5th Grade

Before each book description is the book's location in the library:

J - children's fiction
J M - children's mystery
J SF - children's science fiction

J Alexander – THE BOOK OF THREE
Assistant Pig-Keeper Taran sets out to save the kingdom of Prydain from evil forces in this tale steeped in Welsh legend.

J Avi - POPPY AND RYE
A large family of mice tries to save their home from a crew of dam-building beavers.

J Babbitt – JACK PLANK TELLS TALES
A failure as a pirate, Jack Plank looks for work on land but has a terrible time finding just the right job for him.

J Birdsall – THE PENDERWICKS:  A SUMMER TALE OF FOUR SISTERS, TWO RABBITS, AND A VERY INTERESTING BOY
Four sisters spend their summer at a wonderful estate where they enjoy adventures in the gardens, in the attic, and with their new friend Jeffrey.

J SF Cameron – THE WONDERFUL FLIGHT TO THE MUSHROOM PLANET
When David and his friend Chuck answer a newspaper ad – “Wanted:  A small space ship about 8 feet long built by a boy, or two boys, between the ages of 8 and 11” – they have both an adventure and a chance to do a good deed.

J Clements – NO TALKING
The noisy fifth graders at Laketon Elementary School start a contest, boys against the girls, to see who can say the fewest words for two days.

J Colfer – ARTEMIS FOWL
Artemis tries to steal the fairies’ treasure to restore his family’s fortune and learns that fairies have many surprising ways of fighting back.

J Compestine – REVOLUTION IS NOT A DINNER PARTY
Nine-year-old Ling struggles to understand the changes taking place in China, where her parents are suddenly no longer allowed to work as doctors.

J Cooper – THE DARK IS RISING
On his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton learns that he is the last of the Old Ones and has a special place in the age-old battle against the Dark.

J Creech – LOVE THAT DOG
Jack learns to love poetry and finds he is able to use it to express what happened to his beloved pet.

J Curtis – ELIJAH OF BUXTON
Elijah, the first freeborn child in a Canadian community of former slaves, tries to overcome his reputation as a “fra-gile” boy.

J DiCamillo - THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE
Edward Tulane, an adored china rabbit belonging to a girl named Abilene, embarks on a series of adventures when he falls overboard from a ship.

J SF DuPrau - THE CITY OF EMBER
In the underground city of Ember, lights are flickering and supplies are running out when Lina and Doon discover the instructions to escape.

J Eager- HALF MAGIC
A magical coin that makes only half of your wish come true causes some surprising results for Jane, Katharine, Martha, and their brother Mark. 

J Ellis – THE SEVERAL LIVES OF ORPHAN JACK
Now that Jack is twelve, he must leave the Opportunities School for Orphans and Foundlings and make his way into the wide world.

J Enright - GONE-AWAY LAKE
Exploring in the woods, cousins Julian and Portia find a stone labeled “Lapis Philisophorum,” many abandoned, elegant old homes near a swamp, and two very interesting people who can explain what they’ve discovered.

J Fleischman – THE GIANT RAT OF SUMATRA OR PIRATES GALORE
Cabin boy Shipwreck sails into San Diego on the pirate ship The Giant Rat of Sumatra and wonders how he will manage to make his way home to Boston.

J Funke - INKHEART
Meggie and her father Mo try to escape from the evil ruler Capricorn who has escaped from his book and landed in their living room.

J Gaiman – CORALINE
Coraline goes through a door into an alternative world where her “other” mother and her “other” father are waiting to give her whatever she wants.

J M Hale – THE MALTED FALCON
Detective Chet Gecko and his mockingbird partner Natalie Attired search for the missing winning ticket for the Malted Falcon, a giant chocolate dessert.

J Hamilton - COUSINS
Cammy knows that her beloved grandmother may die soon, but she is unprepared for the accidental death of another relative.

J Juster – THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH
Milo has a series of strange adventures when he goes through the Phantom Tollbooth to the land on the other side.

J Kurzweil – LEON AND THE SPITTING IMAGE
Leon finds a way to outwit school bully Lumpkin the Pumpkin and strict teacher Miss Hagmeyer.

J Langton – THE DIAMOND IN THE WINDOW
Eddy and Eleanor Hall discover an attic room they have never seen before, complete with two empty beds, unused toys, and a very special window.

J Levin - AWAY TO ME, MOSS!
Zanna meets Moss, a neighbor's sheepdog, and forms a special bond with the lonely dog.

J Lewis – THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE
Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund walk through the back of a wardrobe and into Narnia, a magical land turned to eternal winter by the evil White Witch.

J Lovelace – BETSY AND TACY GO OVER THE BIG HILL
Now that they are almost 10, an age with two numbers, friends Betsy, Tacy, and Tib feel grownup and ready to explore the world beyond their neighborhood.

J Maguire – ONE FINAL FIRECRACKER
In the little town of Hamlet, Vermont, Miss Earth’s students look forward to graduation, their teacher’s wedding, and the Fourth of July. 

J Naylor – BOYS ROCK!
The ongoing feud between the Hatford brothers and the Malloy sisters reaches a temporary truce as they cooperate to write a summer newspaper.

J Nimmo – MIDNIGHT FOR CHARLIE BONE
Charlie Bone, who can hear people in photographs talking, is sent to Bloor’s Academy to improve his unusual skills and is drawn into a magical battle.

J O’Dell – ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS
After she jumps ship to stay with her younger brother when their island is being evacuated, Karana lives alone for 18 years after her brother is killed.

J Paterson – BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA
Jess and his new friend Leslie have wonderful times in their secret kingdom Terabithia until the day a tragedy changes everything. 

J Patron – THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY
Ten-year-old Lucky is afraid her guardian will move back home to France, so she decides she will have to run away to avoid being sent to an orphanage.

J Potter – OLIVIA KIDNEY
In her new apartment building, Olivia finds many surprising things – talking lizards, an exiled princess, an indoor rainforest, and an apartment made completely of glass.

J Ryan - ESPERANZA RISING
After her father’s death, Esperanza and her mother escape from danger in Mexico and find a new life in California.

J M Snyder – THE TREASURES OF WEATHERBY
Twelve-year-old Harleigh J. Weatherby IV and his friend Allegra discover that a distant relative is trying to steal the long-lost Weatherby family fortune.

J Staples - THE GREEN DOG: A MOSTLY TRUE STORY
When a stray dog joins Suzanne's family she is overjoyed, but the dog gets into so much trouble that he may not be allowed to stay.

J Tarshis – EMMA-JEAN LAZARUS FELL OUT OF A TREE
Emma-Jean, an unusual, very bright girl, learns how complicated life can be when she decides to try to help her classmates with their problems.

J M Van Draanen – SAMMY KEYES AND THE WILD THINGS
On a camping trip filled with rattlesnakes, scorpions, and other unpleasant creatures, Sammy tries to solve the mystery of an injured condor.

J Voigt – BAD GIRLS
Mikey and Margalo meet in Mrs. Chemsky’s 5th grade class, become best friends, and enjoy their new reputation as bad girls with an attitude.

Many of these authors have written other good books that you might enjoy!