4th and 5th Grade Novels

Interesting and engaging 4th and 5th-grade novels can be a challenge to find. It is important that we continually evaluate the novels in our classroom to ensure they meet modern-day interests and reflect modern-day society’s values and beliefs.

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This past year I was the school librarian for my Kindergarten through Grade 8 school. I have made a list of popular books that would engage students who enjoy reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate type novels. The 4th and 5th-grade novels in this list could also be of interest to a 3rd grade or 6th-grade reader. The books will be sure to entertain and delight young readers.

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis
Timmy Failure and his polar-bear partner named Total, run Total Failure Inc a detective agency.

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon
Tom Gates likes to draw and write stories. He is good at coming up with excuses and blames his sister for his routine lateness.

Plants vs. Zombies Volume 1: Lawnmageddon by Paul Tobin
An inventor helps his niece and her friend defend their neighbourhood against the “fun-dead”.

Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald
Stink thinks he is shrinking and tries everything he can to give the appearance that he is growing, although none of his classmates are being fooled.

Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot by Dav Pilkey
Ricky Ricotta is a mouse who is having a difficult time with bullies and making friends until he meets and becomes friends with a robot who was designed to destroy his town.

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake and Mr. Shark are The Bad Guys, but they have a plan to rescue 200 dogs to become The Good Guys.

Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes
The founder of Stately Academy designed the school to have secret challenges for the students. Hopper and Eni are determined to solve the challenge using their coding knowledge.

Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick
Hilo falls out of the sky and crashes on Earth without any knowledge of where he came from or why he is here.

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis
The story of the sinking of the Titanic told by a 10-year-old boy. The “I Survived” series are stories told by children who experienced and survived historical events.

The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John
Miles Murphy has moved to a new town where a mystery person is the master prankster. Miles and the mystery person exchange pranks until they decide to team up and pull off the biggest prank ever.

Mac Undercover (Mac B., Kid Spy #1) by Mac Barnett
Mac B. is a secret agent for the Queen of England and her Crown Jewels have been stolen. Mac must try to find the missing jewels in time.

The Chicken Squad: First Misadventure by Doreen Cronin
4 barnyard chicks make up the Chicken Squad and solve crimes and mysteries.

Bird & Squirrel On the Run (Bird & Squirrel #1) by James Burks
Bird and Squirrel take a road trip south for the winter and must be careful not to get caught by Cat.

Fangbone! Third Grade Barbarian by Michael Rex
A barbarian warrior from another planet joins the class at Eastwood Elementary. The class helps him with his duty to protect a weapon from his enemy.

NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley
A group of 11-year-old super-spies with unique traits that have been turned into superpowers try to save the world.

Geronimo Stilton Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton
Follow the adventures of the mouse Geronimo Stilton and his family.

Stick Dog by Tom Watson
Stick Dog and his friends are determined to get the perfect burger.

Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
Max Einstein is recruited to help solve world problems using science all while dodging “The Corporation”.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Greg Heffle keeps a diary of life in middle school.

Dog Man #1 by Dav Pilkey
Dog Man is part dog and part man and a hero who fights crime.

Big Nate: From the Top by Lincoln Peirce
Nate Wright is 11 years old and already holds the record for most detentions in his school. Follow Nate in his adventures as a sixth-grade student.

And Then It Happened: Book One by M & L Wade
Three best friends get themselves into trouble wherever they go.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Peter’s younger brother Fudge causes trouble everywhere he goes and Peter is frustrated by it.

Treasure Hunters by James Patterson
The Kidd children have spent their lives going on adventures with their parents, but when their parents go missing they must try to find them.

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
Mr. Fox has been stealing from three local farmers who decide to team up together to catch him.

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Charlie finds a ticket to visit Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

James And The Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
A giant peach grows in James’ yard and James experiences a great adventure because of it.
Roald Dahl

Gangsta Granny by David Walliams
David is bored while staying at his Granny’s house until he learns she used to be a jewel thief and her lifelong plan is to steal the crown jewels and now needs his help to do so.

Demon Dentist by David Walliams
The children in Alfie’s town are not receiving coins from the Tooth Fairy, instead, they are finding awful things such as dead slugs under their pillows and Alfie is determined to find out if the creep new dentist Miss Root is to blame.