Even More Great Books for Fifth Graders

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (Many others in series)

JFIC COLFER Artemis (AR Pts: 9.0; Lexile: 600L)
When twelve-year-old evil genius Artemis Fowl tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy
and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty
troll.

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (Others in series)
JFIC GIDWITZ Tale (AR Pts: 6.0; Lexile: 690L)
Follow Hansel and Gretel as they walk out of their own story and into eight more tales, encountering
such wicked creatures as witches, along with kindly strangers and other helpful folk.

Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes
JFIC GRIMES Words (AR Pts: 1.0; Lexile: 850L)
Gabby daydreams to tune out her parents' arguments, but when her parents divorce and she begins a
new school, daydreaming gets her into trouble.

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata
JFIC KADOHATA Thing (AR Pts: 7.0; Lexile: 700L)
Just when twelve-year-old Summer thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong in a year of bad luck, an
emergency takes her parents to Japan, leaving Summer to care for her little brother while helping her
grandmother cook and do laundry for harvest workers.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
JFIC PALACIO Wonder (AR Pts: 11.0; Lexile: 790L)
Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, born with extreme facial abnormalities, goes from being home-schooled
to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and
fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (Many others in series)
JS RIORDAN Maze v.1 (AR Pts: 7.0; Lexile: 610L)
At the reading of their grandmother's will, Dan and Amy Cahill are given the choice of receiving a million
dollars or uncovering the 39 clues hidden around the world that will lead to the source of the family's
power, but by taking on the clues, they end up in a dangerous race against their own family members.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
JFIC SELZNICK OR JCALD SELZNICK (AR Pts: 4.0; Lexile: 820L)
When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station
in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are
jeopardized.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
JFIC SLOAN Counting (AR Pts: 10.0; Lexile: 770L)
Twelve-year-old genius and outsider Willow Chance must figure out how to connect with other people
and find a surrogate family for herself after her parents are killed in a car accident.

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke. (Graphic Novel Others in series)
JGN 741.5973 H364z v.1 (AR Pts: 1.0; Lexile: GN310L)
When young Zita discovers a device that opens a portal to another place, and her best friend is
abducted, she is compelled to set out on a strange journey from star to star in order to get back home.

Nonfiction:

Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch. Photographs by Tom Uhlman.
JNF 363.3495 R951e (AR Pts: 3.0; Lexile: 1000L)
An account of the work of volcanologists Andy Lockhart, John Pallister, and their team describes their
life-risking efforts to investigate dangerous volcanoes that pose threats to more than one billion people
worldwide.

Go: A Kidds Guide to Graphic Design by Chip Kidd
JNF 740 K46g (Not rated; Lexile: 1100L)
Go, by the award-winning graphic designer Chip Kidd, is a stunning introduction to the ways in which a
designer communicates his or her ideas to the world.

Poems to Learn by Heart selected by Caroline Kennedy. Illustrations by Jon J. Muth.
JNF 821.008 P744K (Not rated; Lexile: None)
For this companion to her "New York Times"-bestselling collection "A Family of Poems," Kennedy has
hand-selected more than 100 of her favorite poems that lend themselves to memorization.

Lincolns Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin
JNF 973.7 L736S (AR Pts: 5.0; Lexile: 930L)
A dramatic account of the 1875 attempt to steal the 16th president's body describes how a
counterfeiting ring plotted to ransom Lincoln's body to secure the release of their imprisoned ringleader
and how a fledgling Secret Service and an undercover agent conducted a daring election-night sting
operation.

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
JBIO EARHART,A F597a (AR Pts: 5.0; Lexile: 930L)
Tells the story of Amelia Earhart's life - as a child, a woman, and a pilot - and describes the search for her
missing plane.

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis
JBIO SIS,P Si622w (AR Pts: 1.0; Lexile: AD760L)
This beautifully illustrated book chronicles Peter Siss youth on the Communist side of the Iron curtain.