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Fifth Grade Book Information
The Trumpet of the Swan
E. B. White, fiction
Louis, a mute Trumpeter Swan learns to read, write, and play the trumpet.
Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?
Jean Fritz, non-fiction
The history of Plymouth Rock, from the time the pilgrims first landed on it to the present day.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs.
Basil E. Frankweiler E. L. Konigsburg, mystery
Two children run away to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and uncover a mystery.
Harry Houdini: Master of Magic
Robert Kraske, biography
The early years of Harry Houdini, and the training that made him a master magician and escape artist.
Lizard Music
Daniel Manus Pinkwater, fantasy
When left to take care of himself, a young boy encounters a community of intelligent lizards who tell him of a little known invasion from outer space.
Summer MacCleary, Virginia, 1749
Kathleen Due, historical fiction, series
Summer, an indentured servant, must prove her innocence when her master's daughter accuses her of stealing.
Ella Enchanted
Gail Carson Levine, fairy tale
Newbery Honor winning retelling of Cinderella. In this version, Ella struggles against a curse that forces her to obey orders.
The Brooklyn
Bridge Elizabeth Mann, non-fiction
The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, from 1852-1883.
Always Inventing: A Photobiography of Alexander Graham Bell
Tom L. Matthew, biography
The life and career of inventor Alexander Graham Bell, the father of the telephone.
The Railway Children
Edith Nesbit, fiction
When their father is taken away, three children move to the country and have adventures with the railway nearby.
The Skull of Truth
Bruce Coville, fantasy
Sixth grader Charlie Eggleston finds a wise-cracking skull that forces him to tell the truth, no matter what.
Mr. Lincoln's Drummer
G. Clifton Wisler, historical fiction
Eleven-year-old Willie Johnston is a drummer boy in the Union Army, and his courageous actions earn him the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Graveyards of the Dinosaurs: What It's Like to Discover Prehistoric Creatures
Shelley Tanaka, science fiction
Discusses the work of paleontologists who have found dinosaur bones and fossils in Canada, Argentina, and the Gobi Desert.
The BFG
Roald Dahl, humorous fiction
Sophia helps the Big Friendly Giant save the world from nine other man-eating giants.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
John Bellairs, mystery, series
A boy goes to live in a mansion with a clock hidden in the walls that's ticking the minutes off until doomsday. First book in the series.
The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure
Hans Magnus Enzensberger, et al, mathematics
Wringer
Jerry Spinell, fiction
Newbery honor winning, thought-provoking book about a boy who must either accept the violence of being a wringer at his town's annual pigeon massacre or find the courage to oppose it.
Math Curse
Jon Scieszka, mathematics
A good family read aloud.
Math Trek 2: A Mathematical Space Odyssey
Ivars Peterson and Nancy Henderson, mathematics
Math Trek:
Adventures in the Math Zone
Ivars Peterson and Nancy Henderson, mathematics