Reading Representation Grades 3-4

The books on this list have been curated for grades 3-4 by Guilford Free Library and Guilford Public Schools librarians. These titles showcase characters from a wide range of backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities, and family structures, affirming everyone’s presence and value in society while also being good stories that children enjoy! Reading stories from different perspectives inspires empathy, fostering self-love as well as a greater connection with others. This project is also presented by the Guilford Anti-Bias Anti-Racist (ABAR) Alliance, a collaborative partnership of educators, parents, and caregivers who work to further inclusion, equity, and tolerance within Guilford Public Schools. Learn more at www.GuilfordCtABAR.com .

Showing 1 - 20 of 72  There are a total of 78 valid entries on the list.
Book cover for "Any small goodness"
Star rating for Any small goodness
Description:
Arturo and his family and friends share all kinds of experiences living in the barrio of East Los Angeles--reclaiming their names, playing basketball, championing the school librarian, and even starting their own gang.
Book cover for "Ban this book"
Star rating for Ban this book
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Description:
"In Ban This Book by Alan Gratz, a fourth grader fights back when From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg is challenged by a well-meaning parent and taken off the shelves of her school library. Amy Anne is shy and soft-spoken, but don't mess with her when it comes to her favorite book in the whole world. Amy Anne and her lieutenants wage a battle for the books that will make you laugh and pump your fists as they start...
Book cover for "Beach volleyball is no joke"
Star rating for Beach volleyball is no joke
Description:
Instead of trying to learn beach volleyball, Tyler spends a week at camp pulling practical jokes, only to upset his teammates.
Book cover for "Book Uncle and me"
Star rating for Book Uncle and me
Description:
Every day, nine-year-old Yasmin borrows a book from Book Uncle, a retired teacher who has set up a free lending library next to her apartment building. But when the mayor tries to shut down the rickety bookstand, Yasmin has to take her nose out of her book and do something. But what can she do? The local elections are coming up but she's just a kid. She can't even vote! Still, Yasmin has friends her best friend, Reeni, and Anil, who even has a black...
Book cover for "A boy called Bat"
Star rating for A boy called Bat
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
When his veterinarian mom brings home a stray baby skunk that needs rehabilitation before it can be placed in a wild animal shelter, Bat, who has autism, resolves to prove that he is up to the challenge of caring for the skunk permanently.
Book cover for "Cheerleading really is a sport"
Star rating for Cheerleading really is a sport
Description:
Alicia's brother Danny and his friends are always putting down cheerleading. One of them even said the cheerleaders don't belong at the Victory School. But Alicia knows that everyone on the team has something special, like her super jumping ability. She just has to prove to Danny and the others that cheerleading really is a sport.
Book cover for "Criminal destiny"
Star rating for Criminal destiny
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
"A group of kids discovers they were cloned from the DNA of some of the greatest criminal masterminds in history for a sociological experiment, and they must find a way to prove it to the rest of the world"--
Book cover for "Demigods & magicians"
Star rating for Demigods & magicians
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"Magic, monsters, and mayhem abound when Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase meet Carter and Sadie Kane for the first time in this short story collection"--
Book cover for "Don't break the balance beam!"
Star rating for Don't break the balance beam!
Book cover for "Don't wobble on the wakeboard!"
Star rating for Don't wobble on the wakeboard!
Author:
Description:
Josh uses all his talent and skills to do the best he can in a camp wakeboarding competition.
Book cover for "Elvis and the underdogs"
Star rating for Elvis and the underdogs
Description:
All his life Benji, now ten, has been sickly and he has long been targeted by the school bully, but after a seizure Benji gets a therapy dog that is not only big enough to protect him, it can also talk.
Book cover for "The extraordinary education of Nicholas Benedict"
Star rating for The extraordinary education of Nicholas Benedict
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
Nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict, an orphan afflicted with an unfortunate nose and with narcolepsy, is sent to a new orphanage where he encounters vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances, and a mystery that could change his life forever.
Book cover for "Five fouls and you're out!"
Star rating for Five fouls and you're out!
Author:
Description:
Carmen is a great dribbler, but she gets thrown out of every game for too many fouls.
Book cover for "Flora & Ulysses"
Star rating for Flora & Ulysses
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
Rescuing a squirrel after an accident involving a vacuum cleaner, comic-reading cynic Flora Belle Buckman is astonished when the squirrel, Ulysses, demonstrates astonishing powers of strength and flight after being revived.

15. Framed!

Book cover for "Framed!"
Star rating for Framed!
Author:
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
In Washington, D.C., twelve-year-old Florian Bates, a consulting detective for the FBI, and his best friend Margaret help thwart the biggest art heist in United States history.

16. Fuzzy

Book cover for "Fuzzy"
Star rating for Fuzzy
Description:
When Max (Maxine Zealster) befriends her new robot classmate Fuzzy, she helps him navigate Vanguard Middle School and together they reveal the truth behind the Robot Integration Program.
Book cover for "Fuzzy mud"
Star rating for Fuzzy mud
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"Two middle-grade kids take a shortcut home from school and discover what looks like fuzzy mud but is actually a substance with the potential to wreak havoc on the entire world"--
Book cover for "Garvey's choice"
Star rating for Garvey's choice
Description:
"Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading--anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend, and he is also overweight, teased by bullies, and lonely. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey's life changes. The chorus finds a new soloist in Garvey, and through chorus,...
Book cover for "The great CT caper"
Star rating for The great CT caper
Description:
Gillette Castle in East Haddam, Connecticut, has vanished! Now it's up to a couple of Connecticut kids to scour the state and help solve the great Connecticut caper.
Book cover for "A handful of stars"
Star rating for A handful of stars
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Description:
When her blind dog slips his collar, twelve-year old Lily meets Salma Santiago, a young Hispanic girl whose migrant family are in Maine for the blueberry-picking season, and, based partly on their mutual love of dogs, the two forge a friendship while painting bee boxes for Lily's grandfather--but as the Blueberry Queen pageant approaches Lily and Selma are confronted with some of the hard truths of prejudice and migrant life.