4th Grade Reading List

Great Read-Aloud books for 4th Graders:

 

Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White

Louis, a voiceless Trumpeter swan, finds himself far from his wilderness home when he determines to communicate by learning to play a stolen trumpet.

 

 

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

When a mysterious old man gives James some magical, tiny green things, he certainly never imagines that they will grow into an enormous peach.

 

 

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.

 

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever increasing problem.

 

 

One and Only Ivan by 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.

 

Mysteries:

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.

 

 

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

Having run away with her younger brother to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, twelve-year-old Claudia strives to keep things in order in their new home and to become a changed person and a heroine to herself.

 

 

Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Dylan and his sisters have some ideas about how to make Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel into a more profitable business, but it is not until some strange men arrive in their small town of Manod, Wales with valuable paintings, and their father disappears, that they consider turning to crime.

 

Jim Ugly by Sid Fleischman

The adventures of twelve-year-old Jake and Jim Ugly, his father’s part-mongrel, part-wolf dog, as they travel through the Old West trying to find out what really happened to Jake’s actor father.

 

 

The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo by Jean Craig George

Sixth-grader Liza K., one of five homeless people living in an unspoiled forest in southern Florida, searches for a missing alligator destined for official extermination and studies the delicate ecological balance keeping her outdoor home beautiful.

 

 

Murder, My Tweet-A Chet Gecko Mystery by Bruce Hale

Detective Chet Gecko and his associate, Natalie Attired, take a case tailing what they think is a cheating boyfriend but are instead led to a school mystery that involves blackmail and robots.

 

 

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1970s television game show, “The $20,000 Pyramid,” a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

 

 

A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy

Kid mysteries with catchy titles. These are quick, fun reads for mystery fans.

 

Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen

Thirteen-year-old Sammy’s penchant for speaking her mind gets her in trouble when investigating various mysteries.

 

 

39 Clues series by various authors

The 39 Clues chronicle the adventures of two siblings, Amy and Dan Cahill, who discover that their family, the Cahills, has been the most influential family in history. The first stories concern Dan and Amy’s quest to find the 39 Clues, which are ingredients to a serum that can create the most powerful person on Earth. A mix of adventure, mystery and historical fiction, this is a great series for Tween readers.

 

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

A new mystery series for kids. In book one, The Unbreakable Code, Mr. Quisling is definitely up to something mysterious, and Emily and James are on high alert. First, there’s the coded note he drops at a book event. Then Emily and James uncover a trail of encrypted messages in books by Mark Twain hidden through Book Scavenger. What is most suspicious is that each hidden book triggers an arson.

 

Greenglass House by Kate Milford

At Greenglass House, a smuggler’s inn, twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his winter holidays relaxing but soon guests are arriving with strange stories about the house sending Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, on an adventure.

 

 

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

In this cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Night in the Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to create the perfect tale for his quirky characters. Old fans and new readers will become enthralled with the crafty twists and turns of this ultimate library experience.

 

The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonym Bosch

Two eleven-year-old misfits try to solve the mystery of a dead magician and stop the evil Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais, who are searching for the secret of immortality.

 

 

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

When Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye Ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together–Ted with his brain that is “wired differently” and impatient Kat–to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.

 

Humor:

 

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security.

 

 

Circle of Doom by Tim Kennemore

Thirteen-year-old Lizzie uses ingredients both ordinary and not so ordinary to make a series of magic potions, to the growing astonishment of her younger brothers.

 

 

Not-Just-Anybody Family by Betsy Byars

In this introduction to a one-of-a-kind clan, Pap, the Blossoms’ grandfather, has landed himself in jail for disturbing the peace. Even though Junior is laid up in the hospital with two broken legs after jumping off the barn roof to test his new homemade wings, he and his sister and brother, Maggie and Vern, have come up with a plan to rescue Pap. A new generation of readers will fall head over heels for this engaging, hilarious family.

 

Bunnicula series by James Howe

Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.

 

 

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future.

 

 

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, which was accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each story.

 

 

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

A classic. Two boys set out to prove that worms can make a delicious meal.

 

 

Timmy Failure by Stephan Pastis

Local Sonoma County author, Stephan Pastis, brings us this hilarious new series, Timmy Failure, about an inept kid detective and his sidekick polar bear.

 

 

The Tapper Twins Go to War (with each other) by Geoff Rodkey

Twelve-year-old twins, Claudia and Reese, who couldn’t be more different…except in their determination to come out on top in a vicious prank war. But when the competition escalates into an all-out battle that’s fought from the cafeteria of their New York City private school all the way to the fictional universe of an online video game, the twins have to decide if their efforts to destroy each other are worth the price.

 

The Genius Files by Dan Gutman

Book 1 of the Genius Files is Mission Unstoppable. On a cross-country vacation with their parents, twins Coke and Pepsi, soon to be thirteen, fend off strange assassins as they try to come to terms with their being part of a top-secret government organization known as The Genius Files.

 

Sisters by Raina Telegmeier

Raina can’t wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren’t quite how she expected them to be.

 

Adventure:

Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

Nim loves her island home and the animals she shares it with even while her scientist father is away doing research. But trouble is on the way and a new e-mail friend could be the only one who can help.

 

 

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Meggie lives a quiet life alone with her father, a bookbinder. But her father has a deep secret–he possesses an extraordinary magical power. One day a mysterious stranger arrives who seems linked to her father’s past. Who is this sinister character and what does he want? Suddenly Meggie is involved in a breathless game of escape and intrigue as her father’s life is put in danger. Will she be able to save him in time?

 

Mysterious Benedict Society by Trent Lee Stewart

After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

 

 

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

When strange and seemingly unrelated events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.

 

I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis

Each book in the series tells a terrifying and thrilling story from history, through the eyes of a boy who lived to tell the tale.

 

 

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Having lost his mother and his hearing in a short time, twelve-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he never knew in New York City and meets there Rose, who is also longing for something missing from her life. Ben’s story is told in words; Rose’s in pictures.

 

Historical Fiction:

TBD