Too Cool for School – Summer Reading for Fourth Graders

 

 

Blume, Judy                          Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Series)

J FIC BLU                              Peter, because he’s the oldest, must deal with his little brother’s disgusting cuteness, his constant meddling into Peter’s stuff, and other grave offenses.

 

Berleth, Richard                    Samuel’s Choice

J FIC BER                              A fourteen-year old slave in 1776 New York faces a difficult choice when fighting between the British and the Colonists reaches his doorstep.

 

Christopher, Matt                Dirt Bike Racer

J FIC CHR                              Twelve-year old Ron finds a mini bike while scuba diving and, with the help of a former pro, restores the bike and enters into a competition.

 

Cleary, Beverly                     Dear Mr. Henshaw

J FIC CLE                               In his letters to his favorite author, 10-year old Leigh reveals his problems in coping with his parent’s divorce and being the new boy in school.

 

Clifford, Eth                           Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library

J FIC CLI                                Two girls spend an adventurous night inside the library during a terrible blizzard.

 

Coerr,  Eleanor                      Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

J 362.7 COE                           Hospitalized with leukemia, Sadako races against the clock to fold one-thousand paper cranes, testing the legend that says that a sick  person can become well by doing so.

 

Dahl, Roald                           The Magic Finger

J FIC DAH                             The Gregg family loves hunting, but their eight-year old neighbor can’t stand it.  When they ignore her please for them to stop, she decides to put her “magic finger” on them.

 

Danziger, Paula                     Amber Brown is Green With Envy

J FIC DANZIGER                 A fourth grader must make some important decisions when her mom and new stepdad plan a move while her father makes some bad choices of his own.

 

DiTerlizzi, Tony                    The Field Guide (Series)

J FIC DITERLIZZI                When the Grace children go to stay at their great aunt’s old Victorian house, they discover a field guide to fairies and other mysterious creatures.

 

Fleischman, Sid                    The Whipping Boy

J FIC FLE                               A bratty prince and his whipping boy inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.

 

Haywood, Caroline              Eddie and the Fire Engine

J FIC HAY                             Eight-year old Eddie Wilson, who collects valuable property and stray animals, acquires a goat and an old fire engine.

 

Horowitz, Anthony              Stormbreaker

J FIC HOROWITZ               After the death of his uncle, 14-year old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle’s dangerous work for Britain’s intelligence agency.

 

Howe, James                         Bunnicula – A Rabbit Tale of Mystery

J FIC HOW                            Though scoffed at by Harold the Dog, Chester the Cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.

 

Hurwitz, Johanna                 Hot and Cold Summer

J FIC HUR                             Two inseparable boys learn that there is room in their friendship for another person, and it doesn’t really matter that she’s a girl.

 

Juster, Norton                       The Phantom Tollbooth

J FIC JUSTE                          For Milo, everything is a bore.  But when a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through the gates and begins a memorable journey.


 

 

Lawlor, Laurie                       Addie Across the Prairie

J FIC LAWLOR                    Unhappy to leave her  home and friends, Addie reluctantly accompanies her family to the Dakota Territory and slowly begins to adjust to life on the prairie.

 

L’Engle, Madeleine              A Wrinkle in Time (Series)

J FIC LENGLE                       It’s a wild, stormy night when an unearthly visitor arrives to change the lives of Meg, her small brother, and their scientist mother.

 

Lewis, C.S.                             The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia Series)

J FIC LEWIS                         When Digory and Polly are tricked into becoming part of an experiment, they set off on the adventure of a lifetime.

 

Lowry, Lois                           Attaboy, Sam!

J FIC LOW                            Sam is able to help his sister with the poem she is writing for their mother’s birthday, but his own efforts to create a special perfume are disastrous.

 

MacDonald, Betty               Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (Series)

J FIC MAC                            From her upside-down house, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle gives parents her marvelous cures for such diseases as Won’t-Put-Away-Toys-Itis and Answerbackism.

 

MacLachlan, Patricia           Sarah, Plain and Tall

J FIC MAC                            When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their home, Caleb and Anna are intrigued by their new mother and hope that she will stay.

 

Manes, Stephen                   Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days

J FIC MAN                            Tired with problems with his sister, parents and classmates, a boy finds a book in the library which promises to make him perfect in three days.

 

Oneal, Zibby                         A Long Way to Go: A Story of Women’s Right to Vote

J FIC ONE                              A wealthy household is disrupted  when 10-year old Lila’s very proper grandmother is arrested for picketing the White House in support of women’s suffrage.

 

Paterson, Katherine             Bridge to Terabithia

J FIC PAT                              The life of a 10-year old boy in rural Virgini expands when he becomes friends with a new-comer to the area, who then meets an untimely death.

 

Peterson, John                      The Littles (Series)

J FIC PET                               Only a few inches tall, the Little’s family encounter many dangers, especially when the house cat comes their way.

 

Scieszka, Jon                         Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge?

J FIC SCIESZKA                  Thanks to a magical book, Fred, Sam and Joe travel through time to New York City in 1877.

 

Sobol, Donald J.                   Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs (Series)

J FIC SOBOL                         A boy detective solves some interesting cases including the Case of the Lawn Mower Races, and the Case of the Air Guitar.

 

Taylor, Theodore                 Trouble With Tuck

J FIC TAY                             A young girl trains her blind dog to follow and trust a seeing-eye companion dog.

 

Warner, Gertrude                 The Boxcar Children (Series)

J FIC WAR                            Four orphans take shelter in an old boxcar during a terrible storm and turn it into a safe and cozy home.

 

White, E.B.                            Charlotte’s Web

J FIC WHI                             The story of Fern, a little pig named Wilbur, and Wilbur’s spider-friend, Charlotte.

 

Wilder, Laura Ingalls           On the Banks of Plum Creek

J FIC WILDER                      Laura and her family move to Minnesota and, while waiting for their new home to be built, must deal with a horrible flood, a freezing blizzard, and an invasion of grasshoppers.