4th and 5th Grade Level Reading Books

Here is a short list of reading books at the 4th and 5th grade level. I’ve listed the grade level that is listed on the Scholastic Book Wizard as well as the Lexile Level and a link to the book at Amazon so you can see inside the book.

These are mostly listed in order of difficulty. My son will make his way through this list this year. I carefully chose these books for my son. He is a different reader from my older son. He enjoys non-realistic stories the most so some of the things my older son read did not make it on his list. He is also reading some books that my older son never read. Number the Stars, while realistic, has elements of danger and suspense that should keep him interested. Paddle-to-the-Sea is a realistic as well, but it has a picture on every page and a map to follow the journey. This will make it a good choice for my visual-spatial little guy. I am also reading aloud different books that will take about the same amount of time that I have him read to me. I have a few realistic stories on that list.

Our approach to reading involves using real books rather than graded readers. We stay away from twaddle-style books and use books rich in sentence structure and vocabulary. We don’t spend time on reading comprehension books or questions. We read and discuss. When my son moves to reading silently I will start requiring a book or oral report on the book.