22 Books for 7-Year-Olds: The Chapter Book Series, Funny Books and Read-Alouds That Make a Reader

Your 7-year-old can read the words now, but a whole book still feels long, and the picture books on the shelf feel babyish. The best books for 7 year olds bridge that gap: short chapter books with a picture every few pages, funny comics, and one bigger story you read together. Here are 22 verified picks, the chapter books for 2nd graders that tend to turn a child who can read into a child who wants to.

Why 7 is the chapter-book year

Seven is the age when many children move from leveled readers to their first chapter books. Scholastic describes its Branches line of early chapter books as made "for those ready to read independently" and built to help them "transition from leveled readers to chapter books." The books come in two sizes: 80 pages in full color and 96 pages in black and white.

The jump is about stamina more than skill. A leveled reader ends after a few pages. A chapter book asks a child to hold a story in their head across several sittings and remember who everyone is.

Two reading levels at once

A 7-year-old has two reading levels: what they can read alone and what they can follow when you read to them. The second is much higher. So plan two piles: easy series they read alone, and one richer novel you read aloud.

PBS KIDS for Parents notes that seven-year-olds are becoming readers who want to know "why?" and seek out information through reading. That curiosity is the reason first nonfiction series belong on the list too.

How to choose books for a 7-year-old, step by step

Choosing books for a 7-year-old works best when you start from the child's interests and the length of book they can finish this week.

1. Start with what they love. Pigs, monsters, dragons, dinosaurs, jokes. A topic they care about carries them through a hard page.
2. Check one page together. Open the book in the middle and let your child read a page aloud. If they stumble on many words, keep it for read-aloud time.
3. Pick the first book of a series. Characters and settings repeat, so book two is easier than book one. That ease is what builds speed.
4. Look at the pictures per page. Early chapter books have a drawing on most pages; later ones drop to a few per chapter. Match that to your child's stamina.
5. Let them choose the next one. Once a series clicks, hand over the choice of what comes next. Ownership keeps the habit alive.
6. Keep a read-aloud going. One novel above their level, a chapter a night, keeps vocabulary growing while their own reading stays comfortable.

Where parents push too fast

The most common slip is handing over a book that is too long because the child "should be ready." A 7-year-old who reads a short book with ease and asks for the next one is building the habit. A child stuck on page 9 of a long novel learns that reading is slow, so short and finished beats long and abandoned.

First chapter books for 7-year-olds to read by themselves

First chapter books for 7-year-olds have big print, short chapters and a picture on almost every page. These six series are the easiest way in.

• Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. A pig who loves buttered toast causes comic chaos. The Mercy Watson series has eight books, published from 2005 to 2022, and Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride was a 2007 Geisel Honor Book.
• Tales from Deckawoo Drive by the same pair, starting with Leroy Ninker Saddles Up (2014). It is a slightly longer companion series for Mercy fans.
• Owl Diaries by Rebecca Elliott, starting with Eva's Treetop Festival (2015). A Branches series written as an owl's diary, in full color. Scholastic lists it for ages 5 to 7.
• The Notebook of Doom by Troy Cummings, starting with Rise of the Balloon Goons (2013). Funny monster stories in black and white for ages 6 to 8; the story continues in The Binder of Doom.
• The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (2014). Princess Magnolia has a secret identity as a monster-fighting hero.
• Zoey and Sassafras by Asia Citro, illustrated by Marion Lindsay, starting with Dragons and Marshmallows (2017). Science experiments meet magical creatures.

The Geisel Award, given by the American Library Association to the most distinguished American book for beginning readers, is a good shelf to browse when you need more books at this level.

Chapter book series for 2nd graders who want more

Chapter book series for 2nd graders who read with confidence have longer chapters and fewer pictures. These five fit a second grader who finishes the early books with ease.

• Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Sal Murdocca, starting with Dinosaurs Before Dark (1992). Siblings Jack and Annie travel through time from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Our guide to the Magic Tree House books in order lists every title.
• Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park, illustrated by Denise Brunkus, starting with Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (1992). The series has 28 stories, from kindergarten to first grade.
• A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy, illustrated by John Steven Gurney. The original series has 26 books, one per letter, from The Absent Author (1997) to The Zombie Zone (2005).
• Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, starting with Ivy + Bean (2006). Two seven-year-old girls who never meant to be friends get into mischief on their street.
• Stink by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, starting with Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid (2005). Stink is Judy Moody's little brother.

Funny books and first nonfiction

Funny books for 7-year-olds are often graphic novels, and they count as reading. Your child decodes every word in the bubbles and follows a plot across many pages. Our guide to graphic novels for kids explains why librarians count them.

• Dog Man by Dav Pilkey (2016). A half-dog, half-man police officer, spun off from Captain Underpants. The series had 14 books as of 2025, with a 15th set for November 3, 2026. Here are the Dog Man books in order.
• Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey, starting with The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997). Two fourth graders hypnotize their principal into a superhero. The main series ended in 2015 with its 12th novel.
• The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey (2015). A gang of scary-looking animals tries to do good deeds to change their reputation.

First nonfiction series

First nonfiction series feed the "why?" stage. Two work well at 7.

• Magic Tree House Fact Trackers, nonfiction companions to the novels. The first two came out in August 2000; Dinosaurs, by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne, pairs with Dinosaurs Before Dark.
• Who Would Win? by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster, starting with Lion vs. Tiger (2009). Two animals, side-by-side facts, and a winner at the end.

Read-aloud novels a step above

Read-aloud novels for a 7-year-old are richer than what they read alone, with longer sentences and bigger feelings. A chapter a night works.

• Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams (1952). A pig, a spider and a farm, in a story readers of every age come back to.
• The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney (2004). A class hamster tells the story and helps the children with their problems.
• My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (1948). Elmer runs away to Wild Island to rescue a baby dragon. A Newbery Honor Book, short enough for a week of bedtimes.
• The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Louis Darling (1965). Ralph, a mouse in a run-down hotel, longs for adventure and gets a tiny motorcycle.
• The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (2016). A robot stranded on an island learns to survive and adopts an orphaned gosling.
• I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis (2010). Historical disasters from a child's view; the series aims at grades 3 to 5, so read it together first.

For more evening ideas, see our list of read-aloud books for kids.

All 22 books at a glance

How to keep the momentum going

Momentum comes from the next book being ready before this one ends. When your child is two chapters from the end, put book two on the nightstand. Visit the library every week or two, and let them carry the stack.

Talk about the story, not the reading. Ask who they would want as a friend in the book, or what the villain should do next. Keep reading levels and minutes out of the conversation.

Some children read more when the hero looks like them. A story where your 7-year-old is the main character can turn a reluctant reader into a curious one. KidTeller turns your child's photo into the illustrated hero of a new story, written for their age (its 3–7 band uses the rule of three), and can narrate it in your own cloned voice for nights when they want to listen.

Pair it with a themed story such as these space stories for 7-year-olds.

Try itCreate a personalized storybookYour child's name and photo, a story in minutes

Common mistakes that stall a new reader

• Mistake: banning comics. Dog Man and The Bad Guys are real reading. Let them sit next to the chapter books.
• Mistake: skipping to book five. Start each series at book one, where the characters are introduced and the vocabulary is set.
• Mistake: stopping read-alouds. Independent reading is still slow at 7. Your voice keeps richer stories in reach.
• Mistake: making reading a chore. Logs and timers can turn a pleasure into homework. Keep at least one reading time a day free of tracking.
• Mistake: rereading panic. A child who rereads a series is building fluency. Offer something new beside it, and leave the favorite alone.

A child stuck on one series for months is common, so offer a book with the same feel: The Bad Guys for Dog Man fans, Ivy + Bean for fans of Junie B. Jones. Older siblings can try books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Your book checklist for a 7-year-old

• One series to read alone: the first book, at a level where your child reads a page with few stumbles.
• One funny book: a graphic novel or comic hybrid for the days reading feels like work.
• One nonfiction book: a Fact Tracker or Who Would Win? on a topic they keep asking about.
• One read-aloud novel: a chapter a night, a step above what they read alone.
• A plan for the next book: book two on the nightstand before book one ends.

When chapter books feel easy, the next step is longer novels. Our must-read books for ages 8 to 10 picks up where this list ends.