. . . READING SUGGESTIONS
FOR FIFTH GRADERS
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For 5th Grade: Realistic Fiction | Fantasy | Animal Stories | Humorous Stories | Historical Fiction
…"What are we supposed to be looking for?" Stanley asked him. "You’re not looking for anything. You’re digging to build character. It’s just if you find anything, the Warden would like to know about it."
He glanced helplessly at his shovel. It wasn’t defective. He was defective.
He noticed a thin crack in the ground. He placed the point of his shovel on top of it, then jumped on the back of the blade with both feet.
The shovel sank a few inches into the packed earth. He smiled. For once in His life it paid to be overweight. He leaned on the shaft and pried up his First shovelful of dirt, then dumped it off to the side. Only ten million more to go…
Louis Sachar. HOLES
Bauer, Marion Dane: ON MY HONOR.
Joel’s best friend Tony drowns in the dangerous river Vermillion. Joel has to find a way of telling his parents and Tony’s parents the awful truth of the drowning. ON MY HONOR draws you in and makes you read on. It is short but powerful read.
Byars, Betsy: SUMMER OF THE SWANS.
Sara’s retarded younger brother is missing; now all her other problems seem less important.
Clements, Andrew: THE LANDRY NEWS.
Fifth-grader Cara Landry publishes her homemade newspaper, the Landry News, and reports truth and education. This paper exposes the laziness of her once enthusiastic teacher, Mr. Larson, and results in a large-scale media frenzy. Written by the same author of Frindle, this is another amusing but thoughtful book. A 2002 Young Reader’s Choice nominee.
Creech, Sharon: WALK TWO MOONS.
A story told by a 13-year-old Native American girl to her Grandparents on a car trip to Idaho. This book won the Newbery Award. Other recommended books by Ms. Creech are CHASING RED BIRD and BLOOMIBILITY.
Curtis, Chris Paul: BUD, NOT BUDDY. Bud, 10, is on the run from the orphanage and from yet another mean foster family. His mother died when he was six, and he wants to find his father. Set in Michigan during the Great Depression, this story is told with a lot of humor and warmth. This is the 2000 Newbery Award winner for its excellence in literary achievement. |
Feiffer, Jules: THE MAN IN THE CEILING.
The failures, triumphs, and family of a young cartoonist, changing a life with a small piece of paper.
Fitzhugh, Louise: HARRIET THE SPY.
The thoughts and notebooks of a young "spy" who lives in New York City.
Konigsburg, E.L.: THE VIEW FROM SATURDAY. This is a comic novel about four students who develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic. The teacher chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class and compete in the Academic bowl. The 1997 Newbery winner. |
Sachar, Louis: HOLES.
Stanley Yelnats (his name is a palindrome) is accused of stealing a pair of famous sneakers
So he is sent to a "camp" in the middle of the desert where he has to dig holes five-foot by five-foot by five-foot every day. He meets a boy named Zero. Together they try to escape the sinister warden and her cronies. This book is both hilarious and profound. Everyone should read it. 2001 Young Reader’s Choice Award. Newbery winner.
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There is a young king, Tamar, and in his kingdom he lives with his army general and his brilliant advisor. One night, a mysterious King Jaya gambles with him. They gamble for each other’s life. Tamar loses. The next thing he knows, he is lying on the floor. His two friends think it is a dream. But because of a mysterious ring on his finger, he believes it is real. He sets out on a journey to go to Jaya’s kingdom. On the way, he must overcome many challenges. |
Alexander, Lloyd: PRYDAIN CHRONICLES (five books)
The first title in the Chronicles of Pridain series is THE BOOK OF THREE, in which Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper of Prydain becomes involved in a hazardous mission to save his country from the forces of evil. The other titles in this series are THE BLACK CAULDRON, THE CASTLE OF LLYR, TARAN WANDERER, and THE HIGH KING.
Barron, T.A.: THE LOST YEARS OF MERLIN.
A boy named Emrys finds himself washed up from the sea, almost dead. He doesn’t remember his name, his family, or anything else about himself. The mysterious woman Branwen who says that she’s his mother raises him. He learns many myths. When he finally decides to seek his fortune far away, he lands in Fincayra. He meets the forest girl Rhia, and the tiny giant Shim. Emrys has to solve the riddle of the Land of the Giants and eventually learns his true identity and his true power. The sequels to this book are THE SEVEN SONGS OF MERLIN, THE FIRES OF MERLIN, and the MIRROR OF MERLIN (a 2002 Young Reader’s Choice nominee).
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By mistake, Emily and her brother, Jessup, carry a mischievous old spirit with them from Castle Keep in Scotland to their home in Canada, where it creates havoc in their lives. Ms. Cooper is also the author of THE DARK IS RISING sequence. |
Cooper, Susan: THE BOGGART.Juster, Norton: THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH.
A story about a boy who goes through a tollbooth and finds himself in a magical New World where he saves the day.
Levine, Gail Carson: ELLA ENCHANTED.
A story about a noble girl, Ella, who suffers from a terrible curse from birth: the curse that forces her to obey anybody’s command. This is a humorous and well-crafted retelling of a favorite fairy tale with a really likeable main character.
Lewis, C.S.: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE.
A magic wardrobe allows three children to enter a perpetual wintry land ruled by the white witch. They embark on adventures that lead them through a commitment involving trust and sacrifice to find the only creature that can turn winter into spring. Part of the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA series.
Norton, Mary: THE BORROWERS.
This book is about tiny people who live under the floorboards of a house and borrow the big people’s things. . . until a little boy sees one of them.
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When the grandfather clock strikes thirteen, Tom is released from ordinary time. The boredom and loneliness of his summer vacation fade away as he escapes to nightly adventures in the midnight garden. |
Pierce, Tamora: ALANNA: THE FIRST ADVENTURE.
Eleven year old Alanna, who wishes to be a Knight, disguises herself as a boy and has exciting adventures. This is the first book in the Song of the Lioness quartet.
Pullman, Phillip: THE GOLDEN COMPASS.
Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon live in Jordan College, Oxford. Like other daemons of young children, Pantalaimon can change shapes and turn into any animal he wants. One day Lyra hides in a wardrobe and hears a lecture about "dust" from her uncle Lord Asriel. She is intrigued. Then many children begin to disappear and Lyra joins in the search to find them. This is a scary story that features armored polar bears and witch wars. THE SUBTLE KNIFE is a sequel.
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Rowling, J.K.: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE. 
Until he turns 11, Harry Potter lives a horrible life as an orphaned "muggle" but this all changes magically when he’s invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is famous and he is clueless about why he is so famous – until he starts exploring and discovering all sorts of incredible powers he has. HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, and HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE follow this first book of a series. |
Scieszka, Jon. THE TIME WARP TRIO series.
Sam, Joe, and Fred are best friends who travel through time.
Sleator, William. INTERSTELLAR PIG.
Barney’s strange new neighbors invite him to play a bizarre board game called Interstellar Pig, which actually spans the universe and destroys worlds.
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Sounder, the great coon dog, can not save his master from the problems of racism. |
Armstrong, William. SOUNDERAvi. POPPY.
This story of bravery, persistence, and an overthrown tyrant features the heroine, Poppy, a small deer mouse, and Mr. Ocax, a great horned owl.
Jacques, Brian. REDWALL series.
Small animals such as mice, shrews, weasels, and stoats are in their own world having adventures, battles, and great feasts. To date there are 12 books in this series; the latest ones are THE LEGEND OF LUKE and LORD BROCKTREE.
Lawson, Robert. RABBIT HILL.
Rabbits and others are happy about people moving into Rabbit Hill. They worry that the people may not be friendly.
Brooke, William. A IS FOR AARRGH!
Mog, a young boy living during the Stone Age, discovers words and language and teaches his fellow cave dwellers how to talk, thus altering the course of history.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. THE BOYS START THE WAR.
The Hatford boys’ best friends and next door neighbors move away. The Meloy girls move in. The Hatford boys plan a lot of pranks on the Meloy girls and the girls get even! These kids’ funny pranks will make you wish you had thought of them yourself!
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This is a book about a girl who thinks being grown up is easier than being a teenager. Find out what happens when she finds out the truth. |
Rogers, Mary. FREAKY FRIDAY.Scieszka, Jon. SQUIDS WILL BE SQUIDS.
This is a fun-packed collection of silly fables. You will also like Scieszka’s STINKY CHEESE MAN.
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The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go visit Grandma in Alabama in 1963. A Newbery Honor book. |
Cushman, Karen. CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY.
Against the background of a medieval manor, Catherine’s spirited account of her fourteenth year is told in a diary format. It is an entertaining story of an utterly unforgettable heroine. THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE by the same author won the 1998 Newbery Award.
Fleischman, Sid. BANDIT’S MOON.
This is an exciting adventure story set during the California Gold Rush. Outlaw Joaquin Murieta rescues the orphaned Annyrose.
Giff, Patricia. LILY’S CROSSING.
This story is about a girl during World War II whose friendship with Albert, a young Hungarian refugee, makes her see the war and her own world from a different perspective.
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Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark, this novel recounts the efforts of Annemarie Johansen and her family to smuggle their Jewish friends to safety in Sweden. |
Osborne, Mary Pope. STANDING IN THE LIGHT.
This is a fictional diary of Katherine Carey Logan, a Quaker girl who grew up in the Delaware River Valley in the 1760’s. She was captured along with her brother the Wamponog Indians. One of the DEAR AMERICA series.
Speare, Elizabeth George. THE SIGN OF THE BEAVER.
Matt Howell is left behind in Maine to guard their crops. Matt gets hurt and the Indians bring him back to health. Matt meets an Indian boy named Attean and becomes good friends with him. Weeks pass and Matt’s father does not return. Will Matt survive the harsh winter alone?
Taylor, Mildred. ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY.
A black family living in the South during the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination, which the children do not understand.
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