# 3rd grade Realistic Fiction books

**16** realistic fiction books commonly assigned to 3rd grade students in US schools. Every title's grade range covers 3rd grade, so each is grade-appropriate by curriculum placement. Sourced from Common Core exemplars, AP, IB, Cambridge, and 50 state ELA curricula.

**Reading difficulty:** the typical 3rd grade band is 420–820L (Common Core Appendix A). Of the 2 titles here with a Lexile score, 1 is grade-level, 0 more accessible, and 1 a stretch.

**Grade:** 3rd grade  ·  **Genre:** Realistic Fiction
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/genre/realistic-fiction/grade/3
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.
**Primary source — Common Core ELA exemplars:** https://achievethecore.org/page/2699

## 3rd grade Realistic Fiction reading list

- [A Boy Called Bat](https://readinglist.school/book/a-boy-called-bat) by Elana K. Arnold _(Grades 3–5 · pub 2017)_
- [Ban This Book](https://readinglist.school/book/ban-this-book) by Alan Gratz _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2017)_
- [Crenshaw](https://readinglist.school/book/crenshaw) by Katherine Applegate _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2015)_
- [Dogtown](https://readinglist.school/book/dogtown) by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2023)_
- [Ferris](https://readinglist.school/book/ferris) by Kate DiCamillo _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2024)_
- [Front Desk](https://readinglist.school/book/front-desk) by Kelly Yang _(640L · Grades 3–7 · pub 2018)_
- [Hope in the Valley](https://readinglist.school/book/hope-in-the-valley) by Mitali Perkins _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2025)_
- [Invisible Isabel](https://readinglist.school/book/invisible-isabel) by Sally J. Pla _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2024)_
- [Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All](https://readinglist.school/book/magnolia-wu-unfolds-it-all) by Chanel Miller _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2024)_
- [Pie in the Sky](https://readinglist.school/book/pie-in-the-sky) by Remy Lai _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2019)_
- [Shiloh](https://readinglist.school/book/shiloh) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor _(890L · Grades 3–6 · pub 1991)_
- [Stuntboy, In-Between Time](https://readinglist.school/book/stuntboy-in-between-time) by Jason Reynolds _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2023)_
- [The Boy at the Back of the Class](https://readinglist.school/book/the-boy-at-the-back-of-the-class) by Onjali Q. Raúf _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2018)_
- [The Cybil War](https://readinglist.school/book/the-cybil-war) by Betsy Byars _(Grades 3–6 · pub 1981)_
- [The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street](https://readinglist.school/book/the-vanderbeekers-of-141st-street) by Karina Yan Glaser _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2017)_
- [You Are Here: Connecting Flights](https://readinglist.school/book/you-are-here-connecting-flights) by Ellen Oh _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2023)_

---

_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. HTML view: https://readinglist.school/genre/realistic-fiction/grade/3._