Recommended Reading
Here is a list of books I would recommend for fifth graders. I have read all of them to my own kids, so if you have any questions before looking into one, please ask.
- Chasing Space by Leland Melvin (autobiography)
- Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (fiction series)
- Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson (cartoon)
- Connect the Stars by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague (fiction)
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (poetry)
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (fiction)
- Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai (verse novel)
- Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race (young readers' edition) by Margot Lee Shetterly (non-fiction)
- Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (fantasy literature, 7 books in the series)
- Front Desk by Kelly Yang ( currently 3 books in the series)
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (fiction)
- A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (fiction, dark themes but kids love these books, 13 books in the series)
- The Phantom Toll Booth by Norton Juster (fantasy)
- Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (fiction) (and pretty much any book written by her)
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (young readers' edition) by William Kamkwamba and Brian Mealer (autobiography, some really sad parts)
- The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stuart (fiction)
- Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan (fantasy, I didn't love the writing craft in this book - I only read the first one, but it got one of my kids hooked on reading, 5 books in the first series)
- The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (series of 4)
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (and the Fudge series that go with it)
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Restart by Gordon Korman