Funny Chapter Books for 5th Graders Books Like the Land of Stories
Favorite books for 5th graders
I Am the Ice Worm
by: MaryAnn Easley - (Boys Mill Press, 1996) 127 pages.
This book is sort of a girls' version of Gary Paulsen's classic Hatchet. In both stories, a teenage character is stranded in the wilderness following a plane crash. In I Am the Ice Worm, 14-year-old Allison is rescued from the Alaskan wild by an Inupiat trapper, who takes her to his village to stay until she can be reunited with her mother. Allison's upbringing in an upper-class family in southern California certainly didn't prepare her for this icy adventure, but she turns out to have courage and adaptability that she didn't expect. Though Allison may initially seem too "girly" for boy readers, this novel has a great blend of adventure, wilderness and family matters that will captivate boys and girls alike.
Perfect for: Kids who like adventure stories.
Find I Am the Ice Worm at your local library.
Hatchet
by: Gary Paulsen - (Simon & Schuster, 1987) 192 pages.
The story is about Brian, 13, and how he manages to survive 54 days in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash. Brian was flying to visit his father when the pilot dies of a heart attack in mid-flight. Brian crash lands the plane into a small lake and swims out of the wreckage. He has his clothing, a tattered windbreaker and a hatchet (a gift from his mother). The novel takes us through Brian's days, how he learns patience through his experiences with failures and small successes: building a fire, fishing and hunting, making his shelter a safe one. He endures a porcupine attack, a tornado and being utterly alone for almost two months. This is a tale of adventure but, more importantly, it is a tale of character growth. This edition includes a new introduction and sidebar commentary by the author.
Perfect for: Kids who like adventure stories.
Find Hatchet at your local library.
Kit's Wilderness
by: David Almond - (Delacorte Press, 2000) 229 pages.
Kit's family moves to Stoneygate, an old coal-mining town where his family has lived for generations, to be near his ailing grandfather. Here, Kit is invited by an odd neighbor boy to play a game called Death. The game and the town's haunted history get under Kit's skin, while the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur. This multi-generational tale is engrossing and chilling.
Perfect for: Kids who like adventure stories.
Find Kit's Wilderness at your local library.
Peak
by: Roland Smith - (Harcourt, 2007) 246 pages.
When 14-year-old Peak Marcello is caught scaling a skyscraper to place his signature graffiti tag, he is offered a choice: spend three years in juvenile detention or climb Mt. Everest with his long-absent father. Though the choice might be easy, the journey is not. Peak is physically and emotionally challenged by the grueling climb, the weather, and the politics and drama of climbing culture. And the pressure is on, because if Peak can reach the summit before his 15th birthday, he'll break a world record and gain glory and money. Peak is gripping and surprising, and though it's written for a middle-grade audience, readers young and old will be sucked in by the sharp writing and memorable characters.
Perfect for: Kids who like adventure stories.
Find Peak at your local library.
Baseball in April and Other Stories
by: Gary Soto - (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990) 111 pages.
Alfonso is a seventh grader who wishes his teeth were straighter, his hair were cooler, and his abs were more muscular. His parents are preoccupied with earning a living and his older brother, Ernie, has girl troubles. Alfonso meets a girl with ponytails and invites her for a bike ride, but then his bike chain breaks. Will Ernie lend Alfonso his bike? The eleven short stories in this book explore family bonds, falling in love, fears, and insecurities — themes common to all kids as they grow up. They feature Mexican-American families and are full of colorful details from the author's own experiences growing up in California's Central Valley.
Perfect for: Tweens navigating life with friends, siblings, and crushes.
Find Baseball in April and Other Stories at your local library.
The Light Princess
by: George McDonald, illustrated by: Maurice Sendak - (Farrar Straus Giroux, 1864) 110 pages.
Just when you think your child might be getting too old for fairy tales, along comes this amazing 19th-century princess story to change both of your minds. Chock-full of puns and mixed with just the right blend of whimsy and ethics lessons, The Light Princess deserves a fresh set of 21st-century eyes. Resoundingly recommended. In 1977 Maurice Sendak created illustrations for a rerelease of this 1864 book.
Perfect for: Kids who like classic stories.
Find The Light Princess at your local library.
The Phantom Tollbooth
by: Norton Juster, illustrated by: Jules Feiffer - (Random House, 1961) 255 pages.
Described by many children as "the best book ever," this is fantasy at its best. Full of irony and insights, Juster created a masterpiece when he wrote The Phantom Tollbooth. Give this book to your child and let the wave of words and numbers sweep them into a fantastical world. A clever, almost indescribable book that you may already know about, but is too indispensable to keep from mentioning it here.
Perfect for: Kids who like classic stories.
Find The Phantom Tollbooth at your local library.
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure
by: Cindy Neuschwander, illustrated by: Wayne Geehan - (Charlesbridge Publishing, 1997) 32 pages.
This book is the perfect read-aloud to introduce the concepts of circumference, diameter and radius. Students will be exposed to many other geometric shapes as well. Children of all ages will enjoy this mathematical adventure. Sir Circumference and his Knight work to solve a mathematical dilemma. What would be the best-shaped table for Sir Circumference to gather his knights? Will it be a square, rectangle, parallelogram or circle? You must read to find out.
Perfect for: Kids who like numbers.
Find Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure at your local library.
Bread and Roses, Too
by: Katherine Paterson - (Clarion Books, 2006) 288 pages.
Life in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1912 wasn't easy. … Born to Italian immigrants, Rosa's parents and older sister work in the mills. After her father died in a mill accident, Rosa's mother took in a family of boarders. Even though they needed the money, Rosa's feisty mother insisted that 12-year-old Rosa attend school rather than work in the mill. … With her unfailing empathy for the young, Paterson combines the thoughts and feelings of a timid child who is torn between the admonitions of an admired teacher who talks against an unfolding mill strike and her earthy Italian mother who, along with Rosa's older sister, participates wholeheartedly in the strike. … Once again, Paterson displays her gift for bringing the hard past to life for present-day readers.
Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.
Find Bread and Roses, Too at your local library.
The Secret Garden
by: Frances Hodgson Burnett - (J.B. Lippincott Company, 1911) 288 pages.
Mary is an orphan who is angry at the world when she arrives at a forsaken mansion on the British moors. As she slowly discovers the secrets of the mansion, including an invalid cousin, an abandoned garden, and a family's sad history, she begins to hesitantly open her heart. She shows her cousin the garden and his ecstatic encounter with nature is as healing for him as it has been for Mary. The young people flourish along with the garden, as the lonely mansion becomes a loving home.
Want to see the movie? Check out the 1993 adaptation featuring Maggie Smith as Mrs. Medlock.
Perfect for: Kids who like classic stories.
Find The Secret Garden at your local library.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by: Scott O'Dell - (Yearling, 1971) 192 pages.
The Newbery Medal winner for 1961, this book could be seen as a precursor to Gary Paulsen's Hatchet (see below). Karana is a 12-year-old Native American who refuses to abandon her 6-year-old brother when her island, Ghalas-at (off the Southern California coast) is evacuated. Shortly thereafter, he tragically dies after being attacked by wild dogs, and Karana begins her solitary wait for a ship to come for her. She waits 18 years. Karana survives by foraging, fishing in the ocean, defending herself from wild dogs and elephant seals, and hiding from the Aleut tribe. Told from her point of view, we share the details of her day-to-day life, watch the days turn into years, and wait for the ship to carry her off her lonely island. O'Dell based this novel on an actual historical figure, known as The Lost Woman of San Nicolas, who lived on the island from 1835-1853.
Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.
Find Island of the Blue Dolphins at your local library.
The Mystery of Rascal Pratt
by: Robbie Scott and Gary Cianciarulo - (Greenwich Mill Pub., 2007) 207 pages.
This is great historical fiction for children. The story takes place in 1866 at the tip of the Marin Headlands in Northern California. Shipwrecks, pirate adventure, bigotry, friendships, local flavor — this book has it all to hold the attention of the tween crowd. The protagonists are Emma, Sue and Harris (all 12 years old) and Rascal Pratt, a self-proclaimed pirate who is older than he looks. Achilles, Sue's grandfather, a blind, Native American ranch worker, asks Rascal to find the long-lost treasure of Sir Francis Drake, so that he can buy his freedom from the ranch. The action takes place at a lighthouse and the nearby shoreline and ocean. Because of the wonderful period detail found here, this book is a perfect tie-in for "Talk Like a Pirate Day" on September 19!
Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.
Find The Mystery of Rascal Pratt at your local library.
Number the Stars
by: Lois Lowry - (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1989) 137 pages.
A brave Danish girl helps smuggle her Jewish friends to safety. Lowry's sense of timing and choice of details put readers in the middle of the story. A riveting read, but your kids may have questions afterward.
Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.
Find Number the Stars at your local library.
On the Wings of Heroes
by: Richard Peck - (Dial Books, 2007) 148 pages.
This book is a funny, poignant book about life on the home front during World War II. There is some violence: a father is knocked out with a wrench, a girl's hand is caught in a rat trap, and an old lady likes to tell tales of gruesome injuries. Families can talk about the differences between life then and now. What aspects of Davy's life sound similar to your own? Which are completely different? Does it sound like it was fun to grow up then? Is it more fun now? What else have you seen and read about World War II?
Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.
Find On the Wings of Heroes at your local library.
The Shakespeare Stealer
by: Gary Blackwood - (Puffin Books, 1998) 216 pages.
Fourteen-year-old orphan Widge works for a mean and unscrupulous master who goes by the name of Falconer. Ordered to steal the script for Hamlet, Widge is taken to London and forced to attend a performance of the play. Instead of concentrating on stealing the script, he becomes engrossed in the show. Reluctantly, Widge admits his failure to Falconer and is told to return until his mission is accomplished. Nothing goes as planned and a very surprised Widge finds himself an accepted member of the backstage crew. Once a lonely outcast, he has friends and a place to call home for the first time in his life. Will he have the moral integrity to disobey his master or will he betray his new family? Set in Elizabethan London, The Shakespeare Stealer introduces us to Shakespearean stagecraft, life on the streets of London and to the truth behind the youthful appearance of Queen Elizabeth I!
Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.
Find The Shakespeare Stealer at your local library.
The Slave Dancer
by: Paula Fox - (Bradbury Press, 1973) 204 pages.
This moderately graphic depiction of the worst of the slave trade, told exclusively from a white boy's point of view, will raise many questions, both historical and moral. Though the reading level is middle to upper elementary, sensitive children may find it very disturbing.
Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.
Find The Slave Dancer at your local library.
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
by: Peter Sis - (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2007) 56 pages.
This award-winner shows a child's view of the Cold War. This serious book deserves time and close attention. There are many big political and philosophical ideas, and mentions of events that may disturb some children, including a plane hijacking, imprisonments and deaths. Families can talk about and compare what was happening in America during that time. Are grandparents available to share their own memories of the Cold War era? Families can also explore the Western cultural touchstones that meant so much to Sis — the Beach Boys, the Beatles. Awards: Caldecott Honor, New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, Kirkus Reviews Editors' Choice, School Library Journal Best Book, Parents' Choice Award Winner, Horn Book Fanfare.
Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.
Find The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain at your local library.
The Canning Season
by: Polly Horvath - (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003) 208 pages.
Ratchet loves her selfish mother but receives little in return. Without warning or luggage of any sort, Ratchet's mother ships her to Maine to spend the summer with two elderly relatives. Tilly and Penpen are un-identical twins who are tremendously eccentric; they are also kind and generous. A laugh-aloud, farcical story evolves from this unlikely premise. Winner of the 2003 National Book Award for Children's Literature.
Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.
Find The Canning Season at your local library.
The Pepins and Their Problems
by: Polly Horvath, illustrated by: Marylin Hafner - (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2004) 192 pages.
Whether it's waking up to find toads in their shoes or searching for cheese when their cow makes lemonade, the Pepin family's endless tangles entertain the reader. Lucky for them they have the author, whose insight into their hilarious misfortunes helps guide them in problem solving.
Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.
Find The Pepins and Their Problems at your local library.
The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of 5th Grade
by: Kenneth Derby - (Holiday House, 2004) 144 pages.
Tony Baloney is obsessed with David Letterman and is determined to be a guest on his show. This fast-paced, action-packed story is sure to keep the reader amused — top 10 lists and all!
Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.
Find The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of 5th Grade at your local library.
What Would Joey Do?
by: Jack Gantos - (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002) 240 pages.
Now that Joey's divorced mom has a new boyfriend, his dad has returned to town to buzz their house on his roaring motorcycle. The fact that his own sick, elderly mother is living with his son and former wife doesn't deter him at all. When Joey's mom sends him to be homeschooled with a bratty blind girl with a religious mother whose motto is "What Would Jesus Do?" Joey adopts this motto — with his own modifications. While the premises of Joey's story – no allies except a small dog and a sick old lady — are harsh, the book is hilarious.
Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.
Find What Would Joey Do? at your local library.
Airborn
by: Kenneth Oppel - (Eos, 2004) 544 pages.
Matt is a cabin boy on board a luxurious airship, the Aurora. Matt meets Kate, who has arranged for a flight on the Aurora so that she can investigate diary entries her grandfather made regarding large, feline creatures with bat-like wings. Soon, the Aurora is attacked by pirates and forced by a storm to land on a tropical island. While exploring the island, Matt and Kate stumble across the bones of one of the "cloud cats" and observe one living in the treetops. But they are captured by the pirates, whose hideout is on the very same island. Will Matt and Kate be able to escape? You won't want to stop turning the pages until you know the answer! Rich with action, the character development does not suffer. Matt and Kate are likable heroes, the pirates vile and even the airship, Aurora, takes on a personality of its own.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find Airborn at your local library.
Chasing Vermeer
by: Blue Balliett - (Scholastic, 2004) 254 pages.
Mysterious letters, picture puzzles called "pentominoes," and a stolen painting by the Dutch artist Vermeer unite unlikely friends, Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay, in an effort to solve a mystery.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find Chasing Vermeer at your local library.
Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case
by: Donald J. Sobol - (Dutton, 2007) 128 pages.
Children will enjoy beating Encyclopedia Brown to the solution in each of these 10 short stories. The cases require different knowledge to solve them, so this collection is good for budding history buffs and scientists.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case at your local library.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by: E.L. Konigsburg - (Simon & Schuster, 1967) 162 pages.
Twelve-year-old Claudia and her younger brother Jamie are running away from the tyranny of unappreciative parents and the drudgery of day-to-day living. Claudia has carefully hand-picked the beautiful Metropolitan Museum of Art as their new home. There they quite unexpectedly stumble upon an unknown statue by none other than Michelangelo…or is it? Winner of the 1967 Newbery Award.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler at your local library.
The Homework Machine
by: Dan Gutman - (Simon & Schuster, 2006) 160 pages.
Young readers will recognize their classmates and maybe themselves in the key witnesses who describe the events (interrogation-style) leading up to the discovery, use and destruction of a computer that was supposed to make kids' lives easier. It didn't.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find The Homework Machine at your local library.
The Lady Grace Mysteries
by: Lady Grace Cavendish - (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2004)
Series by various authors writing as Lady Grace Cavendish (Random House, 2004-2006). Lady Grace Cavendish is the Nancy Drew of the Elizabethan Age, an independent-minded teenager whose godmother just happens to be Elizabeth I. Court intrigues and rivalries, swashbucklers, unlikely friends and a mystery in each book make these very lively historical novels.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find The Lady Grace Mysteries at your local library.
Spy Force Mission: In Search of the Time and Space Machine
by: Deborah Abela, illustrated by: George O'Connor - (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2005) 240 pages.
An 11-year-old girl discovers boredom is the least of her problems during the summer she spends at her aunt's farm. Her secret-agent stories take on a new reality when she happens upon a real spy ring. This story is the ultimate thriller for our age.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find Spy Force Mission: In Search of the Time and Space Machine at your local library.
Time Stops for No Mouse
by: Michael Hoeye - (Putnam, 2002) 279 pages.
Hermux is a watchmaker who also happens to be a mouse. He is mostly content with his life of order and quiet nights curled up with some cheese and a good book, but that all changes when one Linka Perflinger, aviatrix and daredevil, enters and mysteriously exits the picture.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find Time Stops for No Mouse at your local library.
Alabama Moon
by: Watt Key - (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006) 304 pages.
In the piney woods of south Alabama, 10-year-old Moon Blake has been raised by his survivalist father, a paranoid Vietnam veteran. When his father dies, Moon buries him beside his mother, who had softened their harsh existence while she lived. Not long before he died, Moon's father told him to write him letters after his death — and if Moon burned the letters, the messages would reach him. Pap called these "smoke letters." … With a wonderful villain and touches of distinctive humor, the author takes his wiry, tough, goodhearted hero through a residence in a boys' "home," a true friendship, assorted escapes and into a happy ending. … This debut novel is absolutely first-rate.
Perfect for: Kids who like realism.
Find Alabama Moon at your local library.
Becoming Naomi Leon
by: Pam Munoz Ryan - (Scholastic, 2004) 272 pages.
Naomi Leon Outlaw is many things: a great sister, a kind granddaughter, and an excellent soap carver, but she is having a harder time just being Naomi. Her journey to find her own true voice and reconnect with her father takes her from a trailer park in Lemon Tree, California, to a radish-carving festival in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Perfect for: Kids who have changed as they've grown up.
Find Becoming Naomi Leon at your local library.
Homeless Bird
by: Gloria Whelan - (HarperCollins Publishers, 2000) 192 pages.
Set in India, this is a lyrical and compassionate portrait of a survivor. Thirteen-year-old Koly is getting married to someone she has never met. When her new husband turns out to be gravely ill, things take a turn for the worse. Koly finds herself widowed, hopeless and on the streets.
Perfect for: Kids who like realism.
Find Homeless Bird at your local library.
The Liberation of Gabriel King
by: K.L. Going - (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2005) 151 pages.
Frita Wilson works hard to help her friend Gabe to overcome the fear of bullies in fifth grade. This is an inspiring story about friendship and understanding between an African American girl and a white boy.
Perfect for: Kids who like realism.
Find The Liberation of Gabriel King at your local library.
Maniac Magee
by: Jerry Spinelli - (Little, Brown, 1990) 184 pages.
A homeless orphan becomes a legend in a town divided by racism in this sometimes funny, sometimes moving, always exciting story. Jeffrey Magee's exploits may have made him famous, but reconciling a town filled with hate and finding a decent life for himself may be more than even he can manage.
Perfect for: Kids who like realism.
Find Maniac Magee at your local library.
No Talking
by: Andrew Clements, illustrated by: Mark Elliott - (Simon & Schuster, 2007) 146 pages.
This is an ear-to-ear-grinningly delightful school story. Parents need to know that there is nothing to be concerned about here and lots to cheer. It's a story that even reluctant readers can love, about good-hearted children and adults who grow in compassion and understanding. Families can talk about silence and civil disobedience. Why does the silence seem so powerful? How does it change everyone's perceptions? What do you think of the standoff between Dave and the principal?
Perfect for: Kids who like realism.
Find No Talking at your local library.
Pollyanna
by: Eleanor Porter - (Simon and Schuster, 1913) 304 pages.
A tonic in cynical times, this book offers a philosophy of life that can have a big impact on younger children. Playing the Glad Game is worth a try for any family. Like other books of its time, Pollyanna contains a few comments that are considered racist by modern standards: a maid is referred to as "Black Tilly," and there are several comments to the effect that little boys from India are "heathens" who "don't know any more than to think that God was in that [idol]."
Perfect for: Kids who like realism.
Find Pollyanna at your local library.
The Wednesday Wars
by: Gary Schmidt - (Clarion Books, 2007) 264 pages.
On Wednesday afternoons half of Holling's class leaves school early for Catechism class. The other half leaves early for Hebrew School. That leaves Presbyterian Holling alone every Wednesday afternoon with his teacher, Mrs. Baker. Neither of them is happy at the prospect, and Holling is sure Mrs. Baker hates him as a result. At first, Mrs. Baker just has Holling clean erasers, but then decides to make better use of the time by introducing him to Shakespeare. And as events in the larger world during the 1967-68 school year unfold in the background, Holling begins to learn about himself, his family, friends and the mysterious adult world.
Perfect for: Kids who like realism.
Find The Wednesday Wars at your local library.
The View From Saturday
by: E.L. Konigsburg - (Simon and Schuster, 1996) 163 pages.
Main characters not only compete in an academic contest (contest answers included at the back!) but also outwit the class bullies using brains, not brawn. Nadia, Noah, Ethan and Julian, so closely linked in friendship that they call themselves "the Souls," each narrates a part of the book. Part of the pleasure comes from watching the foursome's varied life experiences help them succeed as an Academic Bowl Team, and part comes from the suspense generated at the story's beginning: How does Mrs. Olinski select the children for her team? Only Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian know — and in alternating chapters, each one tells a different piece of the story of how they became friends. The calamitous wedding of Nadia's grandfather and Ethan's grandmother, where Noah fills in as best man, is just the beginning. Mrs. Olinski, a paraplegic, proves to be an indomitable coach as the foursome wins one victory after another.
Perfect for: Kids who like realism.
Find The View From Saturday at your local library.
Davin
by: Dan and Zaki Gordon - (Delacorte Press, 1997) 170 pages.
Children are encouraged to interact with the exciting story. When melodramatically read aloud, it's a sure success. The Bugle Boy models brave steadfast friendship. The toys are animated by the power of imagination, and represent characters from various other stories.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find Davin at your local library.
The Emerald Wand of Oz
by: Sherwood Smith, illustrated by: William Stout - (HarperCollins Children's Books, 2005) 272 pages.
This book transports the reader back to the enchanted land of Oz, but it is a much different Oz than the one to which Dorothy traveled. Two girls named Dori and Em will try to save Oz from yet another wicked witch.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find The Emerald Wand of Oz at your local library.
The Five Ancestors: Snake
by: Jeff Stone - (Random House, 2006) 208 pages.
Follow the adventures of 12-year-old Seh (snake), Fu (tiger) and Malao (monkey) in 17th-century China. With the many twists and turns in the plot, you never know who is friend or foe. Even family members are not always who they seem to be.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find The Five Ancestors: Snake at your local library.
Haroun and the Sea of Stories
by: Salman Rushdie - (Granta Books in association with Viking, 1990) 224 pages.
Rushdie's only children's book begins somewhere in Western Asia. Drawing upon the folklore of India and Muslim cultures, the story takes its father and son heroes on a quest from our contemporary world into a magnificently conceived "other" world. In the real world, Rashid Khalifa, the father, has lost his remarkable ability to tell stories, earning the moniker the Shah of Blah. Simultaneously, in the fantasy world, stories are disappearing from the Sea of Stories. Haroun, Rashid's son, searches for the mysterious cause of his father's loss and remedy to restore his talent. He encounters situations and characters of great originality, humor and imagination in a fast-moving tale full of word play and clever dialogue.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find Haroun and the Sea of Stories at your local library.
Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure
by: Georgia Byng, illustrated by: Mark Zug - (HarperCollins, 2005) 400 pages.
Molly's time travels take her to India in the late 1800s. The high-speed novel fascinates readers as the nasty maharaja of Waqt sets about kidnapping Molly at ages 10, 6 and 3, and as a baby.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure at your local library.
Ranger's Apprentice Book One: The Ruins of Gorlan
by: John Flanagan - (The Penguin Group, 2005) 249 pages.
Will wants to attend Battleschool to serve the kingdom. His small size leads him to be assigned as a Ranger's apprentice. His bravery and skills eventually fulfill his dream of protecting the kingdom.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find Ranger's Apprentice Book One: The Ruins of Gorlan at your local library.
The Scarecrow and His Servant
by: Philip Pullman, illustrated by: Peter Bailey - (Random House, 2005) 229 pages.
This scarecrow is not from a cornfield in Oz. He is from a real cornfield, but he springs to life and goes on many dangerous adventures. The biggest danger is from a family that the reader is sure to find exciting.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find The Scarecrow and His Servant at your local library.
The Sisters Grimm Book One: The Fairy-Tale Detectives
by: Michael Buckley - (Scholastic, 2007) 284 pages.
Have you read the Brothers Grimm classic book of fairy tales? Did you think they were "just stories"? That is what sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm thought until their parents mysteriously disappeared one day. After being shuffled through several foster homes, they end up with a woman named Relda Grimm. Relda claims to be their grandmother and informs the sisters that the fairy tales are actually historical events collected by their ancestors, whose role has always been to maintain the fragile peace between the humans and the Everafters, the proper term for fairy-tale creatures. Daphne, the younger sister, loves Relda and their new life, while Sabrina is skeptical. Everything changes, however, when their grandmother and Mr. Canis, the butler, are kidnapped by a giant and the girls have no choice but to rescue their newfound family.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find The Sisters Grimm Book One: The Fairy-Tale Detectives at your local library.
The Sisters Grimm Book Two: The Unusual Suspects
by: Michael Buckley - (Scholastic, 2007) 290 pages.
Now that Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are living with their grandmother Relda in Ferryport Landing, New York, the time to start school has arrived. Daphne is in second grade, with Snow White as a teacher, and school could not be more fun. Sabrina, on the other hand, is in sixth grade and quickly discovers that the entire sixth-grade teaching staff is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Not only that, but the majority of the students sleep through every class and have not done their homework. When Sabrina's homeroom teacher, Mr. Grumpner, is found dead and dangling from a spider's web, the Grimm family must step in and try to solve the crime before more people get hurt.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find The Sisters Grimm Book Two: The Unusual Suspects at your local library.
Skellig
by: David Almond - (Random House, 1998) 182 pages.
Is the creature dying in Michael's garage a man, a bird, an angel or all three? And what is his connection to Michael's baby sister, who's in the hospital with a heart problem? This gorgeously weird novel holds readers entranced in a spell woven of moonlight, owls and poetry. Among the many pleasures of this atmospheric and stunningly beautiful novel are the characters of Michael, a deeply empathetic boy, and Mina, who studies birds and William Blake (and who should be the poster child for home schooling) — and the tender and touching relationship Michael and Mina develop in caring for Skellig and worrying about his baby sister.
Want to see the movie? Check out the 2009 made-for-TV adaptation, Skellig: The Owl Man.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find Skellig at your local library.
The True Meaning of SmekDay
by: Adam Rex - (Hyperion, 2007) 423 pages.
A rollicking adventure told by young Gratuity Tucci, this is the story of the invasion of Earth by aliens known as the Boov. All Americans are relocated to Florida (but then to Texas, once the Boov figure out the joys of orange juice). Gratuity only wants to find her mom. She sets out on her own, joins forces with a renegade Boovian mechanic named J.Lo, has to figure out how to save the Earth, and then the Boov from the Gorg. Good grief, what a mess! But Gratuity Tucci is a heroine of the most invincible kind: a small, 12-year-old girl. And in the grand tradition of small, 12-year-old girls everywhere, she is completely underestimated by absolutely everyone!
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find The True Meaning of Smekday at your local library.
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates
by: Mary Mapes Dodge - (TorBooks, 1999) 288 pages.
In this enduring winter classic, Hans and his sister Gretel must find a way to help their desperately poor family survive. Their chance to win the coveted silver skates in a race on the village's frozen canals could save them all. Continuously in print since 1865, this is a timeless classic of love and loyalty to share with a new generation.
Perfect for: Kids who likes classic stories.
Find Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates at your local library.
Snow Wings
by: Jutta Goetze - (Allen & Unwin, 2006) 300 pages.
Snow Wings is a fantasy where evil forces have taken over the world. Six kids must learn to face their fears and work together to save the planet in this page-turner that takes its heroes on alpine adventures involving avalanche rescues, ski races, snow lizards, flying sleighs and magical snowmen. An engaging fantasy mixed with a modern-day thriller.
Perfect for: Kids who like science fiction and fantasy.
Find Snow Wings at your local library.
Gorilla Doctors: Saving Endangered Great Apes
by: Pamela S. Turner - (Houghton Mifflin, 2005) 64 pages.
The veterinarians of Rwanda's Mountain Gorilla Project make house calls — or rather, "forest calls" — tracking down and treating ailing gorillas in the wild. Short chapters present dramatic accounts of real incidents, such as an expedition to untangle a gorilla from an antelope snare or the rescue of an orphaned baby gorilla. Factual information about these endangered animals is included, as well as full-color photos of the gorillas and the doctors. This book will appeal to animal lovers and to kids thinking of careers as veterinarians or naturalists.
Perfect for: Kids who like nonfiction and animals.
Find Gorilla Doctors: Saving Endangered Great Apes at your local library.
Mythology
by: Lady Hestia Evans - (Candlewick, 2007) 332 pages.
The illustrations, maps and interactive pop-ups in this book will develop a child's interest in mythology. Add to that a sidebar of mystery on every page, and they will learn the relationships between the characters in no time.
Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.
Find Mythology at your local library.
Show; Don't Tell! Secrets of Writing
by: Josephine Nobisso, illustrated by: Eva Montanari - (Gingerbread House, 2004) 40 pages.
This nonfiction text offers older students the chance to explore the genres of writing in an easy-to-use format. The characters and illustrations were found to be intriguing enough to make students want to finish the book.
Perfect for: Kids who like to write.
Find Show; Don't Tell! Secrets of Writing at your local library.
The Grapes of Math
by: Gregory Tang, illustrated by: Harry Briggs - (Scholastic, 2001) 40 pages.
Parents and teachers alike, if you want a fun and innovative way to motivate your math students, this book is for you! Tang cleverly teaches problem solving through the use of mind-stretching riddles. Don't expect the ordinary with this book. Children are taught to look for patterns and solve problems in unexpected ways. In fact, your child will be so engrossed that he won't even realize the educational value of this book.
Perfect for: Kids who like numbers.
Find The Grapes of Math at your local library.
Do Not Open: An Encyclopedia of the World's Best-Kept Secrets
by: John Farndon - (DK Publishing, 2007) 256 pages.
The name of the book alone gets readers to pick it up. Once open, they'll find weird and interesting facts. Readers engage in learning through rich illustrations of the world's best-kept secrets. This book contains much more than just trivia.
Perfect for: Kids who like nonfiction and animals.
Find Do Not Open: An Encyclopedia of the World's Best-Kept Secrets at your local library.
Pick Me Up: Stuff You Need to Know…
by: Jeremy Leslie and David Roberts - (DK Publishing, 2006) 352 pages.
Longtime publisher of kid's information-weighted books and software, Dorling Kindersley (DK) is trying to bring the computer-mesmerized, videogame-addicted, next-generation kids back to books. And this energetic, colorful, oddball compendium of info "you need to know" tackles that objective head-on. … True to DK's approach, this plump collection of all and everything is illustrated to the extreme, some of its pages dominated with poignant or wacky photos and minimal explanations, others filled with words in the tiniest of type. … Unconventional, yes, but the book is fun and fascinating, and aptly titled. Young readers will pick it up again and again, and undoubtedly learn something they "need to know."
Perfect for: Kids who like nonfiction and facts.
Find Pick Me Up: Stuff You Need to Know… at your local library.
Emeril's There's a Chef in My World! Recipes that Take You Places
by: Emeril Lagasse, illustrated by: Charles Yuen - (HarperCollins, 2006) 210 pages.
Star chef Emeril Lagasse takes readers' taste buds on a trip around the world in this follow-up book to his two previous kids' cookbooks (There's a Chef in My Soup! and There's a Chef in My Family!). Young chefs will enjoy this lively cookbook that includes more than 70 recipes from every region of the world. The format is friendly with clear ingredient lists and numbered directions. There are pronunciation guides for foreign names, interesting food and cultural facts (for instance, in Ireland, salmon is the most prized fish and thought to have magical powers), and bright and colorful illustrations of the dishes. This book would be a great way to get the whole family into the kitchen and cooking together.
Perfect for: Kids who like to cook.
Find Emeril's There's a Chef in My World! Recipes that Take You Places at your local library.
Roald Dahl's Even More Revolting Recipes
by: Felicity Dahl and Roald Dahl, illustrated by: Quentin Blake and Jan Baldwin - (Viking/Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 2001) 64 pages.
If the Addams Family had a favorite cookbook, this would be it. Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake have teamed up again to create the companion volume to his first culinary compendium, Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes. Aficionados will recognize some of the dishes from Mr. Dahl's other works, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. While some of the recipes may sound fairly disgusting, none of them really is. The titles alone are enough to fill young and mischievous cooks with glee as they look forward to presenting company with a plate of Soil with Engine Oil or some Boiled Slobbages. Parents, please note: While the dishes are calculated to appeal to younger appetites, the directions may get a bit overwhelming for junior chefs. Adult supervision is the rule rather than the exception here, so get a firm grip on your sense of humor and wade on in. Who knew lizard's tails could be so tasty?
Perfect for: Kids who like to cook.
Find Roald Dahl's Even More Revolting Recipes at your local library.
Everything Kids' Environment Book
by: Sheri Amsel - (Adams Media, 2007) 144 pages.
The books in Adams Media's Everything Kids' series provide encyclopedic yet entertaining introductions to their topics, and this volume on the environment is no exception. Perfect for the curious child, this guide — filled with eco-friendly activities and puzzles — shows them how to reduce waste, recycle materials and protect plants and animals.
Perfect for: Kids who like science and nature.
Find Everything Kids' Environment Book at your local library.
A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids: Understanding Climate Change and What You Can Do About It
by: Julie Hall, illustrated by: Sarah Lane - (Green Goat Books, 2007) 88 pages.
A great find, A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids features the very latest information about the causes and effects of climate change without being heavy-handed. Through its hands-on activities, eco-hero stories and hopeful message, this book will inspire kids, families and schools to join the fight against global warming.
Perfect for: Kids who like science and nature.
Find A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids at your local library.
Hurricane Force: In the Path of America's Deadliest Storms
by: Joseph B. Treaster - (Kingfisher, 2007) 128 pages.
The author of this book, longtime New York Times reporter Joseph Treaster, was in the New Orleans city hall when Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005. He draws on his experiences covering Katrina and its aftermath to provide younger readers with a first-hand look at the deadly storms we call hurricanes. Along with his eyewitness accounts, there is information about what scientists currently know about how and why hurricanes form, how they are tracked, and how they impact coastal areas. Precautions and planning for future storms are also discussed. Dramatic color photos enhance the solid information presented in this book.
Perfect for: Kids who like science and nature.
Find Hurricane Force at your local library.
How Basketball Works
by: Keltie Thomas, illustrated by: Greg Hall - (Maple Tree Press, 2005) 64 pages.
Young readers who enjoy basketball will love this book. Beyond the usual retelling of the history of the game (the physical education teacher who nailed the peach baskets to the gymnasium balcony to give athletes something to do in the winter), this book provides information about the rules of the game, how to become a better player, anecdotes about legendary players, how equipment has evolved over time and tips on game strategy. Conversational text is interspersed with lively illustrations, diagrams and photographs. Even reluctant readers might actually take a break from shooting hoops to read this one.
Perfect for: Kids who like sports.
Find How Basketball Works at your local library.
Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself
by: Maxine Anderson - (Nomad Press, 2006) 128 pages.
DIY kids will love this book. Parents will love what they're learning. Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself begins with an introduction to the Renaissance and a biography of da Vinci, including excerpts from his notebooks and reproductions of his drawings. But the main attraction is the step-by-step instructions for making 19 of da Vinci's inventions, including a perspectograph, a camera obscura, a hydrometer, invisible ink, walk-on-water shoes, and miniature versions of his helicopter and tank. Adult supervision is recommended where appropriate. For kids who like science and nature.
Perfect for: Kids who like building things.
Find Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself at your local library.
The Dark Is Rising
by: Susan Cooper - (Simon and Schuster, 1973) 224 pages.
This is the second book in a five-book series and actually the best one to start with. Cooper convincingly combines fantasy elements with folklore and mythology. Events coincide with significant dates, such as Will's birthday, which is close to Christmas and Twelfth Night, and the use of circles to create a link between the Six Signs and the power of the Light add to this story's mystical aura. Will Stanton meets his destiny on his 11th birthday. He is the Sign-Seeker, last of the immortal Old Ones, who must find and guard the six great Signs of the Light that will overcome the ancient evil that is overpowering the land. This classic fantasy is a bit slow, but enthralling.
Perfect for: Kids who like fantasy stories.
Find The Dark Is Rising at your local library.
Pirateology
by: Captain William Lubber, Dugald A. Steer (Editor), illustrated by: Anne Yvonne Gilbert, Ian Andrew and Helen Ward - (Candlewick Press, 2006) 32 pages.
The richly detailed Pirateology (the latest of the popular 'Ology books) is a standout among pirate merchandise, and a treat for both children and adults. This hefty volume centers on the search for treasure left by the "notorious" (i.e., fictional) pirate Arabella Drummond and comes with a host of pirate gear: a compass, maps and scraps of flags, among others. Pirateology is loaded with envelopes to be opened, journals and letters to pore over, and codes to be deciphered. Along the way, children learn about navigation, history, zoology and more. Real pirate lore is seamlessly blended with fictional narrative (even the publishing credits are disguised so as not to break the mood), and the old-fashioned illustrations are top notch. Another notable feature is that the pirate pursued here is female, making this book appeal to readers of both genders.
Perfect for: Kids who like adventure stories.
Find Pirateology at your local library.
My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World
by: Margriet Ruurs - (Boyds Mills Press, 2005) 32 pages.
From camels to elephants to boats and trolleys, this is an inspirational look at the great lengths that some librarians go to to bring books to children around the world.
Perfect for: Kids who like nonfiction.
Find My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World at your local library.
Animals in the House: A History of Pets and People
by: Sheila Keenan - (Scholastic Nonfiction, 2007) 112 pages.
Fascinating facts, historical details, endearing animal photographs and some famous people with their pets are presented in a colorful and inviting format that provides young pet lovers with an abundance of reasons for why we love our furry or feathered friends.
Perfect for: Kids who like history.
Find Animals in the House: A History of Pets and People at your local library.
The Water Horse
by: Dick King-Smith, illustrated by: David Parkins - (Crown Publishers, 1998) 118 pages.
The hook: Here is another sweet animal tale from the author of Babe. Aside from the Water Horse eating a swan, there is little to be concerned about here. Families who read this book could discuss the Loch Ness Monster. Do you think it could be real? Why or why not? How might a story like this have gotten started? Your children might be interested in doing a little research and seeing the supposed photos of the monster.
Want to see the movie? The 2007 adaptation, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, is loosely based on the book, but adds in a WWII plot line to lengthen the story.
Perfect for: Kids who like fantasy stories.
Find The Water Horse at your local library.
Freak the Mighty
by: Rodman Philbrick - (Blue Sky Press, 1993) 192 pages.
Max, who struggles with a learning disability, is big compared to other kids his age — though he's not as big as his violent, convict father, who is in prison for killing Max's mother. Brilliant, tiny Kevin suffers from a crippling disease that causes him to wear leg braces and keeps his body from growing. The two eighth grade outcasts form a powerfully symbiotic friendship, each drawing on the other's strengths as they face bullies and more serious dangers together. This poignant, often funny book deals with intense subject matter and packs strong messages about friendship, bravery, and accepting those who are different.
Want to see the movie? Check out The Mighty (1998), starring Sharon Stone and Kieran Culkin as Kevin.
Perfect for: Kids who have ever felt different or left out.
Find Freak the Mighty at your local library.
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Source: https://www.greatschools.org/gk/book-lists/favorite-books-for-fifth-graders/
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