Ms. Kimball's Fifth Grade Fiction Book Guide

Welcome to Ms. Kimball's 5th Grade Book Guide! On this page you'll find many recommended fiction books for 5th graders. I've selected these books for their popularity with readers, their literary integrity, and their usefulness in teaching important reading skills. I've organized them as best I could into three categories: 
  1. "Great Books to Start the Year" (Guided Reading Levels Q-S)
  2. "Stories to Enjoy Throughout the Year" (Guided Reading Levels S-V)
  3. "Challenging Reads" (Guided Reading Levels W-Z)

There are also book series that fit into each category. For the most part, as you scroll down the page, the books get more challenging, but of course, each book presents different challenges to different readers, depending on their reading experiences. The purpose of this guide is to help students choose books that make them feel like strong readers and to help parents keep "just right books" in students hands.

Great Books to Start the 5th Grade Year:

This book selection consists of some fun, easy-to-dive-into stories to get students excited about reading. The language, issues, plots, and themes are not overly complex for a beginning 5th grade reader, but they will present some challenges. Many students may already be familiar with these stories. We conduct a few author studies --on Kate DiCamillo, Andrew Clements, and Roald Dahl-- to analyze writing style and learn how to compare and contrast story elements and author's craft. I selected these books as "Must-Reads" for all students to have in their reading history.
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"Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume
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"Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo
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"The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo
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"Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
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"No Talking" by Andrew Clements
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"Frindle" by Andrew Clements
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"There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom" by Louis Sachar
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"Rules" by Cynthia Lord
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"James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl
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"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl
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"Matilda" by Roald Dahl

Popular Series:

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"The Spiderwick Chronicles" by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
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"The Sisters Grimm" series by Michael Buckley
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"Warriors" series by Erin Hunter
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"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series by Jeff Kinney
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"Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series by Rick Riordan

Stories to Enjoy Throughout the School Year

This selection of books mixes it up for students a bit more. The language, issues, and themes may be more complex and require students to have more background knowledge. The plots and story structures are more complex and the characters may be more dynamic than earlier reads. There are some historical fiction selections, as well as stories with more technical language or sophisticated humor. I recommend as many of these books as possible for students to have in their 5th grade reading history.
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"Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
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"Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin
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"Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
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"The Secret Garden" by Francic Hodgson Burnett
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"Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry
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"The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
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"Holes" by Louis Sachar
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"From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg
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"The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate
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"One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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"The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo
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"The Watsons Go to Birmingham -1963" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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"Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
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"Esperanza Rising" by Pam Munoz Ryan
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"The Cricket in Times Square" by George Seldon
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"Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
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"Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key" by Jack Gantos
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"Wonder" by R.J. Palacio
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"Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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"Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
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"The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Popular Series:

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"Inkheart" trilogy by Cornelia Funke
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"The Secret Series" by psuedonymous bosch
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"Fablehaven" series by Brandon Mull
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"The Origami Yoda" series by Tom Angleberger
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"39 Clues" series by Rick Riordan and other authors
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"Pendragon" series by D.J. MacHale
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"The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis
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"Books of Ember" by Jeanne Duprau
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"Harry Potter" books 1-3 by J.K. Rowling
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"The Underland Chronicles" (Gregor) by Suzanne Collins

More Challenging Reads:

This selection of books has more complex language and challenging vocabulary. The plots and story structures may be very complex, consisting of parallel stories, stories within stories, subtle flashbacks, and shifts in the narrator's point of view. Background knowledge and context are very important. There may be multiple dynamic characters to follow. The issues and themes of these books may be more challenging to grasp, although not out of reach for 5th graders. Many students may fluently read these books, but it is important that they also can show they comprehend them through retelling the parts they read and interacting with the text.
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"Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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"The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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"Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
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"The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
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"Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

More Popular Series:
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"Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell
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"Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
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"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle
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"Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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"The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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"The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick
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"Wonderstuck" by Brian Selznick
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"When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead
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"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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"Witness" by Karen Hesse

Popular Series:

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"Harry Potter" books 4-7 by J.K Rowling
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"The Heroes of Olympus" series by Rick Riordan
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"A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket
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"The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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"Septimus Heap" series by Angie Sage
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"Peter and the Starcatchers" by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
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"The Shadow Children" series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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"Alex Rider" series by Anthony Horowitz
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"The Kane Chronicles" by Rick Riordan
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"Artemis Fowl" series by Eoin Colfer
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"His Dark Materials" series (Golden Compass) by Philip Pullman
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"Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Back to the Reading and Discussion Curriculum Guide

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