Books by Grade Level
Fifth Grade Recommendations
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The Frog
Princess
by E.D. Baker
After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward, fourteen-year-old
princess suddenly finds herself a frog, too, and sets off with the
prince to seek the means--and the self-confidence--to become human
again.
Peter and
the Starcatchers
by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on the ship Never
Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose
mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate
and the native inhabitants of a remote island.
The
Secret History of Tom Trueheart
by Ian Beck
When young Tom Trueheart's seven older brothers all go missing during
their adventures in the Land of Stories, he embarks on a perilous
mission to save them and to capture the rogue story-writer who wants to
do away with the heroes.
The
Penderwicks : a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very
interesting boy
by Jeanne Birdsall
While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire
Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share
adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish
mother.
Shakespeare's
Spy
by Gary Blackwood
A fifteen-year-old orphan boy named Widge must guard Shakespeare's
scripts from being stolen, but he would rather be spy.
Little
Cricket
by Jackie Brown
After the upheaval of the Vietnam War reaches them, twelve-year-old
Kia and her Hmong family flee from the mountains of Laos to a refugee
camp in Thailand and eventually to the alien world of Saint Paul,
Minnesota.
Attack of
the Turtle
by Drew Carlson
During the Revolutionary War, fourteen-year-old Nathan joins forces
with his older cousin, the inventor David Bushnell, to secretly build
the first submarine used in naval warfare.
No
Talking
by Andrew Clements
The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the
equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no talking" contest.
Vive La
Paris
by Esmé Raji Codell
Fifth-grader Paris learns some lessons about dealing with bullies of
all kinds as she wonders how to stop a classmate from beating up her
brother at school and as she learns about the Holocaust from her piano
teacher, Mrs. Rosen.
Half-Moon
Investigations
by Eoin Colfer
Twleve-year-old private investigator Fletcher Moon, nicknamed "Half
Moon" because of his shortness, must track down a conspiracy or be
framed for a crime he did not committ.
Dog
Sense
by Sneed B. Collard III
After he and his mother move from California to Montana to live with
his grandfather, thirteen-year-old Guy gradually adjusts to the
unfamiliar surroundings, makes a friend, and learns to deal with a
bully, with the help of his Frisbee-catching dog, Streak.
Juliet
Dove, Queen of Love
by Bruce Coville
A shy twelve-year-old girl must solve a puzzle involving characters
from Greek mythology to free herself from a spell which makes her
irresistible to boys.
Granny
Torrelli Makes Soup
by Sharon Creech
With the help of her wise old grandmother, twelve-year-old Rosie
manages to work out some problems in her relationship with her best
friend, Bailey, the boy next door.
The
Giants and the Joneses
by Julia Donaldson
When Jumbeelia, an eight-year-old giant, climbs down a beanstalk and
collects some "iggly plops," the little people of children's stories,
she treats them like toys, unaware that she is endangering their
lives.
Swordbird
by Nancy Yi Fan
Warring factions of blue jays and cardinals call on Swordbird, the
heroic bird of peace, to rescue them from the evil machinations of
Turnatt, the tyrant hawk lord who plans to enslave them.
I,
Jack
by Jack the dog, as told to Patricia Finney
Jack, a Labrador Retriever, tells about his daily life of food, walks,
and the "apedogs" and "funny-looking dogs" (cats) in his pack, as well
as how everything changes when a pretty girl dog moves into the
neighborhood. Includes explanatory footnotes written by the cats.
The Giant
Rat of Sumatra
by Sid Fleischman
A cabin boy on a pirate ship finds himself in San Diego in 1846 as war
breaks out between the United States and Mexico.
Maggie's
Door
by Patricia Reilly Giff
In the mid-1800s, Nory and her neighbor and friend, Sean, set out
separately on a dangerous journey from famine-plagued Ireland, hoping
to reach a better life in America.
Getting
Air
by Dan Gutman
After foiling a terrorist hijacking aboard their airplane,
fourteen-year-old Jimmy, his younger sister, and two skateboarding
friends crash-land the plane and try to survive in a forest wilderness
until help arrives.
Deep and
dark and dangerous : a ghost story
by Mary Downing Hahn
When thirteen-year-old Ali spends the summer with her aunt and cousin
at the family's vacation home, she stumbles upon a secret that her
mother and aunt have been hiding for over thirty years.
Animal
House and Iz
by Betty Hicks
Iz, formerly known as Elizabeth, has begun to enjoy the pandemonium of
a spacey stepmother, mischievous stepbrothers, and an assortment of odd
and unreliable pets.
Sheep
by Valerie Hobbs
After a fire destroys the farm where he was born, a young border
collie acquires a series of owners and learns about life as he seeks a
home and longs to fulfill his life's purpose of shepherding sheep.
Penny
From Heaven
by Jennifer L. Holm
As she turns twelve during the summer of 1953, Penny gains new
insights into herself and her family while also learning a secret about
her father's death.
Into the
firestorm : a novel of San Francisco, 1906
by Deborah Hopkinson
Days after arriving in San Francisco from Texas, eleven-year-old
orphan Nicholas Dray tries to help his new neighbors survive the 1906
San Francisco earthquake and the subsequent fires.
The
Fairy's Return
by Gail Carson Levine
The good-natured son of a baker wins the heart of a princess, with the
help of a fairy and a magic goose.
Copper
by Rebecca Lisle
Pursued by enemies of the family she never knew she had, ten-year-old
Copper Beach flees to Spindle House, her paternal home, and decides to
uncover the truth about a feud between the Stone and Wood clans that
sent her into exile six years earlier.
Mack McGinn's Big
Win
by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
Whether the prize is a soccer trophy or the esteem of Danville's
elite, the McGinn family believes in winning, but while striving to
prove he can be best at something, sixth-grader Mack inadvertently
demonstrates to his parents and older brother what really matters
most.
Project
Mulberry
by Linda Sue Park
While working on a project for an after-school club, Julia, a Korean
American girl, and her friend Patrick learn not just about silkworms,
but also about tolerance, prejudice, friendship, patience, and more.
Between the chapters are short dialogues between the author and main
character about the writing of the book.
Something
Invisible
by Siobhán Parkinson
With a new baby sister and a stepfather, the life of eleven-year-old
Jake is full of change, but nothing prepares him for his relationship
with an enigmatic girl, her large family, and the tragedy that strikes
them all.
Clemency
Pogue: Fairy Killer
by J.T. Petty
Clever and resourceful Clemency must travel the world to reanimate
fairies she has accidentally killed. Only a child so quick-witted as
Clemency Pogue, upon finding herself attacked by a wicked, invincible
fairy, would remember a lesson learned from the story of Peter Pan. She
shouts "I don't believe in fairies," and when it doesn't work, keeps
shouting it until the horrible little creature drops as dead as a
gossamer-winged doorknob. But then a mischievous hobgoblin arrives to
tell Clem that she's killed six other fairies around the globe, some
bad, but mostly good. Even if it was a mistake, it's now Clem's duty to
set the world aright. In his hilarious, action-packed debut novel, JT
Petty does for burlap pants what holes have done for Swiss cheese.
Riding
the Flume
by Patricia Curtis Pfitsch
In 1894, fifteen-year-old Francie determines to fight the lumbermen
and protect the largest Sequoia tree ever seen, which had been given to
her sister just before her death six years earlier.
Olivia
Kidney
by Ellen Potter
Twelve-year-old Olivia explores her new apartment building and finds a
psychic, talking lizards, a shrunken ex-pirate, an exiled princess,
ghosts, and other unusual characters.
Ghost
Girl: A Blue Ridge Mountain Story
by Delia Rey
Eleven-year-old April is delighted when President and Mrs. Hoover
build a school near her Madison County, Virginia, home but her family's
poverty, grief over the accidental death of her brother, and other
problems may mean that April can never learn to read from the wonderful
teacher, Miss Vest.
The Boy
Who Saved Baseball
by John H. Ritter
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one
baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with
the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato.
My 13th
Season
by Kristi Roberts
Already downhearted due to the loss of her mother and her father's
overwhelming grief, thirteen-year-old Fran decides to give up her dream
of becoming the first female in professional baseball after a coach
attacks her just for being a girl.
