North Dakota 3rd grade reading list

Books with a North Dakota citation for 3rd grade include Shiloh, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and The One and Only Ivan. This list has 535 total books, 10 of them with a North Dakota-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 380L to 1000L.

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

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Total books535Lexile380L–1000LSourceND 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 North Dakota 3rd grade

These are the 10 titles named in North Dakota’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 North Dakota 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. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 2 to 5. Covers siblings, family and everyday life. At 470L it falls inside the 420–820L band for this grade.

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  3. The One and Only Ivan

    Katherine Applegate

    Cited in 1 North Dakota 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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  4. Frindle

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers creativity, language and thought, intelligence. At 830L it runs above the 420–820L band — a stretch text.

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  5. Superfudge

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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  6. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

    Brian Selznick

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7.

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  7. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 North Dakota 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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  8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

    Roald Dahl

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers poverty, kindness and imagination. At 810L it falls inside the 420–820L band for this grade.

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  9. Fudge-a-Mania

    Judy Blume

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

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  10. The Best School Year Ever

    Barbara Robinson

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers humor, family and school.

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10 books cited for North Dakota 3rd grade

Assignments tied directly to North Dakota’s ND ELA Standards with a North Dakota-specific citation.

525 additional grade-appropriate books for 3rd grade readers

The 535-book total above includes 10 titles with direct North Dakota citation; these 525 additional titles cover 3rd grade in the broader canon. They don't have a North Dakota-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 525 titles

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Other North Dakota 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 North Dakota 3rd grade reading list

This list combines books cited in ND 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 535 titles for 3rd grade in North Dakota, of which 10 carry a direct North Dakota citation and 525 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.

North Dakota’s English Language Arts requirements are set by ND ELA Standards (nd.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 3rd grade list below blends North Dakota-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 North Dakota-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 North Dakota?
Books with a North Dakota-specific citation for 3rd grade include Shiloh, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, The One and Only Ivan, Frindle and Superfudge. 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 North Dakota?
This list has 535 books for 3rd grade students in North Dakota. 10 of them have a North Dakota-specific citation; the other 525 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 3rd grade reading in North Dakota?
Lexile measures across the 3rd grade North Dakota 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?
North Dakota-specific entries reference ND ELA Standards (published at www.nd.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 www.nd.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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