Book challenges and awards
America's Battle of the Books 3rd grade list, 2026-27 (used in Kern County, California)
A 15-book third grade list used for Battle of the Books in Kern County, California. Many are classics a read-aloud parent will remember.
Copied from America's Battle of the Books (battleofthebooks.org) 'Book List 3rd Grade 2026-27', the official list page; Kern County, California's 2026-27 letter tells its 3rd grade teams to read 12 of these 15 titles. Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Richard Atwater ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
The World According to Humphrey
Betty Birney ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
Freckle Juice
Judy Blume ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
Wild Robot
Peter Brown ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
A Lion to Guard Us
Clyde Robert Bulla ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
Tornado
Betsy Byars ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
Muggie Maggie
Beverly Cleary ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Eleanor Coerr ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
Molly's Pilgrim
Barbara Cohen ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
Miss Rumphius
Barbara Cooney ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
George's Marvelous Medicine
Roald Dahl ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
My Father's Dragon
Ruth Stiles Gannett ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
Boxcar Children
Gertrude Warner ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
Charlotte's Web
E.B. White ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
Little House in the Big Woods
Laura Ingalls Wilder ยท Ages 7-9
On the 2026-27 list for this grade band; books are chosen for Battle of the Books questions.
Buy: Bookshop.org ยท Amazon
More lists
How to run a Battle of the Books at home or school
A Battle of the Books is a team quiz on a shared reading list.
Newbery Medal winners, 2017 to 2026
The Newbery Medal goes each year to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children, chosen by a committee of librarians.
Newbery Honor Books, 2023 to 2026
Honor books are the runners-up the Newbery committee also names.
Newbery Medal winners worth reading before middle school
Newbery winners go back to 1922, and many older ones feel dated.
Caldecott Medal winners, 2017 to 2026
The Caldecott Medal honors the most distinguished American picture book for children, judged on the illustrations.
Caldecott Honor Books, 2022 to 2026
Honor books are the Caldecott committee's runners-up, and many of them are the ones children ask to hear again.
Caldecott Medal winners from 1980 to 2016 that are still shelf favorites
Older Caldecott winners are the ones many families already own.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winners, 2019 to 2026
The Geisel Award goes to the best book for beginning readers each year.