Grades 4 & 5
This list was created from lists of recommended titles by The American Library Association, other outstanding review journals,  suggestions from young patrons, and titles read by myself and found to be worthy of commendation. This list contains only some of the wonderful literature available so please do not limit yourself to exclusively the titles here. Visit your local library to read journals with reviews or to browse the shelves to find other titles of interest. Happy Reading!
Suzanne Martell
Children's/Young Adult Librarian
Brooks Free Library
last updated 6/2003
 
 
 

Realistic Fiction

Alcott, Louisa May                         Little Women
                                                      Little Men

Avi                                                 Blue Heron

Burnett, Frances Hodges                The Secret Garden
                                                      A Little Princess

Babbit, Natalie                               The Eyes of the Amaryllis

Byars, Betsy                                   The Pinballs
                                                      Wanted…Mud Blossom

Cleary, Beverly                               Ramona’s World
                                                      Henry & Beezus

Clements, Andrew                          Frindle
                                                      The Landry News
                                                      The Janitor's Boy
                                                      The Jacket

Creech, Sharon                              Love That Dog
                                                     Walk Two Moons
                                                      Ruby Holler

Dahl, Roald                                    Danny, the CHampion of the World

DiCamillo, Kate                             Because of Winn Dixie

Fine, Anne                                     The Tulip Touch
                                                      Flour Babies

Franklin, Kristine L.                        Eclipse

George, Jean Craighead                  Julie of the Wolves
                                                      Julie
                                                      Julie's Wolf Pack
                                                      My Side of the Mountain
                                                      On the Far Side of the Mountain

Lindgren, Astrid                             Pippi Longstocking

Lowry, Lois                                  Anastasia Krupnick

MacLachlan, Patricia                     Baby

Mazer, Harry                                 The Wild Kid

O’Dell, Scott                                 The Black Pearl
                                                     Island of the Blue Dolphins

Paterson, Katherine                       The Great Gilly Hopkins
                                                     Bridge to Terabithia

Paulsen, Gary                                Tucket’s Ride
                                                     Harris & Me
 

Robinson, Barbara                        The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
                                                     The Best School Year Ever

Ryan, Pam Munoz                         Esperanza Rising

Sachar, Louis                                Holes

Snicket, Lemony                            A Series of Unfortunate Events (9 titles)

Spinelli, Jerry                                 Wringer
                                                      The Library Card
                                                      Maniac Magee
 
 


Fantasy

Alexander, Lloyd                            The Book of Three
                                                      The Black Cauldron
                                                      The Castle of Llyr
                                                      Taran Wanderer
                                                      The High King

Avi                                                 Poppy
                                                      Poppy & Rye
                                                      Ragweed
                                                      Ereth's Birthday

Bechard, Margaret                          Star Hatchling

Butterworth, Oliver                         The Enormous Egg

Dahl, Roald                                    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
                                                      Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Eager, Edward                                Half Magic

Hall, Elizabeth                                 Venus Among the Fishes

King-Smith, Dick                            Three Terrible Trins
                                                      A Mouse Called Wolf

L'Engle, Madeline                          A Wrinkle in Time
                                                     A Wind in the Door
                                                     A Swiftly Tilting Planet
                                                     Many Waters

Levine, Gail Carson                        Ella Enchanted
                                                      The Wish

McGraw, Eloise                             Moorchild

Mahy, Margaret                             The Pirates’ Mixed-up Voyage

Norton, Mary                                 The Borrowers

Rodgers, Mary                               Freaky Friday

Rylant, Cynthia                               The Islander

Waugh, Sylvia                                Mennyms
                                                      Mennyms in the Wilderness
                                                      Mennyms Alone
                                                      Mennyms Under Siege
                                                      Mennyms Alive
                                                      Earthborn
                                                      Space Race

White, E. B.                                   Charlotte's Web
                                                      Stuart Little
                                                      The Trumpet of the Swan

Winthrop, Elizabeth                        Castle in the Attic
                                                      Battle for the Castle

Mystery & Scary Stories

Bellairs, John                                   The Mansion in the Mist
                                                       The Chessmen of Doom
                                                       The House With a Clock in Its Walls

Byars, Betsy                                    The Dark Stairs: A Herculeah Jones Mystery

Haddix, Margaret Peterson              Running Out of Time

Hahn, Mary Downing                      Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story
                                                       Time For Andrew: A Ghost Story
                                                       Dead Man in Indian Creek

Konigsberg, E. L.                            From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Raskin, Ellen                                    The Westing Game

Simon, Seymour                              Wings of Darkness and Other Cases

Sobol, Donald                                  Encyclopedia Brown series
 
 

Biography

Bridges, Ruby                                   The Autobiography of Ruby Bridges

Cooney, Barbara                              Eleanor

Filipovic, Zlata                                  Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo

Historical Fiction

Curtis, Christopher Paul                   The Watson's Go to Birmingham
                                                        Bud, Not Buddy

Cushman, Karen                              Catherine Called Birdy
                                                        The Midwife's Apprentice
                                                        Matilda Bone

Fletcher, Susan                                Shadow Spinner

Giff, Patricia Reilly                            Lily's Crossing

Hesse, Karen                                   Letters from Rifka

Ibbotson, Eva                                  Journey to the River Sea

Paterson, Katherine                         Lyddie
                                                       Jip: His Story
 

Peck, Richard                                 A Long Way From Chicago
                                                       Fair Weather
                                                      A Year Down Yonder

Nonfiction

Arnosky, Jim                                    Field Trips: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird-watching, Shore Walking With Jim Arnosky

Bolden, Tonya                                 Tell All the Children Our Story: Memories and Momentos of Being Young and Black in Americ

Burleigh, Robert                               Chocolate:Riches From the Rainforest

Conlan, Kathy                                  Under the Ice

Doucet, Sharon, Arms                     Lapin Plays Possum: Trickster Tales From the Louisiana Bayou

Fleischmann, Paul                            Joyful Noise 

Gennadil, Spirin                                The Tale of the Firebird

Jackson, Donna                                 Twin Tales: The Magic and Mystery of Multiple Birth

Jackson, Ellen                                   Looking for Life in the Universe: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Jenkins, Steve                                  Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution

Osborn, Elinor                                 Project UltraSwan

Sierra, Judy                                     Can You Guess My Name? : Traditional Tales Around the World

Simon, Seymour                               Destination: Space

Smith, David                                    If the World Were a Village

Thimmesh, Catherine                        The Sky's the Limit: Stories of Discovery by Women and Girls