Book picks similar to
The Talent Show by Ryan Howard


chapter-books
3rd-grade-ar-books
for-chris
gavin-and-harper

Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom


Paul Fenimore Cooper - 1929
    His companions were the wise old man Noom-Zor-Noom and the talking donkey Millitinkle.

Nowhere to Run


Jude Watson - 2013
    For five hundred years, they have guarded the 39 Clues – thirty-nine ingredients in a serum that transforms whomever takes it into the most powerful person on earth. If the serum got into the wrong hands, the disaster would rock the world. So certain Cahills have always made it their mission to keep the serum safe, buried, locked away. Until now.Thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, are the latest guardians of the Clues. They think they’ve done everything right, but a tiny mistake leads to catastrophe. The serum is missing and Dan and Amy have to get it back and stop who stole it . . . before it’s game over. For everyone.

Jasmine The Jewel Orchard


Ellie O'Ryan - 2013
    A servant claims that there is no fruit to be found in all of Agrabah Jasmine heads to the market to figure out what has happened. When a trail of beautiful amethysts leads her to the royal orchards, she discovers that all the fruit and water have been turned into sparkling, shimmering jewels At first it seems a beautiful sight, but with no fruit to eat or water to drink, the people of Agrabah can't survive. Jasmine and Aladdin must figure out how to reverse the spell that has been cast upon the orchards before it's too late.

The Adventures of Tempest & Serena


Marty Mokler Banks - 2012
    That all changes when Tempest flies off a wild, brave journey to find summer forever, while Serena promises to save her sister's seat on the school bus. As each battles bullies, disasters, and loneliness, they find they're not so different. A suspenseful, charming chapter book adventure for readers ages 7 and up.

Serafina Boxed Set #1-3


Robert Beatty - 2017
    None of the rich folk upstairs know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate's maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember.But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows who the culprit is:a terrifying man in a black cloak who stalks Biltmore's corridors at night. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of Biltmore's owners. Braeden and Serafina must uncover the Man in the Black Cloak's true identity before all of the children vanish one by one. Serafina and the Twisted Staff Serafina's defeat of the Man in the Black Cloak has brought her out of the shadows and into the daylight realm of her home, Biltmore Estate. Every night she visits her mother in the forest, eager to learn the ways of the catamount. But Serafina finds herself caught between her two worlds: she's too wild for Biltmore and too human to fully join her kin.When a mysterious series of attacks test Serafina's role as Biltmore's protector, she finds herself torn from the side of her best friend and only ally, Braeden Vanderbilt. Heartbroken, she flees.Deep in the forest, Serafina comes face-to-face with the evil infecting Biltmore-and discovers its reach is far greater than she'd ever imagined. All the humans and creatures of the Blue Ridge Mountains are in terrible danger. For Serafina to defeat this new evil, she must search deep inside herself and embrace the destiny that has always awaited her. Serafina and the Splintered Heart The storms are coming.... Something has happened to Serafina. She has awoken into a darkness she does not understand, scarred from a terrible battle, only to find that life at Biltmore Estate has changed in unimaginable ways. Old friends do unthinkable things and enemies seem all around.A mysterious threat moves towards Biltmore, a force without a name, bringing with it violent storms and flooding that stands to uproot everything in its path. Serafina must uncover the truth about what has happened to her and find a way to harness her strange new powers before it's too late.With only days to achieve the impossible, Serafina fights to reclaim herself as the Guardian of Biltmore, friend of Braeden, daughter of her Pa, and heroine of the Blue Ridge Mountains and all the folk and creatures that call it home.In the epic third installment of Robert Beatty's #1 bestselling series, Serafina takes her rightful place among literary champions as she battles fiercely to defend all she loves and become everything that she is meant to be.

Hokey Pokey


Jerry Spinelli - 2013
    A place and a time, when childhood is at its best: games to play, bikes to ride, experiences to be had. There are no adults in Hokey Pokey, just kids, and the laws governing Hokey Pokey are simple and finite. But when one of the biggest kids, Jack, has his beloved bike stolen—and by a girl, no less—his entire world, and the world of Hokey Pokey, turns to chaos. Without his bike, Jack feels like everything has started to go wrong. He feels different, not like himself, and he knows something is about to change. And even more troubling he alone hears a faint train whistle. But that's impossible: every kid knows there no trains in Hokey Pokey, only tracks.Master storyteller Jerry Spinelli has written a dizzingly inventive fable of growing up and letting go, of leaving childhood and its imagination play behind for the more dazzling adventures of adolescence, and of learning to accept not only the sunny part of day, but the unwelcome arrival of night, as well.

Milly-Molly-Mandy's Adventures


Joyce Lankester Brisley - 2005
    These classic tales are as fresh and lively as when they were first written. Young readers will love discovering Milly-Molly-Mandy for the first time in a dainty, accessible format - they're sure to want to collect other titles in this charming series.

The Sinful Seven: Sci-fi Western Legends of the NCAA


Spencer Hall - 2020
    A collaborative book, written and edited in just 11 weeks, that examines college sports through the lens of an Old West that never existed, but feels very familiar.

The Skeleton Tree


Iain Lawrence - 2016
    The only survivors are Chris and a boy named Frank, who hates Chris immediately. Chris and Frank have no radio, no flares, no food. Suddenly, they've got to find a way to forage, fish and scavenge supplies from the shore. Chris likes the company of a curious friendly raven more than he likes the prickly Frank. But the boys have to get along if they want to survive. Because as the days get colder, and the salmon migration ends, survival will take more than sheer force of will. There in the wilderness of Kodiak, they discover a bond they didn't expect, and through it, the compassion and teamwork that might truly be the path to rescue.

The Lonely Christmas Tree


Shannon Glenn - 2011
    A lonely tree stands in an empty field on Christmas Eve. Will the Christmas star grant his only wish? Written for children, but enjoyed by all.  New for 2012: A fully illustrated version is now available.  Just search "The Lonely Christmas Tree (Illustrated)".

Einstein The Lazy Kitty


Renae Rae - 2012
    Einstein The Lazy Kitty, combines rhythmic writing and colorful illustrations to make this a short, fun book for all ages but it was designed with your toddler and early reader in mind. Although it can be viewed on a regular kindle, it is probably best viewed by a color reader or computer.

Woody saves the day


Harvey Storm - 2018
    He’s different to what you might imagine a little mouse to be, because Woody is the most respected of all the forest animals. Even the lion and the elephant come to Woody’s cave to bear him gifts.But Woody has a secret that none of the animals know about. He has secretly been fooling them into believing he eats the most powerful animals, the ones of which he leaves bones scattered at the entrance to his cave.A chance encounter with a fox, who takes shelter in his cave one evening, reveals Woody’s deceit to the other animals and he is soon presented at the animal court to decide a fitting punishment for his lies.But there is danger looming for all the animals and Woody is given one last chance to redeem himself. Can he save the forest dwellers and win back their trust? Or will he face a punishment that he could see him lose it forever?

Raymie Nightingale


Kate DiCamillo - 2016
    And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie's picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton; she also has to contend with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who’s determined to sabotage the contest. But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship — and challenge each of them to come to the rescue in unexpected ways.

Operation Trinity


Clifford Riley - 2012
    For 500 years, they've protected the source of their power - the 39 Clues. And for 500 years, they've kept their secrets silent. Until now.This extraordinary stand-alone novel cracks open the Cahill vault to tell the story of the most coveted piece of artwork in the world, a masterpiece that has been the target of seven separate theft attempts: Jan van Eyck’s altarpiece at Ghent. OPERATION TRINITY chronicles the first Vesper attack on the altarpiece in the 1600s, then jumps to WWII and young Grace Cahill’s desperate bid to save the masterwork from the Nazis. The final piece of the novel tells the story of Ian and Natalie Kabra’s first solo operation and features an 11th hour appearance by Grace Cahill on her final mission.History will never be the same.

Julius Caesar


Andrew Matthews - 2012
    But among the cheering crowds, a group of conspirators are determined to prevent Caesar becoming king... A brilliant retelling of Shakespeare's famous Roman play.