20 Fantastic Books for Fourth Graders
I’ve rounded up some of my favorite books for a 4th grader to read. Pop in your email address below and I’ll sent this printable book list right to your inbox!
I’m continuing to work on my book lists of 20 titles per grade (you can see previous ones here!) and we finally have a 4th grade list!
I always try for a mix of genres, formats, and reading levels plus a variety of newer titles and old favorites.
If you’re looking for read alouds or solo reads, I hope this list gives you some good ideas for your fourth grader!
FAVORITE BOOKS FOR FOURTH GRADERS
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
This is a fantasy book that snagged spots on many best of the year lists when it came out. I didn’t want to miss out on this story about a girl who is determined to find her missing brother and discovers that magic is real in the process. We all loved this one!
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
During World War II, four siblings are sent to the countryside of London where they are to be kept safe from the war. One of the children finds a wardrobe that has the ability to transport them to a completely different world called Narnia. This series is full of excitement and adventure and has been beloved for generations.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
This historical fiction book about WWII was the first chapter book I read on my own and I still love it all these years later. It’s a fast read – we blew through it in about a week and it deserves that Newbery sticker for sure.
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
My big girls listened to this one repeatedly last summer. Moving is never fun, but it’s especially unpleasant for Aven who was born without arms. A new town and school means she’ll have to explain herself repeatedly to a bunch of strangers. But in her new town, she make friends with Conner, who also feels like an outsider in their school. And together, they embark on solving a mystery at the dilapidated theme park her parents are running.
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
This series is pretty recent (in the last ten years), but it has the feel of a classic and we all loved these stories about four sisters and their summer vacation. There’s a reason these books are BELOVED. We’ve listened to many of the books in the series on road trips and we all just love them.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
I’d read this one as a child, but couldn’t remember a thing about it except that he gets a penguin in the mail. Now I’ve read it multiple times to my girls and it was so fun to watch the story play out when none of us knew how it was going to turn out.
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Winner of the Newbery Medal, this unforgettable novel follows ten-year-old Bud Caldwell, a motherless boy on the run during the Great Depression with a suitcase of treasures and a set of his own life rules. Armed with one big clue about the father he’s never met (flyers for musician Herman E. Calloway and his band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression) Bud sets off on a funny, hopeful journey to find where he belongs.
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowl
Ella listened to this whole series and loved every second of it. My sister has three boys and they are obsessed with it too. There are 13 books in the series and these stories of Vikings and dragons are fast paced and delightful. Don’t miss the audio version!
The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
I read this one years ago when I was a school librarian and it was SO popular with my students. Two siblings, Evan and Jessie, are both smart, but in different ways – one is people smart, while one is more math smart. When they each bring their talents to a competition to sell the most lemonade, it’s going to be an all-out battle.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
This is one of those middle grade novels that took the world by storm – it has been SO popular and for good reason. Mr. Lemoncello is a world-famous game maker AND he’s designed the new city library. And on opening night, there will be a lock-in for kids where they have to solve the puzzles to find the hidden escape route. (You can see why it spent 100 weeks on the NYT Bestseller List). (Full review here)
National Park Mystery Series by Aaron Johnson
This 10 book series is perfect for readers who love exploring the great outdoors, scavenger hunts, and coded messages! Jake, Wes, Amber, and their families embark on a two-month trip to explore ten national parks. But when Jake receives a scrapbook with a mystery to solve from his late grandfather, he must decide whether to solve it alone or trust his friends with the secret.
Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
I’m fairly sure at this point that Bart and I could recite the entire book from memory since Star listened to this on repeat the year she was 3. Beverly Clearly is a master and if you like an audiobook version – hers are just a delight.
By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman
We just listened to this book on our Disneyland trip about a butler and a young boy who sneak aboard a ship from Boston headed to the gold fields of California and our whole family was obsessed with it.
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
I am absolutely OBSESSED with this book and its companion book, Hate That Cat. If you think you don’t like poetry, this book is likely going to convince you otherwise. Jack’s teacher introduces the class to some famous poems and has them write responses to it in blank verse and then write their own versions of the poems they’ve enjoyed. The whole book is Jack’s responses to what they’ve read or listened to in class and sometimes his replies back to his teacher’s critiques and encouragement (which you never see, since this is only Jack’s words in the book).
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Bart read this one aloud to Ella when she was about four and a half, and they both loved it. It was one of my childhood favorites too, but Bart had never read it, so it was fun to watch him experience it for the first time.
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
This is a super well done graphic novel, with beautiful illustrations, great characters, and a fun storyline. It’s a definite winner! Bree is excited for her first day at her new middle school, until she finds out that the only elective left open is swim team. But how can she tell her friends and coach she doesn’t know how to swim?
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
This one made it onto the 2025 Everyday Reading Book Club list! I read the first book in this series years ago and have meant to go back for ages and read all four books in the series about four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team. This is a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics but only if they can get their acts together. Super readable and wonderful. We’ll only discuss the first one in book club but I’m planning to read all four!
- Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat
I still remember my mom reading this one to us in a tiny playground at a park in Las Vegas when I was a child. It’s just funny and short (be warned that it might take you a chapter or two to get into it).
El Deafo by Cece Bell
This Newbery Honor title is based on the author’s experience moving to a new school. And it’s an extra tricky transition for Cece who is deaf. But when she realizes that her super-powerful hearing aid lets her hear everything her teacher says – not just in the classroom – Cece starts to feel like a superhero!
Houdini and Me by Dan Gutman
My girls were absolutely transfixed by this book. They didn’t know much about Houdini before this and we all loved the photographs of the real Houdini scattered throughout the book. In this story, Harry is a young boy who lives in the house Houdini once inhabited and loves learning more about the famous magician. But things take a surprising turn when he discovers an old flip phone and it starts receiving texts from someone who claims to be the real Harry Houdini.
And if you’d like a printable copy of this list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
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