Books for 4th and 5th Graders			Back to Booklist
	The Good Dog		J AVI
		Avi
		McKinley, a malamute, is torn between the domestic world of his human family and the wild world of Lupin, a wolf that is trying to recruit dogs to replenish the dwindling wolf pack.
	The Frog Princess		J BAKER, E.
		Baker, E. D.
		After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward, fourteen-year-old princess suddenly finds herself a frog, too, and sets off with the prince to seek the means--and the self-confidence--to become human again.
	A Bear Named Trouble		J BAUER, M.
		Bauer, Marion Dane
		In Anchorage, Alaska, two lonely boys make a connection--a brown bear injured just after his mother sends him out on his own, and a human whose father is a new keeper at the Alaska Zoo and whose mother and sister are still in Minnesota.
	Train to Somewhere		J BUNTING
		Bunting, Eve
		In the late 1800s, Marianne travels westward on the Orphan Train in hopes of being placed with a caring family.
	The Keeper of the Doves		J BYARS, B.
		Byars, Betsy Cromer
		In the late 1800s in Kentucky, Amie McBee and her four sisters both fear and torment the reclusive and seemingly sinister Mr. Tominski, but their father continues to provide for his needs.
	Room One : A Mystery or Two		J CLEMENTS, A.
		Clements, Andrew,
		Ted Hammond, the only sixth grader in his small Nebraska town's one-room schoolhouse, searches for clues to the disappearance of a homeless family.
	Diary of a Fairy Godmother		J CODELL, E.
		Codell, Esmé Raji
		Hunky Dory's mother always told her, "You'll be the wickedest witch wherever the four winds blow." And why not? She was at the top of her class in charm school. She could make flowers wilt like wet spaghetti and thunder rumble like a whale's bellyache. And she could turn any prince into a frog - but she always changed him back. That's when Hunky knew there'd be a problem. Hunky Dory's interest in wishcraft over witchcraft gets her kicked out of charm school. Now she's determined to follow her heart and become a fairy godmother. But how to go about doing it?
	The Legend of Spud Murphy		J COLFER, E.
		Colfer, Eoin
		When their mother starts dropping them off at the library several afternoons a week, nine-year-old William and his brother dread boredom and the overbearing librarian, but they are surprised at how things turn out. The name Spud Murphy strikes fear into the hearts of children everywhere. Grown-ups think she's a kindly old librarian, but kids know the truth. They've heard all about the gas-powered spud gun she keeps hidden under her desk -- make so much as a sound in Spud's library, and you could get spudded with soggy potatoes. Laugh out loud, and you may never be seen again. Brothers Will and Marty Woodman have been ordered to spend their summer at the library, under the supervision of the terrifying librarian, surrounded by row after row of books they're sure will bore them silly. Will the brothers figure out a way to survive a summer marooned on the carpet of Spud's children's section?
	The Magician's Boy		J COOPER, S.
		Cooper, Susan
		The boy polishes the Magician's wands and catches the rabbits that the Magician pulls out of his hats. But the boy's favorite job is operating the puppets for the Magicians' famous puppet play, "Saint George and the Dragon, "--Until one terrible day when, in the middle of a performance, the boy can't find the Saint George puppet. The Boy's hunt for Saint George is full of adventures with oddly familiar people. He saves the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe from losing her children; he spoils the wolf's plan to eat Little Red Riding Hood; and he narrowly escapes being eaten by the Giant at the top of Jack's beanstalk. But the Boy's last adventure is the most amazing of all - and changes his life forever.
	Free Baseball		J CORBETT, S.
		Corbett, Sue
		Angry with his mother for having too little time for him, eleven-year-old Felix takes advantage of an opportunity to become bat boy for a minor league baseball team, hoping to someday be like his father, a famous Cuban outfielder. Includes glossaries of baseball terms and Spanish words and phrases.
	How to be a Pirate		J COWELL, C.
		Cowell, Cressida
		Follows the further adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third as his Viking training continues and his father leads a stranger and the Hairy Hooligans to the Isle of Skullions in search of a pirate's treasure.
	Mr. Chickee's Funny Money		J CURTIS, C.
		Curtis, Christopher Paul
		Flint Future Detective Club members Steven Carter, his friend Russell, and Russell's huge dog Zoopy solve the mystery of a quadrillion-dollar bill with the image of James Brown on it.
	The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane		J DICAMILLO, K.
		DiCamillo, Kate
		Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories.
	Hatching Magic		J DOWNER, A.
		Downer, Ann
		When a thirteenth-century wizard confronts twenty-first century Boston while seeking his pet dragon, he is followed by a rival wizard and a very unhappy demon, but eleven-year-old Theodora Oglethorpe may hold the secret to setting everything right.
	A Room With a Zoo		J FEIFFER, J.
		Feiffer, Jules
		Nine-year-old Julie loves animals. So much it seems that she's assembling a zoo in her room. But, what she really wants is a dog.
	Jack Adrift: Fourth Grade Without a Clue		J GANTOS, J.
		Gantos, Jack
	Nicholas		J GOSCINNY
		Goscinny
	Satch & Me : A Baseball Card Adventure		J GUTMAN, D.
		Gutman, Dan
		With his ability to travel through time using vintage baseball cards, Joe takes Flip with him to find out whether Satchel Paige really was the fastest pitcher ever.
	Cal and the Amazing Anti-Gravity Machine		J HAMILTON, R.
		Hamilton, Richard
		With his talking dog, Frankie, as a constant companion, ten-year-old Cal Barraclough investigates his wacky neighbor's unusual experiments.
	Babymouse. Vol. 1, Queen of the World!		J HOLM, J.
		Holm, Jennifer L.
		An imaginative mouse dreams of being queen of the world, but will settle for an invitation to the most popular girl's slumber party.
	The BossQueen, Little BigBark, and the Sentinel Pup		J JORDAN, S.
		Jordan, Sarah Clark
		Young Mina must find her place in the order of things when she and the two older dogs move with OurShe into a different house, where the new members of their pack include OurHe, OurBoy, OurGirl, and That Cat.
	Rex Tabby : Cat Detective		J KIRK, D.
		Kirk, Daniel
		Rex Tabby fights crime along with his partners, Simon Meeze and Frankie Fluff.
	Ella Enchanted		J LEVINE, G.
		Levine, Gail Carson
		In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
	Drita, my Homegirl		J LOMBARD, J.
		Lombard, Jenny
		When ten-year-old Drita and her family, refugees from Kosovo, move to New York, Drita is teased about not speaking English well, but after a popular student named Maxie is forced to learn about Kosovo as a punishment for teasing Drita, the two girls soon bond.
	Rules		J LORD, C.
		Lord, Cynthia
		Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.
	Stay! : Keeper's Story		J LOWRY
		Lowry, Lois
		Separated early in life from his mother and siblings, Keeper tells of his adventures with various human masters and his continual search for his little sister.
	Leaping Beauty : and Other Animal Fairy Tales		J MAGUIRE, G.
		Maguire, Gregory
		The author wreaks havoc on eight classic fairy tales, with a cast of characters including a dancing frog, a gorilla queen, and seven giant giraffes.
	Dońa Flor : a tall tale about a giant woman with a great big heart		J MORA, P.
		Mora, Pat
		Dona Flor, a giant lady with a big heart, sets off to protect her neighbors from what they think is a dangerous animal, but soon discovers the tiny secret behind the huge noise.
	Project Mulberry : a Novel		J PARK, L.
		Park, Linda Sue
		While working on a project for an after-school club, Julia, a Korean American girl, and her friend Patrick learn not just about silkworms, but also about tolerance, prejudice, friendship, patience, and more. Between the chapters are short dialogues between the author and main character about the writing of the book.
	Olivia Kidney		J POTTER, E.
		Potter, Ellen
		Twelve-year-old Olivia explores her new apartment building and finds a psychic, talking lizards, a shrunken ex-pirate, an exiled princess, ghosts, and other unusual characters.
	I, Freddy : Book One in the Golden Hamster Saga		J REICHE, D.
		Reiche, Dietlof
		Freddy, a remarkably intelligent golden hamster, learns how to read and how to write on a computer and escapes captivity to become an independent and civilized creature.
	Wizard at Work : a Novel in Stories		J VANDE VELDE, V.
		Vande Velde, Vivian
		A young wizard, who runs a school to teach wizards, looks forward to a quiet summer off but is drawn into adventures with princesses, unicorns, and ghosts instead.
	The Master Spy Handbook		J327.12 NEWCOMB
		Newcomb, Rain
	Built to last: building America's amazing bridges, dams, tunnels, and skyscrapers		J624.0973 SULLIVAN
		Sullivan, George
		Americans didn't let mountains stand in the way of trade with the American West--they tunneled right through them to make the Cascade Tunnel and Hoosac Tunnel. When water and power were needed, they built huge dams, such as the Fort Peck Dam and the Hoover Dam. Faced with water to cross, they built beautiful bridges, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. And the American character is best reflected by the building it invented, the skyscraper. Built to last profiles 17 architectural and engineering marvels, from the Erie Canal to Boston's Big Dig.
	Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?		J636.7 COREN
		Coren, Stanley
	Boredom Blasters		J793 BECKER
		Becker, Helaine
	A kick in the head : an everyday guide to poetic forms		J811.008 KICK
		Janeczko, Paul
		In this splendid and playful volume, acclaimed poetry anthologist Paul B. Janeczko and Caldecott Honor illustrator Chris Raschka present lively examples of twenty-nine poetic forms, demonstrating not only the (sometimes bendable) rules of poetry, but also the spirit that brings these forms so wonderfully to life. Featuring formal poems, some familiar and some never before published, from the likes of Eleanor Farjeon (aubade), X.J. Kennedy (elegy), Ogden Nash (couplet), Liz Rosenberg (pantoum), and William Shakespeare, the sonnet king himself, A Kick in the Head perfectly illustrates Robert Frost's maxim that poetry without rules is like a tennis match without a net.
	The American story: 100 true tales from American history		J973 ARMSTRONG
		Armstrong, Jennifer
		One hundred brief stories about real people and occurrences in American history, arranged in chronological order by year from 1565 to 2000.
	Earthquake! On a Peaceful Spring Morning Disaster Strikes San Francisco		J979.461 TANAKA
		Tanaka, Shelley
		On the early morning of April 19, 1906, the city of San Francisco was struck by a devastating earthquake that crumpled buildings, cracked water mains, broke gas pipes, and sent kerosene lamps flying. Fires quickly engulfed most of the city, leaving exhausted civilians to fight the flames with well water, sewer water, and old rags. Despite valiant rescue efforts, estimates place the death toll at around 3,000. Using never-before-published survivor narratives and informational sidebars, Earthquake! reveals the full story of one of the greatest disasters in American history.
	Marooned: The Strange but True Adventures of Alexander Selkirk, the Real Robinson Crusoe		J996.18 KRASKE
		Kraske, Robert
		Marooned on a South Pacific island, Alexander Selkirk survived in complete solitude for more than four years. After his rescue in 1709 he became the real-life model for Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe.
	Albert Einstein : a life of genius		JB EINSTEIN, A.
		MacLeod, Elizabeth
		Using photos, maps, quotes, letters, and drawings, this biography introduces young readers to Albert Einstein--scientist and genius.
	The adventures of Marco Polo		JB POLO, M.
		Freedman, Russell
		Marco Polo shook Europe with descriptions of the world he'd seen on his epic journey to the court of Kublai Khan, but had he really seen the "Roof of the World" in Central Asia, and the "City of Heaven" in far-off China or was he a charlatan who saw nothing more than the conjurings of his inventive mind?