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Grades 4-5 - 2026-2027
The One and Only Ivan: A Newbery Award Winner by Katherine Applegate
The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate

This unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendship. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated book is told from the point of view of Ivan himself. Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.
Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin
Your Place in the Universe
by Jason Chin

A non-fiction introduction to the massive scale of the known universe.
Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the End of Time-A Pandava Novel, Book 1 by Roshani Chokshi
Aru Shah and the End of Time
by Roshani Chokshi
 
Twelve-year-old Aru stretches the truth to fit in at her private school, but when she is dared to prove an ancient lamp is cursed, she inadvertently frees an ancient demon.
The Losers Club by Andrew Clements
The Losers Club
by Andrew Clements

Alec, a sixth-grade bookworm always in trouble for reading instead of listening and participating in class, starts a book club, solely to have a place to read, and discovers that real life, although messy, can be as exciting as the stories in his favorite books.
New Kid: A Graphic Novel by Jerry Craft
New Kid
by Jerry Craft

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds--and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo

One summer's day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries - and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. It's because of Winn-Dixie that Opal begins to make friends. And it's because of Winn-Dixie that she finally dares to ask her father about her mother, who left when Opal was three. In fact, as Opal admits, just about everything that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie. 
Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing
Maya and the Robot
by Eve L. Ewing

A forgotten homemade robot comes to life just when aspiring fifth-grade scientist Maya needs a friend - and a science fair project.
By the Great Hornspoon! by Sid Fleischman Inc
By the Great Hornspoon!
by Sid Fleischman

The California gold rush is on and Jack Flagg and his butler, Praiseworthy set out to save pretty Aunt Arabella's fortune.
Once Upon a Tim by Stuart Gibbs
Once Upon a Tim
by Stuart Gibbs

With no knightly experience but plenty of pluck and an impressive vocabulary, a twelve-year-old peasant, hoping to improve his station in life, volunteers to help a cowardly prince and his not very powerful wizard rescue a princess from an evil, foul-smelling monster.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
by Chris Grabenstein

Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello), with other students but finds that come morning he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape.
The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm
The Lion of Mars
by Jennifer L. Holm

Bell has spent his whole life - all eleven years of it - on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid - he loves cats, any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell - a regular kid in a very different world - to uncover the truth and save his family...and possibly unite an entire planet.
Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones
Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer
by Kelly Jones

Through a series of letters, Sophie Brown, age twelve, tells of her family's move to her Great Uncle Jim's farm, where she begins taking care of some unusual chickens with help from neighbors and friends.
Masterminds by Gordon Korman
Masterminds
by Gordon Korman

A group of kids discovers they were cloned from the DNA of some of the greatest criminal masterminds in history for a sociological experiment.
Ella Enchanted: A Newbery Honor Award Winner by Gail Carson Levine
Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine

In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd
Allergic
by Megan Wagner Lloyd

At home, Maggie is the odd one out. Her parents are preoccupied with the new baby they're expecting, and her younger brothers are twins and always in their own world. Maggie thinks a new puppy is the answer, but when she goes to select one on her birthday, she breaks out in hives and rashes. She's severely allergic to anything with fur!
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things
by Lenore Look

The first book in a hilarious chapter book series that tackles anxiety in a fun, kid-friendly way. Perfect for both beginning and reluctant readers, and fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid! A humorous and touching series about facing your fears and embracing new experiences--with a truly unforgettable character. Alvin, an Asian American second grader, is afraid of everything--elevators, tunnels, girls, and, most of all, school. He's so afraid of school that, while he' s there, he never, ever, says a word. But at home, Alvin is a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, a brother to Calvin and Anibelly, and a gentleman-in-training, just like his dad. With the help of his family, can Alvin take on the outside world without letting his fears get the best of him? Alvin's a winner. 
Number the Stars: A Newbery Award Winner by Lois Lowry
Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry

This Newbery Medal Book describes how a ten-year-old Danish girl's bravery is tested when her best friend is threatened by Nazis in 1943.
What If You Had Animal Eyes!? (Scholastic Reader, Level 2) by Sandra Markle
What If You Had Animal Eyes?
by Sandra Markle

If you could have any animal's eyes, whose would you choose? What if you woke up one morning and your eyes weren't yours? What If You Had Animal Eyes? explores what would happen if you looked in the mirror and saw a pair of animal eyes instead of your own! From the chameleon's eyes that can point in different directions, to the colossal squid's eyes that shine in the dark, discover what it would be like if you had these special eyes -- and find out why your eyes are just the right ones for you!
Bob by Wendy Mass
Bob
by Wendy Mass

Returning to her grandmother's home in Australia years after visiting as a younger child, Livy slowly remembers a magical, mysterious green being in a chicken suit who she befriended years earlier and who has been eagerly awaiting her return so that she can keep her promise to him.
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Wonder
by R. J. Palacio

Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.
A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry
A Wolf Called Wander
by Rosanne Parry

A young wolf cub, separated from his pack, journeys 1000 miles across the Pacific Northwest, dealing with forest fires, hunters, highways, and hunger before finding a new home. Based on the true story of a wolf called OR-7.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen

After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker

While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old Clementine gains several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan
 
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.
Infinity's Secret by Katie Tsang
Infinity's Secret
by Katie Tsang

Twelve-year-old Lance and his sister Zoe enroll at Camp Claw to train for the elite Dragon Force, but when the camp is attacked and an evil plot is uncovered, they must prove themselves as protectors to save the day.
I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 (Library Edition): Volume 15 by Lauren Tarshis
I Survived the American Revolution, 1776  
by Lauren Tarshis
 
The battlefield was soaked in blood. Screams of injured soldiers rang through the air. Eleven-year-old Nathaniel Knox knelt behind a rock, his gun clutched in his shaking hands. Nate had been heading to New York City to find his father. But now he was trapped in a terrible gunfight between American and British troops. -- But King George was like a snake with America gripped in his fangs - and he didn't want to let go. So now it was war - brutal, bloody war. And America was being crushed by the mighty British army. Thousands of American troops were either dead or dying in filthy British prison ships. General George Washington's army was in tatters. All Nate wanted was to find his father ... and to get out of here alive.
Front Desk (Front Desk #1) (Scholastic Gold) by Kelly Yang
Front Desk  
by Kelly Yang

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests. Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed. Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language? It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?
A Royal Conundrum (the Misfits) by Lisa Yee
A Royal Conundrum
by Lisa Yee

An elite group of underdogs trained to fight crime must save their unique school from shutting down.
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