Best First Chapter Books to Add to Your Homeschool
It can be hard to know where to find the best first chapter books when your kids are ready to move on from picture/story books. It can be a bittersweet time for a lot of parents, as are all transitions in childhood. But try not to get too emotional haha!
Don’t stash the story books away forever, keep them around. You will still read them aloud or your kids will still want to flip through them.
This next step in creating a lifelong love of reading is an exciting one! Your kids are just wanting & needing more from their books. Enter the phase of early reader chapter books!
Early Reader Chapter Books
Early chapter books are perfect for kids typically around the ages of 6-9 years old. They are typically shorter in length than older chapter books, for ages 10+.
Also, they are longer than the beginning easy readers that help with starting to read. They tend to have many illustrations keeping younger readers engaged.
There are MANY options out there and it’s a lot to go through trying to find the right fit. Easy readers like the Biscuit series (a favorite of ours!) are great for the learning stages, but maybe you want a little more.
Classics (my love for childhood classics runs deep!) are awesome for family read alouds. But if you’re looking for first chapter books to allow your child to read on their own, classics can be too much.
I’ve come up with a list of the best first chapter books to help encourage your children to learn to love to read. Depending on your child’s reading level, these books are great for independent practice or to read aloud together.
I wanted to make sure to curate a list of favorite first chapter books that are part of a series. So, if your kiddo connects with a character or a storyline, there will be more books waiting for them to read – yay!
Best First Chapter Books:
Henry & Mudge series – by Cynthia Rylant
Sweet, fun series about a boy Henry and his best friend & lovable sidekick – his giant dog Mudge. Easy reads making them a perfect transition to chapter books.
Puppy Place series – by Ellen Miles
A large series (can be read in any order) with each book featuring a different, featured puppy being taken care of by a pair of dog loving siblings. Each story focuses on the brother and sister duo finding the puppy a home. Really sweet and fun to read, especially if you have a dog loving kiddo!
Nancy Clancy series – by Jane O’Connor
If your house loved the Fancy Nancy storybooks as much as ours did, this is a perfect next step!
Magic Tree House series – by Mary Pope Osborne
This series is full of adventure and fun, and will likely appeal to all younger readers. The story is based on a sister and brother who discover a magical treehouse filled with books.
Ivy & Bean series – by Annie Barrows
Another favorite in our household! Funny, quirky story of Bean and her new neighbor, soon to be BFF, Ivy. The stories are well developed and comical keeping the pages turning!
Nate the Great series – by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
This series is loved by so many for good reason! It’s super cute featuring a kid detective who solves a new mystery in every book. Full of great illustrations (featuring clues!) this series is sure to bring out the inner detective in your kids!
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series – by Carolyn Keene
Another for detective loving kids! This series features a younger version of the beloved literary character, Nancy Drew. Nancy and her best friends help solve age appropriate mysteries in their town.
Junie B. Jones series – by Barbara Park
A silly, sometimes outrageous, but super cute series about a kindergartener and all her antics. She is a bit sassy, so keep that in mind if you aren’t a fan of that for your kids to learn from.
Mercy Watson series – by Kate DiCamillo
Short, super funny, fully illustrated series that will get the giggles going! Mercy is a large pig, who is just another member of the family in these cute stories. As you can imagine, lots of hilarity ensues with a pig in the family!
The Princess in Black series – by Shannon Hale
Think a princess who is also a superhero and you’ve got the premise of this series. Kids love the adventures and illustrations in this fun series.
Amelia Bedelia series – by Herman Parish
Another beloved character given a new life! Amelia is as funny as ever as a child in this series.
The Never Girls series – by Kiki Thorpe
Four friends discover a secret portal to Never Land in this series leading to all sorts of fantastic adventures! Tinkerbell and other Disney favorites are in this series making it a must for any fans of the magic of Disney.
Judy Moody series – by Megan McDonald
Funny, relatable and full of all sorts of moods, Judy is a character your kids will love! She encounters all sorts of funny situations and deals with all sorts of emotions. Great first series for kids to see a real life/relatable character and how she deals with her moods.
WellieWishers series – by Valerie Tripp
American Girl fans will enjoy this early chapter book series. Well written, beautifully illustrated and friendly conflict resolution in every book makes these a must on the list of best first chapter books.
Fairy Animals of Misty Wood series – by Lily Small
The perfect early chapter series for the animal lover! Sweet, enchanted, easy to read stories with cute animals as the main characters.
A to Z Mysteries series – by Rob Roy
A really cute, engaging mystery series that will hook your kids. The main characters are a trio of friends, 2 boys and a girl, which makes it appealing to all. This series is all titled in alphabetical order, but can be read in any order making it an easy one to add to your library pickup list!
Dory Fantasmagory series – by Abby Hanlon
Such a cute character and fun read! Dory is a SUPER imaginative kid who comes up with some great imaginary friends creating some really fun stories! Another series your kids will not want to put down!
Hope you & your kids love these books!
I hope this list gives you inspiration to check a few of these first chapter books out of the library and give them a try with your kids! There are so many wonderful books that can be on a list of the best first chapter books, this is just the tip of the iceberg! All of the series that we have loved or have been personally recommended to me over the years by fellow homeschooling parents, friends or teachers, made this list.
Share below in the comments any other first chapter books series – sharing is caring ☺
