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Great Books for 4th & 5th Grade: |
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Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H. E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
When the eldest son of the family becomes a troublemaker, the Watsons travel to Grandma's Alabama home and witness the bombing of the Birmingham church, in a story told from the perspective of nine-year-old Kenny Watson.
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Catherine, Called Birdy
by Karen Cushman
During her fourteenth year, in the year 1290, Catherine keeps a diary in which she details her family's activities and conflicts, the life of their medieval English manor, and her own coming to maturity.
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The Birchbark House
by Louise Erdrich
Chronicles the experiences of an Ojibwa girl, Omakayas, and her family as they live their lives quietly on an island in Lake Superior in 1847, until the white man comes and begins moving her entire tribe off their land. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.
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Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.
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Island of the Blue Dolphins.
by Scott O'Dell
Records the courage and self-reliance of an Indian girl who lived alone for eighteen years on an isolated island off the California coast when her tribe emigrated and she was left behind.
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A Single Shard
by Linda Sue Park
Tree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge in a potters' village, and longs to learn how to throw the delicate celadon ceramics himself. By the author of Seesaw Girl.
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The Invention of Hugo Cabret : a Novel in Words and Pictures
by Brian Selznick
Living in the walls of a busy Paris train station in 1931, clock keeper and orphan Hugo Cabret must constantly work to keep his secrets safe, but when an inquisitive girl and an old man who owns a toy store begin probing, he must do all he can to keep them at a safe distance.
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All-of-a-Kind Family
by Sydney Taylor
The adventures of five sisters growing up in a Jewish family in New York in the early twentieth century.
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
by Mildred D Taylor
This 40th anniversary edition of the 1977 Newbery Medal-winning title tells of a black family's struggle to overcome the prejudices and hatred they face in Mississippi during the Great Depression.
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Front Desk
by Kelly Yang
Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern California, even though the owner, Mr. Yao is a nasty skinflint who exploits them; while her mother (who was anengineer in China) does the cleaning, Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding customers and other recent immigrants--not to mention being only one of two Chinese in her fifth grade class, the other being Mr. Yao's son, Jason.
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Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror
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Skellig
by David Almond
Feeling helpless to aid his frantic parents when his baby sister falls ill, Michael explores the dilapidated garage of his family's new house, where he discovers a beast-like creature tucked away amid the spider webs and debris.
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Whales on Stilts / : M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales
by M. T. Anderson
When a group of angry, laser-beaming whales who march upon stilts are set loose on the world by a vengeful madman, only Jasper Dash and Katie Mulligan have the experience and courage to put an end to the evil creatures who are certain to bring destruction and death wherever they roam. Jr Lib Guild. Reprint.
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Poppy
by Avi
Reissued to coincide with the publication of its hardcover sequel, Poppy and Rye, an award-winning novel follows a timid dormouse's attempts to win her and her fellows' freedom by toppling a tyrannical owl. Reissue.
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Tuck Everlasting
by Natalie Babbitt
A 40th anniversary edition of the beloved classic that tells the story of the Tuck family and their secret fountain of youth features an introduction from Wicked author Gregory Maguire and additional bonus materials.
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The Witches
by Roald Dahl
A young boy and his Norwegian grandmother, who is an expert on witches, together foil a witches' plot to destroy the world's children by turning them into mice.
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Flora & Ulysses : the Illuminated Adventures
by Kate DiCamillo
Rescuing a squirrel after an accident involving a vacuum cleaner, comic-reading cynic Flora Belle Buckman is astonished when the squirrel, Ulysses, demonstrates astonishing powers of strength and flight after being revived. By the Newbery Medal-winning author of The Tale of Despereaux.
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The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate DiCamillo
An illustrated fairy tale tells the adventures of Despereaux Tilling the mouse and his two associates, Roscuro the rat and Miggery Sow, who happen upon a journey together to a castle where their destiny awaits. Reader's Guide available. 15,000 first printing.
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Inkheart
by Cornelia Funke
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service. 250,000 first printing.
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Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
When Coraline attempts to leave her family's new flat, she discovers that she and her family are trapped by a dangerous presence, thus a battle between good and evil must take place in order to break out and set her loved ones free. An ALA Notable Children's Book. Reprint.
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Scary Stories for Young Foxes
by Christian McKay Heidicker
Seven fox kits, wanting a scarier story than their mother will tell, visit the old storyteller at Bog Cavern in the Antler Wood, but will any be brave enough to stay until the end?
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The Secret of Platform 13
by Eva Ibbotson
Cornelius the wizard, Gurkintrude the fey, Hans the ogre, and Odge Gribble the hag only have nine days to search London, locate the kidnapped prince, and return him to the Island before the passageway to their magical kingdom will close, and they will not be able to return for nine years. Reissue.
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The Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
Discovering a large toy tollbooth in his room, bored ten-year-old Milo drives through the tollbooth's gates and begins a memorable journey to the Kingdom of Wisdom with a watchdog named Tuck.
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A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.
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Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
Young Ella of Frell embarks on a quest to overcome the gift of obedience, a curse bestowed on her at birth by a fairy, and along the way, she encounters princes, ogres, fairy godmothers, and other fairy-tale creatures.
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The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis
Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, in triumphing over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin
Hearing her father speak to the Old Man on the Moon in the quiet hours of the evening, Minli turns to him one day to ask for advice in order to improve the desperate situation of her impoverished family in this enchanting fantasy adventure for middle readers.
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Fablehaven
by Brandon Mull
When Kendra and Seth go to stay at their grandparents' estate, they discover that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures and that a battle between good and evil is looming.
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Rowan of Rin
by Emily Rodda
When the village's stream suddenly stops flowing, Rowan must join the six strongest leaders of Rin on a perilous journey up the Mountain, where a terrifying dragon lurks, and even though Rowan is the weakest of the group, he triumphs over each obstacle and comes face-to-face with the dragon, in a magical adventure.
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J. K. Rowling
A winner of England's National Book Award, the acclaimed debut novel tells the outrageously funny, fantastic adventure story of Harry Potter, who escapes a hideous foster home thanks to a scholarship to The Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Reprint.
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Holes
by Louis Sachar
As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
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Knights of the Kitchen Table
by Jon Scieszka
Joe receives a magic book for his birthday present from his uncle. Joe, Fred, and Sam are transported to a time when evil knights, fire-breathing dragons, and vile-smelling giants roamed the land.
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Andy Russell, NOT Wanted by the Police
by David A. Adler
Andy and Tamika are watching their neighbor's house while they are away, but when strange and troubling things start happening inside the house, the police do not believe the children.
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The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life. 50,000 first printing.
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The year of the Book
by Andrea Cheng
A fully illustrated chapter book follows Anna, a young Asian-American girl, as she navigates relationships with family, friends and fourth grade while learning what it takes to make friends and what it means to be one. 25,000 first printing.
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Dear Mr. Henshaw
by Beverly Cleary
In his letters to his favorite author, ten-year-old Leigh reveals his problems in coping with his parents' divorce, being the new boy in school, and generally finding his own place in the world.
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The Jacket
by Andrew Clements
When his brother forgets his lunch money, Phil has to locate him to get the money to him and, while on the journey, must deal with issues of racism and the impact it has on his life.
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Love That Dog
by Sharon Creech
A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal understanding of what different famous poems mean to him, surprises himself by writing his own inspired poem. An ALA Notable Book. Reprint.
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The Hundred Dresses
by Eleanor Estes
As a poor immigrant, a young girl is teased about wearing the same faded dress to school everyday and so tells a great lie that she has one hundred dresses at her home, yet when the fib results in even more teasing, an event suddenly takes place that teaches them all an important lesson about friendship and compassion. A Newbery Honor Book.
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Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
by Jack Gantos
To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription medications wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired.
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Pictures of Hollis Woods
by Patricia Reilly Giff
After finding the perfect home with Josie, an elderly but forgetful artist, foster child Hollis Woods thinks she has finally found a stable place to hang her hat, but when Social Services decides that Josie may be better off in a home, Hollis won't let her dear friend get wrapped up in the system she despises. A Newbery Honor Book. Reprint.
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George
by Alex Gino
Knowing herself to be a girl despite her outwardly male appearance, George is denied a female role in the class play before teaming up with a friend to reveal her true self. A first novel.
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Everything on a Waffle
by Polly Horvath
Forced to live with her uncle after her mother and father are lost at sea, Primrose's only source of friendship and support comes from the owner of a local restaurant who always provides her with practical advice with a dash of comfort on the side. A Newbery Honor and ALA Notable Book. Reprint.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid : Greg Heffley's Journal
by Jeff Kinney
Greg records his sixth-grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship
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From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E. L. Konigsburg
Having run away with her younger brother to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, twelve-year-old Claudia strives to keep things in order in their new home and to become a changed person and a heroine to herself.
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The Quigleys
by Simon Mason
Four funny and fabulous stories told by each member of the unforgettable Quigley family--Dad, Mum, Will, and Lucy--show their hilarious exploits and are sure to be enjoyed by young and old alike. Reprint.
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Merci Suârez Changes Gears
by Meg Medina
Alienated from her more privileged classmates at a Florida private school, sixth-grade scholarship student Merci Suarez is targeted by a competitive rival at the same time her beloved grandfather begins to develop memory problems. By the award-winning author of Mango, Abuela, and Me.
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Shiloh
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.
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Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
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How to Eat Fried Worms
by Thomas Rockwell
A small boy is challenged by a friend to eat fifteen worms in fifteen days for fifty dollars.
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Loser
by Jerry Spinelli
Zinkoff is unlike other kids in school and so doesn't worry about coming in last place or always having the wrong answers, despite the teasing and comments he gets from those around him, in a tale about maintaining individuality amidst pressures of fitting in with the crowd. 75,000 first printing.
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Secret Identity
by Wendelin Van Draanen
After Mr. Green assigns everyone the task of becoming reporters, Nolan Byrd decides to go undercover and do an exposé via a web site on Bubba and the bullies at his school--giving them a dose of their own medicine by showing what they really are and what their classmates really think of them.
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Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
Fern raises the little runt pig, Wilbur, only to have her father give him away.
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The Parker inheritance
by Varian Johnson
Twelve-year-old Candice Miller is spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, in the old house that belonged to her grandmother, who died after being dismissed as city manager for having the city tennis courts dug up looking for buried treasure--but when she finds the letter that sent her grandmother on the treasure hunt, she finds herself caught up in the mystery and, with the help of her new friend and fellow book-worm, Brandon, she sets out to find the inheritance, exonerate her grandmother, and expose an injustice once committed against an African American family in Lambert.
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Regarding the Fountain
by Kate Klise
A hilarious tale of cross purposes is told in a series of letters between a no-nonsense suburban school principal and an especially creative designer of drinking fountains who dreams of building the grandest fountain ever.
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The Egypt Game
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
A group of children, entranced with the study of Egypt, play their own Egypt game, are visited by a secret oracle, become involved in a murder, and befriend the Professor of the local junk shop.
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Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
by Donald J. Sobol
Fifth-grader "Encyclopedia" Leroy Brown solves ten mysteries and, by putting the solutions at the back of the book, challenges the reader to do the same.
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Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief
by Wendelin Van Draanen
Thirteen-year-old Sammy's penchant for speaking her mind gets her in trouble when she involves herself in the investigation of a robbery at the "seedy" hotel across the street from the seniors' building where she is living with her grandmother.
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The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
by Jon Scieszka
A revisionist storyteller provides his mad, hilarious versions of children's favorite tales in this collection that includes "Little Red Running Shorts," "The Princess and the Bowling Ball," "Cinderumpelstilskin," and others.
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This Bridge Will Not Be Gray
by Dave Eggers
Tells the story of the making of the Golden Gate Bridge and how it came to be its distinctive color of orange through the persistence and vision of a few individuals.
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Locomotive
by Brian Floca
The award-winning creator of Moonshot presents a richly detailed visual exploration of America's early railroads that examines the sounds, speed and strength of the fledgling transcontinental locomotives and the experiences of pioneering travelers.
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A Poke in the I
by Paul B. Janeczko
A boldly illustrated picture book offers young readers of all ages a collection of poetry from numerous visual poets, including Maureen W. Armour and John Hollander. 25,000 first printing.
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Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich
by Adam Rex
A collection of raucous poems, exposing the private lives of various monsters, including Wolfman, Frankenstein, Bigfoot, and Godzilla, reveals shocking truths and horrifying secrets involving hygiene, household, and food issues. Jr Lib Guild.
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Rad American Women A-Z
by Kate Schatz
Presents a collection of short biographies of notable American women representing each letter of the alphabet, from Angela Davis and Billie Jean King to Yuri Kochiyama and Zora Neale Hurston.
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El Deafo
by Cece Bell
A poignant graphic tale based on the creator's own experiences with hearing loss follows the adventures of young Cece, who develops "superpowers" to manage the challenges of making friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid that sometimes lets her hear things she shouldn't. By the Geisel Honor-winning creator of Rabbit & Robot.
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Roller Girl
by Victoria Jamieson
Astrid discovers roller derby right as she and her best friend Nicole are growing apart.
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When Stars Are Scattered
by Victoria Jamieson
A Somali refugee who spent his childhood at the Dadaab camp and the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl present the graphic-novel story of a young refugee who struggles with leaving behind his nonverbal brother when he has an opportunity to help his family by going to school. Illustrations.
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Sidekicks
by Dan Santat
When Captain Amazing feels he is getting too old to be a reliable superhero, he tries to hire a new sidekick, but his pets have different ideas.
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Lumberjanes
by Noelle Stevenson
Best friends Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley spend a fun summer at Lumberjane scout camp where they encounter yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons while solving a mystery that holds the fate of the world in the balance.
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Sisters
by Raina Telgemeier
A companion to the Eisner Award-winning Smile finds Raina's disappointing bond with a cranky, independent younger sister further challenged by the arrival of a baby brother and an estrangement in their parents' marriage. 150,000 first printing.
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