence and retelling
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Should I Share My Ice Cream?
Mo Willems
Read-aloud · Sharing opinions
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National Geographic Kids Pre-Readers
National Geographic Kids
Read-aloud · Facts vs. stories
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Elephant & Piggie series
Mo Willems
Library shelf · Levels 1–2
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Biscuit series
Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Library shelf · Levels 1–2
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Pete the Cat I Can Read series
James Dean
Library shelf · Levels 1–2
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Level 2 · Learning to Read
Phonics turns into real reading, through decodable readers and first chapter books. By June students read an early chapter book on their own and write a short story, an opinion piece and a fact piece.
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Shark Lady
Jess Keating
Read in class · Grade 1 and Kindergarten · Ms. D’Achille · Sept 2026
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The Year of Billy Miller
Kevin Henkes
Read in class · Grade 1 · Ms. D’Achille · Sept 2026
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Jabari Jumps
Gaia Cornwall
Read in class · Grade 1 · Ms. Wolf · Sept 2026
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Mercy Watson is Missing
Kate DiCamillo
Read in class · Level 1 Reading and Writing · summer camp
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Bob Books Set 2
Bobby Lynn Maslen
Class read · Decodable practice: blends, silent e
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Bob Books Set 3
Bobby Lynn Maslen
Class read · Decodable practice: vowel teams
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We Are in a Book!
Mo Willems
Class read · Fluency and expression
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Frog and Toad Are Friends
Arnold Lobel
Class read · Character and sequence
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Henry and Mudge: The First Book
Cynthia Rylant
Class read · First chapter book
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National Geographic Kids Readers
National Geographic Kids
Class read · Facts and pictures · Levels 1–3
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The Gingerbread Man
Traditional
Read-aloud · Comparing versions of a story
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Gingerbread Baby
Jan Brett
Read-aloud · Comparing versions of a story
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Owl Moon
Jane Yolen
Read-aloud · Small-moment writing
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The Day the Crayons Quit
Drew Daywalt
Read-aloud · Opinion writing
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Fly Guy series
Tedd Arnold
Library shelf · Level 2
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Level 3 · Fluent Reading
Students build reading speed and stamina and start their first class novels. By June they read chapter books with understanding and write organized paragraphs.
Level 4 · Reading to Learn
Reading shifts from learning how to read to reading to learn, with classic chapter books, biographies and poetry. By June students state a story’s lesson, summarize nonfiction and write multi-paragraph pieces.
Level 5 · Deeper Comprehension
Longer novels, myths and poems push students to look deeper at theme and at how characters change. By June they write an argument essay and a research report.
Level 6 · Evidence & Analysis
Students back every idea with evidence from the text and learn to compare two sources. By June they write essays that answer the other side and cite their sources.
Level 7 · Argument & Theme
Novels and classic short stories are the starting point for finding a theme and defending it. By June students write a full essay with a claim, evidence and a counterclaim.
Short stories, poems & speeches
- Charles Shirley Jackson Amazon
- Thank You, Ma’am Langston Hughes Amazon
- The Gift of the Magi O. Henry Amazon
- The Ransom of Red Chief O. Henry Amazon
- The Road Not Taken Robert Frost Amazon
Level 8 · Analytical Writing
Coming-of-age novels, memoir and suspense stories, read while learning to judge how strong an argument is. By June students write a cited analytical essay and a research paper.
Short stories, poems & speeches
- The Tell-Tale Heart Edgar Allan Poe Amazon
- The Most Dangerous Game Richard Connell Amazon
- The Monkey’s Paw W.W. Jacobs Amazon
- Nothing Gold Can Stay Robert Frost Amazon
Level 9 · Literary Analysis
High school classics and Shakespeare, read closely for the author’s choices: tone, structure and irony. By June students write a sustained analytical essay.
Short stories, poems & speeches
- The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe Amazon
- The Necklace Guy de Maupassant Amazon
- The Story of an Hour Kate Chopin Amazon
- Ozymandias Percy Bysshe Shelley Amazon
Level 10 · Research & Rhetoric
American classics, famous speeches and essays, studied for how writers persuade. By June students analyze rhetoric and write a research argument and a personal essay.
Short stories, poems & speeches
- The Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln Amazon
- Politics and the English Language George Orwell Amazon
- Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. Amazon
More Short Stories
Short stories our classes have already read and analyzed together — mostly in Mr. A’s literary analysis and Mrs. Mercier’s classes.
- All Summer in a Day Ray Bradbury Amazon
- The Pie Gary Soto Amazon
- My Name Sandra Cisneros Amazon
- The Open Window Saki Amazon
- The Lottery Shirley Jackson Amazon
- The Chaser John Collier Amazon
- After Twenty Years O. Henry Amazon
- The Last Leaf O. Henry Amazon
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