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BOOK LIST

The Ultimate Summer Reading Book List for Grades 3-5

Keep your upper elementary school students learning with the best summer books of the year. 


June 5, 2023

The Ultimate Summer Reading Book List for Grades 3-5

This summer, send your students in grades 3 to 5 on new adventures with the best summer reading books for 2023.

Graphic novel fans in grades 4-7 will love Parachute Kids, the story of Feng-Li and her family, who are on a highly anticipated trip to the United States together. But when it comes time to leave, Feng-Li's parents drop a bombshell on her and her siblings: They must stay behind in California together while her parents return to Taiwan! Now, Feng-Li must get accustomed to a new school, a new language, new friends, all while her siblings bicker about everything. Will the family stay together through all of the stress? 

In Akim Alieu: Dreamer, readers join Akim Alieu, a Ukrainian-Nigerian-Canadian hockey player as he grows up in Toronto. Faced with feeling ostracised as the only Black child in his predominantly Ukrainian neighborhood and hardship in trying to make it in Toronto, Akim is no stranger to struggle. This heartfelt coming-of-age story about the professional hockey player is full of grit amd humor as readers follow along Akim's bittersweet journey to finding himself and becoming a pro athlete.

Meanwhile, Big Tree tells the story of sycamore seeds Louise and her brother Merwin who have been forced out of their mama tree prematurely due to a fire. A mysterious voice has been speaking to Louise in her dreams, and now, as the siblings find a way to survive a nightmarish landscape full of dinosaurs, meteors, and volcanoes all while trying to find a safe place to grow up — and into their destinies. 

Setting up your students for summer reading will encourage them to read for fun. The latest titles in popular series like Miles Morales, Cat Kid, and I Survived will keep them flying through books all summer! Help your students embark on a summer reading adventure that will prime them for school in the fall. 

Shop summer reading books for grades 3 to 5 below! You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store.

Paperback Book

The Thunder Egg (Dragon Games #1)

Grades 2 - 5
$4.49$5.99
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An adventure-packed series about three kids who travel into a magical, dragon-filled world!

 

Paperback Book

That Girl Lay Lay: Chapter Book #2

Grades 2 - 5
$5.24$6.99
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It's time for the annual Woodlawn Middle School Carnival! Lay Lay and her friends are excited to participate — it's a tradition. Each year, there is an unofficial competition between the students to see which carnival booth raises the most money. But when the competition heats up between the five friends, the girls will need to come together for their cause. Are they up to the task?

Meet Clementine Fox, Professional Amateur Adventurer!

 

Hardcover Book

Big Tree

Grades 2 - 7
$24.74$32.99
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A mysterious voice has been speaking to Louise in her dreams. She and her brother Merwin are Sycamore seeds, who hope to one day set down roots and become big trees. But when a fire forces them to leave their mama tree prematurely, they find themselves catapulted into the unknown, far from home. Alone and unprepared, they must use their wits and imagination to navigate a dangerous world. As the mysterious voice gets louder, Louise comes to realize their mission in life may be much bigger than either of them ever could have imagined!

Paperback Book

Four Eyes

Grades 3 - 7
$9.74$12.99
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In this true coming-of-age story, Rex has his sights set on surviving sixth grade, but now he's got to find a way to do it with glasses, no friends, and a family that just doesn't get it!

Hardcover Book

Home Away From Home

Grades 3 - 7
$13.49$17.99
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From Newbery Honor Winner Cynthia Lord, a brilliant story about how to find home when everything around us is changing.

 

Hardcover Book

To Catch a Thief

Grades 3 - 7
$13.49$17.99
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Amelia MacGuffin is no detective. She's eleven, quiet, and unlike her four younger siblings, she has no special talents. But Amelia loves her town. Her family has lived there forever. Her parents run the Pacific General Store, and she and her best friends, Birdie and Delphine, are about to start middle school. If Amelia doesn't find the staff, the Dragonfly Day Festival will be canceled.

Hardcover Book

Jude Saves the World

Grades 3 - 7
$14.24$18.99
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Jude and Dallas's world changes when they learn Stevie, a girl in their class, has been ousted from the popular clique at school. Worried it had something to do with Stevie's rumored crush on another girl, Jude reaches out to see if Stevie is okay. Stevie quickly becomes an important friend to Jude and Dallas, whose unwavering acceptance of her is a stark contrast to the tests and dysfunction she experienced with her former friend group.

$5.24$6.99
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Beak-a-boo, it sees you! Cooper Klavan and his sister Anna are fishing with their parents when they come across an injured bird that Anna takes home to rehabilitate. But the bird really does not want to be rescued. It bites Anna, and soon she's behaving strangely. She's perching high up in trees, gathering sticks to hide in her room, and refusing to eat eggs — once her favorite food. Cooper doesn't want to jump to any conclusions, but his sister seems to be going to the birds.

 

Hardcover Book

Pack Your Bags, Maggie Diaz

Grades 3 - 7
$14.24$18.99
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All of Maggie's plans for their unforgettable trip start to fall apart as everyone gets carried away with an upcoming dance. Even Julian has a crush―throwing their group dynamic into turmoil when he asks the new girl to be his date. Zoey's so stressed with school that her straight A streak is in trouble . . . and why can't Maggie stop thinking about Eerie Eddie? The three best friends have been inseparable for years, but everything is changing as everyone splits into twos, leaving Maggie unsure of where―and with who―she still fits.

 

$9.74$12.99
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Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 Clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.

$11.24$14.99
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Akim Aliu — also known as "Dreamer" — is a Ukrainian-Nigerian-Canadian professional hockey player whose career took him all around the world and who experienced systemic racism at every turn. Dreamer tells Akim's incredible story, from being the only Black child in his Ukrainian community, to his family struggling to make ends meet while living in Toronto, to confronting the racist violence he often experienced both on and off the ice. 

Hardcover Book

The Golden Frog Games (Witchlings 2)

Grades 3 - 7
$13.49$17.99
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Get ready for more magic, mayhem, and monstruos! From Claribel A. Ortega, author of Frizzy and Ghost Squad, comes the sequel to the instant New York Times bestselling and #1 Indie bestselling Witchlings.

 

Hardcover Book

The Beautiful Something Else

Grades 3 - 7
$13.49$17.99
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Full of humor and heartbreak, this story about a nonbinary character navigating a binary world is perfect for fans of Alex Gino and Kyle Lukoff.

 

Paperback Book

Perfect Villains (Bad Princesses #1)

Grades 3 - 7
$5.99$7.99
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Princesses don't break the rules, but they may rewrite them...

 

Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson presents an extraordinary and unflinching look at the heroic servicemen and women who courageously weathered the worst of circumstances and conditions in service to their country, as well as those who answered the call to save their fellow soldiers.

Paperback Book

Front Desk: Room to Dream

Grades 5 - 7
$5.96$7.95
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In this award-winning series, fiesty and resilient Mia uses her voice to champion for immigrants' rights while navigating her own immigrant identity.

Paperback Book

The Storyteller

Grades 5 - 8
$5.99$7.99
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Ziggy might not have any control over the past -- but if he learns the lessons of the storytellers, he might be able to better shape his future and find the friends he needs.

$5.99$7.99
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Kids everywhere will wish they were hanging with 12-year-old Eddie and his neighborhood friends as they face the apocalypse under hilarious circumstances.

 

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