20+ Books About Elementary School for Grades 3–5

For Hubie, getting ready to go back to school is worse than actually going to class!

A warm, funny return to elementary school from master storyteller Spinelli.

It's the first week of school, and Peachy couldn't be happier. This year, she can finally join the school newspaper! She's always pictured herself as a star reporter, writing articles that make a difference. But when Peachy goes to sign up, and drags her hyper best friend, Keen, along with her, they learn that the paper has shut down for good. No one's reading the news anymore! Peachy is crushed.

Our favorite worrier is back, and Stuart is about to start third grade. As he makes his way to the first day of school, wearing the worst outfit ever, what could a first-rate worrier do but worry?

Robbie is old enough to know that surviving school depends on one very important thing: knowing what's cool. But what is cool in the third grade? he asks himself.

Third grade brings lots of surprises, but one thing hasn't changed: Harry and Sidney are still sworn enemies.

"Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood. A mad-faced mood."

Alvin Ho is afraid of nearly everything: the dark, substitute teachers, girls... to name just a few. But if there is one thing Alvin is absolutely terrified of, it is speaking in school.

Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they're both stuck in the same place: school.

This year's fifth graders are the worst Principal Klein has ever seen. But he's hoping that Spirit Week can teach them teamwork, with a top secret prize for the winning team as incentive. Best friends George and Lilly have been looking forward to Spirit Week all year. They might be complete opposites, but they can't wait to be on the winning team together. When their classes end up rivals, with Lilly leading Team Red and George leading Team Blue, the friends swear they can compete and remain best friends. 

In this autobiographical story, Little Trisha, overjoyed at the thought of learning how to read, struggles when she finds that all the letters and numbers get jumbled up.

Class 507 is the worst class Ms. Bryce has ever taught. And she would know -- she's been teaching forever. They are so terrible that when a science experiment goes disastrously wrong (again), Ms. Bryce has had it and quits in the middle of the lesson. But through a mix-up, the school office never finds out.

Which means ... Class 507 is teacher-free!

The horrible Herdmans are modern-day outlaws and the most famous kids at Woodrow Wilson School. Are they really horrible, or could there be some good in them? Find out the real truth about this crazy clan.

Lia and her family are waiting to board a flight across the Atlantic, leaving behind family, friends, and Romania -- the only home Lia has ever known. But Lia's heartache is overshadowed by the discomfort of her first period. As if things weren't difficult enough! Now Lia is thrust into a world where everything is different: her home, her language, and even her body. With so many changes happening at once, Lia struggles with schoolwork, has trouble communicating with classmates, and has no idea how to manage her unpleasant periods. Will she ever feel like herself again?

A semiautobiographical middle-grade graphic novel about frenemies, fitting in, and finding your voice.

Full of humor and drama that will ring true for elementary-school children, this brief novel captures the mix of emotions and experiences that accompanies the transition to fourth grade.

More crazy stories from Wayside School.

Cleopatra Edison Oliver has always been an entrepreneur, just like her inspiration, successful businesswoman Fortune A. Davies. So when Cleo's fifth-grade teacher assigns her class a "Passion Project," Cleo comes up with her best business idea yet: the finest "tooth-pulling" company in town.

Fifth grader Nick Allen knows just how to make school more cool with his crazy ideas. But now, in fifth grade, clever Nick has come up with his most ingenious idea yet—to change the word "pen" to "frindle"!

The unlikely foursome made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker—Brenton, Sam "Snick," Judy and Kelsey, respectively—are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine.

Bradley Chalkers, a fifth grader at the Red Hill School, has trouble getting along with his classmates until he meets Carla, a new school counselor. But just when Bradley's social world begins to broaden, the school board decides to let Carla go. What will happen to Bradley now?

Allie Velasco wants to be a trailblazer. A trendsetter. A winner. When a prestigious school contest is announced, Allie has the perfect opportunity to take first, at last. There's just one small snag: Her biggest competition is also her ex-best friend, Sara. Can Allie take top prize and win back a friend, or is she destined to lose it all?

This brilliant, sensitive story takes an insightful look at how one person's differences can affect the lives of so many others.

Gregory K. has too much homework—so he goes on a homework strike.