Grade 5 Favorite Summer Reads

Adventure/Mystery

Fantasy

Realistic Fiction

Historical Fiction

Biographies and Non-Fiction

 

Adventure/Mystery

 

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

All Reynie Muldoon wants is a family. All he has is his tutor Ms. Perumal. So when an ad shows up asking for “a gifted child looking for special opportunities” Reynie decides to go and take the proposed test. He later meets a fidgety boy, a creative girl with a bucket, and a stubborn, obnoxious, short girl. They are all sent on a secret mission, but will they succeed? Read this book and find out! -- recommended by Bishop

Wolf Brother (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness)by Michelle Paver

Torka and his dad sat in their tent tending their wounds. They hear the bear cry that had attacked them yesterday. Torka’s father told him to flee. As Torka ran he heard the screams of the bear and his father. Little does Torka know that he is about to meet a friend. This book is intriguing and fast-paced, and if you like adventure and action read this book. --recommended by Liam

The Falcon's Malteser (A Diamond Brother Mystery) by Anthony Horowitz

Tim and Nick Diamond are stuck in the crossfire of the police and a major crime organization. Tim is the worst detective in the world and Nick, his younger brother, is a smart young fellow that saves Tim’s butt more times than he can count. Can he crack an international crime gang and discover a fortune in diamonds? Nobody will expect the answer.--recommended by Marky

Bone by Jeff Smith

Bone is a great graphic novel about three little bone creatures who get kicked out of Boneville. They find their way to a little valley and they get into lots of fights. Bone is a very funny book and if you like humor this is a great book for you. -- recommended by Andrew

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This is a fast action paced book that will knock all Greek mythology lovers off their feet. Something important has been stolen and it’s up to a 12 year old boy who has dyslexia and ADHD to find it. He’s sent on a quest that will most likely kill him. Or will it? The Oracle has given him a prophecy that may drive him crazy. Reading this book will take you on a wild ride for summer vacation. I recommend this book to all action and adventure lovers.-- recommended by Nell

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan

If you like Greek Myths, but think they are too hard for you to understand, you should read The Sea of Monsters. Grover, a satyr (a half goat half human) is trapped in a cave with a Cyclopes. Through an empathy link, the ability to send messages through the mind, Grover reaches his friend Percy the son of Poseidon… -- recommended by Maina

Percy Jackson (a half-blood) embarks on an epic journey with his friends to a mysterious island in the Sea of Monsters (the Bermuda Triangle) to find the mysterious golden fleece. This funny but intense book will keep you wanting more.--recommended by Peter.

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan

Darren Shan was an ordinary school boy, but when he gets tickets to a freak show his entire life is turned upside down. His best friend is hurt and only one thing can cure him, but Darren has to pay a steep price. What will become of Darren and his friend? To find out you’ll have to read Cirque Du Freak. -- recommended by Matt

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan is a frightening, thrilling series. It’s about a boy who becomes a vampire and is being hunted down. He is running away to save his life, but the question is will he make it out alive. It keeps you on your seat the whole time, and you always want more. -- recommended by Sandeep

Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica

Would you like a basketball star as your dad? So would 12 year old Molly Parker. Only her father is, he just doesn’t realize it. Miracle on 49th Street is an exciting and heartwarming story about Molly Parker’s journey to find her true father. I recommend it for all sports lovers. -- recommended by Jack

Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng

Molly and her best friend Rocky hate the Hardwick House orphanage. They have bleedn’ bloody soup for dinner and Miss Adderstone has liver and kidney pie. One afternoon, Rocky and Molly are going on a cross country run and they have to travel though the dense, deserted forest. Molly does not want to go to it and Rocky says that Molly should try and stop getting herself into trouble. Then they get really mad and go their separate ways. Molly decides to go to the library where she finds a book that will change her life.

Molly Moon Stops the World by Georgia Byng

Molly Moon is an orphan who finds a book that teaches her hypnosis. She goes through these amazing adventures with a big surprise at the end. If you think this is a typical book, you are wrong. It’s amazing. Read it and find out what the big twist is. -- recommended by Mia

Dive Series by Gordon Korman

The Dive Series is a great read for anybody looking for an adventure. Meet Kaz, Dante, Star Ling, and Adriana. They are four teenagers selected to join a world famous scuba diving organization. Their dive guide always leaves them behind on the dive trips, but the truth is their dive guide is destroying the reef looking for treasure. The teenagers also want this treasure, and they both dive for the treasure in this 3-book series filled with diving injuries, murder, and treasure.-- recommended by Matthew

Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen

This sequel to Hatchet is about Brian who has survived the summer in the Canadian wilderness. Now he has to brave the bitter cold and hunger of the winter. He has to improve all his things such as his bow and arrow and his insulation for his cave. I highly recommend this book for people who like adventure. Overall this book is a kid version of Robinson Crusoe.-- recommended by Christian

Sammy Keyes by Wendelin Van Draanen

Sammy Keyes is a bright, spunky girl who is living with her grandmother in a senior high rise and has a knack for sticking her nose in the wrong place at the right time and solves mysteries. This book is good for people who like mystery and adventure. Danger? Mystery? Sammy Keyes will find her way there.-- recommended by Serena

Scorpia by Anthony Horowitz

When Alex Rider travels to Venice with his friend Tom he finds out about a killer group called Scorpia. Alex finds out that his dad whom he never met was an assassin for them. Scorpia wants Alex on their side. Will he take the job? This book and series is amazing for people who like action packed stories.-- recommended by Mark

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Alex Rider lost both his parents and now his uncle in a “terrible car crash.” He lost everyone but his au pair who’s going to go back to America soon. At his uncle’s funeral a man who said he was his uncle’s colleague seemed very suspicious. When the man got into the car and his jacket fell off, Alex saw a glimpse of a gun in a holster on the man’s belt…-- recommended by Alex

Can Alex Rider survive on his mysterious mission from MI6, the British equivalent of the CIA? His grandfather has just died, and at the funeral, strange men appear. Alex decides to track them and almost gets killed in a car recycler. This life threatening experience leads him to find out more about his uncle, who, until now, appeared to be working for General Bank, which is actually the headquarters of MI6. Can he escape with his life? Read Stormbreaker and find out!--recommended by Sarah

Holes by Louis Sachar

At the beginning of the book a boy named Stanley Yelnats gets arrested for stealing a Major League Baseball player’s cleats. In court he is accused of stealing the cleats and says they fell from the sky which they actually did, and you probably know the judge didn’t believe him. So the whole story is about Stanley Yelnats journey through his detention center, Camp Green Lake. -- recommended by James

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Roy is a new kid at Trace Middle School. On a bus ride to school Roy notices a strange boy running with no shoes. Who is he and how will he help save some tiny owls? -- recommended by Helena

 

Lost Horizon by James Hilton

Four people, a young man, two men, and a woman go on a plane, but a short time later they find that the pilot is not the one that should be driving! The four of them go into a panic as the plane suddenly comes crashing down. Where are they? How will they live? Who is this strange man flying the plane? Read this amazing story to find out!-- recommended by Sidney

The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore by Joan Lowery Nixon

Christina Lattimore was a new girl in her state. When she was at home having dinner, she left to go over to her friend’s house. After she left a man saw her get out of her car and kidnapped her. When they got to the house he started to harass her and make her sign many contracts. When she was there she heard many footsteps up above her. Who could it be? --recommended by Marcus

Congo by Michael Crichton

In this book, scientists research minerals all over the world, but in one place, deep in the jungle of Congo, they have never gotten any information. Now, with a team including a gorilla that talks in sign language, they are ready to try again after the first team was mysteriously killed. Read this story if you want to know more. --recommended by Evan

Last Shot by John Feinstein

Last Shot is a about a boy who gets chosen to go to the final four basketball tournament. When he gets there he gets involved in a huge blackmail scheme that could cause a team to lose the championships on purpose. If you like sports this is a book to read.--recommended by Benjamin

Wilderness Family

A family is struggling to live in the city because the daughter is constantly having allergy attacks from all of the pressure of living in the city, so they decide to move into the wilderness where they face many adventures that put their life at risk. Do you think that they will be able to survive the big change from living in the city to the wilderness or not? Read this book to find out.--recommended by Josh

 

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

If you love space travel and want to read one of the best books ever, read A Wrinkle in Time. This book is about a girl and her brother who have to save their father from the darkness. The only catch is that he is on another planet. Now these two siblings and their friend have to find their father without getting tethered to another galaxy! --Recommended by Brandon

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling  

Harry has lived with his stuffy aunt, uncle, and cousin, for as long as he can remember. He is unwanted and has never fit in. Then one day, a mysterious letter arrives, opening up a new world and changing Harry’s life forever.-- recommended by Grace

Ingo by Helen Dunmore  

A young girl’s father mysteriously disappears while out at sea, and everyone thinks he is dead. She can feel he’s not dead, but no one will believe her. Her mother is even replacing him! Now she can feel the pull of the sea, a place where time has no purpose, you disappear from life above, where you forget the ones you love. A place called Ingo.-- recommended by Clare

Stravaganza: City of Masks by Mary Hoffman

Stravaganza: City of Masks is about a boy named Lucien who has cancer. For weeks he would stay at a hospital, bored. Finally, his father brings him a notepad, which unlocks a portal to a parallel universe, Talia, to Italy. He lands in the city of Bellezza, where the Duchessa has been plotted against, and he is the one that can save her.
-- recommended by Julia

The Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson

If you are somebody who has always wanted to find out about what happens when the lights go out in Disney World, The Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson is a great read. When Finn and his four friends find out that at nighttime they can travel to Disney at dark, they become involved in an adventure that makes them risk their lives. --recommended by Tammy

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

Five kid-mutants, Max, Nudge, Fang, Angel, Gasman, have wings. Yes, wings, and they’re trying to escape from “the school”, a science lab that mutates humans with animals. Erasers are chasing the children, not the things you erase pencil markings with, but Wolf-men. This book is an adventure that will lure you for more. And the second book is called Maximum Ride: Schools Out- Forever.--recommended by Denra

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

This book is for people who really love fantasy, even though this story involves realistic people it still keeps you glued to each page. When the main character’s grandfather gets captured the plot doesn’t play out as expected. Fablehaven is a real page turner, you will stay up late to finish it! -- recommended by Rosemary

Mortal Engines (The Hungry City Chronicles #1) by Philip Reeve

Tom is trying to become a well known person in the city of London. The city hasn’t had a catch in years. When one of the citizens of the small city board tries to kill a high city citizen, Tom tries to stop it because he would like to have someone thank him. The girl tries to throw him off the edge of the city but he hangs on. When she escapes down a dispenser he slips down after her. Will he be able to escape the murderer? -- recommended by David

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

The Warrior Heir is about a teenager named Jack who lives in Trinity. When he was young he had heart surgery, or that’s what they say. He was prescribed a medicine for his heart, and one day he forgets to take it and feels a lot better, stronger. Then his aunt comes and takes him and some friends on a trip, and weird things start happening… -- recommended by Chris

Half Magic by Edward Eager

When Katherine, Mark, Martha, and Jane, four children from an ordinary family with an ordinary life, find a magic talisman, their lives change drastically for the better. Or will it? Turns out, the magic talisman only grants wishes by the halves, so everything has to be wished two times as much. What will they wish, and what will it result in? To find out, read Half Magic! -- recommended by Samantha

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

One night, while Meggie was pretending to be asleep, but was really reading under the covers, she looked out the window and saw a stranger walking in the streets towards her house. She went to her father’s room and told him that there was a stranger coming towards there house. He told here to go back to bed while he went to go see who it was. But she didn’t. She decided to eavesdrop. She heard her father say things about her mother who she had lost 5 years ago when she was only 5 years old. Things start to unwind for Meggie, and she starts to understand why her father used to read to her but now she doesn’t and where her mother went. Wait. What’s that noise? Isn’t that her father screaming… -- recommended by Jessica

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

What does the world do when they are in danger of alien attack? Call on a six year old. At age six, Ender Wiggen is taken from his family to train for war but he doesn’t realize that these computer simulations might decide the fate of the world. Can he do it?-- recommended by Caden

Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer

The Supernaturalist is a thrilling tale about a boy who can see things called Parasites. These Parasites are creatures that suck the life out of the wounded. Only a select few people can see these creatures
and it is up to them to stop the parasites.--recommended by Hunter

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

This book is about a twelve year old evil genius and his butler, Butler trying to catch a fairy. Along the way they almost get killed, but when they capture a fairy the fairy corporation LEP comes after them. This book has lots of mythical creatures and is a thrilling adventure, one of the best books I have ever read.--recommended by Jonathan

 

Realistic Fiction

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt

One summer a boy named Zachary Beaver came to a small Texas town. The other kids do not like him very much at first. But then they become his friend. And little do they know, he will change their lives forever. This is a phenomenal book by Kimberly Willis Holt. I would recommend it to anyone who likes realistic fiction. -- recommended by Jimmy.

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech

Heartbeat is about a twelve-year-old girl named Annie who has a passion for drawing and running freely through the woods. Her usually peaceful world spins out of control when her mother gets pregnant and her best friend, Max, becomes moody, and her grandfather is forgetting many things. -- recommended by Julia

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

When two sisters who love each other more than anyone can imagine are separated by sickness, Katie has to cope with her feelings and help her sister to heal. Can she do it? Kira-Kira is an amazing, touching book that will change your way of thinking. -- recommended by Julia

The Music of the Dolphins by Karen Hesse

What happens when a girl who has lived with dolphins for her entire life is found by humans? I’ll tell you. She has many lessons to help her communicating skills. But she is under so much pressure. Can she deal with it? --recommended by Anna

Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay

Meet Saffron, a girl whose family is named after colors. But, when she realizes she is not on the color chart, secrets unravel and lead her on a journey to find her past, and her angel. I highly recommend this series.--recommended by Madeleine

Together Again (The Callahan Cousins Series #4) by Elizabeth Carey

The Callahan cousins reunite for Christmas after being separated for the fall. Neeve, Hillary, Kate, and Phoebe share many adventures including a sleepover at an old museum where Phoebe discovers a mysterious ghost. To find out more, read this book!--recommended by Catherine

Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech

This book is about a thirteen year old girl, Mary Lou, who writes in a journal everyday. At first she doesn’t want to write in the journal, but she has to because it is her summer homework. She writes about tragedy and comedy. She also writes about her personal life. What she doesn’t know is that her teacher will be reading her journal. .--recommended by Erin

Dream Freedom by Sonia Levitin

Innocent people in the southern Sudan are taken from their homes and forced to be slaves working in the worst conditions; tribes are attacked and others that are not slaves are forced to live in a village of ruins. This is their story. A variety of different lives all connect, all with different stories. These stories come together to form one story, connected by details. This is an outstanding story that is in the Arundel Library and should be read—one time or another. In my opinion it’s five stars! --recommended by Blake

Princess Lessons by Meg Cabot

If you read Princess Lessons, you’ll learn how to be your own princess. Teenager, Mia Thermopolis is off to try and be a princess. Her grandmother, the former Princess of Genovia is giving her lessons. Mia also struggles through boy problems. This book is a great book for fifth graders.-- recommended by Alexandra

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

If you like books with humor and sadness, then Walk Two Moons is the book for you. It is about a girl named Salamanca Tree Hiddle. She is a typical 13 year old girl who lives in Bybanks, Kentucky, and moves to Ohio. Since she is not used to her new school, Sal is struggling to make friends and wants to find out how her mom disappeared.-- recommended by Caroline

Historical Fiction

Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn

It is World War Two and both Margaret and Elizabeth’s brothers are in the war, but when they find out the terrible secret of the worst sixth grade bully, Gordy Smith, the two girls are almost breaking the country’s law. They also find more about Gordy’s crazy life style and his family and help him out. You’ll love this great book!

Dovey Coe by Francis O'Roark Dowell

If you like stories that have a slightly sad and interesting story line, then you will love reading and enjoying this book. It is a story about a young girl who is accused of murder when a boy that she does not like dies. Her brother, Amos, is deaf, and Dovey helps him to learn how to read lips. With her lawyer, she has to go through the life of a criminal. Who killed Parnell? Read the book to find out.

The Falconer's Knot

A young boy, Silvano, is rich and has a good pleasant life, until his dagger is stuck in a dead mans chest. He says he’s innocent, but of course no one believes him. To survive he must go to a friary. But in the friary he is surrounded by murder and mystery. How will he survive the friary, and will he ever get back to his castle? Read this book if you like mystery books blended with old Italian times. --

Biographies and Nonfiction

We Beat the Street by Sampson Davis

This book is about three boys: Rameck, Sampson, and George who grow up in the ghetto and they all have done bad stuff before. One day while trying to skip school to shoot hoops they decide to see a doctor that has come to the school to talk about a medical school that is free because they need more doctors in their town. This is a true story. -- recommended by Adam

Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan

I like this book because it shows how hard life is with a dog, but also how rewarding. It also shows how hard it is to put your dog to sleep even if he is dumb and annoying. It also shows the relationship between a family and their dog. It is a funny, shocking, sad, and happy book that will make you wonder what comes next. -- recommended by Harrison

Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther

Death Be Not Proud is a true story about a boy’s journey through sickness to his eventual death. It is written by his father, and includes letters from neurologists, admirers, and worried mothers. Read the book to find out about Johnny’s story. -- recommended by Sydney