Curious Picks for Grades 4-6

Top picks for grades 4-6 inspired by the Summer Reading Club 2024 theme: World of Curiosities

Updated July 4, 2024
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Bea Wolf
Weinersmith, Zach, 1982- author. 
Paper Book
A modern middle-grade graphic novel retelling of Beowulf, featuring a gang of troublemaking kids who must defend their tree house from a fun-hating adult who can instantly turn children into grown-ups. Listen! Hear a tale of mallow-munchers and warriors who answer candy...

Graphic novel

Scurry
Smith, Mac (Comic book artist), author, artist. 
Paper Book
A group of house mice struggle to survive a long and strange winter. The humans are gone, the sun is rarely seen, and a cold, dark rain befouls everything it touches. The mice, long dependent on humans for food, stubbornly cling to their old ways, looting the nearby abandoned...

Graphic novel

Super boba café. 1
Chanani, Nidhi, author, artist. 
Paper Book
First in a series,Nidhi Chanani's Super Boba Café isa sweet and magical middle-grade, full-color graphic novel about a secret teashop, an earthquake-causing monster, and an unforgettable summer. In the fog-laden hills of San Francisco sits a sleepy...

Graphic novel

Lightfall. Book one, The girl & the Galdurian
Probert, Tim, author, artist. 
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Kazu Kibuishi says of Lightfall: "Beautifully drawn. Tim Probert has created a world readers will want to visit." For fans of Amulet and middle grade readers who love sweeping worlds like Star Wars, the first book of the Lightfall series...

Graphic novel

Things in the basement
Hatke, Ben, author, artist. 
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author Ben Hatke comes Things in the Basement, a young readers graphic novel about Milo, a young boy who discovers a portal to a secret world in his basement. It was supposed to just be a normal basement--some storage boxes, dust, you...

Graphic novel

Wildful
Kurimoto, Kengo, author, artist. 
Paper Book
Discover the magic of the wilderness in this breathtaking graphic novel reminiscent of The Secret Garden. Poppy's mother hasn't been the same since Gran passed away. She stays inside and watches TV, unable to leave the couch. So maybe that's why Poppy has started spending more time outside...

Graphic novel (wordless)

Coraline
Russell, P. Craig.
Paper Book
When Coraline steps through a door in her family's new house, she finds another house, strangely similar to her own (only better). At first, things seem marvelous. The food is better than at home, and the toy box is filled with fluttering wind-up angels and dinosaur skulls that crawl and rattle...
Graphic novel
A royal conundrum
Yee, Lisa 
Ebook
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * When a notorious thief is out for priceless treasure (gems! cats! general decorum!)--who're you gonna call? An elite team of crime-fighting underdogs, that's who! The Misfits are on the case in this hilarious illustrated series from Newbery Honoree Lisa Yee...

Intermediate fiction

The wild robot
Brown, Peter
Paper Book
Soon to be a DreamWorks movie, coming to theaters 9/27/24! This #1 New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from a Caldecott Honor winner tells an extraordinary story full of action and thought-provoking questions as a robot learns to...
Intermediate fiction
The fabulous Zed Watson!
Sylvester, Basil 
Paper Book
FINALIST FOR THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FINALIST FOR THE OLA SILVER BIRCH AWARD The literary scavenger hunt of a lifetime, starring an endlessly endearing non-binary tween Zed Watson loves a few things: their name (which they chose themself!), their big...

Intermediate fiction

Apartment 713 a novel
Sylvester, Kevin 
Paper Book
Secret ballrooms, hidden artwork and unlikely friends--welcome to the Regency, where even time moves in surprising ways! Jake Simmons hates his new home. The Regency is nothing more than floor after floor of peeling wallpaper and faded glory. Jake misses his old life. He misses the...

Intermediate fiction

Space case
Gibbs, Stuart, 1969- 
Paper Book
It's a murder mystery on the moon in this humorous and suspenseful space adventure from the author of Belly Up and Spy School that The New York Times Book Review called "a delightful and brilliantly constructed middle grade thriller." Like his fellow...

Intermediate fiction

The boo hag flex
Ireland, Justina, author, creator. 
Paper Book
Few campers at Camp Apple Hill Farm have found the mysterious cabin rumored to be hidden deep in the woods--but those who have whisper of a mysterious woman who tells tales of horrors beyond imagination. Are you brave enough to visit Cabin 23 The last thing Tasha Washington...

Intermediate fiction

Cosplay crime
Chan, Marty 
Paper Book
Shy thirteen-year-old Bree must channel her inner anime heroine to solve a crime at the Anime Expo. Bree Wong and her best friend, Alix, are so excited to be at the anime fan convention. They're dressed as the lead characters from their favorite anime series. Bree cosplays as Red Squirrel,...

Intermediate fiction

The curse of Eelgrass Bog
Averling, Mary 
Paper Book
Dark secrets and unnatural magic abound when a twelve-year-old girl ventures into a bog full of monsters to break a mysterious curse. Nothing about Kess Pedrock's life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family's Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for...

Intermediate fiction

How not to be a vampire slayer
Birchall, Katy 
Paper Book
Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Witchlings in a hilarious, heartfelt story about a reluctant vampire slayer... and her vampire best friend. Maggie Helsby isn't afraid of much. But one thing that terrifies her is trying to fit in. When she moves to the small town of...

Intermediate fiction

The hunt for Agent 9 a thrilling interactive puzzle story
Woolf, Alex, 1964- author. 
Paper Book
Escape rooms have become increasingly popular over the last decade. It provides hours of entertainment for avid escape room fans to enjoy individually or in teams.

Non-fiction

Get outside! how humans connect with nature
Payne, Leah (Leah S.) 
Paper Book
We know spending time in nature is good for us, but why? And how did people become so disconnected from the natural world, anyway? Get Outside! How Humans Connect with Natureexplores the important relationship between people and nature. It asks big questions, like Are humans part of nature...

Non-fiction

1,000 amazing world facts
Mills, Andrea
Paper Book
If anything in this book doesn't quite ring true, you'd better start believing! This irresistible page-turner will keep your eyes popping and your jaw dropping from start to finish. Did you know that the Moon is the same size as Australia? And Earth could fit inside Jupiter more than 1,000...
Non-fiction
Minecraft beginner's guide : start your survival and creative journeys
Paper Book
Dive into Minecraft headfirst with this all-new beginner's guide that will teach you everything you need to know for starting your Minecraft journey, whether that be in Survival mode or Creative.   Are you new to Minecraft or still not quite getting the hang of it? Then this...
Non-fiction

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