Reading List for Grades 3-5

Recommended by the American Library Association for Children. For more reading ideas or to find books to match a particular reading interest, talk to a children‘s librarian. Call 217/403–2030 or e-mail librarian@champaign.org

Updated December 18, 2024
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Aquicorn Cove
O'Neill, Katie (Cartoonist)
Paper Book
"Enchanting." - KIRKUS Unable to rely on the adults in her storm-ravaged seaside town, a young girl must protect a colony of magical seahorse-like creatures she discovers in the coral reef. From the Eisner Award-winning author of The Tea Dragon Society...
The book of Boy
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book * Booklist Editors' Choice * BookPage Best Books * Chicago Public Library Best Fiction * Horn Book Fanfare * Kirkus Reviews Best Books * Publishers Weekly Best Books * Wall Street Journal Best of the Year * An ALA Notable Book A young outcast is swept up into a...
The cardboard kingdom
Sell, Chad
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Awkward, and All's Faire in Middle School, this graphic novel follows a neighborhood of kids who transform ordinary cardboard into fantastical homemade costumes as they explore conflicts with friends, family, and their own identity. ...
Clayton Byrd goes underground
Williams-Garcia, Rita
Paper Book
From beloved Newbery Honor winner and three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Rita Williams-Garcia comes a powerful and heartfelt novel about loss, family, and love that will appeal to fans of Jason Reynolds and Kwame Alexander. Clayton feels most alive when he's with his...
Front desk
Yang, Kelly
Paper Book
Four starred reviews and over ten best-of-year lists!* "Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewWinner of the Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature!* "Many readers will recognize themselves or their...
Granted
Anderson, John David
Paper Book
From the author of beloved novels Ms. Bixby's Last Day and Posted comes a hilarious, heartfelt, and unforgettable novel about a fairy-in-training. Everyone who wishes upon a star, or a candle, or a penny thrown into a fountain knows that you're not allowed to tell anyone what you've...
Indian no more
McManis, Charlene Willing
Paper Book
American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner - American Indian Library Association When Regina's Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and her family must relocate from Oregon to Los Angeles, she goes on a quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home.<...
Knights vs. dinosaurs
Phelan, Matt
Paper Book
An ALA Notable Title "Absurdly entertaining. Victorious on all fronts." --ALA Booklist (starred review) Renowned for their courage, their chivalry, and their ability to fight mythical creatures, the Knights of the Round Table must face their most dangerous opponents yet--DINOSAURS!<...
The last last-day-of-summer
Giles, L. R.
Paper Book
"The Last Last-Day-of-Summer reminds me that all children deserve to exist in magical spaces where their imaginations and familial bonds will them into heroism. Every single child should have the freedom to be one of The Legendary Alstons. And I, for one, am grateful to Giles, and this brilliant...
The lost girl
Ursu, Anne
Paper Book
Three starred reviews A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2019 Anne Ursu, author of the National Book Award nominee The Real Boy, returns with a story of the power of fantasy, the limits of love, and the struggles inherent in growing up. When you're an...
Mañanaland
Ryan, Pam Muñoz
Paper Book
Children's Literature Legacy Award Winner This timeless tale of struggle, hope, and the search for tomorrow has much to offer today about compassion and our shared humanity. Perfect for fans of Amal Unbound, The Bridge Home, and Beyond the Bright Sea. ...
Other words for home
Warga, Jasmine
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor Book! A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in verse about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed. Jude never thought she'd be...
The Parker inheritance
Johnson, Varian
Paper Book
A Boston Globe / Horn Book Honor winner * Four Starred Reviews * Over Ten Best-of-Year Lists"Powerful.... Johnson writes about the long shadows of the past with such ambition that any reader with a taste for mystery will appreciate the puzzle Candice and Brandon must solve." -- The New York Times...
Rocket to the moon!
Brown, Don
Paper Book
Award-winning author/illustrator Don Brown explores the history of rocket building in this installment of the Big Ideas That Changed the World graphic novel series. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong said those iconic...
Ruby in the sky
Ferruolo, Jeanne Zulick
Paper Book
A Washington Post KidsPost Summer Book Club Read Twelve-year-old Ruby Moon Hayes does not want her new classmates to ask about her father. She does not want them to know her mother has been arrested. And she definitely does not want to make any friends. Ruby just wants...
Sanity & Tallulah
Brooks, Molly
Paper Book
Best Friends. Mad Science. It can get pretty dull living on a small, out-of-the-way station like Wilnick SS. Best Friends Sanity Jones and Tallulah Vega do their best to relieve the monotony of every day space life by finding adventures, solving mysteries, and...
Sarai and the meaning of awesome
Gonzalez, Sarai.
Paper Book
The first book in a brand-new illustrated chapter book series inspired by the life of 11-year-old viral video star and social activist Sarai Gonzalez.Sarai Gonzalez is AWESOME. Fourth grader Sarai Gonzalez can do anything. She can bake, dance, and run her own cupcake business. But when Sarai's...
The simple art of flying
Leonardo, Cory
Paper Book
"Delightfully quirky." --Kirkus Reviews Perfect for fans of The One and Only Ivan, this irresistible debut novel combines plucky humor and a whole lot of heart in a story about the true meaning of family. Sometimes flying means keeping your feet...
Stanley will probably be fine
Pla, Sally J.
Paper Book
A New York Public Library Best Kids Book of 2018 * A Kirkus Best Book of 2018 * A Bank Street Best Children's Book of 2019 This funny and moving second novel from the author of The Someday Birds features comic trivia, a safety superhero, and a super-cool scavenger hunt...
To Night Owl from Dogfish
Sloan, Holly Goldberg
Paper Book
From two extraordinary authors comes a moving, exuberant, laugh-out-loud novel about friendship and family, told entirely in emails and letters. Avery Bloom, who's bookish, intense, and afraid of many things, particularly deep water, lives in New York City. Bett Devlin, who's...
Twinchantment
Allen, Elise
Paper Book
In their kingdom where potentially-magical beings are outlawed, princesses Flissa and Sara have had to pretend to be one person since they were born. They trade off royal duties like attending balls, fencing exhibitions, and making friends with other nobles, while hiding in plain sight. But when a...
Waste of space : a Moon Base Alpha novel
Gibbs, Stuart
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling series Tensions are running high when multi-billionaire Lars Sjoburg is poisoned and demands to go home and everyone is looking to Dash Gibson to solve the case in this third and final book in the New York Times bestselling Moon Base Alpha...

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