SUMMER READING IDEAS FOR INCOMING
5th GRADERS
FICTION BOOKS
Abbott, Tony
The Forbidden Stone
Wade, Lily, Darrell, and Becca fly from
Texas to Germany for the funeral of an
old family friend. But instead of just
paying their respects, they wind up on a
dangerous, mind-blowing quest to
unlock an ancient, guarded secret that
could destroy the fate of the world.
Falls, Kat
Dark Life
When fifteen-year-old Ty, who has
always lived on the ocean floor, joins
Topside girl Gemma in the frontier's
underworld to seek and stop outlaws
who threaten his home, they learn that
the government may pose an even
greater threat.
Greenwald, Tom
Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Summer
Vacation
Despite all attempts to avoid reading and
extra work, Charlie Joe Jackson finds
himself in a terrible dream he can't wake
up from: Camp Rituhbukkee
(pronounced "read-a-bookie")—a place
filled with grammar workshops, Read-aRamas, and kids who actually like
reading. But Charlie Joe is determined to
convince the entire camp to hate reading
and writing—one genius at a time.
Hale, Bruce
Playing with Fire
Reluctant orphan-turned-spy Max
Segredo discovers intrigue at the Merry
Sunshine Orphanage and must confront
an international group bent on world
domination, while uncovering mysteries
from his past.
Grabenstein, Chris
Hopkinson, Deborah
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
The Great Trouble: a Mystery of
London, the Blue Death, and a Boy
called Eel
Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay
overnight in the new town library,
designed by his hero (the famous
gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello), with
other students but finds that come
morning he must work with friends to
solve puzzles in order to escape.
Eel, an orphan, and his best friend
Florrie must help Dr. John Snow prove
that cholera is spread through water, and
not poisonous air, when an epidemic
sweeps across their London
neighborhood in 1854.
Summaries from Follett Titlewave
Larson, Kirby
Duke
Weston, Robert Paul
The Creature Department
In 1944, Hobie Hanson's father is flying
B-24s in Europe, so Hobie decides to
donate his beloved German shepherd,
Duke, to Dogs for Defense in the hope
that it will help end the war sooner--but
when he learns that Duke is being
trained for combat he is shocked,
frightened, and determined to get his dog
back.
Elliot Von Doppler and his friend Leslie
think nothing ever happens in
Bickleburgh, except inside the gleaming
headquarters of DENKi-3000--the
world's eighth-largest electronics
factory. When Uncle Archie vanishes,
it's up to Elliot, Leslie, and every one of
the unusual 'employees' to create an
invention so astonishing it will save the
Creature Department.
Lerangis, Peter
Spencer, Octavia
The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit
The Colossus Rises
Part Goonies, part MacGyver, part
Percy Jackson, this big series starter is
sure to please readers looking for
underdog heroes and their unbelievable
adventures. Jack learns he has a rare
genetic anomaly that gives him a unique
skill, but one that will cause his death if
he doesn’t receive mysterious treatments
at a secretive institute along with three
other young teens.
Pincus, Gregory K.
The 14 Fibs of Gregory K.
Gregory Korenstein-Jasperton is an
eleven-year-old boy who likes to write
stories and poems and is not excited by
math, but he has a problem--he is the
middle child in a family of math
geniuses and his father expects him to
participate in the City Math contest.
Scott, Lisa Ann
School of Charm
After her beloved father's death in 1977,
eleven-year-old tomboy Chip tries to fit
with her family of beauty queens,
making unlikely new friends at Miss
Vernie's unusual charm school in Mt.
Airy, North Carolina.
Twelve-year-old Randi, unhappy about
moving from Brooklyn to Deer Creek,
Tennessee, after her mother's death, soon
finds new friends and a case to solve
surrounding a stolen time capsule and
rumors of a centuries-old treasure.
NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHY
Mooney, Carla
George Washington : 25 Great Projects
You can build yourself
Contains instructions for twenty-five
hands-on activities that teach about the
life and times of George Washington,
and includes biographical information,
illustrations, and historical facts.
Van Vleet, Carmella
Amazing Ben Franklin Inventions You
can build yourself
Presents fun activities and biographical
information on inventor and statesman,
Benjamin Franklin, with step-by-step
instructions to over twenty-four handson projects.