30 Chapter Books for 5th Graders, as Recommended by Teachers

Sal is on a road trip with her grandparents and tells them an elaborate and strange story about her friend Phoebe Winterbottom. As she shares Phoebe’s story, she has to come to terms with her own feelings of loss and longing. With brilliant storytelling and emotional complexity, this award-winning novel is ideal for a class read with lots of in-depth discussion.

Buy it: Walk Two Moons

A young girl named Ada and her brother escape the wrath of their abusive mom when they flee their town during World War II on foot, despite the fact that Ada has a club foot and struggles to walk. They are taken in by an older woman, but Ada lives in fear that they will have to return home. Share this as a study of descriptive writing or examining characters’ emotions. Or include it in a small group study of books that portray the devastation and consequences of the war.

Buy it: The War That Saved My Life

With her family, Annemarie, a young girl in Denmark, helps her Jewish best friend escape from the Nazis to Sweden during World War II. Tackling the immense topic of the Holocaust with incredible precision and tenderness, the story is evocative and heartbreaking. Definitely read it alongside your students, whether in a book group or as a class novel or read-aloud.

Buy it: Number the Stars

Merci is a sixth grade student who experiences the many changes that come with middle school. She navigates feeling different at her private school because she is on scholarship, changing family dynamics, and balancing her own wants and needs with her family’s expectations. Share this series of popular chapter books for 5th graders with any kids who appreciate stories full of heart and humor. Bonus: Many readers will appreciate the inclusion of Spanish words woven throughout the story.

Buy it: Merci Suárez series

Delphine and her two younger sisters travel across the country to visit their mother, who had long since abandoned them. Set in the backdrop of Oakland and the Black Panther movement of 1968, this award-winning novel explores complex family dynamics as well as important historical events. Share this must-read story to build lots of background knowledge for 5th grade students. We especially like highlighting it leading up to summer break!

Buy it: One Crazy Summer

A young girl named Miranda receives mysterious notes and has to figure out who they’re from and why she’s getting them before something terrible happens. The story includes many references to the classic book A Wrinkle in Time, offering a great opportunity to read these two books together and discuss the connections between them.

Buy it: When You Reach Me

Mia and her family immigrate from China and work as managers at the Calivista Motel. A wider cast of friends joins the stories in the later installments. Based on her own childhood experience, author Kelly Yang shares the complex struggles the characters face with honesty and understanding, racism, immigration, and poverty. While we’ve also successfully read aloud this series in fourth grade, these books are particularly well suited for 5th grade independent reading and examining character development and theme.

Buy it: Front Desk series

Auggie is a boy with significant facial differences who is returning to mainstream school after many years of being at home. The rejection he experiences at school, as well as the kindness of some of his peers and teachers, gives us a glimpse at the best and worst in humanity. This one definitely lives up to its hype as one of the most popular chapter books for 5th graders, and it is a must-read for today’s kids. Fifth grade is the perfect age to appreciate its themes of acceptance and kindness.

Buy it: Wonder

After a terrible accident takes the lives of Coyote Sunrise’s mother and sisters, she and her dad move into a converted school bus and take a cross-country road trip that is both wild and healing. This book makes an ideal class read because of its incredibly wide appeal. Also check out the sequel, Coyote Lost and Found.

Buy it: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

Two very different boys, Joe and Ravi, both enter 5th grade with hope and expectations of how their year will go only to be met with many obstacles, including the class bully, Dillon. As they confront him together during the first week of school, the boys connect with each other. This is a ready-made beginning-of-the-year read-aloud that can launch discussions to build a strong and supportive classroom community.

Buy it: Save Me a Seat

With the help of an inspiring teacher who sees her for who she really is, Ally learns how to embrace her dyslexia and believe in herself. Share this uplifting and accurate portrayal of learning differences to launch powerful class or small-group discussions.

Buy it: Fish in a Tree

Everyone assumes that because 11-year-old Melody has cerebral palsy and can’t talk, she’s not smart, but nothing could be further from the truth. Once she finds a way to communicate, the world opens up for her. We’ve seen entire 5th grade friend groups pass this title around as a favorite independent reading choice. Also check out the sequels, Out of My Heart and Out of My Dreams.

Buy it: Out of My Mind

This is the remarkable story of a special girl named Willow who happens to be a genius, loses her parents, and is left to navigate life on her own. As Willow figures out how to carry on, she learns who she really is by trusting new friendships and building lasting bonds. Share this with individuals or small groups and discuss themes of grief, individuality, and hope.

Buy it: Counting by 7s

Much to his chagrin, Mr. Kermit, an ostracized teacher on the brink of retirement, is put in charge of a group of misfit eighth graders. Can he rediscover his love of teaching while helping his disheartened students finally find their voice? Share this title to introduce kids to a must-read author for 5th grade and all of middle school. Books by Gordon Korman are also excellent choices for familiarizing kids with books written from a variety of points of view.

Buy it: The Unteachables

As a group of kids meet to share with each other their painful personal struggles, their lives open up in meaningful and unexpected ways. Sometimes being vulnerable and forming connections can make all the difference, even when the challenges we face feel impossibly daunting. This is a weighty but worthy book to introduce to 5th grade students; offer it when they are ready to engage in deep discussion.

Buy it: Harbor Me

Two kids race to save a magical archipelago and its inhabitants from destruction. This new series of fantasy chapter books for 5th graders has received a lot of hype, and rightfully so: It’s a sweeping epic that weaves together relatable themes of perseverance and courage with myriad magical encounters. Share this with fantasy-lovers in need of a new series of page-turners.

Buy it: Impossible Creatures

More than anything, Kyle Keeley loves to play games and is thrilled to be picked to attend the grand opening of an innovative new library. After meeting his idol and the mastermind behind it all, Mr. Lemoncello, Kyle ends up getting more adventure than he bargained for. This riddle-filled series can keep 5th grade readers going for quite a while.

Buy it: Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series

These zany stories about a quirky family offer riddles, wordplay, and light mystery. In the series opener, young Shenanigan Swift tries to improve her family reputation by solving both a murder and a treasure hunt at a family reunion. These books’ high vocabulary demands make them suitable for reading aloud to 5th graders or suggesting to advanced readers.

Buy it: The Swifts series

Three devoted friends set out to solve a longtime local hidden-treasure mystery in an effort save one friend’s family from losing their home. Share this with kids who love books filled with codes to decipher and puzzles to solve. Look out for the sequel releasing in fall 2025 too.

Buy it: The Mystery of Locked Rooms

This heist adventure stars Darius “DJ” James, a middle school con artist. When DJ’s best friend finds himself in deep debt to the school bully, owing him 100,000 arcade tickets, DJ concocts a risky scheme to steal the needed tickets and save his friend’s reputation. This is our top suggestion for adventure chapter books for 5th graders to motivate reluctant readers.

Buy it: High Score

Ghosts don’t always have to be scary—in fact, they can be downright hilarious. In this engrossing and emotional story, Finn dies in a bike accident but comes back as a ghost to learn the truth surrounding his mysterious death. Lean on this title as a highly readable, compelling 5th grade option. Use it to encourage kids to explore themes of friendship, what it means to be alive, and how to deal with regret.

Buy it: Best Nerds Forever

A team of five young secret agents from all over the world come together to fight evil, each of them bringing a unique special talent to the group. These are page-turners perfect for readers who love fast-paced mysteries; the first installment will hook students and get them excited about reading all four books in the series.

Buy it: City Spies series

When Leo gets noticed by a British scout and invited to join a training camp for a prestigious Premier League British soccer team, his entire life gets turned upside down. Each installment details another step in his exciting journey toward professional soccer. This is our top suggestion for a new series for 5th grade boys (and girls too) who love sports fiction; kids we know eagerly await and devour each new release.

Buy it: The Academy series

Josh and his twin brother, JB, are the stars of their basketball team. This three-book series of poignant novels in verse explore the power of family relationships, middle school social dynamics, and, of course, basketball. They are great choices for reluctant readers or small-group reading and response.

Buy it: Crossover series

In the series opener, Castle Crenshaw, aka Ghost, has always known how to run fast, especially when his life depended on it. But the last thing he expects to do is join the track team and train with teammates who are all running from something in their lives too. Honest and relatable, these are the perfect blend of sports content and inspiration for discussion and character analysis.

Buy it: Track series

Bree, a non-swimmer, starts at a new school and finds herself in a Swim 101 class. A new friendship with her elderly neighbor boosts her confidence, eventually enough for her to join the swim team. This graphic novel flawlessly combines sports themes with an examination of racism. It would make an excellent class read and is a reliable suggestion for kids’ independent reading.

Buy it: Swim Team

Our list would not be complete without including a book by all-star author Kate DiCamillo. This unique and imaginative story of a cynical girl and a squirrel-turned-superhero has both fun absurdity and emotional nuance. It makes for an excellent and unexpected beginning-of-the-year class read.

Buy it: Flora & Ulysses

These quirky stories center on a group of sixth grade friends who suspect a Yoda finger puppet has fortune-telling powers. They’ve got humor, middle school friendship themes, and plenty of Star Wars references. The hybrid illustrated format with graphic novel vibes makes them feel fresh and accessible to kids. Hand them to students in need of an energizing series to enjoy.

Buy it: Origami Yoda series

This fantastic graphic novel about Omar’s experience growing up in a refugee camp in Kenya is eye-opening and unforgettable. Exploring what it means to find hope and courage in the most harrowing circumstances, the story awakens our empathy for these immensely difficult experiences and inspires us on our own journeys. Share it to build kids’ background knowledge about refugee experiences. If you’re looking to read a graphic novel as a whole class, this is definitely a good choice.

Buy it: When Stars Are Scattered

Kids in the neighborhood create their own imaginative characters and costumes out of cardboard boxes, which helps them process the challenges in their lives. Imaginative and clever, each chapter of these graphic novels features a diverse character and their alter ego. We’ve seen classrooms read these books and then host their own cardboard-box-building events that are truly magical.

Buy it: The Cardboard Kingdom series