40 Recommended Reading Books for Year 4

We have carefully selected books that we hope will capture your imagination and that you will enjoy reading. The list contains a description of the book so that you can choose your favourites. We have also indicated the lexile / difficulty rating – a higher number indicates a more difficult text. Star badges will be awarded as you read books from the list – you will need to record a brief response to a reading task. A bronze badge will be awarded once you have read 5 books from the list, a silver badge after reading 10, a gold badge once you have read 15 and a platinum badge for reading 20.

Title Image Author ISBN Description Lexile / Date Difficulty Read The Owl Alan Garner 9780007 It all begins with the scratching in the 3.7 Service 127894 ceiling. From the moment Alison discovers the dinner service in the attic, with its curious pattern of floral owls

Vicky Angel Jacqueline B002SQ7 Jade is so used to living in the 4 Wilson 4C6 shadow of Vicky, her loud, confident best friend, that when a tragic accident occurs, she can hardly believe that Vicky's no longer around

My Secret Linda 9780141 Twilight is a rather ordinary little 4.1 Unicorn: Chapman 321219 Sapphire pony but when Lauren whispers the magic words, he turns Moonlight into a beautiful snow-white unicorn. Journey

Pig Heart Boy Malorie 9780552 So there's this doctor. He says 4.3 Blackman 555616 there's a chance for you. But he also says it's experimental, controversial and risky. And it's never been done before

Esio Trot Roald Dahl 9780141 Retired bachelor Mr. Hoppy is 4.4 304649 hopelessly in love with his neighbour Mrs. Silver, but she is only interested in her pet tortoise Alfie

My Granny’s Jeremy 9780141 Nicholas’s granny has fallen in love – 4.5 Escape Strong 322414 with the elderly Hell’s Angel next door! Yurrrgghhh

Holes Louis Sachar 9783125 Stanley is banished to Camp Green 4.6 781702 Lake – a detention centre for boys. He is mysteriously assigned to digging holes in the desert

Chicken Jeremy 9780141 'I liked playing trains with my dad 4.6 School Strong 322407 when I was seven or eight. But I'm eleven now. Where's the excitement . . . Where's my life?!'

The Mum Jacqueline 9780440 Mum’s a childminder, but she doesn’t 4.6 Minder Wilson 868255 have to mind me. I can mind myself, easy-peasy. Lucky for Mum, because now she’s got the flu, so I’ve got to mind her — and help with all the babies!

The Butterfly Michael 9780670 Sold to the circus years ago, Bertie's 4.6 Lion Morpurgo 874613 only clue to finding the lion is a tattered circus poster

The Iron Man Ted Hughes 9780571 When a terrible monster from outer 4.7 226122 space threatens to lay waste to the planet, it is the Iron Man who finds a way to save the world

The Amazing Michael 9780439 A stunning novel about friendship, 4.8 Story of Morpurgo 796613 war, and one girl's bravery which changes her life forever Adolphus Tips

James and the Roald Dahl 9780425 When James drops magic crystals by 4.8 Giant Peach 287651 the peach tree, the peach starts growing

Marley: A Dog John Grogan 9780061 Marley, a lovable Labrador retriever, 4.9 Like No Other 240331 is always getting himself into trouble. Some may say he is the world's worst dog.

Gross Out! Ginjer Clarke 9780448 Did you know that the horned lizard 4.9 443904 squirts blood out of its eyes

Artemis Fowl Eoin Colfer 9780141 Twelve-year-old villain, Artemis Fowl, 5 339092 is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. His bold and daring plan is to hold a leprechaun to ransom

Fatbag: The Jeremy 9780140 Fatbag was no ordinary vacuum 5 Demon Strong 362336 cleaner. He had a hungry-looking mouth and he seemed to be staring Vacuum at her. Little did she know that Cleaner Fatbag had an evil plan

Alex Rider: Anthony 9780606 Scorpia has dogged Alex rider for 5 Scorpia Rising Horowitz 236386 most of his life

Matilda Roald Dahl 9781417 For most kids, The Trunchbull is pure 5 786138 terror, but for Matilda, she is a sitting duck

Alex Rider: Ark Anthony 97807445 After recovering from a near fatal gunshot 5 83243 wound, teenage spy Alex Rider embarks Angel Horowitz on a new mission to stop a group of eco- terrorists from sabotaging the launch of the first outer space hotel.

Dear Hound Jill Murphy 9780802 Alfie’s your average deer hound 5.1 721907 puppy – curious about the world around him, happy to chase the cat

Macbeth William 9781841 A retelling of this classic tale of 5.1 Shakespeare 213286 witches, murder and madness.

Captain Pilkey Day 9780545 The worst thing was NOT evil mad 5.1 Underpants 175340 scientists or alien cafeteria ladies but a sixth-grade bully named Kipper and the Krupp Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers The World’s David 9780008 Are you ready to meet the World’s 5.3 Worst Children Walliams 197032 Worst Children? From Dribbling Drew – a boy whose drool gets him into terrible trouble – to Sofia Sofa – a TV super-fan so stuck to the sofa that she’s turning into one!

Aesops Fables Jerry Pinkney 9781587 60+ Aesops Fables 5.4 170003

The Impatient Janette Oke 9780934 Pogo's one goal in life is to have fun 5.4 Turtle 998246

Hamlet William 9781841 An action-packed re-telling of 5.5 Shakespeare 213408 Shakespeare's dark tale of revenge and murder.

Artemis Fowl: Eoin Colfer 9781423 Artemis's mother has contracted a 5.6 The Time 108368 deadly disease--and the only cure Paradox lies in the brain fluid of African lemurs

Oil Gas and Tea Benduhn 9780836 Our lives would be very different 5.7 Coal 893601 without oil, gas, and coal.

The Diamond Howard 9780064 A witch who can turn children into 5.7 Tree Schwartz and 406956 diamonds, a prince who thinks he's a rooster Barbara Rush

Snow Search Maida 9781597 Avalanche! Trapped under mounds 5.7 Dogs Silverman 160179 of snow! Time is running out

Jacob Two- Richard 9780887 When his parents return from Kenya 5.7 Two & the Mordecai 764257 with a cute little green lizard on his Dinosaur Richler eighth birthday

A Weave of Souci San & 9780531 A reworking of Armenian folktales in 6 Words D Robert 300534 which a lazy prince learns to read, write, and weave

The Cricket in George 9780374 After Chester lands, in the Times 6 Times Square Seldon 316501 Square subway station, he makes himself comfortable in a nearby newsstand.

Football Tim Green 9780061 Troy White has a phenomenal gift: he 6 Genius 122705 can predict football plays before they happen

Out of the Lyn Gardner 9780385 With its clouds of pink candy floss 6 Woods 751544 and whirling big wheel, what child could resist such temptation?

Clarence William 9780374 When Clarence Cochran wakes up 6 Cochran, A Loizeaux 313234 one evening, he's shocked. Where are his antennae? Human Boy

A Bad Spell for Jill Murphy 97801413 Mildred is determined to lose her 6.1 the Worst 49619 embarrassing reputation as the Witch worst witch the Academy has ever seen, but things rapidly get out of hand.

Black Beauty Anna Sewell 9781542 Black Beauty tells the story of his life 7.7 049320 under many masters in Victorian England, among them the kind Squire Gordon

The Wind in Kenneth 9781979 The Wind in the Willows is a timeless 8.4 the Willows Grahame 616140 tale of animal cunning and human camaraderie.

The Jungle Rudyard 9780439 Mowgli is a boy who was raised by 7.6 Book Kipling 574242 wolves