EARLY READER BOOKS (ages 7–9)
S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge
OCTOBER 3 – 24, 2025
This is a reading challenge unlike any that have ventured before. Not just because there are
cool bonuses
but because these
books
are secret worlds that will launch your future in ways you never imagined. Let’s explore some great reads!
Sign up to get information about this year's Reading Challenge.
Your Mission
Base Goal
Read (or be read to) for a total of 150 minutes.
Earn 5 virtual tickets and a reward package
(packages can vary).
Bonus Goals
Read (or be read to) for an additional 30 minutes.
Earn 3 tickets.
Tickets
Submit tickets to any of the bonuses found in your Beanstack account.
Final day to submit virtual tickets is October 25, 2025.
Bonuses to Win
Early Reader Bonuses
Be rewarded for your S.T.E.A.M. reading adventure with digital badges, virtual tickets, a certificate of completion and a package of goodies (reward packages can vary). For those who want a greater chance to win bonuses, earn extra tickets by continuing to explore secret worlds hidden inside books!
(Bonuses can only be redeemed through Beanstack and the last day to submit virtual tickets is October 25, 2025. Bonus winners will receive an email notifying them of how to collect their bonus.)
S.T.E.A.M. Reading List
Early Reader Books
Most of the books listed below can be found at your local library. Happy book hunting!
Download the 2025 Early Reader Recommended Reading List PDF.
The 2025 Early Reader Recommended Reading List
Download the
2025 Early Reader Recommended Reading List PDF.
AI and the Arts by Elsie Olson
Astronomy for kids : how to explore outer space with binoculars, a telescope, or just your eyes! by Bruce Betts, PhD
Box Tales: Grow, Strawberries, Grow! by James Burks
Bringing Back the Wolves: How a Predator Restored an Ecosystem by Jude Isabella
Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park by Lori Alexander
Classified : the secret career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee aerospace engineer by Traci Sorell
Dormilones de verano: Animales Aletargados by Melissa Stewart
Earth: Our Home Planet by Bruce Betts, PhD
Explore Jupiter by Liz Milroy
Explore Mars by Jackie Golusky
Explore Rockets by Lola Schaefer
Explore Rovers by Megan Harder
Footprints Across the Planet by Jennifer Swanson
Germs Up Close by Sara Levine
Haiku Ew! Celebrating the Disgusting Side of Nature by Lynn Brunelle
How Did the Creature Cross the Road? by Joanne Mattern
How Is a Ship Like a Shark? by Walt Brody
Jupiter: The Largest Planet by Bruce Betts, PhD
Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault by Megan Clendenan
Las plumas: No son sólo para volar by Melissa Stewart
Look Inside a Monster Truck by Percy Leed
Mimic Makers: Biomimicry Inventors Inspired by Nature by Kristen Nordstrom
My First Big Book Of series by Ruth Owen
Nature's Rule Breakers: Creatures That Don't Fit In by Jessica Fries-Gaither
No More Mr. Mice Guy by Jarrett Lerner
On Four Wheels by John Allan
Principal Mikey by Derek Taylor Kent
Robo-Motion: Robots That Move Like Animals by Linda Zajac
Safe Travels for Squirrels by Maxime Bonneau
Saved by the Smell by Jarrett Lerner
Secret Spy Codes and Messages by Christy Peterson
Shelby & Watts: A Mountain of a Problem by Ashlyn Anstee
Shelby & Watts: Tide Pool Troubles by Ashlyn Anstee
The Moon by Bruce Betts, PhD
The Young Astronaut's Guide to the Sun and the Moon by Emily Kington
Turtles Heading Home! by Liza Ketchum, Phyllis Root et al
Wanda oye las estrellas: Una astrónoma ciega escucha al universo by Amy S. Hansen, Wanda Diaz Merced
What Would It Take to Make a Jet Pack? by Anita Nahta Amin
Who Is a Scientist? by Laura Gehl
Zero! The Number That Almost Wasn't
by Sarah Albee
Guardians of the Early Reader Books
