Summer 2009 Reading List for Grade 4

 

FICTION

 

Birdsall, Jeanne.  The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy.

Four sisters vacationing with their father in a summer cottage wreak havoc on the neighboring estate and rescue a boy in the process.  A funny, old-fashioned novel with all the earmarks of a classic – endearingly quirky characters, fine dialogue, and a dog that gets into everything.

 

Blume, Judy.  Double Fudge.

His younger brother’s obsession with money and the discovery of long-lost cousins Flora and Fauna provide many embarrassing moments for twelve-year-old Peter.  This is book 4 in the series that begins with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

 

Byars, Betsy.  Wanted…Mud Blossom.

Convinced that Mud is responsible for the disappearance of the school hamster that he was taking care of for the weekend, Junior Blossom is determined that the dog should be tried for his "crime."

 

Byng, Georgia.  Molly Moon’s Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure.
Molly Moon is hypnotized by a mysterious turbaned gardener and transported to India where she meets not only a maharaja with a speech defect but also former versions of herself.  This book is the third in the Molly Moon series.

 

Clements, Andrew. 

Frindle.

When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.  Also try the Jake Drake series by Andrew Clements.

Lunch Money.

The brainstorm of a lifetime makes school look like a giant piggy bank – and Greg Kenton is just the one to crack it open.

No Talking.

The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no talking" contest.

Room One: A Mystery or Two.

A mysterious face in an abandoned farmhouse window is all sixth grader Ted Hammonds needs to go into detective mode.  The secrets he learns forces him to make difficult decisions, choosing the right, rather than the easiest, thing to do.  A story of balance, conflict, responsibility and courage.

 

Conrad, Pam.  Staying Nine.

Nine-year-old Heather doesn't want to turn ten until wacky Rosa Rita shows her that growing up isn't so bad.

 

Coville, Bruce.  The Monster’s Ring.

A timid boy, eager to frighten the school bully on Halloween night, acquires a magic ring and the power to change himself into a hideous monster.

 

Creech, Sharon.  Ruby Holler.

After a series of disastrous foster home placements, orphan twins Dallas and Florida find a loving if unlikely home with an elderly, eccentric couple.  A supremely satisfying story, told with healthy doses of drama, suspense, and humor.

 

Denslow, Sharon Phillips.  Georgie Lee.

In this pleasing early chapter book, nine-year-old J.D. shares a birthday and a surprisingly unquiet summer on the farm with his grandmother, her intelligent cow Georgie Lee, and Boots the cat.

 

DiCamillo, Kate.  Because of Winn-Dixie.

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.

 

Duffey, Betsy. 

A Boy in the Dog House.

George is faced with the task of training his new puppy Lucky.

Spotlight on Cody.

Nine-year-old Cody Michaels is bound for stardom in the third grade talent show just as soon as he figures out his talent.

 

Fleischman, Sid.  The Whipping Boy.

A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.

 

Hannigan, Katherine.  Ida B... and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World.

In Wisconsin, fourth-grader Ida B spends happy hours being home-schooled and playing in her family's apple orchard, until her mother begins treatment for breast cancer and her parents must sell part of the orchard and send her to public school.

 

Henry, Marguerite.  King of the Wind.

Follows the adventures of the Arabian stallion brought to England to become one of the founding sires of the Thoroughbred breed and the mute Arab stable boy who tended him with loyalty and devotion all his life.

 

Hobbs, Valerie.  Sheep.

A young Border collie finds himself homeless and alone after lightning destroys the ranch where he was born.  He narrates an engaging series of adventures as he searches for a name, a home and a friend.  Fans of Black Beauty and The Incredible Journey will cheer for this canine Oliver Twist.

 

Horvath, Polly.  My One Hundred Adventures.

Twelve-year-old Jane, who lives at the beach in a run-down old house with her mother, two brothers, and sister, has an eventful summer accompanying her pastor on bible deliveries, meeting former boyfriends of her mother's, and being coerced into babysitting for a family of ill-mannered children.

 

Howe, James.  Bunnicula.

Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.

 

Hurwitz, Johanna.  

Baseball Fever.

Ten-year-old Ezra tries to convince his scholarly father that his baseball fever is not wasting his mind.

Class Clown. 

Lucas Cott, the most obstreperous boy in the third grade, finds it very hard to turn over a new leaf when he decides to become the perfect student. Read more of his adventures in School’s Out and Class President.

Teacher’s Pet.

Nine-year-old Cricket's expectations of being, as always, the teacher's favorite student are dashed by the arrival of an unusual new girl in her fourth-grade class.

 

Lowry, Lois. 

See You Around, Sam!

Sam Krupnik, mad at his mother because she won't let him wear his new plastic fangs in the house, decides to run away to Alaska.

Stay! Keeper’s Story.

Separated early in life from his mother and siblings, Keeper tells of his adventures with various human masters and his continual search for his little sister.

 

Macaulay, David.  Black and White.

A brilliantly conceived puzzle that, at first, appears to be four separate stories about a family, a train station, a bank robber, and some cows.

 

Martin, Ann M.  The Meanest Doll in the World.

Annabelle and Tiffany, dolls who are best friends living in the Palmer house, have an adventure when they hide in Kate Palmer's backpack, are carried to school, mistakenly go to another house, and try to stop Princess Mimi, a doll who threatens all dollkind.

 

Naylor, Phylis Reynolds.  The Boys Start the War. 

Disgusted that a family with three girls moves into the house across the river, nine-year-old Wally and his three brothers declare a practical joke war on the girls.  This is the first book of an eight-book series.

 

Polacco, Patricia.  Mrs. Katz and Tush.

A long-lasting friendship develops between Larnel, a young African-American, and Mrs. Katz, a lonely, Jewish widow, when Larnel presents Mrs. Katz with a scrawny kitten without a tail.

 

Pullman, Philip.  The Scarecrow and his Servant.

A scarecrow and his boy servant, Jack, set off on a dangerous adventure as they try to outwit the crooked Buffaloni family and stake their claim to valuable Spring Valley.

 

Scieszka, Jon. 

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.

The wolf gives his own outlandish version of what really happened when he tangled with the three little pigs.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.

Madcap revisions of familiar fairy tales.

Math Curse.

When the teacher tells her class that they can think of almost everything as a math problem, one student acquires a math anxiety, which becomes a real curse.

 

Selznick, Brian.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Orphan, clock keeper, thief: Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. Combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, Caldecott Honor artist Selznick breaks open the novel form to create an entirely new reading experience in this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.  The 2008 Caldecott Medal winner.

 

Simon, Seymour.  Einstein Anderson Shocks His Friends.

Einstein Anderson uses his scientific knowledge to solve a variety of problems including getting rid of a bully and preserving a snow sculpture.

 

Spinelli, Jerry.  Fourth Grade Rats.

Suds learns that his best friend is wrong. You don't have to be a tough guy, a "rat," to be a grown up fourth grader.

 

 

NONFICTION

 

Arnosky, Jim.   Wild Tracks! : a Guide to Nature’s Footprints.

Presents detailed illustrations of life-size paw, claw, and hoof prints; and explains how to identify tracks and how fast the animal might be traveling.

 

Bishop, Nic.   Frogs.

Describes frogs, discussing their habitat, the difference between them and toads, physical characteristics, diet, different types, defences, calls, and life cycle, and includes close-up photographs of an array of diverse frogs.

 

Burleigh, Robert.  Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh.

Describes how Charles Lindbergh achieved the remarkable feat of flying nonstop and solo from New York to Paris in 1927.

 

Cerullo, Mary M.  The Truth About Great White Sharks.

Are great whites dangerous predators or beautiful hunters? Where are you likely to see one?  Why do victims of shark attacks often live to tell the tale? Can great whites jump? Are they really cold-blooded? Find out the latest information on this fascinating, misunderstood animal.

 

Cribb, Joe.  Money.

Examines, in text and photographs, the symbolic and material meaning of money, from shekels, shells, and beads to gold, silver, checks, and credit cards.  Also discusses how coins and banknotes are made, the value of money during wartime, and how to collect coins.

 

Demi.  One Grain of Rice:  A Mathematical Folktale.

A reward of one grain of rice doubles day by day into millions of grains of rice when a clever village girl outwits a selfish raja.

 

Hammond, Tim.  Sports.  (Eyewitness Books)

Examines the equipment, rules, and background of many different team, target, and court sports, including soccer, rugby, Gaelic football, softball, cricket, ice hockey, table tennis, archery, and pool.  Also try the Eyewitness Books entitled Football and Soccer.

 

Janeczko, Paul and Raschka, Christopher.  A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poetry.        

These well-turned poems, each with an accompanying visual interpretation, engage readers’ eyes, ears, and intellects in puzzling out their meanings.

 

Nye, Bill.  Bill Nye The Science Guy’s Big Blue Ocean.

This book describes the ocean and its life forms and suggests related activities to help understand marine biology.

 

Old, Wendie.  To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers.

Each of fifteen warm and easy chapters is illustrated by at least one full page watercolor painting that recreates the early twentieth century and the first airplane flight.

 

Patterson, Francine.  Koko’s Kitten.

The real life experience of Koko, a gorilla in California, who uses sign language.

 

St. George, Judith.  So You Want to Be President?

Presents an assortment of facts about the qualifications and characteristics of U.S. presidents, from George Washington to Bill Clinton.  Won the Caldecott medal in January of 2001.

 

Schertle, Alice.  Advice for a Frog.

Presents a collection of poems about the toucan, fruit bat, pangolin, and other animals.

 

Silverstein, Shel.  Where the Sidewalk Ends.

A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two of the characters in a collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author's own drawings.  Also try Falling Up and A Light in the Attic by the same author.

 

Simon, Seymour. 

The Heart: Our Circulatory System.

Describes the heart, blood, and other parts of the body's circulatory system and explains how each component functions.

Storms.

Describes the atmospheric conditions which create thunderstorms, hailstorms, lightning, tornadoes, and hurricanes and how violent weather affects the environment and people.

 

Sis, Peter.  Starry Messenger:  Galileo Galilei.

Describes the life and work of Galileo who changed the way people saw the galaxy, by offering objective evidence that the earth was not the fixed center of the universe.  Also try The Tree of Life:  A Book Depicting the Life of Charles Darwin: Naturalist, Geologist & Thinker by the same author.

 

Stanley, Diane.  Leonardo da Vinci.

A biography of the Italian Renaissance artist and inventor who, at about age thirty, began writing his famous notebooks which contain the outpourings of his amazing mind.

 

Wick, Walter.  Walter Wick’s Optical Tricks.

This book presents a series of optical illusions and explains what is seen.

 

 

 

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