Summer Reading List, Grades 3-5

For fans of the hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid series: Get ready to meet Big Nate! In the first novel in the New York Times bestselling series, Big Nate is in a class by himself!

Trouble always seems to find him, but Nate keeps his cool.

He knows he’s destined for greatness. A fortune cookie told him so!

When her best friend and neighbor, Margaret, comes to her with a problem, Clementine goes to many lengths to help her friend.

This sets off a rollicking adventure-filled week that finds Clementine getting into and out of further trouble, while learning valuable life lessons.

Set in the Lake Superior region in the mid-1800s, The Birchbark House is a vital novel providing fascinating details of a year in the life of young Omakayas, a girl of the Ojibwa.

As a part of her father’s bug-extermination contract, 14-year-old Nikki J. Maxwell has been awarded a scholarship to a prestigious private middle school.

New school. New mean girl. New crush. New diary, so Nikki can spill about all of it….

Rose petal milk shakes and a world of surprises awaits Dini when her family moves to India in this spirited novel with Bollywood flair.

On Harry’s eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

An incredible adventure is about to begin!

The Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning classic about a boy who decides to hit the road to find his father—from Christopher Paul Curtis, author of The Watsons Go To Birmingham — 1963, a Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree.

A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo’s dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

With masterful economy worthy of Charles Schultz, Lat recounts the life of Mat, a Muslim boy growing up in rural Malaysia in the 1950s: his adventures and mischief-making, fishing trips, religious study, and work on his family’s rubber plantation.

Meanwhile, the traditional way of life in his village (or kampung) is steadily disappearing, with tin mines and factory jobs gradually replacing family farms and rubber small-holders. 

Part memoir, part scrapbook, this hilarious trip down memory lane provides a unique glimpse into the formation of a creative mind and a free spirit.

Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world’s most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost.

39 Clues hidden around the world will reveal the family’s secret, but no one has been able to assemble them.

Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what’s important: hunting clues or uncovering what really happened to their parents.

Using an ingenious system of tubes and tabs, readers can decide what to explore in this completely engrossing experiment in storytelling.

Sometimes the page reads right to left, sometimes up and down, and sometimes jumps from beginning to end.

It’s sure to appeal to kids — and comics collectors — eager for an interactive, funny read.

The challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete.

To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

What they’ll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. 

The Donner Party expedition is one of the most notorious stories in all of American history.

It’s also a fascinating snapshot of the westward expansion of the United States, and the families and individuals who sacrificed so much to build new lives in a largely unknown landscape.

What would happen if the noisiest, most talkative class of 5th graders in history dared each other not to talk for 48 hours? 

This unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendship.

Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated book is told from the point of view of Ivan himself. 

From natural disasters to dangerous weather, from the dangers of getting lost in the wild to fighting off dangerous animals, any child can imagine the special skills they’ll need to combat 100 real-life dramas.

Eleven-year-old Melody is not like most people. She can’t walk. She can’t talk. She can’t write. All because she has cerebral palsy. 

Melody refuses to be defined by her disability. And she’s determined to let everyone know it… somehow.

This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel.

Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts.

The best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel’s owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures.

Thirteen is when a Beaumont’s savvy hits – and with one brother who causes hurricanes and another who creates electricity, Mibs Beaumont is eager to see what she gets. 

Captain Amazing, superhero and savior of Metro City, is getting old.

He’s out all hours battling arch-villains, catching thieves, and helping little old ladies cross the street.

He doesn’t even have time for his house full of pets. He needs – a sidekick!

In The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, socially awkward Dwight shows up to school one morning waving a green finger puppet.

Strange enough, but then Dwight starts talking in a funny voice and doling out advice. Is it the puppet, or is it Dwight?

And will paper Yoda be able to help Dwight convince the girl of his dreams to go to the big dance with him?

Part family history, part backstage drama, this beautifully updated graphic memoir — which features a refreshed design and a brand-new scrapbook of Siena’s mementoes — is an original, firsthand look a young dancer’s beginnings.

See where it all began with the start to Jessica Day George’s bestselling series about a castle that can rebuild itself and the children who defend it.

This stunning fantasy inspired by Chinese folklore is a companion novel to Starry River of the Sky and the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award finalist When the Sea Turned to Silver.