Independent Reading Books

Llama Quest #1: Danger in the Dragons' Den By Megan Reyes; illustrated by Kay Davault

Start your quest with a talking purple llama and protect the Kingdom of Ravenwood! Join eight-year-old Dak as he's swept into a magical adventure to protect the people and creatures of their kingdom—including dragons!

Eight-year-old Dak spends his days scooping llama poop and dreaming of adventure. Then he meets Fenn, the mysterious girl who lives next to his family’s farm, and Lucy, a llama…who wears a scarf? And talks? And turns PURPLE?!

Suddenly Dak is on a magical whirlwind adventure! Turns out Lucy is the keeper of the magical stones that protect the people of Ravenwood —and a thief has tried to steal them. Now they're scattered across the kingdom! The good news? Lucy has found the Fire Stone. The bad news? A family of dragons found it first and they won’t give it up easily. Can Dak, Fenn, and Lucy get the Fire Stone back? 

They’ll encounter magical creatures, a sneaky thief, and tricky magic, but when Dak, Fenn, and Lucy work together, nothing can beat Team Llama Quest! 

Join Team Llama Quest on all their adventures!
#1 Danger in the Dragons' Den
#2 Secrets of Starfall Forest

Bibsy Cross and the Creepy-Crawlies By Liz Garton Scanlon; illustrated by Dung Ho

Meet Bibsy Cross, the precocious, regular-pegular eight-year-old whose pickle-jar terrarium habitat gets a little out of control in the third installment of this charming chapter book series.

Most things are easy-peasy, regular-pegular for Bibsy Cross. She loves her parents, her cat, her best friend, Natia. She loves school and the library. And she loves to lend a helping hand.

For their class project, Bibsy and her group must create a self-sustaining pickle-jar terrarium. That means the plants and bugs will live in a harmonious balance.

But when things go a little off-kilter in the pickle jar, will Bibsy's instinct to help out truly do good?

Earl & Worm #1: The Bad Idea and Other Stories By Greg Pizzoli

This giggle-inducing early reader kicks off a brand-new series featuring two unlikely friends, for fans of Frog and Toad, from beloved Geisel Award-winning author of The Watermelon Seed.

Earl and Worm have been friends for a very, very long time, but their friendship had a rocky start. Earl is a happy go-lucky bird who plays saxophone to his plants because they love music in the morning. His neighbor Worm, on the other hand...well, Worm is the exact opposite. She would rather read in silence.

How will these very different neighbors become the very best of friends? With some sweet lemonade, the right shade of paint, and an unfinished poem, and most of all, sharing a little bit about themselves.

Award-winning creator Greg Pizzoli delivers three funny stories that will have kids hooting along soon after they've outgrown Elephant and Piggie.

Pizza and Taco: Coolest Club Ever! By Stephen Shaskan

Join Pizza and Taco's afterschool club in the next installment of this hilarious graphic novel chapter book series! What happens when these foodie besties have to compete with a video game club for members ?

Pizza and Taco are serving up more awesomeness with a cool new club! They can't wait to talk about all their favorite interests...including making comic books. Lots of people signed up, so they know it's going to be popular! Then why does everyone go to Cheeseburger's video game club instead?! Pizza and Taco have no choice but to check it out. They just might learn that kids want to make comics just as much as they want to play video games! 

This hilarious young graphic novel series—with chapters—will tickle the funny bones of kids ages 5-8 and bolster their reading confidence. It's the perfect stepping stone for those who are transitioning to longer chapter books and graphic novels.

Readers will be hungry to read all eight books in the series! Here are just a few:
Who's the Best?
Super-Awesome Comic!
Too Cool for School
Dare to be Scared!

A to Z Animal Mysteries #5: The Emerald Egg By Ron Roy and Kayla Whaley; illustrated by Chloe Burgett

Solve Animal Mysteries from A to Z! Inspired by Ron Roy's A to Z Mysteries series, this exciting animal adventure mystery is perfect for budding young chapter book readers. This time, 8-year-old Abbi and her friends solve the mystery of missing emu egg!

E IS FOR EMU EGG . . .

Crack that case! While visiting her cousin in Australia, Abbi learns that a valuable carved emu egg has been stolen. Who is the thief? Could it be Abbi's aunt who hates the egg? Or the visiting couple who likes to collect rare items? Or. . . is it Abbi's favorite cousin? With the help of her friends, Abbi and her friends, Lydia and Daniel, will crack this case wide open!


Don't miss the first books in the A to Z Animal Mysteries series:

• #1: The Absent Alpacas
• #2: Bats in the Castle
• #3: Cougar Clues
• #4: Dolphin Detectives