POPSUGAR has joined Thrive Global [1] in celebration of Screen-Free Week [2], May 1-7, 2017. Check out our Digital Detox Challenge [3] and inspiration for offline activities like this post.
If your child has started to become more attentive at story time — or maybe he's starting to prefer reading on his own — it may be time to slide a few chapter books onto the bookshelf. Picture books and short stories [4] are wonderful, but chapter books build the foundation for young readers as they help to further develop language and literacy.
Read through for 31 chapter books that are going to turn your little reader into a bona fide bookworm [5] in no time.
James and the Giant Peach
James and the Giant Peach [6] by Roald Dahl ($8)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [7] by J.K. Rowling ($11)
The Little Prince
The Little Prince [8] by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ($11)
Sideways Stories From Wayside School
Sideways Stories From Wayside School [9] by Louis Sachar ($7)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid [10] by Jeff Kinney ($14)
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Phantom Tollbooth [11] by Norton Juster ($20)
Beezus and Ramona
Beezus and Ramona [12] by Beverly Cleary ($6)
The Giver
The Giver [13] by Lois Lowry ($9)
Stargirl
Stargirl [14] by Jerry Spinelli ($10)
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time [15] by Madeleine L'Engle ($10)
Matilda
Matilda [16] by Roald Dahl ($7)
Frindle
Frindle [17] by Andrew Clements ($8)
Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia [18] by Katherine Paterson ($7)
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning [19] by Lemony Snicket ($13)
Maniac Magee
Maniac Magee [20] by Jerry Spinelli ($8)
Judy Moody Was in a Mood
Judy Moody Was in a Mood [21] by Megan McDonald ($6)
Because of Winn-Dixie
Because of Winn-Dixie [22] by Kate DiCamillo ($7)
Hatchet
Hatchet [23] by Gary Paulsen ($8)
The Golden Compass
The Golden Compass [24] by Philip Pullman ($8)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler [25] by E.L. Konigsburg ($18)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory [26] by Roald Dahl ($16)
Holes
Holes [27] by Louis Sachar ($8)
Harriet the Spy
Harriet the Spy [28] by Louise Fitzhugh ($7)
Shiloh
Shiloh [29] by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor ($8)
The Hobbit
The Hobbit [30] by J.R.R. Tolkien ($25)
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Indian in the Cupboard [31] by Lynne Reid Banks ($7)
The Tale of Despereaux
The Tale of Despereaux [32] by Kate DiCamillo ($8)
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden [33] by Frances Hodgson Burnett ($7)
The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians [34] by Rick Riordan ($8)
The Borrowers
The Borrowers [35] by Mary Norton ($17)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland [36] by Lewis Carroll ($5)