GRADE 4 SUMMER READING
Make the summer fun with books! This list is recommended for students entering Grade 4. Let these books serve as inspiration for you
and your child. Spend some time together at your local bookstore and library and see what strikes your fancy. Encourage your child to
choose his or her own books and watch how quickly they become engaged!
GET YOUR BOOKS
The library is the place to be this summer! Brooklyn Public Library locations can be found at www.brooklypubliclibrary.org. If you
choose to purchase books, Greenlight Bookstore in Fort Greene is a good local and independent source. Visit
www.greenlightbookstore.com/northside to see all summer reading titles -- you can shop online and then pick up your purchase at the
bookstore, or have it shipped to you. As our bookstore partner, Greenlight donates a percentage of all online sales of summer reading
titles back to the school to help fill our library shelves! Make sure to mention "Northside" in the order comments when checking out
online. You can visit the store at 686 Fulton Street or online at greenlightbookstore.com.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Brave Girl: Clara & the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of
1909 by Michelle Markel
An illustrated account of immigrant Clara Lemlich's pivotal role
in the influential 1909 women laborer's strike describes how
she worked grueling hours to acquire an education and
support her family before organizing a massive walkout to
protest the unfair working conditions in New York's garment
district.
Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Peace Prize by
Kathy-Jo Wargin
Follows Nobel's life from his invention of dynamite and
subsequent wealth to his sadness at the explosive's
destructive power and decision to create yearly prizes for
those who have rendered the greatest services to mankind.
Half a Chance by Cynthia
Lord
Moving to an old house on a lake that she struggles to view
artistically in accordance with her photographer father's
teachings, Lucy, fearing the pictures she takes will never meet
his high standards, anonymously enters a photo contest that
he is judging. By the Newbery Honor-winning author of Rules.
Backwards Moon by Mary Losure
When the magical veil that protects their valley from humans is
broached and the Wellspring Water needed to repair it is
polluted, it is up to two young witches, Bracken and Nettle, to
save the coven.
Frank Einstein & the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieska
Child genius Frank Einstein tries to invent a robot that can
learn on its own, and after an accident brings Klink and Klank
to life, they work to help Frank perfect his Antimatter Motor
until his nemesis steals the robots for his doomsday plan.
NON-FICTION
GRAPHIC(ISH) NOVELS
Hereville; How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
Longing to fight dragons over taking the advice of various
family members, spunky 10-year-old Mirka Herschberg hones
her skills in her Orthodox Jewish community before accepting
a challenge from a witch to defeat a giant troll, in a story
inspired by an award-nominated web comic.
Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt’s Treasured
Books by Susan L. Roth & Karen Leggett
Documents the inspiring January 2011 story about how
thousands of Egypt's students, library workers, and
demonstrators joined hands around the great Library of
Alexandria to protect the building and the freedom it
represents.
City of Ember: The Graphic Novel by Jeanne Duprau;
Adapted by Dallas Middaugh; Art by Niklas Asker
A faithful graphic adaptation of the wildly popular novel about
two children who endeavor to find answers and escape a
doomed city.
The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton
Describes the discovery of fluorescent paint by Bob and Joe
Switzer, who experimented for years before finding the formula
for creating colors which could glow in sunlight, a feature which
led to the paint being used for safety items around the world.
Hansel & Gretel by Neil Gaiman; illus. Lorenzo Mattotti
Mattotti and Gaiman’s take on the classic tale. An illustrated
short story told in alternating text and pictures.
Plastic Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage
Patch by Patricia Newman
A team of scientists explores the Great Pacific Garbage Patch,
where millions of pieces of plastic have gathered, having
drifted there from rivers, beaches, and ocean traffic all over the
world.
CHAPTER BOOKS
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
Twelve-year-old Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of 12
children chosen to stay in the new town library--designed by
his hero, the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello--for an
overnight of fun, food and games, but in the morning, the kids
find all the doors still locked and must work together to solve
secret puzzles in order to discover the hidden escape route.
*summaries from the Library of Congress
2015
SPANISH LANGUAGE
Merlina y el Dragón by Olga Brennen
El Vuelo del Quetzál by Alma Flor Ada & F. Isabel Campoy
compiled by Karen Grenke, Librarian