Delaware 3rd grade reading list

Books with a Delaware citation for 3rd grade include The Tale of Despereaux, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold) and Because of Winn-Dixie. This list has 542 total books, 15 of them with a Delaware-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 380L to 1000L.

Top Delaware 3rd grade pick: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo — on 1 Delaware list

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Total books542Lexile380L–1000LSourceDelaware ELA 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 Delaware 3rd grade

These are the 15 titles named in Delaware’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. The Tale of Despereaux

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers courage, forgiveness and light vs dark. At 670L it falls inside the 420–820L band for this grade.

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  2. A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold)

    Natalie Lloyd

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 10.

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  3. Because of Winn-Dixie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Delaware 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. Clementine

    Sara Pennypacker

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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  5. Ghost Knight

    Cornelia Funke

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 10.

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  6. A Season of Gifts

    Richard Peck

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers neighbors, humorous stories and nineteen fifties.

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  7. Girl in a Cage

    Jane Yolen

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers princesses, childhood and youth, history.

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  8. Nightmare at the Book Fair

    Dan Gutman

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers action & adventure - general.

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  9. No Talking

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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  10. Project Mulberry

    Linda Sue Park

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers family life, prejudices and silkworms.

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  11. The Library of Ever

    Zeno Alexander

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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  12. The Sword of Summer

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers action, myths and novel.

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  13. The Wishing Spell

    Chris Colfer

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers fairy tales, characters in literature and magic.

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  14. Wat Takes His Shot

    Cheryl Kim

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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  15. Your Place in the Universe

    Jason Chin

    Cited in 1 Delaware curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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15 books cited for Delaware 3rd grade

Assignments tied directly to Delaware’s Delaware ELA Standards with a Delaware-specific citation.

527 additional grade-appropriate books for 3rd grade readers

The 542-book total above includes 15 titles with direct Delaware citation; these 527 additional titles cover 3rd grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Delaware-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 527 titles

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Other Delaware 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

Browse 3rd grade reading by theme

About the Delaware 3rd grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Delaware ELA 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 542 titles for 3rd grade in Delaware, of which 15 carry a direct Delaware citation and 527 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.

Delaware’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Delaware ELA Standards (doe.k12.de.us). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 3rd grade list below blends Delaware-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 Delaware-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 Delaware?
Books with a Delaware-specific citation for 3rd grade include The Tale of Despereaux, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Because of Winn-Dixie, Clementine and Ghost Knight. 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 Delaware?
This list has 542 books for 3rd grade students in Delaware. 15 of them have a Delaware-specific citation; the other 527 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 3rd grade reading in Delaware?
Lexile measures across the 3rd grade Delaware 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?
Delaware-specific entries reference Delaware ELA Standards (published at www.doe.k12.de.us). 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 www.doe.k12.de.us. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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