Early reader adventure books for boys who'd rather build than sit still.

Meet Max and Lucas—two boys who see a box and think: what can we make?

Level 2 Leveled Reader · Ages 6-8 · Full Color

The Box Kids: Making a New Friend - Book 1 cover showing two boys with a cardboard robot

About Book 1

When Max's mom tells him to "go make a new friend," he never expects to build one!

Lucas, the energetic new neighbor, takes making a friend literally—and soon the boys are creating Box Bot, a life-sized cardboard robot. But when their creation keeps falling apart—not even tape can fix it—the boys will have to think bigger.

Max likes to plan. Lucas jumps into action. Together, they build cardboard robots, rockets, and forts—and turn them into adventures.

Perfect for:

  • Reluctant readers and boys ages 6-8 who'd rather build than sit still
  • 2nd-grade readers ready for independent reading (Level 2 / ATOS 2.0)
  • Homeschool families (the characters are homeschooled too!)
  • Read-alouds with younger siblings

Parents love The Box Kids because:

  • Clean content — no magic, bathroom humor, or disrespectful behavior
  • Stories that make kids want to grab a box and build something
  • Characters your child will want to follow book after book

Book 1 Details

  • ATOS Level: 2.0
  • Ages: Ages 6-8 / Grades 1-3
  • Format: Full-color illustrations throughout
  • Word Count: 601 words
  • Page Count: 32 pages
  • Font: 20-point sans-serif font (larger than most Level 2 readers)

Look Inside

The Box Kids Book 1 — front cover
The Box Kids Book 1 — title page
The Box Kids Book 1 — pages 2-3
The Box Kids Book 1 — pages 4-5
The Box Kids Book 1 — pages 6-7
The Box Kids Book 1 — pages 8-9
The Box Kids Book 1 — pages 10-11
The Box Kids Book 1 — back cover

Front Cover

Frequently Asked Questions

Most mass-market early readers are printed in large quantities, which keeps costs low. The Box Kids is a print-on-demand book with full-color illustrations on every spread. Print-on-demand allows us to offer the book without large upfront print runs, but individual printing costs more per copy. The ebook is available for $5.99 if you'd prefer to start there.

ATOS is a readability formula that measures word length, sentence length, vocabulary difficulty, and total word count. The resulting grade-level score helps parents, teachers, and librarians match books to young readers. Level 2.0 indicates text appropriate for the start of second grade. ATOS is a trademark of Renaissance Learning, Inc. ATOS stands for Advantage-TASA Open Standard for Readability.

Most Level 2 readers use serif fonts at 16-17 point size. The Box Kids uses a 20-point sans-serif font. Sans-serif letters are simpler for students still learning letter shapes, and the larger size helps younger readers who are ready for second-grade content but still developing physically—like a first-grader reading above grade level.

The Box Kids is a 100 Days of Home School series. 100 Days of Home School provides curriculum frameworks, reading instruction guides, and educational resources designed specifically for homeschooling families with young children. Visit 100DaysOfHomeSchool.com to learn more.

About the Author

Sam Stickle

Sam Stickle was homeschooled, holds an English degree from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and spent six years teaching English to kids in South Korea. When his sister Tondi King (100 Days of Home School) couldn't find leveled readers for her son that were engaging and leveled properly, she recruited Sam to write them. The Box Kids is what came out of that.

The Box Kids: Making a New Friend - Book 1 cover

Ready to meet The Box Kids?

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