Raising Readers
4th Grade
The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket
X Snicket
After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune. First in a series of books.
The Boxcar Children
Gertrude Chandler Warner
X Warner
Four orphaned children run away and live in a boxcar, until they are found by their grandfather. First in a series of books.
Charlotte's Web
E. B. White
X White
Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him.
The Cricket in Times Square
George Selden
NB Selden
Chester the Cricket, with his friends Tucker the Mouse and Harry the Cat, help bring success to a newsstand in Times Square.
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Beverly Cleary
NB Cleary
In his letters to his favorite author, ten-year-old Leigh reveals his problems in coping with his parents' divorce, being the new boy in school, and generally finding his own place in the world.
Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time
James Gurney
X Gurney
In 1862, after being shipwrecked in uncharted seas, Professor Arthur Denison and his twelve-year-old son Will find themselves washed up on a strange island where people and dinosaurs live together peacefully.
Ella Enchanted
Gail Carson Levine
NB Levine
In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
Frindle
Andrew Clements
X Clements
When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil
E. Frankweiler
E. L. Konigsburg
NB Konigsburg
Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away . . . so she decided not to run FROM somewhere, but TO somewhere. And so, after some careful planning, she and her younger brother, Jamie, sneak off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art ? right into a mystery that makes headlines!
The Great Brain
John D. Fitzgerald
X Fitzgerald
The exploits of the Great Brain of Adenville, Utah are described by his younger brother, frequently the victim of the Great Brain's schemes for gaining prestige or money. First in a series of books.
The Indian in the Cupboard
Lynne Reid Banks
x Banks
A nine-year-old boy receives a plastic Indian, a cupboard, and a little key for his birthday and finds himself involved in adventure when the Indian comes to life in the cupboard and befriends him. First in a series of books.
The Magician's Nephew
C. S. Lewis
x Lewis
When Digory and Polly try to return the wicked witch Jadis to her own world, the magic gets mixed up and they all land in Narnia where they witness Aslan blessing the animals with human speech. First in a series of books.
Pippi Longstocking
Astrid Lindgren
x Lindgren
Escapades of a lucky little girl who lives with a horse and a monkey ? but without any parents ? at the edge of a Swedish village.
Poppy
Avi
X Avi
Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas.
Rowan of Rin
Emily Rodda
X Rodda
Because only he can read the magical map, young, weak, and timid Rowan joins six other villagers to climb a mountain and try to restore their water supply, as fears of a dragon and other horrors threaten to drive them back. First in a series of books.
Shiloh
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
NB Naylor
When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs. First in a series of books.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Louis Sachar
X Sachar
Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirteenth floor of Wayside School, which was accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each story. First in a series of books.
Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story
of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread
Kate DiCamillo
X DiCamillo
The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Judy Blume
X Blume
Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever increasing problem. First in a series of books.
Wait Till Helen Comes
Mary Downing Hahn
X Hahn
Molly and Michael dislike their spooky new stepsister Heather but realize that they must try to save her when she seems ready to follow a ghost child to her doom.
Exploring the Titanic
Robert D. Ballard
X 363.1 Ballard
Describes the large luxury liner which sank in 1912 and the discovery and exploration of its underwater wreckage.
Hero Dogs: Courageous Canines in
Action
Donna M. Jackson
X 636.7 Jackson
Presents a variety of stories about working and rescue dogs who help humans in many ways, such as those involved in the work at the World Trade Center site after the disaster of September 11, 2001.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Alvin Schwartz
X Schwartz
Stories of ghosts and witches, "jump" stories, scary songs, and modern-day scary stories.