Summer Reading List for Rising 5th Graders
Read the required book along with 2 free choice for a total of 3 books.
The following list of books is to be used for suggestions in choosing your free choice books. Use the “Five Finger Rule” to help you find books that are the best fit for you. Complete the online submission form for each book that you read. If all 3 of your responses are received by the first week of school, you will receive a one subject off homework pass.
The following list of books is to be used for suggestions in choosing your free choice books. Use the “Five Finger Rule” to help you find books that are the best fit for you. Complete the online submission form for each book that you read. If all 3 of your responses are received by the first week of school, you will receive a one subject off homework pass.
Required Reading
Restart* Gordon Korman
Chase does not remember falling off the roof, in fact he does not remember anything about himself, and when he gets back to middle school he begins to learn who he was through the reactions of the other kids--trouble is, he really is not sure he likes the Chase that is being revealed, but can he take the opportunity amnesia has provided and restart his life?
*Students should be ready to discuss, be assessed, and complete projects related to the required reading book at the beginning of the year.
Chase does not remember falling off the roof, in fact he does not remember anything about himself, and when he gets back to middle school he begins to learn who he was through the reactions of the other kids--trouble is, he really is not sure he likes the Chase that is being revealed, but can he take the opportunity amnesia has provided and restart his life?
*Students should be ready to discuss, be assessed, and complete projects related to the required reading book at the beginning of the year.
Books in a Series
Alex Rider Adventures Anthony Horowitz
Action-packed adventures! As a spy for Britain's intelligence agency M16, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider has been shot at by international terrorists, chased down a mountainside, stood face to face with evil...what's next?
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls Meg Cabot
Nine-year-old Allie has rules for everything and is even writing her own rule book, but her world is turned upside-down when she learns that her family is moving across town, which will mean a new house, school, best friend, and plenty of new rules.
Baseball Card Adventure Dan Gutman
Funny and well-paced, perfect for fans of time-travel, fantasy, and baseball! Full of sports trivia and actual historical documents. Joe Stoshack travels back in time to meet baseball greats!
Chronicles of Narnia C. S. Lewis
Four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch who has cursed the land with eternal winter.
Comeback Kids Mike Lupica
Bestseller-author Mike Lupica offers his tribute to the underdog! Grab the attention of readers with these action-packed sports titles that are sure to keep them cheering for more.
Cupcake Diaries Coco Simon
Middle school can be hard--some days you need a cupcake! - This fresh tween series features a group of four unique girls, Alexis, Emma, Katie, and Mia, who are trying their best to navigate through the wild terrain that is middle school. They accidentally form the Cupcake Club, and with friends and frosting, fun ensues.
Emily Windsnap Liz Kessler
After finally convincing her mother that she should take swimming lessons, twelve-year-old Emily discovers a terrible and wonderful secret about herself that opens up a whole new world. This is a captivating fantasy about a beautiful island and feisty Emily Windsnap--half mermaid, half human. These stories feature engaging characters and plenty of mermaid magic.
Goddess Girls Joan Holub
Well-researched and true to the original myths, each volume addresses contemporary issues, like friendships and relationships, from a classically accurate--and entertaining--perspective.
Hank Zipzer The World’s Greatest Underachiever Henry Winkler
Inspired by the true life experiences of celebrity Henry Winkler, whose undiagnosed dyslexia made him a classic childhood underachiever, this series is about the high-spirited and funny adventures of a boy with learning differences.
Mo & Dale Mysteries Sheila Turnage
Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Miss Moses LoBeau-rising sixth grader, natural born detective, borderline straight-A student, and goddess of free enterprise--now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a cafe and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.
Mr. Lemoncello Chris Grabenstein
#1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Grabenstein presents the fantastically fun, puzzle-packed Mr. Lemoncello adventures. Short, fast-paced chapters, heart-pounding high speed races, fantastic puzzles & games the reader can play along with, dastardly villains, twists, turns, surprising facts, a game factory, & much more!
NERDS Michael Buckley
Combining all the excitement of international espionage and all the awkwardness of elementary school, NERDS, featuring a group of unpopular students who run a network from inside their school, hits the mark. With the help of cutting-edge science, their nerdy qualities are enhanced and transformed into incredible abilities!
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Rick Riordan
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.
Tales from Alcatraz Gennifer Choldenko
Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school. But Natalie has autism, and when she's denied admittance to the school, the stark setting of Alcatraz begins to unravel the tenuous coping mechanisms Moose's family has used for dealing with her disorder. Set in 1935, when guards actually lived on Alcatraz Island with their families, author Choldenko's series brings humor to the complexities of family dynamics and illuminates the real struggle of a kid trying to free himself from the "good boy" stance he's taken his whole life.
Action-packed adventures! As a spy for Britain's intelligence agency M16, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider has been shot at by international terrorists, chased down a mountainside, stood face to face with evil...what's next?
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls Meg Cabot
Nine-year-old Allie has rules for everything and is even writing her own rule book, but her world is turned upside-down when she learns that her family is moving across town, which will mean a new house, school, best friend, and plenty of new rules.
Baseball Card Adventure Dan Gutman
Funny and well-paced, perfect for fans of time-travel, fantasy, and baseball! Full of sports trivia and actual historical documents. Joe Stoshack travels back in time to meet baseball greats!
Chronicles of Narnia C. S. Lewis
Four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch who has cursed the land with eternal winter.
Comeback Kids Mike Lupica
Bestseller-author Mike Lupica offers his tribute to the underdog! Grab the attention of readers with these action-packed sports titles that are sure to keep them cheering for more.
Cupcake Diaries Coco Simon
Middle school can be hard--some days you need a cupcake! - This fresh tween series features a group of four unique girls, Alexis, Emma, Katie, and Mia, who are trying their best to navigate through the wild terrain that is middle school. They accidentally form the Cupcake Club, and with friends and frosting, fun ensues.
Emily Windsnap Liz Kessler
After finally convincing her mother that she should take swimming lessons, twelve-year-old Emily discovers a terrible and wonderful secret about herself that opens up a whole new world. This is a captivating fantasy about a beautiful island and feisty Emily Windsnap--half mermaid, half human. These stories feature engaging characters and plenty of mermaid magic.
Goddess Girls Joan Holub
Well-researched and true to the original myths, each volume addresses contemporary issues, like friendships and relationships, from a classically accurate--and entertaining--perspective.
Hank Zipzer The World’s Greatest Underachiever Henry Winkler
Inspired by the true life experiences of celebrity Henry Winkler, whose undiagnosed dyslexia made him a classic childhood underachiever, this series is about the high-spirited and funny adventures of a boy with learning differences.
Mo & Dale Mysteries Sheila Turnage
Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Miss Moses LoBeau-rising sixth grader, natural born detective, borderline straight-A student, and goddess of free enterprise--now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a cafe and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.
Mr. Lemoncello Chris Grabenstein
#1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Grabenstein presents the fantastically fun, puzzle-packed Mr. Lemoncello adventures. Short, fast-paced chapters, heart-pounding high speed races, fantastic puzzles & games the reader can play along with, dastardly villains, twists, turns, surprising facts, a game factory, & much more!
NERDS Michael Buckley
Combining all the excitement of international espionage and all the awkwardness of elementary school, NERDS, featuring a group of unpopular students who run a network from inside their school, hits the mark. With the help of cutting-edge science, their nerdy qualities are enhanced and transformed into incredible abilities!
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Rick Riordan
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.
Tales from Alcatraz Gennifer Choldenko
Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school. But Natalie has autism, and when she's denied admittance to the school, the stark setting of Alcatraz begins to unravel the tenuous coping mechanisms Moose's family has used for dealing with her disorder. Set in 1935, when guards actually lived on Alcatraz Island with their families, author Choldenko's series brings humor to the complexities of family dynamics and illuminates the real struggle of a kid trying to free himself from the "good boy" stance he's taken his whole life.
Individual Books
Bud, Not Buddy Christopher Paul Curtis
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
Crenshaw Katherine Applegate
A story about a homeless boy and his imaginary friend that proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary.
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures Kate DiCamillo
A girl named Flora and a squirrel named Ulysses, whose life was saved by Flora after he was involved in an incident with a vacuum cleaner, team up to use Ulysses' superpowers to conquer villains and protect the weak.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler E.L. Konigsburg
Two suburban children run away from their Connecticut home and go to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where their ingenuity enables them to live in luxury.
Hello, Universe Erin Entrada Kelly
The lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully's prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him.
Hero Mike Lupica
Fourteen-year-old Zach learns he has the same special abilities as his father, who was the president's globe-trotting troubleshooter until "the Bads" killed him, and now Zach must decide whether to use his powers in the same way at the risk of his own life.
Island of the Blue Dolphins Scott O’Dell
Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life.
Lawn Boy Gary Paulsen
Things get out of hand for a twelve-year-old boy when a neighbor convinces him to expand his summer lawn mowing business.
The Losers Club Andrew Clements
Alec, a sixth-grade bookworm always in trouble for reading instead of listening and participating in class, starts a book club, solely to have a place to read, and discovers that real life, although messy, can be as exciting as the stories in his favorite books.
My Side of the Mountain Jean Craighead George
A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.
Night of the Howling Dogs Graham Salisbury
Eleven Boy Scouts, their leaders, and some new friends camping at Halape, Hawaii, find their survival skills put to the test when a massive earthquake strikes, followed by a tsunami.
The One and Only Ivan Katherine Applegate
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.
Pax Sara Pennypacker
After being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back.
Penny from Heaven Jennifer Holm
As she turns twelve during the summer of 1953, Penny gains new insights into herself and her family while also learning a secret about her father's death.
Rules Cynthia Lord
Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.
Trapped in Death Cave Bill Wallace
A posthumous letter referring to buried treasure convinces Gary that his grandfather did not die a natural death and, with his friend Brian, he sets out to find both the treasure and his grandfather's killer.
The War that Saved My Life Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.
The Wild Robot Peter Brown
Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants.
Additional book suggestions may be found here: The Georgia Children's Book Award Winners
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
Crenshaw Katherine Applegate
A story about a homeless boy and his imaginary friend that proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary.
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures Kate DiCamillo
A girl named Flora and a squirrel named Ulysses, whose life was saved by Flora after he was involved in an incident with a vacuum cleaner, team up to use Ulysses' superpowers to conquer villains and protect the weak.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler E.L. Konigsburg
Two suburban children run away from their Connecticut home and go to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where their ingenuity enables them to live in luxury.
Hello, Universe Erin Entrada Kelly
The lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully's prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him.
Hero Mike Lupica
Fourteen-year-old Zach learns he has the same special abilities as his father, who was the president's globe-trotting troubleshooter until "the Bads" killed him, and now Zach must decide whether to use his powers in the same way at the risk of his own life.
Island of the Blue Dolphins Scott O’Dell
Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life.
Lawn Boy Gary Paulsen
Things get out of hand for a twelve-year-old boy when a neighbor convinces him to expand his summer lawn mowing business.
The Losers Club Andrew Clements
Alec, a sixth-grade bookworm always in trouble for reading instead of listening and participating in class, starts a book club, solely to have a place to read, and discovers that real life, although messy, can be as exciting as the stories in his favorite books.
My Side of the Mountain Jean Craighead George
A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.
Night of the Howling Dogs Graham Salisbury
Eleven Boy Scouts, their leaders, and some new friends camping at Halape, Hawaii, find their survival skills put to the test when a massive earthquake strikes, followed by a tsunami.
The One and Only Ivan Katherine Applegate
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.
Pax Sara Pennypacker
After being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back.
Penny from Heaven Jennifer Holm
As she turns twelve during the summer of 1953, Penny gains new insights into herself and her family while also learning a secret about her father's death.
Rules Cynthia Lord
Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.
Trapped in Death Cave Bill Wallace
A posthumous letter referring to buried treasure convinces Gary that his grandfather did not die a natural death and, with his friend Brian, he sets out to find both the treasure and his grandfather's killer.
The War that Saved My Life Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.
The Wild Robot Peter Brown
Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants.
Additional book suggestions may be found here: The Georgia Children's Book Award Winners
The book summaries on this summer reading list are reproduced with the permission of Follett Library Resources, Inc. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.