SUMMER’S HOTTEST READS FOR FIFTH GRADERS

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Auch, Mary Jane                         The Latchkey Dog

J FIC AUC                                  Sam’s efforts to help his dog cope with being alone all day cause his mother to

                                                                worry that Sam is spending too much time alone.

 

Barlow, Steve                                        Whizzard

J FIC BARLOW                                    A slack young wizard’s apprentice gets up to speed in more ways than one in this

                                                                action-packed fantasy.

                                                                                                               

Bauer, Joan                                   Hope Was Here 

J FIC BAU                                             When Hope and her aunt move from Brooklyn to Wisconsin to work in a diner, they

                                                                become involved in a corrupt political campaign.

 

Brashares, Ann                                    Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

YA FIC BRASHARES                         During summer break, long-time friends embark on adventures that they share with each

                                                                other through a pair of jeans that they’ve decided will be worn by all of them.                 

 

Creech, Sharon                                     Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

J FIC CREECH                                      With the help of her grandmother, 12-year old Rosie manages to work out some problems

                                                                in her relationship with her best friend, the boy next door.

 

Dahl, Roald                                           Matilda

J FIC DAH                                             Matilda applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of its evil, child-hating headmistress.

 

DiCamillo, Kate                                     Because of Winn-Dixie

J FIC DICAMILLO                               A 10-year old describes her first summer in Florida and all the things that happen

                                                                because of her big ugly dog, Winn-Dixie.

 

Fenner, Carol                                        Randall’s Wall

J FIC FEN                                              A fifth-grader’s wall of defense begins to crumble when a dynamic classmate decides

                                                                to interfere in his life.

 

Fleischman, John                                 Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science

J BIO GAGE                                          An incredible story of a railroad worker in 1848, who survived the piercing blast of a

                                                                13-pound iron rod shot through his skull.

                                               

Ferris, Jean                                            Once Upon  a Marigold

J FIC FERRIS                                        A young man with a mysterious past leaves the troll who raised him, meets an unhappy

                                                                princess, and discovers a plot against her father.

 

Giff, Patricia                                           Pictures of Hollis Woods

J FIC GIF                                                A troublesome 12-year old orphan, staying with an elderly artist, remembers the only

                                                                other time she was happy in a foster home with a family that truly seemed to care about her.

 

Gliori, Debi                                            Pure Dead Wicked

J FIC GLIORI                                         The Strega-Borgia children accidentally create 500 clones of themselves at the same time

                                                                that the roof of their Scottish castle caves in and attracts evil contractors to their home.

                               

Henkes, Kevin                                      Olive’s Ocean

J FIC HENKES                                      On a summer visit to her grandmother’s cottage, 12-year old Martha gains perspective

                                                                on the death of a classmate,  her feelings for an older boy, and her plans to be a writer.

 

Hiassen, Carl                                         Hoot

J FIC HIASSEN                                    Roy, new to his Florida community,  becomes involved in another boy’s attempt to save a

                                                                colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.

 

Hobbs, Will                                           Far North

YA FIC HOB                                         After the destruction of their floatplane,  two teenagers struggle to survive a winter in the

                                                                wilderness of the Northwest territories.

 

Jones, Diana Wynne                           Mixed Magics

J FIC JONES                                          Four separate incidents test the power of an enchanter with nine lives to control misuses

                                                                of magic on various worlds.

 

Karr, Kathleen                                      The Boxer

J FIC KAR                                             Having learned to fight while in prison, 15-year old Johnny sets out to discover if he can

                                                                make a living as a fighter in late 19th century New York City.

 

Levine, Gail Carson                              Dave at Night

J FIC LEV                                               When orphaned Dave is sent to the Hebrew Home for Boys, he sneaks out at night and

                                                                is welcomed into the music-filled world of the Harlem Renaissance.

 

Lisle, Janet Taylor                                Forest

J FIC LISLE                                           When 12-year old Amber accidentally triggers a war between humans and a community

                                                                of squirrels, she finds out how similar the two species can be.

 

Love, Anne D.                                      The Puppeteer’s Apprentice

J FIC LOVE                                            A medieval orphan girl gains the courage she needs to follow her dreams of becoming

                                                                a puppeteer’s apprentice.

 

MacLachlin, Patricia                            Baby

J FIC MACLACHLIN                          Taking care of a baby left with them at the end of tourist season helps a family come to

                                                                terms with the death of their own infant son.

                                                               

Nelson, Theresa                                   Ruby Electric

J FIC NELSON                                      A 12-year old movie buff and aspiring writer tries to resolve the mysteries surrounding

                                                                her little brother’s stuffed woolly mammoth and their father’s five-year absence.  

 

Pevsner, Stella                                      The Night the Whole Class Slept Over

J FIC PEV                                               Eleven-year old Dan fears he will lose the friends he has made at his new school until

                                                                the class sleepover takes place one night during a bad winter storm.

 

Philbrick, Rodman                                Freak the Mighty

YA FIC PHI                                           Learning-disabled Max and his new friend, Freak, who is a genius with a physical

                                                                disability, find that when they combine forces they make a powerful team.

 

Pratchett, Terry                                    The Wee Free Men

YA FIC PRATCHETT                         A young witch-to-be teams up with a clan of six-inch-high blue men to rescue her baby

                                                                brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland.                                              

 

Riddell, Ruth                                         Ice Warrior

J FIC RID                                               When his mother’s remarriage moves him from California to Minnesota, 12-year old

                                                                Rob feels totally out of place until he discovers ice boating.                      

 

Sachar, Louis                                        Holes

 J FIC  SACHAR                                   Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds

                                                                his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.

 

Salisbury, Graham                                Lord of the Deep

J FIC SALISBURY                               Working for his stepfather on a charter fishing boat in Hawaii teaches 13-year old Mikey

                                                                about fishing, taking risks, and facing some of life’s difficult choices.

 

Springer, Nancy                                   Colt

J FIC SPR                                               A young boy with a crippling disease learns, through a horseback riding program, to

                                                                overcome his own anxieties and to help others in dealing with their problems.                                                       

Van Draanen, Wendelin                      Sammy Keyes, Detective (Series)

J FIC VANDRAANEN                        Seventh-grade sleuth Sammy investigates mysterious happenings at a local art gallery.