HART COUNTY SUGGESTED SUMMER READING LIST FOR 3rd- 5th Grades
2017 Kentucky Bluegrass Awards Master List for Grades 3-5
Crenshaw/Katherine Applegate. Feiwel and Friends, 2015.
Jackson’s imaginary friend, a giant cat named Crenshaw who eats purple jelly beans, comes back into the soon-to-be fifthgrader’s life to help him cope with the anxiety caused by his family’s financial struggles and impending homelessness
demonstrating the power of friendship and resilience.
Fish in a Tree/Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), 2015.
Ally, a girl with dyslexia who has always been able to hide her inability to read with disruptive distractions, has a new
teacher, Mr. Daniels, who recognizes the bright and creative girl she is and helps build her confidence to see that there’s a
lot more to her and everyone else than a label.
Fuzzy Mud/Louis Sachar, Delacorte Press, 2015.
Fifth-grader Tamaya and seventh-grader Marshall take a shortcut home from school in an effort for Marshall to avoid a fight
with bully Chad Hilligas, but their detour leads them to discover a dangerous, “fuzzy” substance that proves harmful for
humans and threatens to be an environmental disaster.
A Handful of Stars/Cynthia Lord. Scholastic Press, 2015.
When her blind dog, Lucky, slips his collar, twelve-year old Lily meets Salma Santiago, a young Hispanic girl whose migrant
family are in Maine for the blueberry-picking season, and, based partly on their mutual love of dogs, the two forge a
friendship while painting bee boxes for Lily's grandfather. As the Blueberry Queen pageant approaches, however, Lily and
Salma are confronted with some of the hard truths of prejudice and migrant life
Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France/Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno. Candlewick
Press, 2015.
During a visit to France during the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin shows the development and practice of the
scientific method to help determine if the invisible force that Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer claimed he was using to cure
patients was genuine.
Old Wolf/Avi, illustrated by Brian Floca. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015.
Nashoba, a older wolf struggling to keep his status as the pack leader, decides to trust Merla, a clever raven, to lead him to
find desperately needed food in the Colorado woods where they encounter thirteen-year-old Casey, a boy whose hunting
experience comes from a computer game, and who now must make difficult choices in the tense meeting between three
very different hunters.
Paper Wishes/Lois Sepahban. Margaret Ferguson Books, an imprint of Farrar, Straus, & Giroux (BYR), 2016.
Near the start of World War II, ten-year-old Manami, her parents, and grandfather are evacuated from their home and
peaceful sea life on Bainbridge Island and sent to Manzanar Relocation Camp, an ugly, dreary internment camp in the
desert for Japanese-American citizens, whose conditions are made worse by the guilt and sadness Manami feels over the
loss of her grandfather’s beloved dog, Yujiin.
The Terrible Two/ Mac Barnett, illustrated by Kevin Cornell. Amulet Books, 2015.
When master prankster Miles Murphy moves to sleepy Yawnee Valley, he challenges the local, mystery prankster in an epic
battle of tricks, but soon the two join forces to pull off the biggest prank ever seen.
Tucky Jo and Little Heart/Patricia Polacco. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2015.
During World War II, a fifteen-year-old soldier from Kentucky meets a sweet, young girl in the Philippines who helps him
remember what he is fighting for as he helps her and others of her village avoid starvation, and many years later she
returns his kindness.
The War That Saved My Life/Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), 2015.
Nine-year-old Ada, a young girl with a clubbed foot, and her little brother, Jamie are evacuated from their squalid
apartment in London during World War II to a much sweeter life in the English countryside with Susan Smith, a grieving
woman who helps Ada to begin to heal physically and emotionally from the abuse and neglect of an ignorant, povertystricken mother.
Past KBA Winners
Duke by Kirby Lawson. Scholastic Press, 2013. 2016 KBA Winner for Grades 3-5. 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.
Giants Beware by Jorge Aguirre; Rafael Rosado, ill. First Second Books, 2012. 2015 KBA Winner for Grades 3-5! Tough and spunky,
Claudette, who has big goals of becoming a giant slayer, sets off on a super-secret quest outside of the safe walls of her city
with her best friend and her brother in order to kill the rumored local giant.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Knopf, 2012. 2014 KBA Winner for Grades 3-5! Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, born with an extreme facial
deformity, struggles to fit in as he makes the transition from homeschooling to private school.
Smile by Raina Telgemeier. Graphix, 2010. 2013 KBA Winner for Grades 3-5! The author relates, in graphic form, her experiences
after she injured her two front teeth and had to have surgeries and wear embarrassing braces and headgear, all while also
dealing with the trials and tribulations of middle school.
Big Nate: In a Class By Himself by Lincoln Pierce. 2012 KBA Winner for Grades 3-5! Supremely confident middle school student Nate
Wright manages to make getting detention from every one of his teachers in the same day seem like an achievement.
You may also like….
Captain Underpants series/Dave Pilkey. Who is the greatest, most hilarious superhero in the history of elementary school? What
elastic-waist adventurer fights for "Truth, Justice and all that is Pre-shrunk and Cottony" and can "leap tall building without
a single bound? Captain Underpants, of course!!
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. Wilbur the pig is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer’s Christmas dinner
until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him.
Dear America Series. A series of historical fiction novels. In each book, an important event or period of American history is the
setting of a story written through the eyes of a young girl. Each book is written in diary format and includes historical notes
at the end which highlight the chosen time period.
Frindle/Andrew Clements. When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher’s love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen
invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly gets out of control.
Geronimo Stilton series. In this series, Geronimo is a talking mouse, is a best-selling author and works as a journalist for the fictional
newspaper The Rodent’s Gazette. Geronimo is a nervous, mild-mannered mouse who would like nothing better than to live
a quiet life, but he keeps getting involved in far-away adventures.
Goosebumps & Mostly Ghostly series/R. L. Stine. Check out books in these popular series for mystery stories with a scary twist. In
the Mostly Ghostly series, meet Max Doyle who has two ghosts living in his bedroom that only he can see!
Ramona series/Beverly Cleary. A popular children’s book series revolving around the main character, Ramona Quimby, her family
including her sister Beezus, and the various events that take place in her neighborhood.
The Tale of Despereaux/Kate DiCamillo. The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he
loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. Peter finds his demanding two year old brother an ever increasing problem. Also
check out other books by the same author.
Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story/Mary D. Hahn. Molly and Michael dislike their spooky stepsister Heather but realize they
must try to save her when she seems ready to follow a ghost child to her doom.
Where the Red Fern Grows/Wilson Rawls. A boy and his 2 dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann, go through adventure and tragedy in the
Ozark Mountain Valley.
The Mystery of Mammoth Cave/Steve Kistler. When sixth grader James Murphy travels with his family to visit Mammoth Cave
National Park, he meets a new friend, Shanda. The girl and her uncle, Ranger Matthew,are descendants of the early slave
guides at Mammoth Cave. As the young visitors learn about the life of the famous slave and cave guide Stephen Bishop,
they hear tales of a long-lost treasure deep in the cave. When opportunity knocks, they embark on the adventure of a
lifetime!
Journey to the Bottomless Pit : the Story of Stephen Bishop & Mammoth Cave/Betsy Mitchell ; illustrations by Kellyn [sic] Alder.
In 1838, as the nation struggles with issues of slavery, seventeen-year-old Stephen Bishop serves his master as a guide in
Kentucky's Mammoth Cave and spends his free time exploring and discovering new passages and rooms.
Robinson Crusoe/Daniel DeFoe. During one of his several adventurous voyages in the seventeenth century, an Englishman becomes
the sole survivor of a shipwreck and lives for nearly thirty years on a desert island.
Puff, the Magic Dragon/Peter Yarrow, Lenny Lipton. The adventures of a boy and his dragon friend are recounted in this classic song
from the 1960s.
Dragonbreath Series/Ursula Vernon.
Danny Dragonbreath can’t breathe fire, but he has no fear. And that comes in handy when a bad grade at school inspires
him to enlist his cousin the sea-serpent’s help with a research project. Using a hybrid of comic-book panels and text, Ursula
Vernon introduces an irresistible set of characters that will have readers laughing until smoke comes out of their noses!
Dragon Slayers’ Academy Series/Kate McMullan.
When a traveling minstrel foretells that he is to become a hero, Wiglaf sets out to fulfill his destiny: he signs up at the
Dragon Slayers' Academy. But how can he ever hope to be a dragon slayer when he can't even stand the sight of blood?
Pete's Dragon Junior Novel/Disney’s Book Group (To be released June 28, 2016)
Pete has a friend and protector in the huge green dragon Elliot. But when they are discovered in the forest, Pete must find a
way to protect Elliot in return. A boy and his dragon find friendship, adventure, and a place to belong in this junior novel
based on the upcoming Walt Disney Studios film, Pete's Dragon.