Here is my list for
grades 3-5. The carpal tunnel
isn’t nearly as bad as when I wrote the first book list, so I was able to add
descriptions for these books.
-Falcon’s Egg by Luli
Gray
A fun fantasy story
about a girl who finds an egg in the park. My third grade teacher read this to my class and I fell in
love with it.
-The Night Crossing by
Karen Ackerman
I first came across this
book when I was in fourth grade.
This is a great book for educating this age group on the Holocaust. This book would probably be a bit
frightening for younger elementary students, but for older elementary grades
I’d say it strikes a good balance between expressing the danger of the
situation and not being too graphic for children.
-Tales of a Fourth Grade
Nothing by Judy Blume
Another book that was
introduced to me in fourth grade when our teacher read it to the class. Peter Hatcher is a character that
pre-teen age readers will identify with.
Told in first person, Peter gives his account of navigating through
fourth grade while coping with his pesky younger brother.
-Superfudge by Judy
Blume
The sequel to Tales of a
Fourth Grade Nothing. I remember I
got it from the school library and read the whole thing in one day. Peter takes on sixth grade and
adolescence while adjusting moving and having a new baby in the house. Fudge is now the middle child, and he’s
still finding plenty of ways to get into trouble!
I know my first two book
lists have been a bit on the sparse side, but I’m coming up with lots more for
the older grades, so sit tight!
