This great Going into 5th Grade Summer Reading list is a collaboration between the Newton Public School Library Teachers & the Newton Free Children’s Librarians. My daughter, PickyKidPix, also has a book list of 4th grade chapter books she recommends.
What are you reading this summer with your kids?
Other lists here:
Rising Kindergarten Summer Reading List
Rising First Grade Summer Reading List
Rising Second Grade Summer Reading List
Rising Third Grade Summer Reading List
Rising Fifth Grade Summer Reading List
Rising 4th Grade Summer Reading List
Fake Mustache: Or How Jodie O’Rodeo and Her Wonder Horse (and Some Nerdy Kid) Saved the U.S. Presidential Election from a Mad Genius Criminal Mastermind by Tom Angleberger
Lenny Flem Jr. is the only one standing between his evil-genius best friend, Casper, and world domination as Casper uses a spectacularly convincing fake mustache and the ability to hypnotize to rob banks, amass a vast fortune, and run for president.
PICKLE: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club by Kimberly Baker
Using a bogus name, the League of Picklemakers, sixth-grader Ben, and three recruits start a prank-pulling club and receive funding from their middle school’s PTA.
Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard by Loree Griffin Burns
Anyone can get involved in scientific research! Just get out into a field, urban park, or your own backyard. This book, full of engaging photos and useful tips, will show you how.
Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by Robert Byrd
Learn all about the life of Benjamin Franklin, from his childhood to his golden years.
Robin Hood by David Calcutt
Recounts the life and adventures of Robin Hood, who, with his band of followers, lived as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest dedicated to fighting tyranny.
City Fish, Country Fish by Mary M. Cerullo
Cerullo contrasts the lives of fish in tropical waters with those of their relatives in colder ocean regions. She explores differences in coloration, feeding habits, body shape, and survival techniques between the ‘city fish’ that inhabit coral reefs and ‘swim in water as warm as a swimming pool’ and the ‘country fish’ that swim through large underwater territories and cool waters.
I, Galileo by Bonnie Christensen
Examines the life of the Italian scientist from a 1st-person perspective that surveys his achievements while covering his world-changing ideas about a heliocentric solar system and his imprisonment for heresy.
Always October by Bruce Coville
Best friends Jake and “Weird Lily” enter the monster-filled land of Always October, made famous in Jake’s grandfather’s books, to save a foundling who becomes a monster during the full moon.
The City of Ember: The Graphic Novel by Jeanne DuPrau, graphic novel by Dallas Middaugh
In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.
Potatoes on Rooftops: Farming in the City by Hadley Dyer
From rooftop and container gardening to school gardens and community plots, Dyer discusses changes in traditional agriculture from victory gardens of heirloom crops to modern factory farming and hybrid produce.
The Barefoot Book of Father and Daughter Tales by Josephine Evetts-Secker
A meaningful collection of tales about the daughters of kings, merchants, warriors, and peasants, and their relationships with their fathers, drawn from different traditions around the world.
Earthling! by Mark Fearing
When Bud gets on the wrong school bus he finds himself at Cosmos Academy on another planet, where Earthlings are considered extremely dangerous, can he conceal his identity as a native of Earth and still manage to find his way home?
Remarkable: A Novel by Lizzie K Foley
Ten-year-old Jane Doe, the only student average enough to be excluded from the town of Remarkable’s School for the Remarkably Gifted, is joined at her public school by the trouble-making Grimlet twins, who lead her on a series of adventures.
The Boston Tea Party by Russell Freedman
Tells the story of the Boston Tea Party of 1773 from the arrival of the ships full of controversial taxed tea in Boston Harbor, through the explosive protest meetings at the Old South Church, to the defiant act of dumping 226 chests of fine tea into the harbor on December 16.
Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke
Eleven-year-old Jon Whitcroft and his new friend Ella summon the ghost of Sir William Longspee, who may be able to protect Jon from a group of ghosts that threaten him harm from the day he arrives at Salisbury Cathedral’s boarding school.
My review here.
Tua and the Elephant by R. P. Harris
In Chiang Mai, Thailand, nine-year-old Tua releases an abused elephant from its chains–can she complete the rescue by getting it to an elephant refuge without being caught herself?
The Hero’s Guide To Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
The four princes mistakenly dubbed Prince Charming and rudely marginalized in their respective fairy tales form an unlikely team when a witch threatens the whole kingdom.
LOVED this chapter book of retold fairy tales. So very, very funny! I heard the sequel is great too!
If You Were a Chocolate Mustache: Poems by J. Patrick Lewis
In this tasty collection of poetry, J. Patrick Lewis stirs humor into an astonishing array of subjects, from animals to school to dragons to food.
Capture the Flag by Kate Messner
When the original Star Spangled Banner is stolen, seventh-graders Anne, José, and Henry, all descendants of the Silver Jaguar Society, pursue suspects on airport carts and through baggage handling tunnels while stranded at a Washington, D.C., airport during a snowstorm.
Presidential Pets: The Weird, Wacky, Little, Big, Scary, Strange Animals That Have Lived in the White House by Julia Moberg
A fascinating and sometimes mysterious collection of presidential pets combined with fun poetry and facts about the US presidents.
The Giant and How He Humbugged America by Jim Murphy
A description of the Cardiff Giant mystery in which a man in upstate New York buried a ten-foot-tall, petrified model of a man, which was discovered by well diggers a year later, and set into motion a money-making spectacle.
The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate by Scott Nash
Blue Jay and his band of avian pirates sail the skies searching for ships laden with cargo, avoiding run-ins with the dastardly crows, dodging doldrums and bad weather, and evading the long arm of the Colonial army.
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephen Pastis*
* Stephen Pastis is accused of sexual misconduct.
Meet Timmy Failure, the founder, president, and CEO of the best detective agency in town, probably the nation. And his lazy sidekick, Total, a 1,500-pound polar bear.
This is on our summer reading list for my rising 3rd grader!
Two Crafty Criminals!: And How They Were Captured by Philip Pullman
Filled with silly sleuthing, improbable disguises, crazy ruses, and merry mayhem, these stories are action-packed romps from one of the best storytellers ever, Philip Pullman.
White House Kids: The Perks, Pleasures, Problems, and Pratfalls of the Presidents’ Children by Joe Rhatigan
Shares the experiences of growing up in the White House, discusses the good and the bad and profiles the
children that have lived there.
Follow, Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems by Marilyn Singer
A collection of short poems called reversos which, when reversed, provide new perspectives on the fairy tale characters they feature.
Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead
Seventh-grader Georges adjusts to moving from a house to an apartment, his father’s efforts to start a new business, his mother’s extra shifts as a nurse, being picked on at school, and Safer, a boy who wants his help spying on another resident of their building.
I loved this book and thought it was robbed of a Newbery. The only reasonable explanation is that the bar is set much higher for previous Newbery winners.
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a café and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.
The Center of Everything by Linda Urban
For Ruby, the “center of everything” is on the rooftop of Pepperdine Motors in her donut-obsessed town of Bunning, New Hampshire, stargazing from the circle of her grandmother Gigi’s hug. That’s how everything is supposed to be until Ruby messes up and things spin out of control.
This seems to be on everyone’s shortlist for 2014 Newbery. It’s on my rising 5th grader’s summer reading list.
Write On Mercy!: The Secret Life of Mercy Otis Warren by Gretchen Woelfle
Growing up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Mercy Otis Warren was fortunate to go to school with her brother. When she married Patriot James Warren, Mercy wrote in secret—poetry, plays, and about the events of her time. It wasn’t until Mercy was older that her literary life became known, with the publication of her three-volume history of the American Revolution.
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p.s. Related posts:
I Appreciate You: 5th Grade Student Gift Idea
5th Grade Book Recommendations from My 5th Grader
More 5th Grade Books from a 5th Grade Boy (my son)
5th Grade Science Project: Rube Goldberg Machine
5th Grade Cloud Science Project
Naruto Inspired Learning for my 5th Grade Son
My 5th Grade Son Blogs on Books!
Homopolar Motor: Clean Energy Science Project for 5th Grade
Diversity Picture Books for 5th Grade
5th Grade Books from 5th Grade Boy
10 Perfect 5th Grade Read Alouds
23 Great Picture Books for 5th Grade
Rising 5th Grade Summer Reading List
I Appreciate You: 5th Grade Student Gift Ideas
5th Grade Slavery Unit in Newton
5th Grade Poetry: Help Please!
Chapter Books to Support 4th Grade or 5th Grade Immigration Unit
5th Grade Chapter Books to Make Social Studies Exciting
5th Grade Chapter Book GIVEAWAY: A Million Miles From Boston
Reader Challenge: Poetry for 5th Grade Girls’ Bookclub
Science of Weather: 5th Grade Study Guide
Top 10: Picture Books for 5th Grade
5th Grade Book Club for Girls: A Million Miles from Boston
Books for 5th Grade and 6th Grade
Books for 4th Grade and 5th Grade
Best Chapter Books from My 5th Grade Daughter
Top 10: Best Standalone Books for 5th Graders by 5th Grade Girl
DIY Math Games Invented by Kids (2nd-5th grade)
5th Grade Book Club: The Uglies
5th Grade Book Club with Karen Day, author of No Cream Puffs
Girl Bullying: The Hundred Dresses by Estes (grades 3-5th)
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.
My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award Long List
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Such a variety on this list! Every child will definitely find several that will appeal to her. My personal favorites are the Kids in the White House and Write on Mercy books.
Hi Barbara,
I’m so lucky that my library makes these great lists every summer. I’ll have to check out those two books that are your favorites. I haven’t read those yet.
My son just read Fake Moustache and loved it.
Hi Erica,
I’ll have to track that one down. Sounds fun! Thanks Erica. I think we both have 8-year-old boys who seem to like the same kinds of books!
Love summer reading lists, so many on here that look great!
Hi Ann,
They do make a great list! I think many of the books on their lists will reappear for book awards this January too which is always fun!
Love the range of books in this reading list!
Hi MaryAnne,
Me too! They always include all the different genres that I typically forget about like poetry and non fiction for summer reading.
I couldn’t wait for the Rising 3rd grader list-so I checked out several for read alouds. Thank you!
Hi Catherine,
I just emailed you the Rising 3rd grade list since it’s not posting for a week.
Great list! Some here that I love and several that I am making note of.
We’re on the last book on William Nicholson’s Wind on Fire trilogy– I am reading them aloud, and they are beautifully written, exciting and sometimes very funny- full of danger, complex characters and interesting dilemmas. We’re about to read The People of Sparks, which is actually the sequel to one of the books on your list– the City of Ember. There are four in the series, which is great news for those who have series-loving kids. My nine year old is currently devoted to the Animorphs series, which is contains over fifty books so should keep him going for awhile.
Hi Robin,
Thanks so much for your great book suggestions. My oldest read the City of Ember books. She said she liked the first two but then when they went undergroud (I think that what she said at least), she didn’t like it anymore. I think those were books 3 and 4. That was disappointing because I was so sure she’d like the whole series that I bought it all for her. I can ask her again if your child feels the same. Hopefully, though, you won’t have that same experience.
It’s great that you found a big series that your 9-year-old loves. He or she must be fearless. We tried a few animorphs but my kids foumd them a little scary … not sure why. Maybe the cover? They seem really popular though. They get their own entire rack at our library! I should try them again now that my kids are a tad older.
Just what I need – thank you!
Hi iGameMom,
Glad it’s helpful! I know we are scrambling for summer reading right now too. We just finshed school two days ago and we are trying to get organized.
I MAY just go grab these all from the library tomorrow and we’ll have a read-a-thon. Fen has been reading the semi-scary graphic novels you rec. in another post, and loving them!
Hi Jeanette,
A Read A Thon sounds wonderful!!! I’m glad Fen likes the graphic novels — which ones are semi-scary? I think my son is not easily scared due to immunity from too many video games! Is she reading Amulet? That’s the creepiest one so far but my son and my husband are addicted!
Yes! I couldn’t remember the name for a minute. She’s enthralled.
Hi Jeanette,
She must be brave. Amulet kind of creeped me out. But I scare easily.