Torrance Unified Fifth Grade Summer Reading List
At Gleason's Gym by Ted Lewin (fiction)
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen, 2007 (realistic fiction)
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (realistic fiction)
Jar of Dreams by Yoshiko Uchida (historical fiction)
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine
Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate Dicamillo
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata, 2005 Newbery Medal winner
Nothings Fair in Fifth Grade by Barthe de Clements (realistic fiction)
Summersaults by Douglas Florian (poetry)
The Janitor's Boy by Andrew Clements (fiction)
Thank You, Jackie Robinson by Barbara Cohen (historical fiction)
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (realistic fiction)
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi (fantasy series)
Summer Reading is Killing Me! by Jon Scieszka (fantasy)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien (classic)
Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff (non-fiction) Not in Torrance Collection
You can read reviews of these books written by the "School Library Journal" and the American Library Association on Amazon.com, or most will also be found on the California Department of Education site Recommended Literature for Kindergarten Through Grade 12.
