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FIFTH GRADE READING LISTS

The following lists of suggested books are from a variety of websites.  Links to these websites can be found on the homepage of the Meridian Park website.

 

Appelt, Kathi.  The Underneath.   Illus. by David Small. Atheneum. (9781416950585). 
Intertwining stories of an embittered man, a loyal hound, an abandoned cat and a vengeful lamia sing of love, loss, loneliness and hope. (2009 Newbery Honor Book)

 

Bishop, Nic. Frogs. Photos by the author. Scholastic Nonfiction, an imprint of Scholastic. (9780439877558).

Bishop presents salient facts about frogs through clear text, augmented with fascinating photographs of species around the world. Even the frog-phobic will be fascinated.

 

Broach, Elise.  Masterpiece.  Illus. by Kelly Murphy.  Holt/Christy Ottaviano. (9780805082708).

An artistic beetle with a yen for adventure and a lonely 11-year-old boy team up to catch the thief who has stolen a priceless Albrecht Durer from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

Brown, Don.  All Stations! Distress!: April 15, 1912, the Day the Titanic Sank. Illus. by the author.  Flash Point/Roaring Brook. (9781596432222)

Selecting just the right amount of essential information, Brown artfully captures the drama of what happened to the unsinkable Titanic on that fateful night.

 

Bryant, Jen.  A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams. Illus. by Melissa Sweet. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. (9780802853028).

Sweet’s mixed-media collage and primitive watercolors flow seamlessly with Bryant’s prose to reveal the important bits and pieces of Williams’ ordinary, yet extraordinary, life as a doctor and poet.  (2009 Caldecott Honor Book)

 

Dowd, Siobhan. The London Eye Mystery. Random/David Fickling. (9780375849763).
In a race against time, twelve-year-old Ted, with his sister Kat, uses his special skills and perceptions to discover how their cousin Salim disappeared while riding the London Eye, the world’s tallest observation wheel.

 

Elliott, Zetta.  Bird.  Illus. by Shadra Strickland. Lee & Low. (9781600602412).

A young boy, Mehkai, nicknamed Bird because he loves to draw birds, finds solace in his art work as his beloved grandfather dies and his admired older brother Marcus succumbs to drug addiction. (2009 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award)

 

Erdrich, Louise.  The Porcupine Year.  HarperCollins. (9780060297879).

In this third in the Birchbark House series set in 1852, Omakayas, a young Ojibwa girl now 12, and her family face serious challenges as they move westward from land the U.S. government has claimed.

 

Fern, Tracey E. Buffalo Music. Illus. by Lauren Castillo. Clarion. (9780618723416).

Pioneer Mary Ann Goodnight saves her beloved Texas buffalo from extinction by shipping those that escape slaughter to Yellowstone to become part of a new national herd. Spare scenes of primitive abstract art create a stunning visual landscape.

 

Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. Illus. by Dave McKean. HarperCollins. (9780060530921).   

A child marked for death by an ancient league of assassins escapes into an abandoned graveyard, where he is reared and protected by its spirit denizens. A delicious mix of murder, fantasy, humor and human longing, Gaiman’s tale is told in magical, haunting prose.  (2009 Newbery Medal Book)

 

González, Lucía. The Storyteller’s Candle/La velita de los cuentos. Illus. by Lulu Delacre. Children’s Book Press. (9780892392223). 

Text and sepia tone illustrations present the biographical story of Pura Belpré, the first Puerto Rican librarian hired by the New York Public Library, who introduces the public library to immigrants living in El Barrio and hosts the neighborhood’s first Three Kings’ Day fiesta.  (2009 Belpré Author Honor Book and Illustrator Honor Book)

 

Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan.  Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Through the Gates and Beyond.  Illus. with photographs.  Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. (9781596430716)

Beginning with a description of the dramatic “Gates” project installed for two weeks in Central Park in 2005, readers are introduced to the extraordinary pair whose art, in its immense scope, has amazed and astounded the world.

 

Hale, Shannon and Dean Hale. Rapunzel’s Revenge. Illus. by Nathan Hale. Bloomsbury.(9781599900704).

In a vibrantly illustrated graphic novel set in a make-believe frontier land, an untraditional Rapunzel escapes the tower, uses her long braids as weapons, and takes revenge on the wicked Mother Gothel.

 

Hopkinson, Deborah.  Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale (Introducing His Forgotten Frontier Friend).  Illus. by John Hendrix.  Random House/Schwartz & Wade.  (9780375837685).
Taking a boyhood story about Lincoln as inspiration, Hopkinson provides a lively, tongue-in-cheek telling with as many bends as Knob Creek. Hendrix’s broad, cartoony illustrations visually suggest several possible outcomes to the boys’ predicament.

 

Kerley, Barbara.  What To Do About Alice? How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!  Illus. by Edwin Fotheringham.  Scholastic. (9780439922319). 

Growing up as the daughter of the President was not easy, but being the President and father of Alice Roosevelt was not easy either. Kerley’s playful use of language and Fotheringham’s rollicking illustrations converge to introduce energy and outrageousness.  (2009 Sibert Honor Book)

 

Law, Ingrid. Savvy. Dial/Walden Media. (9780803733060).

This rich first-person narrative draws readers into a wild bus ride, winding through the countryside on a journey of self-discovery for Mibs Beaumont and her companions.  (2009 Newbery Honor Book)

 

Lewin, Ted and Betsy. Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia. Illus. by the authors. Lee & Low Books. (9781584302773).

Alternating lavish watercolors and lively cartoon sketches, the artists document their travel to Mongolia, capturing the excitement and beauty of Naadam, the Summer Festival, where young boys and girls compete in horse racing.

 

McGill, Alice.  Way Up and Over Everything.  Illus. by Jude Daly.  Houghton Mifflin. (9780618387960).

Stylized watercolors illustrate A storyteller’s account of the five newly purchased Africans who  escaped the horrors of slavery by flying away from the Georgia plantation where her great-grandmama's mama lived and worked.

 

Nicholls, Sally. Ways to Live Forever. Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Scholastic. (9780545069489).

Using clever lists, insightful questions, thoughtful journal entries and drawings, eleven-year-old Sam shares his perspective on his leukemia and his upbeat attitude as he faces the end of his life.

 

Nivola, Claire A.  Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai. Illus. by the author. Farrar/Frances Foster. (9780374399184).

Naïf, charming pictures, and well-chosen details illuminate the life and work of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, who responded to the impending desertification of her native Kenya by instigating the planting of 30 million trees.

 

Nobleman, Marc Tyler. Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman. Illus. by Ross MacDonald. Knopf. (9780375838026).

Part picture book, part graphic novel, this is the fascinating story of how two high school friends created a superhero that endures to this day.

 

Parker, Robert Andrew. Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum. Illus. by the author. Random House/Schwartz & Wade. (9780375839658).

Parker imagines renowned jazz pianist Tatum’s early years, employing a first person narrative that takes readers from his Toledo youth to big city clubs and concert halls. Luminous watercolors compellingly extend the text. (2009 Schneider Family Book Award)

 

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature's Balance in Yellowstone. Photographs by Dan Hartman and Cassie Hartman. Walker. (9780802796868).

Lively photographs, capturing images of wildlife, and an easy text make it clear to young readers the beneficial impact to the ecosystem when wolves were reintroduced.

 

Preller, James. Six Innings: A Game in the Life.  Feiwell & Friends. (9780312367633).

The heart stopping action of a little league baseball game frames a personal introduction to the players, the strategies, and twelve-year-old Sam, sidelined by cancer.

 

Ray, Deborah Kogan. Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw. Illus. by the author. Viking/Penguin. (9780670062928).

This intimate portrait of the creator of Millions of Cats combines Gág’s own words with  more detailed text to describe a girl who never let go of her dream. Lush illustrations suggest Gág’s style and versatility.

 

Rumford, James. Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad. Illus. by the author. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. (9781596432765).  

Ali, a young boy in contemporary Baghdad, loves calligraphy and practices his art to shut out the sights and sounds of war. Mixed media illustrations contrast rich color, lush texture, bold silhouettes, and flowing calligraphy.

 

Scieszka, Jon.  Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories about Growing Up Scieszka. Illus. by author. Viking/Penguin. (9780670011063).

A hilarious saga of growing up in a household with five brothers during the 1950’s and 1960’s by the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, illustrated with candid pictures from the period.

 

Schulman, Janet.  Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City. Illus. by Meilo So. Alfred A. Knopf. (9780375845581).

Lush watercolors and personable narrative bring to life the story of Pale Male, a male hawk who nests atop a swanky Fifth Avenue apartment building and sparks a battle for his habitat among residents and conservationists.

 

Shulevitz, Uri. How I Learned Geography. Illus. by the author.  Farrar Straus Giroux.(9780374334994).

Recounting memories of his family’s flight from the Warsaw Blitz and his years as a refugee during World War II, Shulevitz employs watercolor and ink to depict a boy liberated from his dreary existence through flights of fancy inspired by the map his father buys in the village market. (2009 Caldecott Honor Book)

 

Stone, Tanya Lee. Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote.  Illus. by Rebecca Gibbon. Henry Holt. (9780805079036).

This introductory biography outlines Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s childhood realization of the secondary status of women and continues with her adult activism that lead to the right to vote for women. Folk art expands the text.

 

Thomas, Joyce Carol. The Blacker the Berry. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. HarperCollins/Amistad. (9780060253752).

A collection of twelve poems celebrating and affirming the variations in skin color and individuality of African American children, illustrated with richly colored paintings of children complementing the imagery of the free verse. (2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award and Author Honor Book)

 

Uehashi, Nahoko. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. Illus. by Yuko Shimizu. Tr. by Cathy Hirano. Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Scholastic. (9780545005425).

Balsa, a female warrior, accepts the task of protecting a young prince from demons and his father’s assassins. Prince Chagum is the Moribito, the guardian of the sacred spirit.  Together they must find in each other the source of strength they need to prevail. (2009 Batchelder Award Book)

 

Author/Title 

 Aliki Medieval Feast

Avi Perloo the Bold

Avi Poppy (series)

Avi Something Upstairs

Avi S.O.R. Losers

Babbitt, Natalie Kneeknock Rise

Bruchac, Joseph The Arrow Over the Door

Burnford, Sheila Incredible Journey

Byars, Betsy Bingo Brown and the Language of Love (series)

Byars, Betsy Summer of the Swans

Chambers, Veronica Amistad Rising: A Story of Freedom

Cleary, Beverly Dear Mr. Henshaw

Clements, Andrew Frindle

Coleman, M. Weirdo’s War

Cooper, Susan Dark is Rising (series)

Creech, Sharon Bloomability

Fenner, Carol The King of Dragons

Fenner, Carol Yolanda’s Genius

Fitzgerald, John Great Brain (series)

Fleischman, Sid Bandit’s Moon

Fletcher, Susan Shadow Spinner

Forester, Sandra Sound the Jubilee

Gantos, Jack Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

George, Jean C. My Side of the Mountain (series)

Gordon, Sheila The Middle of Somewhere

Greenfield, Eloise Sister

Haas, Jessie Unbroken

Haddix, Margaret Among the Hidden (series)

Haddix, Margaret Running Out of Time

Hamilton, Virginia Cousins

Harrah, Madge My Brother, My Enemy

Hearne, Betsy Listening for Leroy

Hearne, Betsy Seven Brave Women

Hest, Amy The Great Green Notebook of Katie Roberts: Who Just Turned 12 on Monday (series)

Isaacs, Anne Treehouse Tales

Johnson, Tony The Wagon

Knight, Eric Lassie Come Home

Konigsburg, E.L. View from Saturday

Lee, Milly Nim and the War Effort

L‚Engle, Madeleine Wrinkle in Time (series)

Lowry, Lois Stay! Keeper’s Story

McCaughrean, Gerald The Pirate’s Son

McKissack, Patricia Run Away Home

Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables (series)

Morris, Gerald The Squire’s Tale (series)

Neuberger, Anne The Girl-Son

O‚Brien, Robert Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Roberts, Willo D. The View from the Cherry Tree

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (series)

Sachar, Louis Holes

Schlein, Miriam The Year of the Panda

Scieszka, Jon Squids will be Squids

Scieszka, Jon Summer Reading is Killing Me

Soto, Gary Baseball in April

Speare, Elizabeth Witch of Blackbird Pond

Staples, Suzanne Shabanu

Stevenson, James The Bones in the Cliff

Stevenson, James Unprotected Witness (sequel)

Taylor, Mildred The Friendship (series)

Wells, Rosemay Mary on Horseback: Three Mountain Stories

Zemser, Amy Beyond the Mango Tree

Dear America (series)

My Name is America (series)

 

Fifth Grade Reading List

Applegate, Katherine Home of the Brave

Avi Iron Thunder

Creech, Sharon Castle Corona

Dahlberg, Maurine Escape to West Berlin

Fleming, Candace Lowji Discovers America

Haddix, Margaret Double Identity

Jackson, Donna ER Vets: Life in an Animal Emergency Room

Johnson, Gillian Thora and the Green sea-unicorn

Korman, Gordon Chasing the Falconers (series)

Lewis, J. Patrick Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses

Mckissak, Patricia Porch Lies

Peck, Richard On The Wings of Heroes

Pinkwater, Daniel The Neddiad: how Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization

Riordan, Rick The Lightning Thief

Roy, Jennifer Rozines Yellow Star

Springer, Nancy Case of the Missing Marquess: an Enola Holmes Mystery

Winkler, Henry The Curtain Went up, my Pants Fell Down

Yolen, Jane The Wolf Girls: An Unsolved Mystery From History

 

Author/Title/Summary


Barry: Peter and the Starcatchers c2004 contemporary fantasy
Peter and a group of fellow orphans assist Molly, a Starcatcher, in guarding a trunk of “mysterious star substance” that has the ability to keep people young and let fly.

 


Collins: Gregor the Overlander c2003 fantasy fiction
Gregor and his two-year sister fall down a shaft in the basement and find a world of giant insects and rats. They become part of a huge battle.

 


DiCamillo: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane c2006 fantasy
Edward Tulane is a selfish, thoughtless toy rabbit until he loses the little girl who loves him.


Foreman: Summer of the Skunks c2002 historical fiction
Ten-year-old Jill lives with her family on a southern farm in the late 1940s.


Gorman: Dork in Disguise c1999 school story
When highly intelligent Jerry moves to a new town, he sets out to change his image from “dork” to “cool.”

Gutman: Baseball Card Adventure sports, historical fiction
A series of books where Joe travels back in time and meets famous players.

Hannigan: Ida B: --and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World c2004 realistic fiction, school story
Happy fourth grader Ida, who is home-schooled, enjoys playing in her family's apple orchard, until her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer and the financially strapped family must sell part of the orchard and enroll Ida in public school.


Hunter: Into the Wild c2003 animal fiction
Four clans of wild cats share a forest. One clan decides to change “hunting rites” and their peace is challenged


Lasky: The Capture (Guardians of Ga'Hoole series) c2003 fantasy
Soren, a barn owl, is knocked from his nest by his older brother and taken to St. Aggie's, a school for orphaned owls. He befriends Gylfie, an elf owl, and the two set out to save all owls from the perils of the school.

Martin: Main Street series realistic fiction
A series about two young girls orphaned when their parents die in a car accident. They go to live with their grandmother in Camden Falls, Mass., a small town filled with a variety of characters.

Norman: My Feet Are Laughing c2006 poetry
16 poems told by a young girl about her Harlem neighborhood.

Peck: A Year Down Yonder c2000 humor, historical fiction
In 1937, during the Great Depression, Mary Alice lives with her very unusual grandmother in rural Illinois.


Seidler: Toes c2004 animals, fiction
Ridiculed because of his seven toes on each paw, this kitten runs away and finds a struggling musician who needs him.


Smith: Bone c2004 graphic novel
Three cousins leave their home of Boneville. On their journey they meet royalty, dragons, and monsters as they try to return home.


Soto: Baseball in April and Other Stories c1990 ethnic diversity
These short stories focus on young Hispanics growing up in California.

Strasser: Help! series fantasy, humor
Jake Sherman switches bodies with various people and creatures, including his gym teacher, principal, the family dog and even the first day of summer camp!


Stewart: The Mysterious Benedict Society c2007 fiction, adventure
Four children are secretly spies as students in the Learning Institute for the Enlightened. They have to avoid being brainwashed by Mr. Curtain, one of the owners of the school. This is a mystery you will be eager to see unfold.


Wright: The Wish Master c2000 realistic fiction
Corby and his mother travel to Wisconsin for the summer to take care of his sick grandmother; then, he meets a local boy who takes him to the Wish Master.


Various authors: Dear America series historical fiction

Skurzynski: Mysteries in Our National Parks series mystery, adventure