Book series for elementary aged children
Book series for elementary children, usually ages 6–10, bring back the same characters and settings across simple, engaging plots. They might be early chapter books, illustrated series, or those in-between novels that help kids step up from picture books to reading on their own. The repetition and familiarity boost confidence, while the ongoing stories keep kids coming back. Along the way, they build vocabulary, sharpen comprehension, and make reading feel like something fun to stick with. This list features books by Dav Pilkey, Mary Pope Osborne, Aaron Blabey, Barbara Park, Saadia Faruqi, Annie Barrows, Shannon Hale, and Dean Hale, Doreen Cronin, and Chris Colfer.
Book series for elementary school children – our recommendations
Yasmin the Librarian by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Hatem Aly. 
Press Start! Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy! by Thomas Flintham. 
Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot by Anna Branford, illustrated by Elanna Allen. 
Dory Fantasmagory: Head in the Clouds by Abby Hanlon. 
Dave the Unicorn: Welcome to Unicorn School by Pip Bird, illustrated by David O’Connell. 
The Alien Next Door: The New Kid by A.I. Newton, illustrated by Anjan Sarkar. 
Ivy & Bean by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall. 
Rise of the Balloon Goons by Troy Cummings. 
Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon. 
Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue by Paula Harrison, illustrated by Jenny Lovlie. 
The Chicken Squad by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Kevin Cornell. 
Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro, illustrated by Marion Lindsay. 
Henry Heckelbeck Never Cheats by Wanda Coven. 
The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. 
A Friend for Dragon by Dav Pilkey. 
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney. 
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park, illustrated by Denise Brunkus. 
Mia Mayhem Is a Superhero! by Kara West, illustrated by Leeza Hernandez. 
Flat Stanley: His Original Adventure! by Jeff Brown. 
Cam Jansen: the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds by David A. Adler. 
Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, illustrated by Marc Simont. 
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne. 
Meet Yasmin! by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Hatem Aly. 
Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business by Lyla Lee, illustrated by Dung Ho. 
Sadiq and the Community Garden by Siman Nuurali, illustrated by Christos Skaltsas. 
EllRay Jakes Is Not a Chicken! by Sally Warner, illustrated by Jamie Harper. 
Freddie Ramos Takes Off by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Miguel Benitez. 
The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey. 
Daisy Dreamer and the Totally True Imaginary Friend by Holly Anna, illustrated by Genevieve Santos. 
The Infamous Ratsos by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Matt Myers. Click the buttons below to purchase all of the books in this book series for elementary aged children list, as well as classroom sets of any of these books and many more, from Bookshop.org. Or buy the 20 most popular titles from this list from Amazon – ideal for gifts or stocking your school library. If you are ordering from outside the US, have a look at our ‘worldwide orders’ page which makes this process easy.
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Book series for elementary school children – resources for teachers
- Library of Congress – Getting Started with Primary Sources A simple framework and graphic organizer for observation–inference–questioning; great for mystery and problem-solving series like Cam Jansen, Nate the Great, and Ivy & Bean.
- Smithsonian Learning Lab – Reading Artwork: Visual Literacy Ready-to-use routines for close looking, sequencing, and evidence-based claims—handy for panel/illustration inference in Dory Fantasmagory, Princess in Black, and Bad Guys.
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – Teaching Resources 300+ K–12 lessons and activities (life science, earth science) to extend nature/exploration threads in Magic Tree House, Julie of the Wolves, Dragons & Marshmallows, and Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue.
- NASA Space Place – For Educators Elementary-friendly space and Earth-science activities, crafts, and explainers; use for curiosity-driven titles and STEM hooks in Press Start!, Mia Mayhem, and Flat Stanley.
- Smithsonian Ocean Portal – Educators’ Corner Teacher-tested ocean lessons and activities (currents, ecosystems, exploration) to support adventure settings in Stranded, Lost in the Pacific, 1942, and seaside chapters across early series.
- National Gallery of Art – Teaching Resources Visual-arts lessons and media “basics” units that build description, sequence, and character cues—useful alongside illustration-forward series like Yasmin and Violet Mackerel.
- University of Minnesota – The Kerlan Publications Free downloads (e.g., Writing Boxes) and educator materials from a premier children’s literature archive—great for author-study mini-inquiries and series craft comparisons.
- National Park Service – Junior Ranger Printable booklets and activities connecting place-based inquiry, habitats, and stewardship—easy classroom tie-ins for community/adventure series like Humphrey, Sadiq, and Mindy Kim.
BISAC JUV039000 (Juvenile Fiction / Readers / Chapter Books) | Thema YX 5AD
