Books for 4th Grade

By Author Last Name
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

If you need help finding these books or want to know
about other good books, just ask your librarian. 

J Fiction Armstrong	Whittington
Dick Whittington was a poor boy who later became the Lord Mayor of London and a very rich and kind man. It was said he got his fame and fortune due to his cat. This Whittington claims to be descended from that cat. He tells the story to the barn animals that have accepted him into their family.

J Fiction Asch *	Star Jumper
Alex will do anything to get away from his pesky little brother. So with his genius inventing skills, he decides it's time to build a spaceship and travel to the other end of the universe!

J Fiction Asch *	Survival School
Molly and Jake are two young wild mice that live between the walls at a school. When they try to teach Dexter, the escaped class gerbil, how to survive outside of his cage, all three find themselves in danger.

J Fiction Avi*	Poppy's Return
The adventures of Poppy the Deermouse continue, but now her teen-age son, Ragweed Junior, dyes his fur black and hangs out with a skunk. Junior is rude; he skulks and sulks and thinks his parents, Poppy and Rye, are too old for words.

J Fiction Babbitt	Jack Plank Tells Tales
When a pirate ship falls on hard times, Jack Plank is let go because he is not very good at plundering and is left in the Caribbean town of Saltwash. The other people in his boarding house wonder if he is actually good at any job. It seems that he has a excuse for not taking any of the jobs 11-year-old Nina suggests, explaining with tales from an eventful past why none are the right job for him.

J Fiction Banerjee	Looking for Bapu
After his grandfather dies, Anu decides he will do anything to keep his spirit nearby. What will work: shaving his head like a Hindu holy man or secretly visiting the mysterious Karnak?

J Fiction Barshaw	Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel
Eleanor McDougal is Ellie *McDoodle* because she likes to draw. So when she has to travel with Aunt Ug, Uncle Ewing and her annoying cousins to camp out at Higgins Lake, Ellie has a pen and a sketch book and draws and writes about the trip.

J Fiction Beard	Operation Clean Sweep
Cornelius feels like a spineless jellyfish! Will he ever have the courage to tell Dad that Mom is secretly running for mayor against him?

J Fiction Boughton	Rent-a-Puppy, Inc.
Nikki and Tyler try to run a business renting puppies instead of giving them away.

J Fiction Bowdish	Brooklyn, Bugsy, and Me
In the summer of 1953, Sam and his mother move from West Virginia to Brooklyn, New York, to live with his grandfather. Sam's grandfather doesn't say much and doesn't seem like he's in a good mood most of the time. In the neighborhood, everyone likes Sam's grandfather. He even has a nickname-Bugsy. Why doesn't Bugsy want his grandson around?

J Fiction Bowe	My Last Best Friend
Although she is determined not to have another best friend, Ida Mae is curious about Stacey, the new girl in school, so she pretends to be somebody else to uncover Stacey's secrets.

J Fiction Bradley	The President's Daughter
Ethel's father isn't an ordinary father. He's a cowboy, war hero and politician as well as being President Theodore Roosevelt. Ethel isn't ordinary either. She's willful, adventurous and independent. How will this "first daughter" handle her first year in the spotlight? With courage to rival that of her father, of course!

J Fiction Brockmeier	Grooves: A Kind of Mystery
Dwayne's blue jeans can talk! He hears a cry for help in the grooves of his jeans. Dwayne decides to take the lead.

J Fiction Bunting *	The Lambkins
Kidnapped. That's bad enough, but Kyle, Mac, Tanya and Lulu have been shrunk to the size of dolls and kept trapped in a dollhouse by Mrs. Shepherd who would never hurt them — as long as they don't make her angry.

J Fiction Butler	Tank Talbott's Guide to Girls
Tank Talbott has a secret that he cannot share even with his best friend. In order to pass 5th grade, Tank must be tutored in math and write everyday in a notebook on his guide to girls. He will have to be alert, and not let his stepsister Mollie find out.

J Fiction Byars *	Dog Diaries: Secret Writings of the WOOF Society
WOOF, a group of dogs, get together at night and hear stories written by dogs worldwide and from history. You'll laugh with the dogs.

J Fiction Carbone	Sarah and the Naked Truth
After Sarah loses most of her hair in a bubble gum accident, she starts to wear a baseball cap. Her best friends, Christina and Olivia each have something they want to hide about themselves too. Once they know each other's secrets, they decide not to hide who they are and together face the world as they truly are.

J Fiction Carmody*	Little Fur — The Legend Begins
Gentle, timid Little Fur is an elf-troll girl that lives in a magical forest as a healer. An unlikely heroine, Little Fur is given the task of saving the ancient trees and the earth spirit they contain from the human "fire-loving" burners.

J Fiction Clements *	The Last Holiday Concert
Popular kids rarely ever get caught pulling pranks. That's why others consider them "cool." Hart's luck runs out when he shoots a rubber band at Mr. Meinert. Hart ends up getting an unusual punishment. Much to the teacher's surprise, the task that is meant to humble this "wise guy" student has the opposite effect.

J Fiction Cowell	How to Train Your Dragon
Meet Hiccup and Toothless-a Viking boy and his tiny dragon! Can these two unlikely heroes save the village from giant dragons?

J Fiction Curtis *	Mr. Chickee's Funny Money
Steven and his friend Russell are on the trail of discovering the origins of a quadrillion dollar bill, and running from everyone who wants it!

J Fiction Dowell	Phineas L. MacGuire Erupts!: The First Experiment
His best friend has moved away and now Phineas' new science fair partner is the new kid that no one likes. Will their volcano project even erupt?

J Fiction Doyle	Giggler Treatment
Just wait until you meet the Gigglers. Who are the Gigglers you ask? Well, they are the creatures who look after children and make sure that adults, parents and teachers treat kids fairly. If adults are mean and unfair-then look out, they get punished with the giggler treatment, and believe me, it's not pretty! (Hint: it has something to do with poo on the shoe!)

J Fiction Dunbar	The Truth Cookie
That ex-supermodel Varaminta le Bone is all smiles and sweetness in front of my Dad, but she becomes a witch once his back is turned. Now he is about to make the biggest mistake of his life by proposing marriage to her! I need to find a way to make Varaminta show her true colors.

*Try other books by this author too!

J Fiction Edwards	The Great American Mousical
The mice are putting on a great mousical, but everything seems to be going wrong. The star of the show is gone, believed to be the victim of a mousetrap. Now, rumors say the theatre itself is to be demolished.

J Fiction Evans	Elevator Family
The Wilson family arrives at the San Francisco Hotel to find that there are no regular rooms available. At the hotel, they find a room called Otis and move in. The Wilsons spend their vacation going up and down and greeting the many people who visit their room. They are sleeping in the hotel elevator! This vacation turns out to be the best one the Wilsons have ever had.

J Fiction Fine

Bad Dreams

Melanie would rather read, than talk to people. When her teacher asks her to help Imogen, the new girl in her class to settle in, Melanie isn't very happy. As Melanie gets to know Imogen, she discovers that there is something very strange about her. Imogen can tell what is going to happen in a book by just touching it. She can also feel what the characters are feeling. Melanie can see that this is truly a curse. What will Melanie have to do to save her friend and destroy the magic?

J Fiction Finney*	Jack and Rebel, the Police Dog
Jack the Dog (called Big Yellow Stupid by the cats) is SO HAPPY to be friends with you and tell you about his friend the police dog and the Flying Feathery who can bark and what happened when his Packleader went to London. Woof! Woof!

J Fiction Funke*	Igraine the Brave
Igraine wants to be a knight, not a magician like the rest of her family. When her castle home is threatened, it is up to her to prove her worth.

J Fiction Gantos *	Jack Adrift: Fourth Grade Without a Clue
On the way to Cape Hatteras and a new beginning, Jack wonders aloud about how do you go about making new friends? His parents' suggestions are absolutely no help. Will he be able to figure it out before he has to start 4th grade in his new school?

J Fiction Gantos *	Joey Pigza Loses Control
Joey Pigza, who once swallowed a key, but now has his meds, is feeling great. For the first time in years he is going to spend the summer with his dad. When he meets his dad, a grown-up version of his old hyperactive self, Joey wants to do whatever it takes to be a good son, even when he fears it will not do him any good at all.

J Fiction Gay *	Travels With My Family
Hurricanes, tornados, ravenous alligators; when my family goes on vacation they go "off the beaten path"— which means going places no one in their right mind would ever travel to.

J Fiction Giff *	Eleven
—"ing," were the last letters, and the first part was "Miss". If only Sam knew how to read that old newspaper clipping, he would have known why a picture of himself at age 3 was in it. Was he missing or kidnapped? It's hard to think that Mack really wasn't his grandfather.

J Fiction Glaser	Bridge to America: Based on a True Story
Nine year-old Fivel feels responsible for his family's safety while his father is working in America. His father will send for the family when he earns enough money, but with each passing day life becomes more difficult in Poland in 1920.

J Fiction Gleitzman	Toad Rage
Limpy the cane toad can't figure out why humans hate them, and why so many of his relatives end up squashed on the highway. He is determined to change their attitudes towards cane toads by becoming a mascot at the Olympics. Learn some fun Australian words like "puffed," "squiz," and "stack me."

J Fiction Gutman*	Babe and Me
Joe Stoshack has the ability to travel back in time with his vintage baseball cards. Joe wants to know if Babe Ruth really did call his home run hit during game three of the Chicago Cubs-New York Yankees World Series. Witnesses never did agree. The only way to find out is to slip back seventy years and see for himself.

J Fiction Gutman*	Homework Machine
Someone finally invented a machine that does your homework for you! But the teacher is getting suspicious, and even the police are asking questions. How could such a dream machine cause so much trouble?

J Fiction Haddix *	Dexter the Tough
Dexter's feelings and actions are hard for him to understand as he deals with his father's illness, living with his grandmother, and attending a new school.

J Fiction Hale *	Trouble is My Beeswax
There is a cheating ring at Emerson Hicky Elementary and Chet Gecko's friend Shirley Chameleon has been fingered as the ringleader. Shirley hires Chet to clear her name, but when Chet is accused of cheating, things really change.

J Fiction Hannigan	Ida B: And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World
Ida B has a nearly perfect life. She is home- schooled and spends hours chatting to trees and a babbling river. But when Ida B is forced back to school and discovers that her father is selling part of her beloved orchard, she gets angry. She sets a plan into action that no one will ever forget!

J Fiction Hanson	How to Save Your Tail
When Bob the rat is caught by two cats, he tells them stories to distract them from eating him. Gulp!

J Fiction Hazen

Mermaid Mary Margaret

Mary Margaret has "always" wanted to be a mermaid. Her mom thinks it's because she watched that mermaid video one too many times. Mary thinks it started when she was a baby and her beloved late Grandpa would gently float her, his "sweet little Mermaid Mary", in a warm soothing bath. Now Mary is accompanying her grieving Grandma on the Mediterranean cruise her grandparents were supposed to enjoy together. Who would have guessed that,in their sadness, Mary's mermaid dream would have a chance to come true?

J Fiction Herman

Just Like Mike

When Michael Brown's mother marries Mr. Jordan, everything changes. His mother and step-father decide to change his last name to Jordan, which means his name is now Michael Jordan. Can he live up to the name? The other kids expect him to be great at basketball, but Michael can't even dribble the ball, let alone swoosh it through the hoop. How can the new Michael Jordan fit in, when he's no good at basketball?

J Fiction Hirsch *	Have Courage, Hazel Green
A kid can't just tell a grownup that she thinks the grownup did an awful thing. But when Hazel comes up with a plan to make things right, she's the one that gets punished. Unless she can get Mr. Davies to confess, no one will trust her again.

J Fiction Horvath*	The Pepins and Their Problems
The poor Pepins create and solve so many of their mishaps in this zany and witty book that it is hard to count them all! Be a part of this hilarious tale of absurd characters as the author appeals to you, the reader, for suggestions to their outrageous predicaments.

J Fiction Jennings	Out Standing in My Field
One book, nine innings... Experience Pee Wee baseball as the Brewers take on the Tigers through bad pitches, missed balls, rain, wind and crazy coaches.

J Fiction Jones	Dear Mrs. Ryan, You're Ruining My Life
Harvey Ryan's mother writes books for children. The problem, is that his mother uses Harvey as the main character in her books. The whole world knows what's going on in Harvey's life. To get his mother to stop, Harvey and his best friend decide to get his mother and his principal together. This brings on a whole new set of problems.

J Fiction Kennedy	Me and the Pumpkin Queen
Mildred has always dreamed of growing a one-thousand-pound pumpkin and winning first prize in her town's famous Pumpkin Fair. Maybe this will be her year.

J Fiction Kerrin *	Martin Bridge on the Lookout!
Cripes. Martin has to play with pesty classmate, Laila. Who knew she could be a watery whiz with balloons?

J Fiction Kirk	Rex Tabby: Cat Detective
Rex is the world's best detective on the trail of Ma Manx's kittens that escaped from the crime scene leaving Ma to be put in jail. Will Rex catch them or will the kittens free Ma out of the slammer? Detective lessons at the end of each chapter get you thinking like a detective!

*Try other books by this author too!

J Fiction Laybourn	Missing Magic
What happened to Ned? Everyone around him can do magic, but he doesn't have a bit! The other students at his fancy new school use magic to fly, play, do math and try all sorts of tricks. Ned can barely escape the jinxed chairs, but his lack of magic may just be what saves him.

J Fiction Lombard	Drita, My Homegirl
It's not easy to be the new girl in school, let alone one who doesn't speak English and is trying to make friends. Drita's grandmother says that "sometimes there is more to people than meets the eye." It seems like everyone has some adjustments to make, no matter where you are from or what language you speak.

J Fiction Marsden	When Heaven Fell
Binh and her family are sure their financial problems will be solved when their relative arrives from America, since everyone knows all Americans are rich.

J Fiction Martinez

Pedrito's World

It's 1941 and Pedrito lives in southern Texas, right along the Mexican border. The only life he knows is his life on the farm, helping his father plant watermelons, and tending to farm animals. His world becomes bigger and scarier when he starts to attend school, where he is not permitted to speak any Spanish. Now Pedrito has new worries, like how will he let the teacher know when he has to go pee?

J Fiction Maynard	Pondfire
Jed wants to be a firefighter when he gets older. He has always studied fires, but ever since a fire got out of control in his backyard, the townspeople have looked at him funny. Now, a year later, there have been some suspicious fires and the town thinks its Jed. Jed's father is the volunteer fire chief. When he is injured in a fire, Jed decides to find out who is setting the blazes.

J Fiction McKissack*	Abby Takes a Stand
"What gave you the idea you could come in here?!" In front of the staring lunch crowd, the manager yelled at Abby like she was a pesty gnat. But she was not a pest. Abby was a young girl who wanted to eat lunch like everyone else. She also happened to be black. Abby takes her stand against the lunch counter when she understands that freedom, like a menu, is about having choices.

J Fiction Mead*	Isabella's Above-Ground Pool
Isabella longs for an above-ground swimming pool. Money is tight for her family, so it's up to Isabella to come up with a way to earn some of the money for the pool, but will her motto, "I won't share 'cuz it's not fair!," get in her way?

J Fiction Morgenstern	It Happened at School: Two Tales
Sharing and fun abound in these two short stories centering on life in the classroom. From crazy projects to a fax machine that spouts unending love messages for the teacher, these tales will make you smile.

J Fiction Morris	Come, Llamas
JT is so excited! Snow is having her baby and his grandfather says the first llama born will be his and the start of his own herd. He knows that being a llama rancher in Alaska is not an easy job, but it is the life he wants.

J Fiction Nagda *	Meow Means Mischief
"Meo-o-ow!" the scruffy kitten pleads, eyeing Rana through the sliding glass door. The kitty looks as friendless as Rana feels at her new school. Her mom has said "maybe" to the cat now called "Tiger." That's before Tiger licks the butter and puts his paws into grandma's chapattis (Indian bread.)

J Fiction Napoli *	Ugly
Ugly, named by his "duck" siblings, is different from the rest of his family — so different, that his own mother ejects him from the colony. Can Ugly survive the harsh winter with the help of new friends and find his true self?

J Fiction Newman	Hachiko Waits
Every day Hachi accompanies Professor Ueno to the Shibuya train station in Japan. Every afternoon the dog returns to greet his master who arrives on the 3 p.m. train. One day the professor becomes ill and dies while he is at the university. Hachi continues to wait.

J Fiction Obrist	Case Closed?!
If you like to solve mysteries, this book is for you. There are forty short illustrated stories that give you all the clues needed to figure out the mysteries yourself. Try not to peek at the answers!

J Fiction Patterson	The Winner's Walk
Noah, a lovable stray dog adopted by Case's family, can answer the telephone and load the dishwasher! Someone MUST be out there looking for such a special dog, and Case is getting more attached to him everyday....

J Fiction Paulsen*	Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day
What a day! Important notebook goes missing + 1 wacky grandmother spending the day at school = a torn skirt, a black eye, and a completely unimaginable day filled with unpredictable events.

J Fiction Perkins	Rickshaw Girl
"You can help your father," Naima laments to her friend, Saleem. "Why can't I help mine?" Naima is a girl, and girls stay home to help their mothers. And sometimes her beloved father looks so tired from driving his rickshaw for paying customers every day. But maybe there is a way Naima, a girl who loves to paint traditional Pakistani designs, can help her family after all.

J Fiction Potter	Pish Posh
Clara Frankofile is a fabulously wealthy 11-year-old snob. She decides who is "In" and who is "Out" at the Pish Posh, her parents' fashionable restaurant. Her rich, tidy world is turned upside-down when she banishes Dr. Piff from Pish Posh and finds a mystery to solve right under her nose.

J Fiction Proimos	Cowboy Boy
Just how bad can middle school be? Well, when Keanu Dungston gives you a superwedgie in front of the whole school, it couldn't get any worse. Can Ricky Smootz, aka Cowboy Boy, find his inner crazy cowboy to fight back?

J Fiction Pullman*	The Scarecrow and His Servant
When a bolt of lightening brings Scarecrow to life, he sets out to lead a life of glory and adventure, accompanied by his faithful servant Jack, a young orphaned boy. Together, Scarecrow and Jack fight battles with brigands, broken hearts, and Scarecrow's greatest foe, birds.

J Fiction Regan	Cyberpals According to Kaley
Kaley is excited about the class assignment of emailing children in other countries. The trouble begins with her first cyberpal who is a BOY and is very rude. The second emailing pal wants to write to one of Kaley's classmates instead so Kaley needs to look for someone else to write to, again and again.

J Fiction Reiche	I, Freddy
Conversational, literary and inventive, Freddy is a superior hamster who truly believes he is meant to do great things . . . .this is his autobiography.

J Fiction Roberts	Made You Look
Jason is determined to be a contestant on the quiz show Masquerade Mania, but first he has to create a costume, get away from a copycat, and learn how to camp out!

J Fiction Rossell	Jack Jones and the Pirate Curse
With the passing of Jack's Great-Uncle Mungo, Jack inherits the Pirate Curse from the famous pirate, Blackstrap Morgan and must confront a vengeful group of pirates or spend the rest of his life running!

*Try other books by this author too!

J Fiction Sepulveda	The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her To Fly
Little Lucky, a baby seagull, needs to learn how to fly to survive. It's up to her adopted "Mommy"- Zorba, a large male black cat and his cat buddies, to teach her!

J Fiction Spinelli	Where I Live
	Diana lives in a yellow house With a bird's nest on the door. Her father loses his job, So she doesn't live By Rose anymore.

J Fiction Staples *	The Green Dog: A Mostly True Story
He has traveled for miles, a frayed rope collar around his neck. She knows from the minute he finds her,he is the dog she has always dreamed of owning. He becomes her constant companion; and her best friend. She loves him with her whole heart. How can she convince her father to let him stay?

J Fiction Stewart	Hugo Pepper
A ten-year-old boy,orphaned and raised in the Frozen North by reindeer herders, boards his parents magical Aeronautical Snow Chariot and sets its special compass to "Home," where he uncovers a plot that threatens his mermaid godmothers and others.

J Fiction Tripp	Pete & Fremont
Pete the Poodle loves the limelight of the circus. When he misses jumping through a flaming hoop - twice, he fears that his rival Lolly will take his place as lead dog. Suddenly, a very grumpy bear named Fremont joins the circus and Pete is the only one who can talk to him.

J Fiction Trueit	Julep O'Toole: Confessions of a Middle Child
Julep is squashed between her almost perfect older sister and her asthmatic/allergy stricken younger brother. She wants to break out from being invisible to everyone (except her best friends). Just when she gets invited to a party by the most popular girl in school, an emergency happens at home. Maybe Julep is destined to be invisible forever.

J Fiction Trumbore	Genie in the Book
"What is your fondest wish?" the Genie in the book asked Will. That is a hard one, but in the meantime, could the Genie take him to Queensland, Australia to catch the waves on his boogie board? Yes, the Genie could--and did.

J Fiction Van Draanen *	Secret Identity
Nolan Byrd is a fifth grade math genius. Because his teacher stated, "You shred, man!", Nolan anonymously opens shredderman.com and begins to expose a school bully.

J Fiction Van Leeuwen	Cabin on Trouble Creek
Two brothers are left alone to take care of their family's new Ohio homestead in 1803, but when their family hasn't returned after six weeks and winter sets in, the boys wonder how they will survive without a gun or food.

J Fiction Vande Velde	Three Good Deeds
The old witch has turned Howard into a goose and the only way he can become human again is to perform three good deeds. Is that even possible when all he can say is "Honk?"

J Fiction Wallace

Ghosts in the Gallery

Before Jenny's mother died, she wrote a letter to Jenny's grandfather telling him that Jenny would be coming to live with him. When the coach Jenny is traveling in drops her off at a deserted road, she starts to think something is wrong. After she reaches the house, she knows something is wrong. Not only has her mother's letter not been received, her uncle doubts that there even is a granddaughter. Rather than be sent back to China, Jenny is forced to live in the cellar as a servant.

J Fiction Weeks

Regular Guy

Guy Strang has the weirdest parents in the whole 6th grade, come to think of it, they are the weirdest parents ever. Then he finds out that Bob-O, the weirdest kid in school, was born on the same day as Guy and in the same hospital. He decides that they somehow must have been switched at birth. To prove his theory he convinces Bob-O to trade places for a weekend.and what a weekend it turns out to be! (Then read the sequel, Guy Time)

J Fiction Weston	The Diary of Melanie Martin or: How I Survived Matt the Brat, Michelangelo, and the Leaning Tower of Pizza
Reading Melanie's diary will take you on a trip that will make you laugh sometimes, cry sometimes, but mostly it will make you feel like it was your own amazing adventure in Italy. Beware, you might even learn to speak some Italian! This book is just as fun as its title!

J Fiction Wiley	The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil
Basil's very un-extraordinary life in a lighthouse in Maine completely changes when he is whisked away to a floating city in the sky. But Basil soon finds out life in the sky is complicated when he gets caught up in a battle to save the world.

J Fiction Wyss	Bear Dancer: The Story of a Ute Girl
She is captured by Cheyenne warriors and later rescued by American soldiers. They name her "Susan," but in her heart she is "Elk Girl."

J Fiction Yep	Cockroach Cooties
A little brother can be a pest, but Arnie-zilla, the school bully, is a larger than life problem for Teddy and Bobby. These two brothers join forces to defend themselves as they face threats from gigantic Arnie. Their schemes and a little bug or two change everything!

J Fiction Young	Winchell Mink: The Misadventure Begins
What's it like to be a turtle? Well, Winchell is about to find out as he takes a crazy, mixed-up, time-traveling journey on which he discovers a lot about himself, as well as those around him.

*Try other books by this author