Top 20 Suggested Books: Fourth Grade

Applegate, Katherine. The one and only Ivan. [Newbery] J Fic Applegate When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.

Atwater, Richard. Mr. Popper’s Penguins. [Newbery] J Fic Atwater The unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an Antarctic penguin changes the life and fortunes of Mr. Popper, a house painter obsessed by dreams of the Polar regions.

Blume, Judy. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. J Fic Blume Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever-increasing problem.

Brown, Peter. The Wild Robot. J Fic Brown Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants.

Clements, Andrew. Frindle. J Fic Clements When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.

Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. J Fic Dahl Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr. Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the situation in his own way.

Dahl, Roald. James and the Giant Peach. J Fic Dahl A young boy escapes from two wicked aunts and embarks on a series of adventures with six giant insects he meets inside a giant peach.

Davies, Jacqueline. The Lemonade War. J Fic Davies Evan and his younger sister, Jesse, react very differently to the news that they will be in the same class for fourth grade and as the end of summer approaches, they battle it out through lemonade stands, each trying to be the first to earn 100 dollars. Includes mathematical calculations and tips for running a successful lemonade stand.

DiCamillo, Kate. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. J Fic DiCamillo 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.

Konigsburg, E. L. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. [Newbery] J Fic Konigsburg Having run away with her younger brother to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, twelve-year-old Claudia strives to keep things in order in their new home and to become a changed person and a heroine to herself.

Lindgren, Astrid. Pippi Longstocking. J Fic Lindgren Escapades of a lucky little girl who lives with a horse and a monkey--but without any parents--at the edge of a Swedish village.

MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall. [Newbery] J Fic MacLachlan When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay.

McSwigan, Marie. Snow Treasure. J Fic McSwigan In 1940, when the Nazi invasion of Norway reaches their village in the far north, twelve-year-old Peter and his friends use their sleds to transport nine million dollars worth of gold bullion past the German soldiers to the secret harbor where Peter's uncle keeps his ship ready to take the gold for safekeeping in the United States.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Shiloh. [Newbery] J Fic Naylor When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.

O’dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins. [Newbery] J Fic O’dell Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life.

Palacio, R. J. Wonder. [Tween] J Fic Palacio Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

Sachar, Louis. Sideways Stories From Wayside School. J Fic Sachar Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, which was accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each story.

Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. [Newbery] J Fic Stead As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve- year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

Weeks, Sarah. Save Me a Seat. J Fic Weeks Ravi has just moved to the United States from India and has always been at the top of his class; Joe has lived in the same town his whole life and has learning problems--but when their lives intersect in the first week of fifth grade they are brought together by a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and the need to take control of their lives.

White, E. B. Charlotte's Web. [Newbery] J Fic White Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him.

Fall 2020