Fiction for grades 4, 5, and 6

Masterpiece by Elise Broach
Very inventive art mystery that concerns two families that live in the same apartment – one a human family, the other a family of beetles! Wonderful, action-packed tale.

Along Came Spider by James Preller
The whole class thinks Trey is weird. Does that mean Spider has to turn his back on his oldest friend?

We Can’t All Be Rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings
Very amusing story told from the point of view of a captive gopher snake.

The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy
When 12-year-old Joan moves to California she meets a very unusual friend who lives in a rundown house in the middle of the woods. Great story about friendship and the power of the written word.

Dying to Meet You: 43 Old Cemetery Road, Book 1 by Kate Klise
Enter an old Victorian mansion; meet 11-year-old Seymour, his cat Shadow, and a very grumpy ghost named Olive. You might just DIE laughing!

Oggie Cooder by Sarah Weeks
Oggie is a charving champion – and if you don’t know what that means, you will as soon as you read this hilarious story about a boy with a very special talent.

Dear Toni by Cyndi Sand-Eveland
Sometimes a best friend can be found where you least expect it.

Carlos is Gonna Get It by Kevin Emerson
Trina, Donte, Thea, Sara, and Frankie are 5 friends who think up a plan to get the strangest kid in school to act normal, but often things (and people) are not what they seem…

The Otherworldlies by Jennifer Anne Kogler
12-year-old Fern is struggling to gain control of her newly-discovered supernatural powers when the arrival of a sinister vampire in town threatens life as she knows it.

The Mealworm Diaries by Anna Kerz
Jeremy has a secret that makes him very sad, and a move to a new home along with a complete misfit of a partner for his science project only makes matters worse.

Mascot to the Rescue! By Peter David
Since everything that happens to his favorite superhero seems to be happening to him, and the hero is slated to die in his next adventure, Josh needs to figure out how to save his own life – fast!

The Chain Letter by Julie Schumacher
When 6th grader Livvie McFee throws a chain letter away, bad luck follows.

The Ratastrophe Catastrophe by David Lee Stone
Enter the world of Illmoor, where Diek Wustapha, a young shepherd boy, is magically granted the power to charm both man and beast with his flute. If you like high fantasy, this is the tale for you.

Heat by Mike Lupica
If you like baseball, this is the story for you – about a 12-year-old who wants nothing more than to pitch his Bronx all-star team to the district finals and a shot at the Little League World Series.

What Do We Do Now, George? By Helen McCann
You won’t believe the things George does to make money to buy a skateboard!

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
Very funny story about a 12-year-old boy, his grandfather’s old lawn mower, and a summer job that turns out to be a lot more than he expected.

Leap by Jane Breskin Zalben
Inspiring story about Daniel, a sixth-grader who is partially paralyzed after an accident, and his struggle to gain independence and re-kindle an old friendship.

Paper Heart by Aileen Arrington
Nadia was born with a “bad heart” and is always being told to take it easy – but she’s tired of resting – and when an opportunity to participate in the school play arises, Nadia must learn to stand up for herself.

The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer
13-year-old Annie is determined to keep her grandmother's old-fashioned teashop from going out of business. As she tries to drum up new customers, she faces other problems as well. Great story about growing up.

The Goatnappers by Rosa Jordan
When 9th grader Justin Martin sells the family goat to get money to buy himself a bicycle, which he needs in order to get to varsity baseball practice, one adventure after another is just beginning! This story is funny and serious at the same time.

The Neddiad by Daniel Pinkwater
A very funny offering by the king of comedy writing, this one about a young boy’s adventure in Hollywood, his meeting with an old Navajo shaman, and a highly desirable turtle figurine is sure to entertain you.

The Yggyssey by Daniel Pinkwater
Another weird and wonderful supernatural adventure by the author of The Neddiad.

Max Quiqley. Technically Not a Bully by James Roy
When this sixth grader plays a prank on one of his classmates, his punishment is to be tutored by the kid. Very short chapters make this a fast and fun read.

The Beef Princess of Practical County by Michelle Houts
Fast-paced story set on a farm in Nowhere, Indiana, where 12-year-old Libby is raising cattle to win the “Grand Champion Steer” in the County Fair. You’ll love Libby and all the inner turmoil she goes through just trying to grow up, whether or not you think you’re interested in cattle!

Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder
A mysterious wall and a large dose of magic is all it takes for four regular kids to find out a lot of things about their life, their family, and their friends…and to have great fun at the same time.

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine
Two friends who really have nothing in common are at the center of this tale of small-town justice set in 1917 Alabama.

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
2 friends born on the same day, a duck-shaped birthmark, and ten years of joint birthday parties is the premise that begins this story of friendship and being true to yourself.  Boys, don’t be put off by the cover – there is a great male character in this very funny and engaging story.

Sunny Side Up by Marion Roberts
Wonderful debut novel about an 11-year-old girl whose life changes when her mom finds herself a brand new boyfriend. Join Sunny (short for Sunday) as she experiences a summer unlike any other.

Slob by Ellen Potter
12-year-old Owen is the fattest kid in school – and he’s also a genius who invents weird contraptions. When he manufactures a television that can show the past, he and everyone around him is in for one wild time!

Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow by James Rollins
First book in a new mystery/adventure series. When a mysterious envelope arrives for Jake Ransom, he and his sister Kady are plunged into a chain of events that just might help them find their long-long parents. This is a real page-turner.

The Bronze Pen by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
With her father's failing health and the family's shaky finances, twelve-year-old Audrey's dreams of becoming a writer seem very impractical until she is given a peculiar bronze pen that appears to have unusual powers.

The Scarlet Stockings by Charlotte Kandel
Fourteen-year-old Daphne, spunky and imaginative, has grown up in a London orphanage dreaming she will someday learn the identity of her parents and become a prima ballerina, and when a mysterious package arrives with a pair of stockings and a book inscribed with a riddle, her journey to the truth begins.

Waggit’s Tale by Peter Howe
When Waggit is abandoned by his owner as a puppy, he meets a pack of wild dogs who become his friends and teach him to survive in the city park, but when he has a chance to go home with a kind woman who wants to adopt him, he takes it.