New Mexico 3rd grade reading list

Books with a New Mexico citation for 3rd grade include The Tale of Despereaux, Shiloh and Because of Winn-Dixie. This list has 555 total books, 27 of them with a New Mexico-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 380L to 1000L.

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

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Total books555Lexile380L–1000LSourceNM Common Core✓ 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 New Mexico 3rd grade

These are the 27 titles named in New Mexico’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 New Mexico 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. Shiloh

    Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Cited in 1 New Mexico 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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  3. Because of Winn-Dixie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 New Mexico 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. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers facial difference, kindness and bullying. At 790L it falls inside the 420–820L band for this grade.

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  5. 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli

    David LaRochelle

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade K to 3.

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  6. A Spoon for Every Bite

    Joe Hayes

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

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  7. As Fast As Words Could Fly

    Pamela M. Tuck

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade K to 3.

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  8. Baby Monkey, Private Eye

    Brian Selznick

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade K to 3. Covers private investigators, humorous stories and monkeys.

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  9. El Cucuy!

    Joe Hayes

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

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  10. George Washington's Teeth

    Deborah Chandra

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

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  11. Gingerbread for Liberty!

    Mara Rockliff

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

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  12. Library Lil

    Suzanne Williams

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

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  13. Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse

    Marilyn Singer

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade K to 3.

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  14. Mother Bruce

    Ryan T. Higgins

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document. Covers bears, geese and animals.

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  15. Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates

    Jonah Winter

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

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  16. Ruby Holler

    Sharon Creech

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

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  17. Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter

    Diane Stanley

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

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  18. Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker

    Megan McDonald

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

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  19. Super Manny Stands Up!

    Kelly DiPucchio

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade K to 3.

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  20. The Book of Mistakes

    Corinna Luyken

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

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  21. The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

    Drew Daywalt

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers humor, adventure and rock-paper-scissors (game).

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  22. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

    Tom Angleberger

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers finger puppets, middle schools and interpersonal relations.

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  23. The Wild Robot

    Peter Brown

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers nature, survival and family. At 740L it falls inside the 420–820L band for this grade.

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  24. Togo

    Robert J. Blake

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers diphtheria antitoxin, siberian husky and sled dogs.

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  25. Wayside School Is Falling Down

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers humor, school and friendship.

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  26. What Really Happened to Humpty?

    Jeanie Franz Ransom

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade K to 3.

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  27. You are (not) Small

    Anna Kang

    Cited in 1 New Mexico curriculum document, taught from grade K to 1.

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27 books cited for New Mexico 3rd grade

Assignments tied directly to New Mexico’s NM Common Core with a New Mexico-specific citation.

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528 additional grade-appropriate books for 3rd grade readers

The 555-book total above includes 27 titles with direct New Mexico citation; these 528 additional titles cover 3rd grade in the broader canon. They don't have a New Mexico-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

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Other New Mexico 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 New Mexico 3rd grade reading list

This list combines books cited in NM Common Core 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 555 titles for 3rd grade in New Mexico, of which 27 carry a direct New Mexico 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 53 titles here with a Lexile score 37 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.

New Mexico’s English Language Arts requirements are set by NM Common Core (webnew.ped.state.nm.us). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 3rd grade list below blends New Mexico-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 New Mexico-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 New Mexico?
Books with a New Mexico-specific citation for 3rd grade include The Tale of Despereaux, Shiloh, Because of Winn-Dixie, Wonder and 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli. 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 New Mexico?
This list has 555 books for 3rd grade students in New Mexico. 27 of them have a New Mexico-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 New Mexico?
Lexile measures across the 3rd grade New Mexico 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?
New Mexico-specific entries reference NM Common Core (published at webnew.ped.state.nm.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 webnew.ped.state.nm.us. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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