4th Grade Book Recommendations
You do not have to read all of these books. These are just a few book options that you might want to read this summer. We have put together this list for your convenience. Please pick 5 books.
Restart, by Gordon Korman
Recommended by: Anjali M. and Oliver C.
Restart is about a boy named Chase Ambrose who has fallen off his roof and has gotten major amnesia and can’t remember anything, not even his own name. The most important thing Chase cannot remember is that before he fell off his roof, he was the school's biggest bully, but now Chase has changed. How will Chase fit in with his new personality?
Space Case, by Stuart Gibbs
Recommended by: Oliver C.
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Space Case is about a 12 year old boy, Dashiell Gibson, who lives on the moon with other fellow “moonies.” Dashiell’s family and some others living on the moon, are world-wide famous on Earth for being the first humans to live on the Moon. Although living on the moon sounds cool, for Dashiell it is extremely boring, all kids are stuck inside MBA (Moonbase Alpha) and aren’t allowed to go on the surface of the moon. The moon base’s top scientist has died and everybody thinks that he just put his suit on wrong before he walked out onto the surface of the moon, but Dashiell senses something fishy. Will Dashiell figure out the case?
James Herriot's dog Stories, by James Herriot
Recommended: by Colombe G.
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James Herriot’s Dog Stories is a few heartwarming, funny, and brave dog stories. One of the stories is the story of a funny Pekingese named Tricky Woo,whose owner is a rich old lady who spends a lot of money on him. She also feeds him too much, for example she feeds him human food!
The Year of the Dog, by Grace Lin
Recommended by: Vivienne W.
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The Year of the Dog is about, Pacy, who over the course of the year tries to find her talent and also finds a friend. Pacy gets into some mischief and has memorable moments with her family and her best friend.
Moo, by Sharon Creech
Recommended by: Vivienne W.
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Moo is about a young girl and her brother who move from a big city to Maine. They are forced to work for a grumpy old lady and care for her cow. From working their they may just learn that the old lady is not what she seems and that you should not judge a book by its cover.
Dave at Night, Gail Carson Levine
Recommended by: Arnav G.
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After his father’s death, Dave finds himself in the middle of a Harlem orphanage. Unwanted and taking care of himself, Dave finds himself exploring the musical and mysterious streets of Harlem. Swindling strangers and weird parties take him from place to place. As he looks for a new home, trouble with the orphanage continues, and Dave needs to figure out where to stay.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, by Chris Grabenstein
Recommended by: Arnav G.
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The famous game-maker, Mr. Lemoncello, has just opened his new, exotic library. Here twelve contestants have to fight in a race for who can find the secret way out of the library the fastest. Many different paths to the solution open up, as kids are eliminated and find more information. Things are hidden in plain sight, and as the group dwindles down, the game gets more intense. Puzzling and mind twisting fun, the kids decode pictures, clues, poems and more, as the race comes to a final showdown.
The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman, Meg Wolitzer
Recommended by: Michael P.
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April Blunt, and Nate Saviano don't seem to have much in common at first glance. Duncan is trying to look after his single mom and adjust to life in a new town while managing his Scrabble superpower. He can feel words and pictures beneath his fingers and tell what they are without looking. April is pining for a mystery boy she met years ago and striving to be seen as more than a nerd in her family of jocks. And homeschooled Nate is struggling to meet his father's high expectations for success.
11 Birthdays, by Wendy Mass
Recommended by: Sophie L.
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Amanda is turning 11. But her best friend Leo is also turning 11 on the same day and this will be their first birthday that they won’t celebrate together. And when the day is finally over, Amanda wakes up to find out that the same day is repeating over and over again. So she has to fix it with friendship and time.
The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau
Recommended by: Michael P.
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Ember is an underground city threatened by aging infrastructure. Lina Mayfleet, and her friend, Doon Harrow , follow clues left behind by the original builders of the City of Ember, to safety in the outside world.
All Four Stars series, by Tara Dairman
Recommended by: Sophie L. and Colombe G.
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Gladys has been cooking gourmet dishes since the age of 7. Now she's 11, and after a cooking accident and setting the kitchen on fire, Gladys is cut off from the kitchen. She is a foodie, but her parents are all about fast food. When her essay on her future career accidentally gets sent to the editor of a New York newspaper, all sorts of craziness follows. She has to write fake reviews and use her friends to keep her dream job. But she also had to keep her identity a secret.
Starring Sally J Freedman as Herself, by Judy Blume
Recommended by: Christina I.
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The imaginative 10-year-old Sally likes to make up stories in her head. Her family moves from New Jersey to Miami Beach. The book takes place in the late 1940s and Sally experiences racism and sibling rivalry.
Flora and Ulysses, by Kate DiCamillo
Recommended by: Fourth Grade Students
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This is a story of a squirrel who almost died because of a vacuum cleaner!! He is rescued and brought back to life by a young girl named Flora, after the incident the squirrel has so called super powers like typing poetry on a typewriter. This is perfect for young Flora who is a self proclaimed cynic has always dreamed of being a superhero like her comic book inspiration
The Five Kingdoms Series, by Brandon Mull
Recommended by: Fourth Grade Students
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This is the story of three kids named Cole, Jenna, and Dalton who skipped trick-or-treating on Halloween night to go with two other kids the new haunted house in town. What happened, however, was beyond any of their wildest imagination. Two of the children are kidnapped and Cole is left behind to find Dalton and Jenna. When he does the three children are not in the world where they started.
Summoner, by Taran Matharu
Recommended by: Fourth Grade Students
This is a book about a blacksmith novice, Fletcher. He discovers that he has the ability to summon mysterious demons from other worlds. He travels to the Vocans Adept Military Academy. There, the gifted students are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training. He must think and act carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles.
Arcady’s Goal, by Eugene Yelchin
Recommended by: Fourth Grade Students
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Arcady is a twelve year old boy living in an orphanage in Soviet Russia. To him, soccer isn’t just a game. He gets his chance to leave the orphanage and reach his goal, to become a player on the elite Red Star team. When he leaves will he succeed in his quest to be a soccer star?