Fifth Grade Reading Suggestions

The following are suggestions for fifth graders. Clicking on a book title will take you to the library catalog, where you can request the book or learn more information about it. Want even more reading suggestions? Ask a librarian.

Location	Title / Author	Synopsis
J & Pbk / Bab	Tuck Everlasting Babbitt, Natalie	The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten-year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret about a spring whose water prevents one from growing older.
J & Pbk /Bir	The Penderwicks Birdsall, Jeanne	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.
J Pbk / Chr	The White Mountains Christopher, John	Will Parker and his companions make a perilous journey toward freedom where they hope to escape from the ruling Tripods, who capture mature human beings and make them obedient servants. (series)
J & Pbk / Col	Gregor the Overlander Collins, Suzanne	When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy. (series)
J / Cre	Walk Two Moons Creech, Sharon	After her mother leaves home suddenly, 13-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a trip. Along the way Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe.
J / Del	Revenge of the Witch Delaney, Joseph	Young Tom, the seventh son of a seventh son, starts work as an apprentice for the village spook, whose job is to protect ordinary folk from "ghouls, boggarts, and all manner of wicked beasties."
J & Pbk / Far	The Sea of Trolls Farmer, Nancy	After Jack becomes apprenticed to a Druid bard, he and his little sister Lucy are captured by Viking Berserkers and taken to the home of King Ivar the Boneless and his half-troll queen, leading Jack to undertake a vital quest to Jotunheim, home of the trolls.
J / Gan	Jack on the Tracks Gantos, Jack	Moving with his unbearable sister to Miami, Florida, Jack tries to break some of his bad habits but finds himself drawn to things disgusting, gross, and weird.
J / Had	Turnabout Haddix, Margaret Peterson	Melly and Anny Beth both lived normal lives throughout the 20th century, but in 2000, when they are ready to die, they are selected to participate in Project Turnabout and are given an injection to make them grow younger.
J / Hah	Wait Till Helen Comes Hahn, Mary Downing	Molly and Michael dislike their spooky new stepsister Heather but realize that they must try to save her when she seems ready to follow a ghost child to her doom.
J & Pbk / Hia	Hoot Hiaasen, Carl	Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.
J & Pbk / Lev	Ella Enchanted Levine, Gail Carson	Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
J / Lor	Rules Lord, Cynthia	Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.
J & Pbk / Low	Number the Stars Lowry, Lois	Annemarie must help save her friend from the Nazis in war-torn Denmark.
J & Pbk / Pec	The Teacher's Funeral Peck, Richard	In rural Indiana in 1904, Russell's dreams of quitting school and joining a wheat threshing crew are disrupted when his older sister takes over the teaching at his school after his old teacher dies.
J & Pbk / Ras	The Westing Game Raskin, Ellen	The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
J & Pbk Rya	Esperanza Rising Ryan, Pam Munoz	Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.
J & Pbk / Smi	Sasquatch Smith, Roland	Dylan follows his father into the woods on the slopes of Mount St. Helens, which is on the brink of another eruption, in an attempt to protect the resident Sasquatch from ruthless hunters.
J & Pbk / Sac	Holes Sachar, Louis	As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
J & Pbk / Sta	Donuthead Stauffacher, Sue	Franklin Delano Donuthead, who is obsessed with hygiene and safety, finds an unlikely friend and protector in Sarah Kervick, the tough new student who lives in a dirty trailer, bonds with his mother, and is as "irregular" as he is.
J & Pbk / Van	Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief Van Draanen, Wendelin	Sammy's penchant for speaking her mind gets her in trouble when she involves herself in the investigation of a robbery at the hotel across the street. (Series)
J & Pbk Whe	Homeless Bird Whelan, Gloria	When thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny dictated by India's tradition or find the courage to oppose it.
J & Pbk / Win	Adam Canfield of the Slash Winerip, Michael	While serving as co-editors of their school newspaper, middle-schoolers Adam and Jennifer uncover fraud and corruption in their school and in the city's government.

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Winnetka Public Library

Northfield Branch

Fifth Grade Reading Suggestions