Battle of the Books

1. Battle of the Books 5th Grade Book List

2. By Gennifer Choldenko Historical Fiction A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister. Al Capone Does My Shirts

3. By Gary Paulsen Fiction Companion book to: Hatchet and The River. Instead of being rescued from a plane crash, as in the author's book Hatchet, this story portrays what would have happened to Brian had he been forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and hatchet. Brian’s Winter

4. Candy Floss • By Jacqueline Wilson • Fiction • Floss, who spends 5 • days a week with her • Mom the weekends • with her Dad at a • greasy spoon cafe, has • to decide whether to • go to Australia with her • Mom, or stay home • with her Dad.

5. By Jeanne DuPrau Fantasy In the city of Ember, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions. The City of Ember

6. By Pam Munoz Ryan Historical Fiction Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression. Esperanza Rising

7. Elijah of Buxton • By Christopher Paul Curtis • Historical Fiction • Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American South in 1859, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom.

8. Each Little Bird That Sings • By Deborah Wiles • Fiction • Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger learns about life's surprises in this funny, poignant, and very Southern coming-of-age story.

9. By Carl Hiaasen Fiction With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected waters around their Florida Keys home. Flush

10. Go Big or Go Home • By Will Hobbs • Science Fiction • Brady Steele watches in awe as a fireball comes crashing through the roof of his house. Brady immediately calls up his cousin, Quinn. They both love all things extreme, and this is the most extreme thing ever!

11. Gregor the Overlander • By Suzanne Collins • Fiction • When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.

12. By Gary Paulsen Nonfiction Author Gary Paulsen relates tales from his youth in a small town in northwestern Minnesota in the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as skiing behind a souped-up car and imitating daredevil Evel Knievel. How Angel Peterson got his name

13. By Scott O’Dell Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life. Island of the Blue Dolphins

14. By C.S. Lewis Fantasy 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. The Magician's nephew

15. By Jerry Spinelli Fiction After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries. Maniac Magee

16. By Jean Craighead George A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship. My Side of the Mountain

17. By Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson Humorous Fiction Peter, an orphan boy, and his friend Molly fight off thieves and pirates in order to keep the secret safe away from the diabolical Black Stache and his evil associate Mister Grin. Peter and the Starcatchers

18. Rules • By Cynthia Lord • Fiction • Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.

19. By Gary Blackwood Historical Fiction A young orphan boy is ordered by his master to infiltrate Shakespeare's acting troupe in order to steal the script of "Hamlet," but he discovers instead the meaning of friendship and loyalty. The Shakespeare Stealer

20. By Stephanie S. Tolan Fiction Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent for home schooling to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family's Creative Academy, where he discovers talents and interests he never knew he had. Surviving the Applewhites

21. By Louis Sachar Fiction An unmanageable, but lovable, eleven-year-old misfit learns to believe in himself when he gets to know the new school counselor, who is a sort of misfit too. There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

22. By Sharon Creech Fiction After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left. Walk Two Moons

23. By Christopher Paul Curtis Historical Fiction The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963. The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963

24. By Wilson Rawls Fiction A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters. Where the Red Fern Grows