Great Books for Fourth and Fifth Grade
Chapter Books
Andy Russell, NOT Wanted by the Police by David Adler 118 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander 217 pages
- Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper to a famous oracular sow, sets out on a hazardous mission to save the land of Prydain from the evil forces of the Horned King. Check our catalog
Skellig by David Almond 182 pages
- Unhappy about his baby sister's illness and the chaos of moving into a dilapidated old house, Michael retreats to the garage and finds a mysterious stranger who is something like a bird and something like an angel. Check our catalog
Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson 188 pages
- Can Lily, with her two best friends, Katie and Jasper, foil a plan to conquer the world by mind-controlled whales on stilts with laser beam eyes? Check our catalog
Poppy by Avi 147 pages
- Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a big field of corn, but Mr.Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas. Check our catalog
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt 139 pages
- The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten-year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret about a spring whose water prevents one from ever growing any older. Check our catalog
The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs 179 pages
- A boy goes to live with his magician uncle in a mansion that has a clock hidden in the walls which is ticking off the minutes until doomsday. Check our catalog
Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing by Judy Blume 120 pages
- Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever increasing problem. Check our catalog
The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston 157 pages
- Tolly comes to live with his great-grandmother at the ancient house of Green Knowe and becomes friends with three children who lived there in the seventeenth century. Check our catalog
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall 262 pages
- While vacationing with their widowed father, four young sisters share adventures with a young boy much to the dismay of his snobbish mother. Check our catalog
Bingo Brown and the Language of Love by Betsy Byars 132 pages
- As twelve-year-old Bingo Brown strives for the triumphs of today and steels himself against the tribulations of tomorrow, he discovers that he will have to undergo a few more trials and triumphs before growing up. Check our catalog
The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Catling 87 pages
- What if everything that touched your lips turned to chocolate? Check our catalog
The Dog that Pitched a No-Hitter by Matt Christopher 42 pages
- Mike's telepathic dog sends him signals on the pitcher's mound. Check our catalog
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary 133 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
The Jacket by Andrew Clements 89 pages
- An incident at school forces sixth grader Phil Morelli, a white boy, to become aware of racial discrimination and segregation, and to seriously consider if he himself is prejudiced. Check our catalog
Love that Dog by Sharon Creech 86 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis 210 pages
- The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963. Check our catalog
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman 169 pages
- The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off. Check our catalog
The Witches by Roald Dahl 201 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo 270 pages
- The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin. Check our catalog
Half Magic by Edward Eager 217 pages
- Faced with a dull summer in the city, Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha suddenly find themselves involved in a series of extraordinary adventures after Jane discovers an ordinary-looking coin that seems to grant wishes. Check our catalog
The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright 175 pages
- Four New York City siblings decide to pool their resources so that each can do a special thing on the Saturday that is his turn to receive the combined allowance. Check our catalog
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich 244 pages
- Omakayas, a seven-year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe, lives through the joys of summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847. Check our catalog
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes 80 pages
- When ragged Wanda brags that she has one hundred dresses at home, the other girls in her class don’t believe her. Check our catalog
The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald 175 pages
- The exploits of the Great Brain of Adenville, Utah are described by his younger brother, frequently the victim of the Great Brain's schemes for gaining prestige or money. Check our catalog
By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman 193 pages
- Aunt Arabella's butler, Praiseworthy, and her nephew stowaway on a ship to win a fortune for her in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Check our catalog
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke 534 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
Coraline by Neil Gaiman 162 pages
- Bored in her new house, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is disturbingly different. She must save herself, her parents, and the souls of three children from a terrifying entity. Check our catalog
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos 153 pages
- To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription meds wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired. Check our catalog
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff 166 pages
- A troublesome twelve-year-old orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home. Check our catalog
Honus and Me by Dan Gutman 140 pages
- Joey, who loves baseball but is not very good at it, finds a valuable 1909 Honus Wagner card and travels back in time to meet Honus. Check our catalog
Turnabout by Margaret Haddix 223 pages
- "It isn't natural for you to be younger than your great-grandchildren. We messed around with nature, and we shouldn't have. Melly and Anny Beth both lived normal lives throughout the 20th century. But in 2000, when they are old and ready to die, they are selected to participate in Project Turnabout and are given an injection to make them grow younger..." Check our catalog
Ida B:--And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan 246 pages
- Ida B is happy in her family's apple orchard, until her mother begins treatment for breast cancer, and her family must sell part of the orchard. Check our catalog
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry 173 pages
- The determination of two youngsters to win a Chincoteague pony is greatly increased when the Phantom and her colt are among those rounded up for the yearly auction. Check our catalog
Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath 149 pages
- Eleven-year-old Primrose living in a small fishing village in British Columbia recounts her experiences and all that she learns about human nature and the unpredictability of life in the months after her parents are lost at sea. Check our catalog
The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson 231 pages
- Odge Gribble, a young hag, accompanies an old wizard, a gentle fey, and a giant ogre on their mission through a magical tunnel from their Island to London to rescue their King and Queen's son who had been stolen as an infant. Check our catalog
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster 255 pages
- A journey through a land where Milo learns the importance of words and numbers provides a cure for his boredom. Check our catalog
Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise 138 pages
- When the principal asks a fifth-grader to write a letter regarding the purchase of a new drinking fountain for their school, he finds that all sorts of chaos results. Check our catalog
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg 162 pages
- Claudia and her little brother, Jamie, run away from home to go live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, only to discover someone is also living there. Check our catalog
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle 203 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine 232 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 183 pages
- Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter. Check our catalog
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord 169 pages
- In 1947, a Chinese child comes to Brooklyn where she becomes Americanized at school, in her apartment building, and by her love for baseball. Check our catalog
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry 137 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
The Quigleys by Simon Mason 148 pages
- The adventures and misadventures of the four members of the Quigley family--Mum, Dad, Lucy, and Will. Check our catalog
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey 149 pages
- Six episodes in the life of Homer Price, including one about a donut machine on the rampage. Check our catalog
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 144 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
The Agony of Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 131 pages
- Eleven-year-old motherless Alice decides she needs a gorgeous role model, but when placed in homely Mrs.Plotkin’s class, she learns that it is what is inside of people that counts. Check our catalog
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien 233 pages
- Having no one to help her with her problems, a widowed mouse visits the rats whose former imprisonment in a laboratory made them wise and long lived. Check our catalog
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell 184 pages
- Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life. Check our catalog
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park 152 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson 128 pages
- The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm. Check our catalog
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen 195 pages
- On his way to visit his father in the Canadian mountains, Brian Robeson is the only survivor when the single-engine plane crashes.His body battered, his clothes in shreds, Brian must now stay alive in the boundless Canadian wilderness. Check our catalog
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck 148 pages
- Bodies in the parlor, tricking the sheriff … vacations are never dull with this Grandma! Check our catalog
I Was a Rat! by Philip Pullman 104 pages
- A little boy turns life in London upside down when he appears at the house of a lonely old couple and insists he was a rat. Check our catalog
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls 212 pages
- A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters. Check our catalog
The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson 117 pages
- The six horrible Herdmans, the worst kids in the history of the world, cause mayhem throughout the school year. Check our catalog
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell 115 pages
- Because of a bet, Billy is in the uncomfortable position of having to eat fifteen worms in fifteen days. The worms are readily supplied by his opponent, whose motto seems to be the bigger and juicier the better! Check our catalog
Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda 151 pages
- Because only he can read the magical map, young, weak, and timid Rowan joins six other villagers to climb a mountain and try to restore their water supply, as fears of a dragon and other horrors threaten to drive them back. Check our catalog
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling 309 pages
- Orphaned Harry escapes his dreadful relatives when he is invited to attend Hogwarts Academy and learn how to use his wizard’s powers. Check our catalog
Holes by Louis Sachar 233 pages
- Overweight and unpopular Stanley is sent to a nightmarish correctional camp in Texas where he makes his first true friend, discovers buried treasure, and gains a new sense of himself. Check our catalog
Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka 55 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket 162 pages
- After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune. Check our catalog
Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder 215 pages
- 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 before they move on to new interests, such as Gypsies. Check our catalog
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol 88 pages
- Try to crack these ten brain-twisting mysteries along with Encyclopedia Brown and his famous computerlike brain --the answer to all the mysteries are found in the back! Check our catalog
Loser by Jerry Spinelli 218 pages
- Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself. Check our catalog
All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor 188 pages
- The adventures of five sisters growing up in a Jewish family in New York in the early twentieth century. Check our catalog
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor 276 pages
- A black family living in the South during the 1930's are faced with prejudice and discrimination which their children don't understand. Check our catalog
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen 168 pages
- 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. Check our catalog
Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen 138 pages
- Fifth-grader Nolan Byrd, tired of being called names by the class bully, has a secret identity--Shredderman! Check our catalog
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White 184 pages
- Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him. Check our catalog
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder 237 pages
- A year in the life of two young girls growing up on the Wisconsin frontier, as they help their mother with the daily chores, enjoy their father's stories and singing, and share special occasions when they get together with relatives or neighbors. Check our catalog
Folk & Fairy Tales
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz 111 pages
- Traditional and modern-day tales and "jump" stories of ghosts, witches, vampires, haunts, superstitions, monsters and horrible scary things. Check our catalog
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka 52 pages
- Young subversives everywhere will love these ten fractured fairy tales. Check our catalog
Poetry
A Poke in the I by Paul B. Janeczko 35 pages
- Thirty concrete poems of all shapes and sizes are carefully laid on large white spreads, extended by Raschka's quirky watercolor and paper-collage illustrations. Check our catalog
updated 9/11/07