LibraryAware Battle of the Books Grades 4-5

Grades 4-5

The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate

A large-format, jacketed edition of the Newbery Medal winner complements the story of the friendship between a long-captive silverback gorilla and a baby elephant with full-color artwork and bonus material.

Ice Magic
by Matt Christopher

The twins' toy hockey game seems to be magic as it plays games identical to the real ones before they even happen

Tricking the Tallyman
by Jacqueline Davies

Provides an entertaining overview of how the first census in America came to be, the problems experienced, and the information gathered in 1790 that helped the country understand and govern itself in more ways than many people thought it ever could.

Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo

Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie

Phineas L. MacGuire... Erupts!
by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Hilarious chaos ensues, involving mold and volcanoes, when Phineas L. MacGuire, a boy-genius who is allergic to the color purple, girls, and the telephone, is paired with his un-best friend Mac in the upcoming science fair.

By the Great Horn Spoon!
by Sid Fleischman

Jack and the butler stow away on a side-wheeler bound for California where they join the Gold Rush of 1849.

Boxes for Katje
by Candace Fleming

With the end of World War II, Katje and her family must struggle to survive in their small Dutch town, but when a package from America arrives and is offered as gesture of goodwill from a stranger across the ocean, Katje is overwhelmed and writes a letter of appreciation that marks the beginning of something magical.

The Patchwork Quilt
by Valerie Flournoy

Using scraps cut from the family's old clothing, Tanya helps her grandmother and mother make a beautiful quilt that tells the story of her family's life

What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?
by Jean Fritz

A brief biography of the eighteenth-century printer, inventor, and statesman who played an influential role in the early history of the United States

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.

Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story
by Mary Downing Hahn

At his great aunt's house for the summer, twelve-year-old Drew meets the ghost of Andrew, identical in age and appearance to Drew, but from 1910, and agrees to switch places with Andrew.

Sheep
by Valerie Hobbs

When he wakes up one morning and finds himself in a strange place with no master and no sheep to herd, a Border Collie puppy tries to survive alone in the world while trying to find his way back to the only home he ever knew and loved.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer
by Kelly Jones

Through a series of letters, Sophie Brown, age twelve, tells of her family's move to her Great Uncle Jim's farm, where she begins taking care of some unusual chickens with help from neighbors and friends.

Harry's Mad
by Dick King-Smith

Harry finds himself caught up in an unexpected adventure, when his legacy from his great uncle, a talking parrot named Madison, is kidnapped by a burglar.

Masterminds
by Gordon Korman

A group of kids discovers they were cloned from the DNA of some of the greatest criminal masterminds in history for a sociological experiment.

A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine

In a first novel and 1998 Newbery Honor Book based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against a childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.

Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry

In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.

Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!
by Stephen Manes

With the advice of a book he borrows from the library, Milo Crinkley tries to make himself into a perfect person in only three days

Wonder
by R. J. Palacio

Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen

Headed for Canada to visit his father for the first time since his parents' divorce, thirteen-year-old Brian is the sole survivor of a plane crash, with only the clothes he has on and a hatchet to help him shape a life for himself in the wilderness. Reprint.

Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker

Armed with attitude, individuality, and a penchant for disaster, Clementine, a wonderfully wacky girl who is the inventor of the world's first pair of bologna glasses, makes her first appearance in this hilarious chapter book.

Scared Stiff
by Willo Davis Roberts

A rerelease of a best-selling classic mystery follows the efforts of two fatherless brothers who team up with new friends to search for clues to their mother's disappearance in an abandoned amusement park. By the Edgar Award-winning author of The Girl With the Silver Eyes.

Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.

There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom
by Louis Sachar

An unmanageable, but loveable,eleven-year-old misfit learns to believe in himself when he gets to know the new school counselor, who is a sort of misfit, too.

Knights of the Kitchen Table
by Jon Scieszka

When Joe, Fred, and Sam are sent back in time by a magic book, they find themselves face-to-face with giants, dragons, wizards, and the Knights of the Round Table.

Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team
by Audrey Vernick

Documents the story of the Baseball Hall of Fame honorees, tracing how the Acerra family formed their own semi-pro baseball team in the 1930s and became the longest-running all-brother team in history.

On the Banks of Plum Creek
by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura and her family move to Minnesota where they live in a dugout until a new house is built and face misfortunes caused by flood, blizzard, and grasshoppers.

Love, Ruby Lavender
by Deborah Wiles

A charming and hilarious coming-of-age story relates the trials and tribulations of two Mississippi chicken thieves--nine-year-old Ruby Lavender and her grandmother, Miss Eula. An ALA Notable Children's Book.

The Castle in the Attic
by Elizabeth Winthrop

The mysterious castle William's housekeeper told him about is suddenly his--an old, authentic wooden model with a knight as tall as his finger to guard the gate--and it's the best gift he has ever received.