All beginning chapter books need a fun plot line and illustrations throughout, in my opinion. A fun plot line will pull children in and help they become lifelong readers who love reading and illustrations are vital at this young age when they are transitioning from picture books to chapter books. Below is list of 15+ chapter book series that we really love. Each series has fun stories and has illustrations scattered throughout. They are mostly between 100-200 pages (with a few shorter and one just barely longer) and are geared for the younger age groups. I have them sorted by recommended age from youngest to oldest below. I have personally read at least one book from each series and they are definitely some good ones! If the only book that I read from the series isn’t the first one, then it is the one featured below. (So not all the books below are the first from the series, they may be one of the subsequent books.) From super heroes to silly animal hotels, this list has it ALL.
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Hotel Flamingo by Alex Milway- 192 pages, 5-7 years old
This series features a hotel that hosts animals of all kinds. In this book a distinguished, royal penguin family is coming to stay and there is mystery and mayhem as the hotel prepares to accommodate them. It is positively adorable and so creative.
Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina – 96 pages, 5-8 year olds
This is a first person narrative series where Juana who is a young Columbian girl who speaks Spanish tells us her story. I love that there are bits of Spanish throughout the book and the illustrations are full color which is a big bonus. In the first book we learn about her struggles and triumphs as she learns English. She is a character that kids should find relatable and definitely likable.
Athena & the Magic Land: Little Goddess Girls 1 (QUIX) by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams – 96 pages, 5-8 years old
This is a creative series for the adventurous and fantasy loving kids. It features young greek goddess characters (from Athena to Aphrodite). It doesn’t seem to take the mythology behind the characters too seriously, it uses it more as a jumping point for fun and simple stories.
A New Friend (The Adventures of Sophie Mouse) by Poppy Green and Jennifer A. Bell – 128 pages, 5-9 year olds
We LOVE Sophie Mouse over here! The woodland illustrations in the book are the cutest and the characters are the sweetest. I have read a bunch of these aloud to my kids and the morals of the stories and the charming characters always delight us. A favorite for sure.
Mia Mayhem Is a Superhero! (1) by Kara West and Leeza Hernandez – 128 pages, 5-9 years old
Mia Mayhem is one of the first fictional super heroes that my kids have fallen in love with. The series starts with her beginning her journey in a super cool super hero school where kids discover and practice their super powers. A fun series for sure!
The First Wish (1) (Jeanie & Genie) by Trish Granted and Manuela Lopez- 128 pages, 5-9 years old
This series looks like such a promising one! I really enjoyed this first book where our practical protagonist (Jeanie) befriends a creative and eccentric new girl at school who just happens to be a genie in training. When Jeanie learns her secret she promises to help her with genie training and the two, I’m sure, are poised for all kinds of adventures. I like how their friendship highlights their different strengths and how they make a friendship with opposite personalities work.
Heidi Heckelbeck Has a Secret (1) by Wanda Coven and Priscilla Burris- 128 pages- 5-9 years old
Heidi Heckelbeck has been homeschooled and is not thrilled math the prospect of going to public school. When she does go there is a lot of adjusting that she needs to do and a mean bully isn’t making things easier. That is until Heidi remembers that she is a witch and a spell or two may help… This one ends a bit of a cliffhanger, but shows promise.
Home Is Where the Heart Is (1) (Good Dog) by Cam Higgins and Ariel Landy- 128 pages, 5-9 years old
This book features an adorable puppy and is told from his perspective. He lives on a farm with a couple pesky cats, lots of helpful farm animals and a little boy and girl who care for him. This one is a must for little animal fans and is simple, playful and adorable.
Henry Heckelbeck Gets a Dragon (1) by Wanda Coven and Priscilla Burris 128 pages, 5-9 years old
This series is a wonderful companion series to Heidi Hecklebeck and features her younger brother Henry. I have read the first book in both series and I have to say that I lean towards Henry as may favorite so far. His bright and happy-go-lucky attitude won me over and this little dragon adventure with a touch of magic is so fun.
Itty Bitty Princess Kitty: The Newest Princess by Melody Mews and Ellen Stubbings- 128 pages, 5-9 years old
This book specializes in creativity and flair. It tells the story of Itty Bitty Kitty and how she is adjusting to the changes of becoming a princess while still struggling to keep her identity. I love the palace with its elaborate scratching posts and her magical unicorn friend with her sparkles.
Rabbit & Bear: The Pest in the Nest (2) by Julian Gough and Jim Field – 112 pages, 6-8 years old
This series is packed with illustrations and a lovable duo of Rabbit and Bear. In this book Rabbit learns about controlling what he can and being patient with what he cannot. At first, his attitude bothered me, but it made a pleasant turn towards the end when rabbit learns a strategy to change his perspective to a positive one. I ended up loving it.
Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem: Tales from Deckawoo Drive, Volume Five by Kate Di Camillo and Chris Van Dusen – 96 pages, 6-9 years old
We are HUGE Mercy Watson fans so of course I had to try out the Tales from Deckawoo Drive series. This book was our first one to sample and it was a big hit. (It helped that Mercy made a brief appearance of course!). It has all the quirkiness and charm of the Mercy books, but with a more complex plot and message for older readers. We will definitely be checking out the others.
Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen (Jasmine Toguchi, 1) by Debbi Michiko Florence and Elizabet Vukovic – 128 pages, 6-9 years old
Jasmine is excited because family is coming to visit for a big New Years celebration, but this year she is determined to help with the mochi making process instead of being stuck with baby-sitting duty. Her determination, hard work and self confidence get her far and teach a great message about going after what you want and breaking stereotypes.
The Coral Kingdom (Mermaids Rock) by Linda Chapman and Mirelle Ortega – 160 pages, 6-9 year olds
When a bit of disaster strikes in Coral Kingdom it is up to a group of mermaid friends to protect the community and solve the mystery. (All while protecting ocean life in the process!) It has great themes of friendship, kindness, caring for the ocean and being true to yourself.
Polly Diamond and the Magic Book: Book 1 by Alice Kuipers by Diana Toledano- 112 pages, 6-9 year olds
I have read the first two in this series and I enjoyed them immensely! In this story Polly Diamond discovers a magic book that creates what she writes in it. Anything is possible and some chaos ensues when her wishes get a little out of control. The illustrations and characters in this book are especially lovable.
Trouble at Trident Academy (1) (Mermaid Tales) by Debbie Dadey and Tatevik Avakyan- 112 pages, 6-9 years old
It is Shelly’s first day of school and she is super nervous about it. To top things off, her and her best friend Echo have an argument and it results in a temporary rift of their friendship. In the end things are sorted out right and lessons on friendship are learned. The merworld details in this book are darling and this is sure to make a series that is perfect for every little mermaid fan reader’s expectations.
Stella Díaz Dreams Big (Stella Diaz, 3) by Angela Dominguez- 208 pages, 6-9 years old
This series is based off of the authors experience of growing up Mexican American and is positively fabulous. In this book Stella packs one fun activity after another in her life until the business and craziness of it all catches up to her and throws her off balance. She is an easy to like character who is president of a wonderful Sea Muskateers club and her other books are bound to be great as well.
Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue (Kitty, 1) by Paula Harrison and Jenny Lovlie- 128 pages, 6-10 year olds
This new series is an instant new favorite of ours. There are illustrations on nearly every page from full page spread illustrations to little illustrated borders and accents. It features a new superhero named Kitty who has a few cat friends who help her rescue a cat who is stuck on a clock tower. We are big “cat people” over her and this adorable book with its simple plot was a big winner when I read it aloud.
Hand-Me-Down Magic 1: Stoop Sale Treasure by Corey Ann Haydu and Luisa Uribe- 128 pages, 6-10 years old
This new cousin duo won me over. In the story Alma came to move into an apartment above a family owned shop and is thrilled to live next to her best friend and cousin. However, the differences in their temperament as well has how they approach and see things soon becomes apparent and leads to some friction. They learn a lot about friendship and work out their differences. I love how relatable these two characters are bound to be and I especially appreciate the writing in this book. So well done!
Trillium Sisters 1: The Triplets Get Charmed by Laura Brown and Elly Dramer- 128 pages, 7-10 years old
This series has a fun concept that eight year old me would have been in love with as a child. It features three sisters who each have a magical animal friend as well as magic powers that show up when they need them. I would have flipped at the idea of having my own magical fox as a companion to help me save the day.
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