Connecticut 3rd grade reading list

Books with a Connecticut citation for 3rd grade include Shiloh, The One and Only Ivan and Because of Winn-Dixie. This list has 538 total books, 10 of them with a Connecticut-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 380L to 1000L.

Top Connecticut 3rd grade pick: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor — on 1 Connecticut list

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Total books538Lexile380L–1000LSourceCT Core Standards✓ sources cited per book

Most-assigned on state lists: across every US state’s official reading and award lists, the Elementary (K–5) titles appearing in the most states are Wonder (29 states), Because of Winn-Dixie (26 states), and Shiloh (25 states). From our 2026 study of 13,258 source-cited assignments (as of 2026-07-13).

Our pick to start — most-cited for Connecticut 3rd grade

These are the 10 titles named in Connecticut’s own curriculum documents for this grade — everything below is the wider national list. Read against the Common Core Appendix A complexity band; reading level is not thematic maturity, and several sit below the band because they are assigned for discussion.

  1. Shiloh

    Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers animal welfare, morality and family. At 890L it runs above the 420–820L band — a stretch text.

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  2. The One and Only Ivan

    Katherine Applegate

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers animal welfare, captivity and freedom, friendship across species. At 570L it falls inside the 420–820L band for this grade.

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  3. Because of Winn-Dixie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers loss, friendship and mother absence. At 610L it falls inside the 420–820L band for this grade.

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  4. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

    Dusti Bowling

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 5.

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  5. A Boy Called Bat

    Elana K. Arnold

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers neurodiversity, animals and family.

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  6. Ban This Book

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers censorship, books and standing up.

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  7. Because of Mr. Terupt

    Rob Buyea

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5.

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  8. My Teacher Is an Alien

    Bruce Coville

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers humor, school and friendship.

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  9. Scritch Scratch

    Lindsay Currie

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5.

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  10. The Million Dollar Shot

    Dan Gutman

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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10 books cited for Connecticut 3rd grade

Assignments tied directly to Connecticut’s CT Core Standards with a Connecticut-specific citation.

528 additional grade-appropriate books for 3rd grade readers

The 538-book total above includes 10 titles with direct Connecticut citation; these 528 additional titles cover 3rd grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Connecticut-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 528 titles

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Other Connecticut grades

2nd grade · 4th grade · 1st grade · 5th grade

Reading lists by grade (all states)

2nd grade · 4th grade · 1st grade · 5th grade

Same 3rd grade in other states

California · Texas · Florida · New York · Pennsylvania · Illinois

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About the Connecticut 3rd grade reading list

This list combines books cited in CT Core Standards with books from national sources that list titles for 3rd grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Newbery Medal, the Golden Kite Award and the Caldecott Medal. ReadingList currently tracks 538 titles for 3rd grade in Connecticut, of which 10 carry a direct Connecticut citation and 528 are grade-appropriate titles whose reading level overlaps 3rd grade. Across the list, Lexile measures span 380L–1000L.

3rd grade sits in the 3-5 grade band, where students are transitional readers. At this stage the emphasis is on shifting from learning-to-read to reading-to-learn and sustaining attention across longer chapter books. Assigned reading skews toward early novels, narrative non-fiction, and a student's first assigned full-length stories, with text complexity that, per Common Core’s Appendix A reading bands, typically falls around roughly 400L to 800L. Measured against that 420–820L range, of the 52 titles here with a Lexile score 36 are grade-level, 2 are more accessible (often assigned for theme over challenge), and 14 are stretch texts that may need scaffolding. Because readers in a single 3rd grade classroom can span several hundred Lexile points, this list is best read as a starting point rather than a fixed requirement.

Connecticut’s English Language Arts requirements are set by CT Core Standards (portal.ct.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 3rd grade list below blends Connecticut-specific assignments with widely taught national titles. Every title links to its primary source on the book’s detail page, so you can confirm exactly where and why it is assigned.

How to use this list:match a title to your child’s most recent Lexile or guided-reading level rather than to the grade alone. Teachers building a 3rd grade unit can pair a Connecticut-cited core text with a grade-appropriate companion novel; parents previewing summer or supplemental reading can check each book’s content notes and challenge history before assigning it.

Common questions

What books do 3rd grade students read in Connecticut?
Books with a Connecticut-specific citation for 3rd grade include Shiloh, The One and Only Ivan, Because of Winn-Dixie, Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus and A Boy Called Bat. Individual schools and districts choose their own titles, so check with your child's teacher for the exact list.
How many books are assigned to 3rd grade students in Connecticut?
This list has 538 books for 3rd grade students in Connecticut. 10 of them have a Connecticut-specific citation; the other 528 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 3rd grade reading in Connecticut?
Lexile measures across the 3rd grade Connecticut reading list range from 380L to 1000L. Books without a published Lexile (poetry, drama, picture books) are not included in this range.
Where does this reading list come from?
Connecticut-specific entries reference CT Core Standards (published at portal.ct.gov). The other books come from national sources that list books for 3rd grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Newbery Medal, the Golden Kite Award and the Caldecott Medal. Each book's page links the primary source for every listing.

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State-specific entries sourced from portal.ct.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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