Best Novels For 5Th Graders (2026 Updated)

I absolutely LOVED this book. The book it self looks amazing, and once you read it you’ll love it. I have read the past Last Kids On Earth books and they are all amazing including this one! I 100% recommend this book to people who are looking for about action, and comedy all mushed up into one book.

My son and I have read the first four books and have really enjoyed them! I’m looking forward to reading this one in the ongoing series. The dialogue and illustrations are catchy and I know I would have enjoyed this as a kid.

My son has eaten these up! He cruises through them and they keep them engaged. They are not a hard read but they are a good reading with some challenging vocabulary.

Excellent book series! Quick to enjoy! Once my child starts reading, it cannot be put down. We have bought the whole set and these books have been read more than once.

My son loves this series! He always looks forward to the next book! He wishes it won’t end. Hopefully we can find him a similar series to fall in love with!

My 11yr old son loves these books! Action adventure without being graphic or gorey. Lots of humor that he likes too!

This book for me was a solid 5 stars, this story is much more then just a young girl looking for her brother. I really enjoyed my time reading this book, wonderful story line with a big impact. I loved the world that B.

B Alston brought to life, I could clearly see myself there in the pages. I loved the magic system and the modern take on the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs it gave me Harry Potter mixed with Men in black vibes.

I think that B. B Alston has done a fantastic job of adding real world issues into a middle Gard book, touching on school bullying, self confidence, low income households, even bringing light to young children of low socioeconomic status and the impact this can have on there choices in life and even schooling opportunity.

Over all I think this book was amazing from start to finish, definitely looking forward to reading more of Amari and her adventures.

My daughter read all of the nevermore series and then we found Amari and the night brothers. Evelyn said they are similar in a lot of ways but Amari is just a extra special character. My daughter says ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! I couldn’t not get her to put this book down and her excitement over the characters was infectious.

We are all taking turns with the book now!!.

My 10 year old daughter loved this book. She said it had similar themes with Harry Potter. She liked that the main character was a female and appreciated the challenges she overcame in her journey.

And being different? That turned out to be the best part of all. I found that with a little creativity, and a lot of dedication, any difference can be turned into something amazing. Our differences are our superpowers.

(credit:https://www. goodreads. com/author/quotes/184459. Cece_Bell#:) CECE BELL’s book El Deafo is a favorite! Offered at the school Book Fair.  It was was popular with all the boys and girls hearing, hard of hearing and deaf.

 This book was generally read in a day or two by the best and the slower reader.  They could not consume it fast enough. Over the next two years I saw nearly every 3rd and 4th grader had enjoyed El Deafo.

CECE is hearing impaired. Â She shares the experience of the Phonic Ear. Â Sometimes referred to as an FM system. The teacher is equipped with a microphone that allows her voice to go directly into the child’s hearing aids.

You can read all about it in CECE BELL’s fabulous book, El Deafo.

It is a great book for a child with hearing loss or feeling social awkward with their peers. The book brings out the positive aspect of being deaf and one’s experience in navigating the world. My 2 dead children (both wear hearing aides) can totally relate to the book and can have a good laugh about it.

We saw a trailer of El Deafo on AppleTV, and can’t wait to see it!.

I absolutely LOVE this book! It’s so simple yet emotional and hilarious. The pictures are so adorable and cute and match the story perfectly. The plot itself is amazing, it explains how most deaf people feel, how to survive middle school, growing up and still is a fantabulous book for children.

Every kid should read this book at least once or have in their home.

This is my first book by this author. She uses a jumping timeline style that requres your attention but as the book unfolds, makes perfect sense as to why it was used. It an thouroughly engaging read as the world she crafts is familiar but post apocalyptic but with minimal reference to the ‘dead civs’.

I’m glad that this is the first in a series of three as I look forward to where this journey will go.

Since there is only one other review, I’ll share my thoughts. Are you tired of the same “young-farmhand-seeking-adventure” or “army-slaughters-other-army” fantasy novels? Are you bored of seeing the same pseudo-European landscapes appearing again and again? Are you yearning for a meaty world of magic, with rich world-building and strong writing? Then look no further.

We meet three characters in this world, and the story tells their stories intermixed. All of them have to fight, and fight hard, to survive. It’s a harsh world – a world where magic and mineral are intertwined, people are never quite what they seem, and something insidious seems to lurk just below the surface.

It’s not a simple read, but it’s a rewarding one, and I immediately bought books two and three so that I know what happens next. Read it. If nothing else, it’s very different from whatever else you’ll read this year.

Wonderful prose, amazing world building and relatable characters. This is book one in a trilogy and sets the tone and story beautifully for the books that follow. The narrative style is somewhat unique with some chapters written in second person, this writing style works very well and makes sense as threads tie together.

I purposely haven’t tried to describe the story as I don’t have the words to do it justice. All I can say is this a must read for lovers of sci-fi fantasy. To quote the book’s dedication. For all those that have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question.

This book is one of my top ten for this year. It is heartwarming and inspirational as well as being a damn good read, even a page-turner! It is a simple story of a young boy’s first two years at junior school’ but what makes it extraordinary is that the boy has been born with severe disfigurement that makes people he meets recoil and try to avoid him.

What makes it gripping and inspirational is his epic struggle to be treated as the normal kid he is inside. The story is told mainly from his point of view in a matter-of-fact way, but interspersed with chapters from the viewpoint of his sister, friends etc.

, thus showing how his affliction affects the people around him. The story is set in New York and describes the US school system, but this is no barrier as the message is universal. Apparently, the author was inspired by a similarly-afflicted girl she met and has created a beautifully-written, sensitive, but unsentimental story that will make you consider your relationship with your problems and prejudices.

I mislaid the (loaned) paperback version of the book when I was halfway through so I had to buy a replacement. I thought it money well-spent to buy the hardback as I’m sure I will go back to it.

This was a Christmas gift to my 9 year old grandson. Truthfully, he is not a strong reader and a reluctant one. He prefers playing outdoors with his friends. His family saw the movie. He was telling me about the movie and then said, “I would like to read the book.

” We read the book together every day. He would bring it to me! I helped him with a few words, maybe one on each page. He would quickly turn the page to continue reading it. He has never before brought a book to me.

It has been a struggle to get him to read even 10 minutes. This is a great story to share. I highly recommend it.

The book is a compelling story written with emotion, ‘wonder’ and a straight forwardness which is easy for a young reader to follow. It’s short chapters are also make it inspiring to read short chunks giving readers time to reflect and absorb the content.

My 11 year son can relate to the characters and it’s given rise to daily discussions of difference, family, growing up, school life and much more. It’s a brilliantly inspiring and life affirming read.

We have seen the film too but this did not put us off from enjoying the detail of a well written book!.

Books 2 and 3 were purchased for my son at Christmas and he has taken to them quite easily. This series is his first chapter book series he has wanted to read by himself and wants to read all the time.

He finished the first book in the series within a week without even trying. I’m sure I have Netflix to thank for this as well Pricing with my discount was comparable to online and the ease of picking up an online order or at the store same day really helped.

My 9-year-old loves this series. It’s a great transition from graphic novels to regular novels.

Excellent book for parents to read along with (appropriately aged) children. Good humor and overarching adventure to keep kids engaged, and the quality is such that it should keep most Moms and Dads well enough engaged through story time.

My purchase was fine just the book itself was boring and the characters acted annoying. The story had no substance and I felt like the story was being rushed.

Bought as a birthday gift for an 8 year old, graphic novels are a favorite for elementary kids!

Purchase for my granddaughter. She loved it so much that she requested the other book.

Fun to read with a good flow, likeable characters & a storyline exciting enough to keep both kiddo and mom entertained. Love the series, even got a few other people hooked on it.

These series has helped my son realize just how much fun reading can be!!

Got my 8 yr old grandson into reading and look forward to it.

My son and daughter who are 8 and 9 enjoy these books thoroughly!. My son (who normally moans when it comes time to read) always asks if he can be the first to read out loud. We stop periodically while reading and discuss what we have just read.

Once again , my son who normally does not really remember what he even read , can almost tell me the story back ver. That is because he is actually interested. My son Matty is small for his age and sometimes gets picked on so he really relates to Marc, the main character.

We actually did not realize this was the first in the set and we started reading The Way of the Warrior Kid – which is book #2. Both of my children insisted on getting all of the books and starting at the very beginning of Book #1.

Then we are going to start book #2 over {even though we were at chapter 5 or further}. I highly recommend these books. If your child is the bully , or the bullied , the weak or the strong, the straight A student , or also like Marc { the main character } having major difficulties learning “MATH” which is also my son Matty’s hardest subject so far!!.

This is a great book. It’s full of very important life lessons. I read it to my kids 11 and 8 as a bedtime story. The book is funny and serious, deep but not confusing and very interesting. I’m so glad that I heard about this series.

The illustration is really good and the kids love it. A chapter takes 3-5 minutes to read so they are short chapters so a kid can read the book themselves and have many stopping points if they want.

Was recommended this book by a friend and it didn’t disappoint. Positive adult role modelling and teaching both acceptance and resilience in equal measures. Plus a story kids love to read, win win.

This book is good but not great. The first part is what the first movie was made from, and the second part is what the second movie was made from. The third movie is not from the book. It’s probably written for a junior-high student or high school student, words-wise.

Atreyu, the hero, is like the boy, Bastian, reading the book. Atreyu goes through many trials in Fantasia to get to the Princess and saves Fantasia, then she leaves and he becomes in charge of Fantasia.

He eventually leaves and comes back to this world. A creative book, you should try it.

Obviously we saw the movie and didnt even know there was an actual book. Found out that the real book goes through both 1st and 2nd movie and more. Great read. Too bad there isnt a hardcover always in a book store.

Ive looked in numerous stores but the South sucks. You can find 30 different bibles in 5 different stores but not enough quality book stores.

Enjoyed the book so much, I just could not put it down. It really brought me into the story as though I were Bastian Balthazar Bux. It’s a really good story and you just do not want to stop reading this one.

Honestly I would most definately suggest this book to every reader who considers reading their life. You’ll love it! This trully is a Neverending Story!.

This had a good storyline and would be great for ages 10 and up. Good characters. Lots of things going on in the book. Not a dull moment. I enjoyed this read.

LOVE this book! Read the series years and years ago along with my son. Now I am re-reading them so I can talk to my Grandson about them. One of the best series we have ever read. An absolute favorite in our house.

Book 1 of a fantasy staple. Fablehaven’s writing, especially dialogue, is a little simplistic for the first book, but over the series the development of Mull’s writing is evident. He crafted a wonderful world that rivals Harry Potter in its amazement and pieced it together into the masterpiece we call Fablehaven.

I enjoyed this book so much! I could vividly imagine everything as I was reading. I remember watching this movie when I was younger, but the book was so much better. The witches in the story were creepy and spooky and perfect for this middle grade book.

The story is as fun as the movies. Darker tone but also kid friendly (for kids that like darker things). RD’s writing style is fun on its own.

I enjoyed this book so much! I could vividly imagine everything as I was reading. I remember watching the movie when I was younger, but this was so much better. The witches in the story were creepy and spooky and just perfect for middle grade.

I Adore this book! First of all, let my say that I actually saw the movie before reading this book. I enjoyed the movie, but the book (of course) is soooo much more. The way the author writes the entire book from deaths perspective is genius! Especially in A dark time such as Nazi Germany.

The book follows the life of a young girl who loses her brother and gets her hands on her first book. Throughout the story readers are on the girls journey; The people she meets, friends she makes, and her love of books.

Every character brought into the story just adds more depth to hers. For me, this book was amazingly written and left a footprint on my heart. 💜.

I will always claim this as one of my favorite reads. I actually met the author in high school which was pretty cool. This book though was a quick read. I liked the change up in it by having a different type of narrator for the book.

I don’t want to spoil it but given the books setting and the darkness surrounding the events it fit perfect. The tale is so nice despite its sadness that even in terrible situations you can still find little things that will help you get through like the girl found her books.

I will always recommend this book.

I was surprised when I opened the book, and on the first page death was the narrator. The fact that death is a narrator could have been a fun twist to story, but sadly it only decreases the reader’s interest, because he always tell you what is gonna happen in advance.

In the first chapter he spoiled the end of the book. That was a really negative and annoying feature of the book. It is based on the Holocaust, but doesnt add anything more to your knowledge than a middle school class experience.

I think that it has some advantages because it doesn’t give to much detailed about the war (I have started a similar holocaust a book, which I couldn’t finish, because it was to graphic about the camps and the war.

) and I think that it brings awareness to history, for especially who do not live in Europe (the writer is Australian). As for the German of the book, I was expecting something more to be honest. It only uses minimum amount of German words and even those are always followed by a translation.

It can be my bad for expecting too much. I think that this a book is for teens and not young adults. It is definitely a long book, that might scare some kids away, but overall based on the content this is better for a younger audience.

There are no really horrific pictures, so it is not damaging to younger readers. Overall it was ok, but I would recommend instead The diary of Anne Frank to read.

Delivered soon than expected. My son cant wait to read it. Great price.

great buy! Less then half of what the bookstore sells it for.

This book is the sequel to “The One and Only Ivan”, and Katherine Applegate once again delivers all the feels! I loved it, my students loved it, and we highly recommend it!!

i have read a number of the books the author has written in the past and have enjoyed them i get a lot of insight and soul food from well written books including books for all ages. i found the latest 3 books written in a series by this author very hard to take.

i was very sad and let down after i finished these particulat books and i could not suggest them for anyone. for they diminshed my sense of hope /.

Ms. Di Camillo did a great job in capturing the struggle of ten year olds in trying to understand the world around them. Feelings of loss and abandonment, friendship, elder years, etc. are treated with compassion.

What young people see and experience in the world around them sometimes doesn’t make sense and they question “How does the world work?” I used this book in my adult book club. It was a great success.

I have read Raymie Nightingale four times, and am still touched by the gentle insight of Kate Dicamillo. I recommend it to everyone. The prose is funny, and deals with serious issues for girls and boys.

I sent it to my eleven yr old grandson because it promotes loyal friendship and love for others. Buy two and give one away.

“I have hated the words and I loved them, and I hope I have made them right” The Book Thief was full of words, but here I’m trying to cumulate words, from my rubble heart it has left me with. This book is not just for reading, this book needs to be perused.

It is not the book which will compel you to read next page to know what happened next. No. In fact, better to read it slowly in small doses at a time. You will stumble upon lines and events, with which you will find yourself gravitating every now and then.

You will read them once, twice… you will mark it. Will end up having annotations and post its stuck on numerous pages, penning down your thoughts. That’s how pensive this book is. “This is the tale of the Book Thief, as narrated by death.

And when Death tells a story, you really have to listen. ” Yes, it all narrated by The Death. A fictional portrayal of WW2 and story of an orphan girl who arrives at her foster parents’ home in small town of Germany.

Where she develops her love for books by stealing and reading them. Each time she reads a new book she finds herself lost in a different world, while real world around her is taking paradigm shift due to Nazi rule and occurrence of certain events with her foster family.

Initially I was finding idea of narration by Death intimidating. I assumed his voice will be dark and thunderous. But for the most part it was ray of light, illuminating on earth’s saddest part of time.

As our narrator don’t have patience for keeping things under mysteries, you know what is coming, and you know its only matter of time, the anticipation of inevitable makes it all frightening. Zusak has done very creative and innovative job by narrating the story from Death’s perspective, as the death was the main character at the time of this Holocaust.

The writing is multi-layered with poetic glimpse. The use of hand drawn pictures in the story makes it very compelling. The writer has done an enduring job in writing such thought provoking characters in the book.

I urge people to read this book to understand what it feels to live in middle of the wartime. Read this to understand what the true meaning of freedom means – to breath the fresh air of summer morning, the misty smell of rains, the peace of enjoying the snow, to watch the sky without fear of being seen.

Moreover, to get to know this piece of art that will remain in your heart for a long time.

I absolutely loved this book. It takes such an interesting perspective on a very written about period of history. Having Death as the narrator made it utterly unique. It also created a sense of detachment from the events, and evoked the message that death is unavoidable and will eventually come for all.

A book that is hard to put down; full of strong,relatable characters and beautifully made relationships.

I read it a couple years ago when I borrowed this from the library. Bought this because I wanted my husband to read it. Actually just recommended it to someone who asked about it on a book group.

This is an adorable story. The main characters are sympathetic, the setting is intriguing, and the art style is lovely! Its aimed at a younger reader, so some adults may be put off by the simplistic moral, but its a fun tale about respecting tradition without being constricted by it.

A lovely story about standing up for yourself, my 9 & 6 year olds loved it too. Easy to read and we quickly got through the hidden witch & midwinter witch too.

A great book with amazing art. Has a really good lesson in it too, about accepting people for who they are. #sweepstakes

“Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” tells the story of Peter, the boy who will do anything to keep this things away from his annoying, bratty younger brother, Fudge. So when Peter wins a turtle called Dribble from a friend’s birthday party, guess who really, really wants to steal it? Yep, you guessed right.

Fudge. Judy Blume takes us on this exciting, adventurous tale and shows us just how competitive the rivalry between siblings can be. I would definitely recommend this book for any youngster who’s eager to get away from their own annoying brothers or sisters! 4 out of 5 stars.

Read this book to my Year 4 class who loved it so much we read the entire series. Characters were relatable to many students and the situations were funny even to those kids who didn’t have younger siblings.

Somethings were out of context due to the setting and when it was written, but overall an excellent read!.

I laughed my head off when my fourth grade teacher read this to us, and 20 years later not much has changed. One of the best childrens books ever !!My 8 year old daughter asked me to read her a chapter and 3 chapters later had to retch it from my hands !.

My daughter fell in love with Raina Telgmeier in 3rd grade. I’ll be honest. I am NOT a fan of graphic novels as a general rule. My ego says I need to raise readers. and I have. I relented on Smile as she was reading so many other books as well.

Now she is 13 and I can tell you that these books have really given her a friend and a confidante as she has navigated the hazardous tween/teen years! She has found herself in each of these books and we are grateful!.

This is written and illustrated in comic book “scenes” style for mid-upper elementary students. The ghosts are not overly frightening for children. Well done and enjoyable, this book is recommended.

My daughter has read all of these graphic series. I recommend browsing it over especially if your child loves all the series like friends, best friends and etc.