Classroom Recommendations 4th-5th

The Youth Services Librarians from Happy Valley, Milwaukie Ledding, and Oak Lodge Libraries have pulled together some of their favorite books that would be great additions to classroom libraries. Below are single titles, though most are linked to series. They are sorted by suggested grade level, but feel free to "shop" high and low!

You might also be interested in:
Classroom Recommendations K-1st
Classroom Recommendations 2nd-3rd

Updated July 26, 2023
L
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Happy Valley Library
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The wild robot
Brown, Peter
Soon to be a DreamWorks movie, coming to theaters 9/27/24! Wall-E meets Hatchet in this #1 New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from Caldecott Honor winner Peter Brown Can a robot...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Gabby gets it together
Fairbairn, Nathan
Are you a fan of Raina Telgemeier or Shannon Hale? Then don't miss PAWS, a new graphic novel series about best friends, cute dogs, and all the fun (and trouble) that comes with them. Perfect for fans of Real Friends, Roller Girl, and Allergic, this funny and heartwarming...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Cat Kid Comic Club
Pilkey, Dav
  The perfect present for DOG MAN fans - starring some of your favourite characters from the series! Welcome to the Cat Kid Comic Club, where Li'l Petey (LP), Flippy, and Molly introduce twenty-onerambunctious, funny, and...
The magic misfits
Harris, Neil Patrick
A New York Times and USA Today bestseller! From award-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris comes the magical first book in a series with plenty of tricks up its sleeve. When street magician Carter runs away, he never expects to find friends and magic...

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The case of Windy Lake
Hutchinson, Michael
Sam, Otter, Atim, and Chickadee are four inseparable cousins growing up on the Windy Lake First Nation. Nicknamed the Mighty Muskrats for their habit of laughing, fighting, and exploring together, the cousins find that each new adventure adds to their reputation. When a visiting archeologist goes...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Athena : goddess of wisdom and war
Greenberg, Imogen
A spunky, illustrated feminist take on the myth of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, and courage from author Imogen Greenberg and award-winning artist and writer Isabel Greenberg. From the moment she sprung from Zeus's head, Athena was...

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Max & the Midknights
Peirce, Lincoln
Max wants to be a knight! Too bad that dream is about as likely as finding a friendly dragon. But when Max's uncle Budrick is kidnapped by the cruel King Gastley, Max has to act...and fast! Joined by a band of brave adventurers--the Midknights--Max sets out on a thrilling quest- to save Uncle...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Dragons in a bag
Elliott, Zetta
The dragon's out of the bag in this diverse, young urban fantasy from an award-winning author! When Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a mean old lady his mother calls Ma, he finds out she's not his grandmother--but she is a witch! She needs his help delivering...
Mr. Wolf's class
Steinke, Aron Nels
From Eisner Award-winning creator Aron Nels Steinke, a vibrant, funny new series that charmingly captures the everyday antics of a Year Five classroom! Mr. Wolf has just started teaching at Hazelwood Elementary. He wants the first day of school to go well, but he's got his hands...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

The fifth quarter
Dawson, Mike
Get ready to hit the court in this heartfelt, sporty, graphic novel, the first in Mike Dawson's middle-grade duology about a girl who deals with her insecurities through her love of basketball. Lori Block is dedicated to her fourth-grade basketball team, despite being...

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The breakaways
Johnson, Cathy G.
Quiet, sensitive Faith starts middle school already worrying about how she will fit in. To her surprise, Amanda, a popular eighth grader, convinces her to join the school soccer team, the Bloodhounds. Having never played soccer in her life, Faith ends up on the C team, a ragtag group that's way...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Max Meow : cat crusader
Gallagher, John
Meet a secret superhero with CAT-ITUDE--Max Meow, Cat Crusader--in this purr-fectly awesome, hiss-sterically funny graphic novel series just right for fans of Dog Man and InvestiGators! Max is just a regular cat in Kittyopolis, trying to make it big as a podcaster UNTIL he...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

The 13-story treehouse
Griffiths, Andy
Andy and Terry live in a treehouse. But it's not just any old treehouse, it's the most amazing treehouse in the world! This treehouse has thirteen stories, a bowling alley, a see-through swimming pool, a secret underground laboratory, and a marshmallow machine that follows you around...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

History Smashers : the Underground Railroad
Messner, Kate
Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth about the Underground Railroad and Black Americans' struggle for freedom. Perfect for fans of I Survived! and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. Before the Civil War, there was a crack team of abolitionists who used quilts...
The nebula secret
Trueit, Trudi Strain
Adventure, danger, and a thrilling global mission await 12-year-old Cruz Coronado as he joins an elite school for explorers. Cruz leaves his tranquil home in Hawaii to join 23 talented kids from around the globe to train at the Explorer Academy with the world's leading scientists...

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Aven Green, sleuthing machine
Bowling, Dusti
Third-grader Aven Green has been solving mysteries for a whole month--cracking such cases as The Mystery of the Cranky Mom. But can this perceptive detective solve two cases at the same time? First her teacher's lunch bag disappears. Then Aven's great-grandma's dog goes missing....
I survived the attack of the grizzlies, 1967
Tarshis, Lauren
New York Times bestselling author Lauren Tarshis tackles the historic grizzly bear attacks in Glacier National Park in this latest installment of the groundbreaking I Survived series.No grizzly has ever killed a human in Glacier before . . . until tonight. Eleven-year-old Melody Vega and her...
Doodleville
Sell, Chad
For fans of Svetlana Chmakova's Awkward and Raina Telgemeier's Smile comes an inventive new story from Cardboard Kingdom creator Chad Sell about a group of young artists who must work together when one of their own creations becomes a monster. Drew is just a...
Sarai and the meaning of awesome
Gonz©Łlez, Sara©Ư
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...
Skunk and Badger
Timberlake, Amy
Learn how Skunk and Badger first became roommates before embarking on their latest adventure, Egg Marks the Spot! A Best Book of 2020: People * Kirkus Reviews * Booklist  * School Library...
Lights, camera, cook!
Harper, Charise Mericle
A zesty series for fans of kids' cooking competitions! It's "lights, camera, cook!" for four tween contestants--energetic Tate, charming Rae, worldly Caroline, and hyper-competitive Oliver--who are all about to enter a televised cooking competition.      What will...
The Last Kids on Earth The Last Kids on Earth Series, Book 1
Brallier, Max.
A Netflix Original series! The first book in the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling series, with over 7 million copies in print! "Terrifyingly fun! Delivers big thrills and even bigger laughs."--Jeff Kinney, author of the #1 ...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

Real friends
Hale, Shannon
"Fresh and funny." --New York Times Book Review Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham join forces in this graphic memoir about how hard it is to find your real friends--and why it's worth the journey. ...
The dragonet prophecy
Sutherland, Tui
Who was the greatest? : Muhammad Ali
Soria, Gabriel
"The Who HQ Graphic Novels series does an excellent job of quickly engaging readers by capturing the drama and immediacy of pivotal historic events." - Booklist Discover the story behind Muhammad Ali and the boxing match that captivated the world, the Thrilla In Manila, in...
NATHAN HALE'S HAZARDOUS TALES 11: COLD WAR CORRESPONDENT
HALE, NATHAN
Discover the Korean War through the eyes of a journalist who covered it in author-illustrator Nathan Hale's Cold War Correspondent, a Hazardous Tale in the New York Times bestselling graphic novel series. In 1950, Marguerite Higgins (1920-1966) was...
The Tea Dragon Society
O'Neill, Katie (Cartoonist)
From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The TeaDragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, ablacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in theenchanting world of tea dragons. After discovering a...

*NEW TITLE TO LIST*

https://alsc-awards-shelf.org/
Award-winning books, recordings, apps, & websites for children from the American Library Association.
https://ola.memberclicks.net/bccca-home

2nd-3rd grade reading level, but excellent ideas for all readers, students can vote on their favorite title each spring

https://oregonreaderschoiceaward.wordpress.com/

3rd-5th category has new selections each year; students can vote on their favorite title each spring


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