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Fifth Grade California Learning Standards

Fifth Grade California Learning Standards

Fifth Grade California Learning Standards

Select a subject to review its standards, organized into teacher-friendly learning categories.

English Language Arts

Plan reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language instruction from the Grade 5 expectations below.

44 standards organized into 6 learning categories

Language

6 standards
L.5.1

Standard: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their function in particular sentences. b. Form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked; I have walked; I will have walked) verb tenses. c. Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions. d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.* e. Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor). Footnote: Beginning in grade 3, skills and understandings that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking are marked with an asterisk (*).

L.5.2

Standard: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use punctuation to separate items in a series.* b. Use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence. c. Use a comma to set off the words yes and no (e.g., Yes, thank you), to set off a tag question from the rest of the sentence (e.g., It's true, isn't it?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is that you, Steve?). d. Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works. e. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed. Footnote: Beginning in grade 3, skills and understandings that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking are marked with an asterisk (*).

L.5.3

Standard: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. a. Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style. b. Compare and contrast the varieties of English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas, or poems.

L.5.4

Standard: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. a. Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis). c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases and to identify alternate word choices in all content areas. CA

L.5.5

Standard: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context. b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. c. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words.

L.5.6

Standard: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).

Reading: Foundational Skills

2 standards
RF.5.3

Standard: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. a. Use combined knowledge of all letter sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

RF.5.4

Standard: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Reading: Informational Text

10 standards
RI.5.1

Standard: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

RI.5.10

Standard: By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

RI.5.2

Standard: Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

RI.5.3

Standard: Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

RI.5.4

Standard: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area. (See grade 5 Language standards 4-6 for additional expectations.) CA

RI.5.5

Standard: Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.

RI.5.6

Standard: Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.

RI.5.7

Standard: Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

RI.5.8

Standard: Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).

RI.5.9

Standard: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Reading: Literature

10 standards
RL.5.1

Standard: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

RL.5.10

Standard: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

RL.5.2

Standard: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

RL.5.3

Standard: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

RL.5.4

Standard: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes. (See grade 5 Language standards 4-6 for additional expectations.) CA

RL.5.5

Standard: Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

RL.5.6

Standard: Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.

RL.5.7

Standard: Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

RL.5.8

Standard: (Not applicable to literature)

RL.5.9

Standard: Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Speaking and Listening

6 standards
SL.5.1

Standard: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. c. Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. d. Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.

SL.5.2

Standard: Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

SL.5.3

Standard: Summarize the points a speaker or media source makes and explain how each claim is supported by reason and evidence, and identify and analyze and logical fallacies. CA

SL.5.4

Standard: Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. a. Plan and deliver an opinion speech that: states an opinion, logically sequences evidence to support the speaker's position, uses transition words to effectively link opinions and evidence (e.g., consequently and therefore), and provides a concluding statement related to the speaker's position. CA b. Memorize and recite a poem or section of a speech or historical document using rate, expression, and gestures appropriate to the selection. CA

SL.5.5

Standard: Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

SL.5.6

Standard: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 5 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)

Writing

10 standards
W.5.1

Standard: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose. b. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details. c. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically). d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

W.5.10

Standard: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

W.5.2

Standard: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. a. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. c. Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially). d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

W.5.3

Standard: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. c. Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events. d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

W.5.4

Standard: Produce clear and coherent writing (including multipleparagraph texts) in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.) CA

W.5.5

Standard: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 5.)

W.5.6

Standard: With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

W.5.7

Standard: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

W.5.8

Standard: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

W.5.9

Standard: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how characters interact]"). b. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point[s]").

Fifth Grade Literature Books

Literature for Fifth Grade Learning

Literature for Fifth Grade Learning

This teacher-focused collection includes titles identified in the source list for Grade 4, Grade 5, or Grade 6. Some selections also extend beyond this adjacent-grade window.

  • Grade 4
  • Grade 5
  • Grade 6

127 titles shown

A Comb of Wishes

Lisa Stringfellow

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fantasy, Folklore
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Set against the backdrop of Caribbean folklore, Lisa Stringfellow's spellbinding middle grade debut tells of a grieving girl and a vengeful mermaid

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

A Duet for Home

Karina Yan Glaser

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

From the New York Times best-selling creator of the Vanderbeekers series comes a triumphant tale of friendship, healing, and the power of believing in ourselves, told from the perspectives of two biracial sixth graders living in a homeless shelter.

Culture
Black/African American, Multicultural
Topics
Music

A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters

Duncan Tonatiuh

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

A young Aztec girl tells her little brother how their parents create beautiful painted manuscripts, or codices. She explains to him how paper is made from local plants and how the long paper is folded into a book. Her parents and others paint the codices to tell the story of their people's way of life, documenting their history, science, tributes, and sacred rituals.

Culture
Indigenous Peoples, Latino/Latino American
Topics
Not specified

A River's Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn

Patricia Newman

Grades K,1,2,3,4,5 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

Discover how changes to the Elwha River harmed the ecosystem but through persistence, cooperation, and advocacy it was renewed and restored.

Culture
Native American
Topics
American History, Earth Science, Life Science (Biology)

A Seed in the Sun

Aida Salazar

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Fiction in Verse, Historical Fiction, Poetry
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Lula, a farm-working girl with big dreams, meets Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong, and other labor rights activists and joins the 1965 protest for workers' rights.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
American History, Immigration/Migration

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L'Engle

Grades 4,5,6 1962 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Science Fiction, Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Meg Murry travels across dimensions with her brother and a friend to rescue her scientist father from a dark cosmic force.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Science fiction, Family, Perseverance

Air

Monica Roe

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction, Sports
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Twelve-and-a-half year old Emelyn Ethrige lives with her father in South Carolina, dreams of wheelchair motocross, and makes custom chair bags trying to earn enough money to buy a serious set of wheels. She has been in a wheelchair all her life, and is just fine getting around without help, but it seems that since her mother was killed in an accident everyone have started treating her differently: urging caution and trying to "help" and for an independently-minded girl who loves speed and big air tricks it is frustrating--so Emelyn and her best friends come up with a plan to change their minds.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Physical Fitness

Alice Austen Lived Here

Alex Gino

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Middle school student Sam is comfortable with their nonbinary identity, and their family has accepted it too (as long as they do their homework and chores), so when their history teacher assigns as a project coming up with a proposal for the new statue honoring a historical Staten Islander (there is a contest involved) they and their friend TJ decide to focus on Alice Austen, a lesbian photographer, whose house on Staten Island is a museum--but they have to overcome the presumption on the part of their teacher that only straight males are eligible.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Gender/Sexuality

Alone

Megan Freeman

Grades 6,7,8 2021
Genre
Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction in Verse, Science Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned. With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten. As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

American Murderer: The Parasite That Haunted the South

Gail Jarrow

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

The newest installment of Jarrow’s “Medical Fiascoes” series delves into the devastating impact and attempted eradication of hookworm in the American South. The species in question, Necator americanus, or “American murderer,” was discovered by epidemiologist Charles Wardell Stiles. Thriving in warm climates, the hookworm larva enters the body via the skin—often of bare feet—and travels in the bloodstream to the lungs, where it exits the capillaries and is swallowed. Once in the small intestine, it attaches itself and grows to maturity on the blood of its host. Like the others in the series, this account provides necessary social and cultural context alongside robust (and horrifying) medical and scientific information.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
American History, Global Historical Events and Figures, Life Science (Biology), Personal and Community Health

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids

Cynthia Leitich Smith

Grades 6,7,8 2021
Genre
Realistic Fiction, Short Story
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

A bustling anthology of 16 short stories framed by opening and closing poems all connect to an annual intertribal powwow in Ann Arbor. Readers are immersed in the sights, sounds, energy, and emotions of a powwow experience.

Culture
Indigenous Peoples, Native American
Topics
American History

Anne of West Philly: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Anne of Green Gables

Ivy Noelle Weir

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert decide to foster a teenage girl for the first time, their lives are changed forever. Their redheaded foster daughter, Anne Shirley, is in search of an exciting life and has decided that West Philly is where she's going to find it. Armed with a big personality and unstoppable creativity, Anne takes her new home by storm as she joins the robotics club, makes new friends in Diana and Gilbert, experiences first love, and turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. But as Anne starts to get comfortable, she discovers one thing she wasn't looking for: a family.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
Not specified

Because of Winn-Dixie

Kate DiCamillo

Grades 3,4,5 2000 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A lonely girl adopts a stray dog who helps her build a new community of friends in her small Florida town.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Community, Belonging

Blast Off!: How Mary Sherman Morgan Fueled America Into Space

Suzanne Slade

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Biography/Autobiography
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

Chronicles the life of the first female rocket scientist who, chosen to create the fuel to launch a rocket carrying America's first satellite, broke gender barriers and overcame many challenges to succeed.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Physical Science (Chemistry and Physics)

Bok's Giant Leap: One Moon Rock's Journey Through Time and Space

Neil Armstrong

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Science Fiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

Based on a speech Neil Armstrong gave upon receiving the moon rock he named Bok, this unique picture book tells the story of how the Earth and the Moon came to be. Includes facts about the Earth and the Moon.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

Bridge to Terabithia

Katherine Paterson

Grades 4,5,6,7 1977 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Two classmates invent an imaginary kingdom in the woods, until tragedy forces one of them to carry the friendship forward alone.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Imagination, Grief, Friendship

Bud, Not Buddy

Christopher Paul Curtis

Grades 5,6,7 1999 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Historical Fiction, Humor
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

During the Great Depression, an orphaned boy sets out on foot to find the man he believes is his father, a famous bandleader.

Culture
African American
Topics
Great Depression, Resilience

Built by Animals: Meet the Creatures Who Inspire Our Homes and Cities

Christiane Dorion

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

From the bee's honeycomb shape that strengthens structures to termites' that build their nests with natural air con, these creatures did it first! And, at the end of the book, find out who wins big at the Animal Builder Awards! Will it be the prairie dog, the peacock, the beaver, or the firefly?

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Life Science (Biology)

Caprice

Coe Booth

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

After a wonderful seven weeks at Ainsley International School, twelve-year-old Caprice has been offered a full scholarship and she should be delighted, but instead she is full of doubts because what happened at the last night dance has brought back the memory of being sexually abused by her uncle as a four-year-old; worse, her maternal grandmother is ill, and that means going back to the house in Baltimore where it all happened--Caprice has never told anybody but now, as she realizes that her grandmother knew, she tries to find the words to tell someone, and the strength to finally confront her abuser.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
Mental, Emotional, and Social Health, Women’s Studies

Captain America: The Ghost Army

Alan Gratz

Grades 6,7,8 2023
Genre
Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

In this thrilling historical adventure, 18 year-old Steve Rogers (AKA Captain America) and his young sidekick, Bucky Barnes are fighting in WWII when they encounter a threat like none they've ever seen -- a Ghost Army. The dead of this war and wars past are coming back to life, impervious to bullets, flames, or anything else the Allies can throw at them. The armies rise from the ground in the night and seem to disappear without a trace. How can Cap and Buck fight something that's already dead? And just what does the mysterious Baron Mordo, sitting in his castle atop nearby Wundagore Mountain have to do with this?

Culture
Not specified
Topics
War

Caves

Nell Cross Beckerman

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

A masterful exploration of one of nature's most curious ecosystems, Caves is a magical journey into subterranean wonders.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Earth Science

Cece Rios and the King of Fears

Kaela Rivera

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fantasy, Mythology
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Cece and her sister Juana must journey into the stronghold of Devil's Alley to challenge the criatura king El Cucuy. Cece Rios thought saving her sister would be the end of her adventures in the world of criaturas. But part of Juana's soul is still trapped in Devil's Alley. As Cece tries to find a way to get it back using her new curandera abilities, Juana takes her fate in her own hands and sets off alone, intent on restoring her soul and getting revenge on El Sombrerón.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Not specified

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement

Angela Joy

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Biography/Autobiography, Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

An informational picture book about Mamie Till Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till, beautifully tells a wrenching story. The repeated refrain, “It was the braver thing,” underscores Mamie Till Mobley’s lifelong inclination to do the thing that was often more frightening, more difficult.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
American History

City of Thieves

C. Alexander London

Grades 6,7,8 2021
Genre
Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

In a modern mega-city built around dragons, one boy gets caught up in the world of underground dragon battles and a high-stakes gang war that could tear his family apart.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

Cornbread & Poppy

Matthew Cordell

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Humor
Format
Easy Reader
Book description and connections

Cornbread LOVES planning. Poppy does not. Cornbread ADORES preparing. Poppy does not. Cornbread IS ready for winter. Poppy...is not. But Cornbread and Poppy are the best of friends, so when Poppy is left without any food for the long winter, Cornbread volunteers to help her out. Their search leads them up, up, up Holler Mountain, where these mice might find a new friend...and an old one.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

Cress Watercress

Gregory Maguire

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

When Papa doesn't return from a nocturnal honey-gathering expedition, Cress holds out hope, but her mother assumes the worst. It’s a dangerous world for rabbits, after all. Mama moves what’s left of the Watercress family to the basement unit of the Broken Arms, a run-down apartment oak with a suspect owl landlord, a nosy mouse super, a rowdy family of squirrels, and a pair of songbirds who broadcast everyone’s business. Can a dead tree full of annoying neighbors, and no Papa, ever be home?

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

Eden's Everdark

Karen Strong

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Twelve-year-old Eden is mourning the loss of her mother when she and her father make their first visit to Safina Island, off the coast of Georgia, to meet her maternal relatives. Once there, she accidentally slips into an alternate magical world inhabited by eerie, mystical creatures from her dead mother’s sketchbook. The complex narrative portrays multifaceted characters as it weaves together history, magic, and grief.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
Not specified

Ellen Outside the Lines

A.J. Sass

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Ellen, an autistic thirteen-year-old, navigates a new city, shifting friendships, a growing crush, and her queer and Jewish identities while on a class trip to Barcelona, Spain.

Culture
Jewish/Jewish American
Topics
Gender/Sexuality

Endlessly Ever After

Laurel Snyder

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Adventure, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Folklore, Science Fiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

In this rhyming mash-up of many fairy tales, the reader is invited to follow Rosie down the many possible paths which may lead to a sleeping maiden, a hungry wolf, a girl locked in a tower, or a goose that lays golden eggs--but with some luck, and some smart choices, Rosie may save herself and her fellow fairy tale characters.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

Esperanza Rising

Pam Muñoz Ryan

Grades 5,6,7 2000 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

After losing everything in Mexico, a once-wealthy girl and her mother must build a new life as farm laborers in Depression-era California.

Culture
Mexican/Mexican American
Topics
Immigration, Great Depression, Resilience

Falling Short

Ernesto Cisneros

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction, Sports
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Isaac and Marco already know sixth grade is going to change their lives. But it won’t change things at home—not without each other’s help. This year, star basketball player Isaac plans on finally keeping up with his schoolwork. Better grades will surely stop Isaac’s parents from arguing all the time. Meanwhile, straight-A Marco vows on finally winning his father’s approval by earning a spot on the school’s basketball team. But will their friendship and support for each other be enough to keep the two boys from falling short?

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Physical Fitness

Freddie vs. The Family Curse

Tracy Badua

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

In this thrilling and hilarious middle grade adventure, a young Filipino-American boy must team up with his ancestor to break the curse that's haunted their family for generations… or be trapped in an amulet forever.

Culture
Filipino/Filipino American
Topics
Immigration/Migration

Freewater

Amina Luqman-Dawson

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

After an entire young life of enslavement, twelve-year-old Homer escapes Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, leaving his beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the recesses of the swamp.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
American History

Frindle

Andrew Clements

Grades 3,4,5 1996 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction, Humor
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A fifth grader invents a new word for pen and sets off a chain of events that spreads it across the country.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
How language and word meaning develop

Frizzy

Claribel Ortega

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

Marlene loves three things: books, her cool Tía Ruby and hanging out with her best friend Camila. But according to her mother, Paola, the only thing she needs to focus on is school and "growing up." That means straightening her hair every weekend so she could have "presentable", "good hair".

Culture
Black/African American, Latino/Latino American, Multicultural
Topics
Not specified

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

E.L. Konigsburg

Grades 4,5,6,7 1967 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Two siblings run away from home to live secretly inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art and uncover a mystery about a statue.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Independence, Mystery-genre conventions

Golden Girl

Reem Faruqi

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Fiction in Verse, Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Seventh grader Aafiyah loves playing tennis, reading Weird but True facts, and hanging out with her best friend, Zaina. However, Aafiyah has a bad habit that troubles her—she’s drawn to pretty things and can’t help but occasionally “borrow” them. But when her father is falsely accused of a crime he hasn’t committed and gets taken in by authorities, Aafiyah knows she needs to do something to help. When she brainstorms a way to bring her father back, she turns to her Weird but True facts and devises the perfect plan.

Culture
Muslim, South Asian
Topics
Not specified

Ground Zero

Alan Gratz

Grades 6,7,8 2021
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

In time for the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, master storyteller Alan Gratz (Refugee) delivers a pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear -- and the stunning links between the past and present.

Culture
Latino/Latino American, Middle Eastern
Topics
American History, War

Growing Pangs

Kathryn Ormsbee

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

Eleven-year-old Katie navigates life as a homeschooler, forms a better understanding of the OCD she experiences, and learns that growing apart from friends is sometimes part of growing up.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Mental, Emotional, and Social Health

Hatchet

Gary Paulsen

Grades 5,6,7,8 1987 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

After a plane crash strands him alone in the Canadian wilderness, a boy must learn to survive with only a hatchet.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Survival, Man versus nature

Hazard

Frances O'Roark Dowell

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Fiction in Verse, Poetry, Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

A kid filled with rage, suspended from the football team for unsportsmanlike conduct, and his father, newly home from the war in Afghanistan, reckon with the injuries they’ve caused to others and themselves in this unflinching middle grade novel in verse about love and forgiveness.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Mental, Emotional, and Social Health, War

Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day

Dan Nott

Grades 6,7,8 2023
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

We use water, electricity, and the internet every day--but how do they actually work? And what’s the plan to keep them running for years to come? This nonfiction science graphic novel takes readers on a journey from how the most essential systems were developed to how they are implemented in our world today and how they will be used in the future.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Physical Science (Chemistry and Physics)

Holes

Louis Sachar

Grades 4,5,6,7 1998 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction, Mystery
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A boy sentenced to a juvenile detention camp discovers that digging holes in the desert is connected to a decades-old mystery.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Cause and effect, Interwoven timelines

Hoot

Carl Hiaasen

Grades 5,6,7 2002 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction, Mystery
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A new kid in a Florida town helps a barefoot boy protect a colony of burrowing owls from a pancake-house construction site.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Environmental activism, Humor

How to Build a Human: In Seven Evolutionary Steps

Pamela Turner

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

This entertaining, informative, accessible account about human evolution starts with an explanation of natural selection and returns to it throughout as it touches on major milestones in the evolution of hominins, including which traits, behaviors, and skills allowed them—us—to continue to survive and evolve.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Life Science (Biology)

How to Find What You're Not Looking For

Veera Hiranandani

Grades 3,4,5 2021
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Middle schooler Ariel Goldberg must find her own voice and define her own beliefs after her big sister elopes with a young man from India following the Supreme Court decision that strikes down laws banning interracial marriage.

Culture
Jewish/Jewish American
Topics
Not specified

Hummingbird

Natalie Lloyd

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Twelve-year-old homeschooled Olive is tired of being seen as "fragile" just because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (otherwise known as brittle bone disease) so she's thrilled when she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Macklemore Elementary. Olive can't wait to go to a traditional school and make the friends she's always longed for, until a disastrous first day dashes her hopes of ever fitting in. Then Olive hears whispers about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives near Macklemore. It’ll be the solution to all her problems! If she can find the bird and prove herself worthy, the creature will make her most desperate, secret wish come true.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

I Am Ruby Bridges

Ruby Bridges

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Biography/Autobiography
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

When Ruby Bridges was six years old, she became the first African American student to integrate an elementary school in the South. Told in the perspective of her six year old self and based on the pivotal events that happened in 1960, Ruby tells her story like never before. Embracing her name and learning that even at six years old she was able to pave the path for future generations, this is a story full of hope, innocence, and courage.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
American History

In the Beautiful Country

Jane Kuo

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fiction in Verse, Poetry, Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Anna can’t wait to move to the beautiful country—the Chinese name for America. Although she’s only ever known life in Taiwan, she can’t help but brag about the move to her family and friends. But the beautiful country isn’t anything like Anna pictured. Her family can only afford a cramped apartment, she’s bullied at school, and she struggles to understand a new language. On top of that, the restaurant that her parents poured their savings into is barely staying afloat. The version of America that Anna is experiencing is nothing like she imagined. How will she be able to make the beautiful country her home?

Culture
South Asian
Topics
Immigration/Migration

Invisible

Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Gabriela Epstein

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

For fans of New Kid and Allergic, a must-have graphic novel about five very different students who are forced together by their school to complete community service... and may just have more in common than they thought.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Not specified

Isla to Island

Alexis Castellanos

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Graphic Novel, Wordless Book
Book description and connections

This stunning wordless graphic novel follows a young girl in the 1960s who immigrates from Cuba to the United States and must redefine what home means to her. Marisol loves her colorful island home. Cuba is vibrant with flowers and food and people…but things are changing. The home Marisol loves is no longer safe—and then it’s no longer her home at all. Her parents are sending her to the United States. Alone.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Immigration/Migration

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Scott O'Dell

Grades 3,4,5 1960 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Historical Fiction, Adventure
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Stranded alone on a Pacific island for years, Karana must find food, shelter, and courage to survive.

Culture
Native American (Nicoleño)
Topics
Survival, Perseverance, California history

Iveliz Explains It All

Alyssa Bermudez, Andrea Beatriz Arango

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Fiction in Verse, Poetry, Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

This novel in verse offers a deeply moving and honest look at a middle schooler struggling with depression. Twelve-year-old Iveliz is trying to manage her mental health and advocate for the help and understanding she deserves, but in the meantime her new friend calls her crazy and her abuela Mimi dismisses the therapy and medicine Iveliz needs to feel like herself.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Not specified

James and the Giant Peach

Roald Dahl

Grades 3,4,5 1961 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

An orphaned boy escapes his cruel aunts inside a giant peach, traveling the world with a crew of oversized insect friends.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Perseverance, Found family

Jennifer Chan is not alone

Tae Keller

Grades 3,4,5,6,7,8 2022
Genre
Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Being the new kid is never easy, and it can be especially hard at a new school with mean, popular kids. Chinese American Jennifer Chan moves in across the street from Korean American Mallory Moss in small-town Norwell, Florida. Jennifer, full of self-confidence, has a strong belief in aliens, and Mallory can tell that she's going to have trouble fitting in at their predominantly white middle school. As wild rumors spread about Jennifer, Mallory finds herself stuck between becoming friends with her or sticking with the queen bees of their seventh-grade class.

Culture
Chinese/Chinese American
Topics
Not specified

Just Harriet

Elana Arnold

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Harriet Wermer is unhappy about having to spend the summer with her grandmother until she discovers a mystery involving her dad when he was a boy living on the island.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

Kapaemahu

Dean Hamer, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Joe Wilson

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fairy Tale, Folklore, History, Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

Native Hawaiian legend about how four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit, or Mahu, brought healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii.

Culture
Indigenous Peoples, Native American, Pacific Islander
Topics
Gender/Sexuality

Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers

Juliet Menéndez

Grades 3,4,5 2021
Genre
Biography/Autobiography, Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Discover how 40 influential Latinas became the women we celebrate today! In this collection of short biographies from all over Latin America and across the United States, Juliet Menéndez explores the first small steps that set the Latinitas off on their journeys.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
American History, Global Historical Events and Figures

Listen to the Language of the Trees: A Story of How Forests Communicate Underground

Tera Kelley

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

This captivating book explores the real connection and communication that runs underground between trees in the forest. The well-researched details about trees' own social network will help readers see that the natural world's survival depends on staying connected and helping others—just like us!

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Earth Science, Life Science (Biology)

Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves

L.M. Elliott

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

In 1941, after Hitler declares war on the United States, unleashing U-boat submarines to attack American ships, Louisa June, with the waves outside her house carrying dangerous enemies, must help her mother after her father and brother are caught in the crossfire.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Global Historical Events and Figures, War

Love in the Library

Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tama is sent to live in a War Relocation Center in the desert. Trying not to think of the life she once had, she works in the camp's tiny library… And she isn't the only one. George waits each morning by the door, his arms piled with books checked out the day before. As their friendship grows, Tama wonders: Can anyone possibly read so much? Is she the reason George comes to the library every day?

Culture
Japanese/Japanese American
Topics
American History, War

Maizy Chen's Last Chance

Lisa Yee

Grades 3,4,5,6,7,8 2022
Genre
Fiction in Verse, Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Eleven-year-old Maizy Chen visits her estranged grandparents, who own and run a Chinese restaurant in Last Chance, Minnesota; as her visit lengthens, she makes unexpected discoveries about her family's history and herself.

Culture
Chinese/Chinese American
Topics
Immigration/Migration

Maniac Magee

Jerry Spinelli

Grades 5,6,7,8 1990 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

An orphaned boy becomes a local legend as he crosses a racially divided town's invisible lines and brings people together.

Culture
Multiracial community themes
Topics
Racism, Homelessness, Community

Merci Suarez Plays It Cool

Meg Medina

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Merci is starting eighth grade at Seaward Pines Academy, and as the school year begins, she is juggling chores, spending time with her family—including older brother Roli, who is home for the semester—changing schedules and shifting friendships, and the advancement of her beloved grandfather Lolo's Alzheimer's disease. Taking on new roles and responsibilities, Merci tries to find time to spend with different friend groups while also developing feelings for classmate Wilson. She's also busy helping to care for her younger twin cousins and at times grows frustrated with the difficulties that Lolo's memory loss brings. As Merci navigates the changing world around her, she comes to find that loss does not care where you are or what you are doing; it simply comes.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Not specified

Miss Quinces

Kat Fajardo

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Humor
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

Rising star Kat Fajardo's debut middle-grade graphic novel about a girl who would rather do anything other than celebrate her quinceañera! A funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story about navigating the expectations of family and cultural tradition.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Not specified

Moonflower

Kacen Callender

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fantasy, Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

The spirit realm is where they have their one and only friend, Wolf, and where they’re excited to experience an infinite number of adventures. But when the realm is threatened, it’s up to Moon to save the spirit world. With the help of celestial beings and guardians, Moon battles monsters and shadows, and through their journey, they begin to learn that a magical adventure of love and acceptance awaits them in the world of the living, too.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
Mental, Emotional, and Social Health, Psychology/Sociology, Gender/Sexuality

Morning Sun in Wuhan

Ying Chang Compestine

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

When the pandemic emerges in Wuhan, thirteen-year-old Mei discovers that her love of cooking can make a difference in a locked-down city that is filled with uncertainty and panic.

Culture
Chinese/Chinese American
Topics
Global Historical Events and Figures, World Cultures: Perspectives, Practices, and Products

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Richard & Florence Atwater

Grades 3,4,5 1938 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Humor, Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A house painter's gift of a penguin multiplies into a dozen, turning his ordinary home into a chaotic, delightful zoo.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Humor, Responsibility

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Robert C. O'Brien

Grades 4,5,6 1971 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A widowed mouse seeks help from a colony of laboratory rats who escaped a research facility with extraordinary intelligence.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Problem solving, Science fiction

New From Here

Kelly Yang

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

When the coronavirus hits Hong Kong, ten-year-old Knox Wei-Evans's mom makes the last-minute decision to move him and his siblings back to California, where they think they will be safe. Suddenly, Knox has two days to prepare for an international move--and for leaving his dad, who has to stay for work. As racism skyrockets during COVID-19, Knox tries to stand up to hate, while finding his place in his new country. Can you belong if you're feared; can you protect if you're new? And how do you keep a family together when you're oceans apart? Sometimes when the world is spinning out of control, the best way to get through it is to embrace our own lovable uniqueness.

Culture
Chinese/Chinese American
Topics
Immigration/Migration

Not My Idea: A Book about Whiteness

Anastasia Higginbotham

Grades 3,4,5 2018
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

In this call to action, a young white child catches news fragments of a police officer shooting an unarmed black man. They witness their family members' discomfort, avoidance, and eventual dismissal of the shooting (and the resulting protests) while claiming, "We don't see color." The child's confusion leads them to the library for answers about the history of racism in the United States. Ultimately, they vocalize feelings of frustration to their parent. Told in second person to an assumed white audience, the text intersperses firm declarations that the structure of whiteness oppresses people of color with gentle reassurances that growth and change are possible—when bolstered by honesty and accountability.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
American History

Number the Stars

Lois Lowry

Grades 4,5,6,7 1989 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

During the Nazi occupation of Denmark, a young girl helps hide her best friend's Jewish family from soldiers.

Culture
Jewish, Danish
Topics
WWII, Courage, Historical fiction

Once There Was

Kiyash Monsef

Grades 6,7,8 2023
Genre
Adventure, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Folklore, Science Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

When fifteen-year-old Iranian American Marjan discovers her murdered father was secretly a veterinarian to magical creatures, she realizes she must take up his mantle, despite the many dangers.

Culture
Middle Eastern
Topics
Not specified

Out of My Mind

Sharon M. Draper

Grades 5,6,7 2010 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

An eleven-year-old with cerebral palsy who cannot speak or walk finds a way to make her brilliant mind heard.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Point of view, Disability representation

Peace Is a Chain Reaction: How World War II Japanese Balloon Bombs Brought People of Two Nations Together

Tanya Lee Stone

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

From an award-winning author comes a vivid depiction of an act of war from opposing sides of the conflict in World War II--and a rare reconciliation and wish for peace that evolved years later.

Culture
Japanese/Japanese American
Topics
American History, Global Historical Events and Figures, Religion/Spirituality

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Rick Riordan

Grades 5,6,7 2005 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Fantasy, Adventure
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A boy discovers he is the son of a Greek god and is sent on a quest to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Greek mythology, Hero's journey

Polar Bear

Candace Fleming

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

As spring approaches in the Arctic, a mother polar bear and her two cubs tentatively emerge from hibernation to explore the changing landscape. When it is time, she takes her cubs on a forty-mile journey, back to their home on the ice. Along the way, she fends off wolves, hunts for food, and swims miles and miles.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Earth Science, Life Science (Biology)

Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement

Stella Caldwell

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Young readers will learn about groundbreaking events, including historic pushes for equality and the legalization of same-sex marriages across the world. They will dive into the phenomenal history of queer icons from ancient times to the present and read about Harvey Milk, Marsha P. Johnson, Audre Lorde, and more. Including several personal current essays from inspiring young LGBTQ+ people, this book encourages readers to take pride in their identity and the identities of those around them.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Gender/Sexuality

Rez Dogs

Joseph Bruchac

Grades 6,7,8 2021
Genre
Fiction in Verse, Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Malian, a Wabanaki girl, can’t go home to her parents in Boston because she must shelter in place with her grandparents on the rez, thanks to being caught there by the COVID-19 pandemic during a weekend visit. She loves her grandparents but is often bored. That changes one morning when she wakes up and sees the rez dog outside, just as she had dreamed he would be. When it becomes obvious that he has adopted the family and become its self-appointed protector, Malian names him Malsum, the old name for a wolf. Noted Abenaki author Bruchac limns Malian’s growing friendship with the dog in this accomplished novel in verse.

Culture
Indigenous Peoples, Native American
Topics
Not specified

Sanctuary: Kip Tiernan and Rosie's Place, the Nation's First Shelter for Women

Christine McDonnell

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Biography/Autobiography, Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

Relates the story of social activist Kip Tiernan and her efforts to open Rosie's Place, the nation's first homeless shelter for women, in Boston.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Women’s Studies

School Trip

Jerry Craft

Grades 6,7,8 2023
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

Eighth grader Drew Ellis recognizes that he isn't afforded the same opportunities, no matter how hard he works, that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted, and to make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids and is finding it hard not to withdraw, even as their mutual friend Jordan tries to keep their group of friends together.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
Not specified

Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration

Elizabeth Partridge, Lauren Tamaki

Grades 3,4,5,6,7,8 2022
Genre
Biography/Autobiography, Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

Legendary photographers Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams all photographed the Japanese American incarceration, but with different approaches-and different results. This nonfiction picture book for middle grade readers examines the Japanese-American incarceration-and the complexity of documenting it-through the work of these three photographers.

Culture
Japanese/Japanese American
Topics
American History, Visual Arts, War

Shiloh

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Grades 4,5,6 1991 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A boy who rescues an abused dog must decide whether to defy his family's rules and his neighbor's ownership to protect it.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Ethical decision-making

Shine On, Luz Véliz!

Rebecca Balcárcel

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Eleven-year-old injured soccer player Luz has a hard enough time reframing her identity as a computer programmer, but when her Guatemalan half-sister moves in, she learns what it truly means to start over.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Immigration/Migration

Singing with Elephants

Margarita Engle

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Fiction in Verse, Historical Fiction, Poetry
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

It’s 1947 when Olivia, her sister, Catalina, and her veterinarian parents move to Santa Barbara. Life in a new country isn’t easy for them, and it is full of racial taunts. Still mourning the death of her abuelita, Olivia befriends famous poet Gabriela Mistral, who encourages her to write and express her emotions. Lacking confidence, Olivia finds solace in her cheerful animal friends, who, like her, speak their individual, poetic language. Before long, she befriends two baby elephants, one of whom is taken by an actor and made into a spectacle. Full of anger, Olivia learns to stand up for herself and for those who don’t have a voice.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Not specified

Small Town Pride

Phil Stamper

Grades 3,4,5,6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Jake is just starting to enjoy life as his school’s first openly gay kid. While his family and friends are accepting and supportive, the same can’t be said about everyone in their small town of Barton Springs, Ohio. When Jake’s dad hangs a comically large pride flag in their front yard in an overblown show of love, the mayor begins to receive complaints. A few people are even concerned the flag will lead to something truly outlandish: a pride parade. Except Jake doesn’t think that’s a ridiculous idea. Why can’t they hold a pride festival in Barton Springs? The problem is, Jake knows he’ll have to get approval from the town council, and the mayor won’t be on his side. And as Jake and his friends try to find a way to bring Pride to Barton Springs, it seems suspicious that the mayor’s son, Brett, suddenly wants to spend time with Jake. But someone that cute couldn’t possibly be in league with his mayoral mother, could he?

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Gender/Sexuality

Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs

Pam Muñoz Ryan

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

On the brink of her Quinceanera, and her official coronation, Princess Solimar is given a magical gift that sets her life on a new path.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Not specified

Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler

Ibi Zoboi

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Biography/Autobiography, Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Fragments—photos, notebook pages, quotes, poems, and snippets of biography several pages long—pointedly coalesce into a pattern revealing writer Octavia Estelle Butler's unique position in the galaxy of great contemporary science fiction writers. And while readers younger than high-school age may not have encountered Butler’s renowned work, they will certainly appreciate the way her childhood obsessions, from pop culture to horses to a pink notebook, as well as her propensity for daydreaming (noted sharply by a teacher in a report card), influenced her.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
Not specified

Still Dreaming

Claudia Guadalupe Martínez

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

In the first children's book to describe the long-forgotten chapter of US history known as Mexican Repatriation, a boy and his family leave their beloved home to avoid being separated by the government. Faced with the prospect of being separated from each other, a young boy and his family make the difficult decision to leave their home and begin a journey filled with uncertainty. On the road, they meet other people like them. Families with deep roots tied to the land. Others that helped build the railroads. Some were shop owners and factory workers. Each with similar hopes and dreams.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
American History, Immigration/Migration

Stone Fox

John Reynolds Gardiner

Grades 3,4,5 1980 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A boy and his loyal dog enter a punishing dogsled race to save his grandfather's farm.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Perseverance, Inference

Swim Team

Johnnie Christmas

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction, Sports
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

Middle-schooler Bree and her hard-working dad make the move from Brooklyn to Palmetto Shores, FL, where she discovers that swim-team culture is huge. The problem: Bree can’t swim.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
Physical Fitness

The BFG

Roald Dahl

Grades 3,4,5 1982 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A friendly giant who catches dreams whisks a young orphan away to Giant Country and enlists her help against giants who eat children.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Imagination, Wordplay

The Button Box

Bridget Hodder, Fawzia Gilani-Williams

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

After Jewish fifth-grader Ava and her Muslim best friend Nadeem are called hateful names at school, Ava's Granny Buena rummages in her closet and pulls out a glittering crystal button box. It's packed with buttons that generations of Ava's Sephardic ancestors have cherished. With the help of Granny's mysterious cat Sheba, Ava and Nadeem discover that a button from the button box will take them back in time. Suddenly, they are in ancient Morocco, where Nadeem's ancestor, Prince Abdur Rahman, is running for his life. Can Ava and Nadeem help the prince escape to Spain and fulfill his destiny, creating a legendary Golden Age for Muslims, Jews and Christians?

Culture
Jewish/Jewish American, Muslim
Topics
American History, Global Historical Events and Figures, International Studies/World History

The Cricket in Times Square

George Selden

Grades 3,4,5 1960 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A country cricket accidentally arrives in New York City's subway and becomes friends with a cat, a mouse, and a boy who runs a newsstand.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Friendship across differences, Urban setting

The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun's Tomb

Candace Fleming

Grades 6,7,8 2021
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Award-winning and critically acclaimed author Candace Fleming presents the edge-of-your-seat true story of the search for Tutankhamun's tomb, the Western public's belief that the dig was cursed, and the battle for ownership of the treasures within.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Global Historical Events and Figures, International Studies/World History

The Door of No Return

Kwame Alexander

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Adventure, Fiction in Verse, Historical Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

In 1860, 11-year-old Kofi Offin, an Asante boy of the fictional West African village of Upper Kwanta, reveres his older brother Kwasi and loves the stories told by his grandfather, Nana Mosi. He has a best friend, Ebo, and a crush on a girl named Ama. He resents his schoolteacher for insisting that his students speak “the Queen’s English” rather than their native Twi in school. And he is often at odds with his bully of a cousin, who has challenged him to a swimming competition. But the rhythms of Kofi’s daily life and relationships are disrupted when Kwasi accidentally kills the son of the leader of nearby Lower Kwanta in a wrestling match at the annual Kings Festival.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
Not specified

The Gardener of Alcatraz

Emma Bland Smith

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Biography/Autobiography, Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

When Elliott Michener was locked away in Alcatraz for counterfeiting, he was determined to defy the odds and bust out. But when he got a job tending the prison garden, a funny thing happened. He found new interests and skills--and a sense of dignity and fulfillment. Elliott transformed Alcatraz Island, and the island transformed him.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
American History

The Giver

Lois Lowry

Grades 5,6,7,8 1993 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Science Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

In a seemingly perfect, emotionless community, a boy chosen to hold society's memories discovers the painful truths it has hidden.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Dystopian genre, Ethics, Society

The Last Hope in Hopetown

Maria Tureaud

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Twelve-year-old Sophie and her 300-year-old best vampire friend Delphine break into a secret government facility to find a cure for the illness causing vampires to go rogue.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Gender/Sexuality

The Last Mapmaker

Christina Soontornvat

Grades 3,4,5,6,7,8 2022
Genre
Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Joining an expedition to chart the southern seas, twelve-year-old mapmaker's assistant Sai, posing as a well-bred young lady with a glittering future, realizes she's not the only one on board harboring secrets when she discovers the ship's true destination.

Culture
South Asian
Topics
Not specified

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

C.S. Lewis

Grades 3,4,5 1950 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Four siblings step through a wardrobe into the snowy, enchanted land of Narnia and join a battle to free it from an endless winter.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Allegory, Courage, Good versus evil

The Marvellers

Dhonielle Clayton

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school in the clouds where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts. Despite her excitement, Ella discovers that being the first isn’t easy—some Marvellers mistrust her magic, which they deem “bad and unnatural.” But eventually, she finds friends in elixirs teacher, Masterji Thakur, and fellow misfits Brigit, a girl who hates magic, and Jason, a boy with a fondness for magical creatures. When a dangerous criminal known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison, supposedly with a Conjuror’s aid, tensions grow in the Marvellian world and Ella becomes the target of suspicion. Worse, Masterji Thakur mysteriously disappears while away on a research trip. With the help of her friends and her own growing powers, Ella must find a way to clear her family’s name and track down her mentor before it’s too late.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
Not specified

The Ogress and the Orphans

Kelly Barnhill

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Fairy Tale, Fantasy
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

When a child goes missing from the Orphan House in the town of Stone-in-the-Glen, the mayor suggests the kindly Ogress is responsible, but the orphans do not believe that and try to make their deluded neighbors see the real villain among them.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

The One and Only Ivan

Katherine Applegate

Grades 3,4,5 2012 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A gorilla living in a shopping-mall enclosure remembers his past and works to get a baby elephant a better life.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Point of view, Animal welfare, Empathy

The Overground Railroad (Young Adult Edition): The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America

Candacy Taylor

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

For years, it was dangerous for African Americans to travel in the United States. Because of segregation, Black travelers couldn't eat, sleep, or even get gas at most white-owned businesses. The Green Book listed hotels, restaurants, department stores, gas stations, recreational destinations, and other businesses that were safe for Black travelers. It was a resourceful and innovative solution to a horrific problem. It took courage to be listed in the Green Book, and the stories from those who took a stand against racial segregation are recorded and celebrated. This young reader's edition of Candacy Taylor's critically acclaimed adult book Overground Railroad include her own photographs of Green Book sites, as well as archival photographs and interviews with people who owned and used these facilities.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
American History

The Phantom Tollbooth

Norton Juster

Grades 5,6,7 1961 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A bored boy drives through a mysterious tollbooth into a land where words, numbers, and ideas come vividly to life.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Wordplay, Allegory, Figurative language

The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls

James Bird

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

After being caught stealing one too many times, Benjamin Waterfalls is sent to a 'boot camp' at the Ojibwe reservation where he searches for answers as he tries to turn his life around and embrace this second chance.

Culture
Indigenous Peoples, Native American
Topics
Not specified

The Secret Battle of Evan Pao

Wendy Wan-Long Shang

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A fresh start. That's all Evan Pao wants as he, along with his mother and sister, flee from California to Haddington, Virginia, hoping to keep his father's notoriety a secret. But Haddington is a southern town steeped in tradition, and moving to a town immersed in the past has its own price.

Culture
Chinese/Chinese American
Topics
Not specified

The Sun Does Shine: An Innocent Man, a Wrongful Conviction, and the Long Path to Justice (Young Readers)

Anthony Ray Hinton, Lara Love Hardin, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Biography/Autobiography, Memoir, Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Adapted for young readers, this true story follows a man who spent thirty years on death row for a crime he didn't commit and how he transformed not only his own spirit, but those of his fellow inmates, until his release in 2015.

Culture
Black/African American
Topics
Not specified

The Tale of Despereaux

Kate DiCamillo

Grades 3,4,5 2003 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A small mouse with oversized ears and a big heart sets out to save a princess, in a tale told from four intertwined perspectives.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Courage, Multiple perspectives

The Tryout

Christina Soontornvat

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Sports
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

When cheerleading tryouts are announced, Christina and her best friend, Megan, literally jump at the chance to join the squad. As two of the only kids of color in the school, they have always yearned to fit in-and the middle school cheerleaders are popular and accepted by everyone. But will the girls survive the terrifying tryouts, with their whole grade watching? And will their friendship withstand the pressures of competition?

Culture
Middle Eastern, South Asian
Topics
Nutrition and Physical Activity

The War That Saved My Life

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Grades 5,6,7 2015 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

Evacuated from London during WWII, a girl with a disfigured foot experiences kindness and independence for the first time.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
WWII, Disability, Resilience

The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963

Christopher Paul Curtis

Grades 5,6,7,8 1995 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Historical Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A close-knit Michigan family drives south to Alabama to visit relatives and finds themselves present for a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement.

Culture
African American
Topics
Civil Rights Movement, Family

The Whipping Boy

Sid Fleischman

Grades 3,4,5 1986 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Adventure, Historical Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A spoiled prince and the commoner boy punished in his place become unlikely allies after they're kidnapped together.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Friendship across class lines, Adventure

The Wolves of Yellowstone: A Rewilding Story

Catherine Barr

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

In the 1930s, the last wolves disappeared from Yellowstone National Park. They carefully relocated fourteen wolves from the Canadian Rockies to Yellowstone. This is the story of their homecoming. Engaging, informative, and hopeful, The Wolves of Yellowstone shows us that every creature plays a role in sustaining a thriving ecosystem.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Life Science (Biology)

The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner

Marissa Moss

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Biography/Autobiography, Nonfiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

As a female Jewish physicist in Berlin during the early 20th century, Lise Meitner had to fight for an education, a job, and equal treatment in her field, like having her name listed on her own research papers. Meitner made strides in the study of radiation, but when Hitler came to power in Germany, she suddenly had to face not only sexism, but also life-threatening anti-Semitism as well. Nevertheless, she persevered and one day made a discovery that rocked the world: the splitting of the atom. While her male lab partner was awarded a Nobel Prize for the achievement, the committee refused to give her any credit. Suddenly, the race to build the atomic bomb was on--although Meitner was horrified to be associated with such a weapon.

Culture
Jewish/Jewish American
Topics
Global Historical Events and Figures, Physical Science (Chemistry and Physics), Women’s Studies

Thirst

Varsha Bajaj

Grades 6,7,8 2022
Genre
Adventure
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

A heroic girl in Mumbai fights for her belief that water should be for everyone. Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity--an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there's even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses. Now she must decide whether to expose him and risk her job and maybe her life. How did something as simple as access to water get so complicated?

Culture
South Asian
Topics
Not specified

Tuck Everlasting

Natalie Babbitt

Grades 5,6,7 1975 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Fantasy
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A young girl who discovers a family's secret spring of immortality must decide whether living forever is truly a gift.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Mortality, Choice, Theme

Tumble

Celia Pérez

Grades 3,4,5,6,7,8 2022
Genre
Realistic Fiction, Sports
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Before she decides whether to accept her stepfather's proposal of adoption, twelve-year-old Adela Ramirez reaches out to her estranged biological father--who is in the midst of a career comeback as a luchador--and the eccentric extended family of wrestlers she has never met, bringing Adela closer to understanding the expansive definition of family.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
Physical Fitness

Two Degrees

Alan Gratz

Grades 3,4,5,6,7,8 2022
Genre
Adventure
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Fire. Ice. Flood. Three climate disasters. Four kids fighting for their lives. Akira, Owen, George, and Natalie are all swept up in the devastating effects of climate change. They are also connected in ways that will shock them--and could alter their destinies forever.

Culture
Japanese/Japanese American, Latino/Latino American
Topics
Earth Science

Violets Are Blue

Barbara Dee

Grades 6,7,8 2021
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

Twelve-year-old Wren, who is learning special effects makeup, is thrilled to be makeup artist for her new school's production of Wicked, but her parents' divorce is seriously affecting her mother.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs, Mental, Emotional, and Social Health, Theatre

Wake, Sleepy One: California Poppies and the Super Bloom

Lisa Kerr

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Picture Book
Book description and connections

Follow the golden poppy's journey as it slowly wakes inside its seed, stretches its roots, and unfolds its delicate petals. Watch as it transforms the land into an ocean of orange--the amazing "super bloom." A lyrical ode to California's most treasured wildflower, Wake, Sleepy One gently captures the quiet strength of the poppy in all its breathtaking wonder.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Life Science (Biology)

Walk Two Moons

Sharon Creech

Grades 5,6,7,8 1994 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A girl tells her grandparents a story within a story as they drive to retrace her missing mother's last journey.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Parallel narrative structure, Grief

Wave

Diana Farid, Kris Goto

Grades 3,4,5,6,7,8 2022
Genre
Fiction in Verse, Poetry, Realistic Fiction
Format
Not specified
Book description and connections

When her best friend's cancer returns in the summer of 1987, none of her usual pursuits--surfing, singing, or reading poetry--can keep thirteen-year-old Ava afloat.

Culture
Middle Eastern
Topics
Not specified

Who Was the Voice of the People?: Cesar Chavez

Terry Blas

Grades 3,4,5 2022
Genre
Biography/Autobiography, Nonfiction
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

Follow Cesar Chavez and the National Farm Workers Association, as they set out on a difficult 300-mile protest march in support of farm workers' rights. A story of hope, solidarity, and perseverance, this graphic novel invites readers to immerse themselves in the life of the famous Latino American Civil Rights leader -- brought to life by gripping narrative and vivid full-color illustrations that jump off the page.

Culture
Latino/Latino American
Topics
American History

Wonder

R.J. Palacio

Grades 5,6,7 2012 Suggested Classic Addition
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Format
Chapter Book
Book description and connections

A boy with a facial difference starting mainstream school for the first time is seen through his own eyes and those around him.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Multiple narrators, Empathy, Kindness

Yummy: A History of Desserts

Victoria Grace Elliott

Grades 3,4,5 2021
Genre
Nonfiction
Format
Graphic Novel
Book description and connections

Explore the history of desserts through a fun adventure with facts, legends, and recipes for readers to try at home.

Culture
Not specified
Topics
Not specified

Selection note: Grade recommendations come from the source collection. Educators should confirm local availability, instructional purpose, accessibility, and community context when selecting a title.