5th Grade Summer Reading List (Ages 10 – 11)

Need a 5th-grade summer reading list? These books for your kids ages 10 or 11 are organized by genres so that kids can explore something in every category.

Let kids choose from the list! Why? Because book choice is key to ownership and motivation.

SHOP this list on Amazon.

All book reviews and recommendations for 10-year-olds.

It’s worth mentioning that these books are great for other grade levels, too. If you want other book lists of easier or harder book lists, go here: Summer Reading List for 4th Grade, Summer Reading List for 6th Grade. See ALL grade levels here.

Summer reading programs can be a great motivation for your fifth graders. I especially love programs that give free books as a reward.

Don’t miss this free reading printable for summer as well as a different free summer “Brain Camp” learning printable.

5th Grade Summer Reading List (Ages 10 – 11)

Fantasy Summer Reading for 5th Grade

If you like fantasy, you’ll love:

• Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
• Legacy and the Queen by Annie Matthew, created by Kobe Bryant
• Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
• Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty
• Five Kingdoms (series) by Brandon Mull
• The Language of Spells by Garret Weyr
• In a Glass Grimmly (series)by Adam Gidwitz
• Nightmares! (series) by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

Adventure Summer Reading for 5th Grade

If you like adventures, you’ll love

• Green Lantern Legacy by Minh Le
• Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation (series) by Stuart Gibb
• Masterminds (series) by Gordon Korman
• Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret (series) by Trudi Trueit
• The False Prince (series) by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• Spy School (series) by Stuart Gibbs
• Dog Driven by Terry Lynn Johnson
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library (series) by Chris Grabenstein

Mystery Summer Reading for 5th Grade

If you like mysteries, you’ll love:

• Space Case (series) by Stuart Gibbs
• Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter by Beth Fantaskey
• Framed! A T.O.A.S.T. Mystery (series) by James Ponti
• The Screaming Staircase (series) by Jonathan Stroud
• Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson
• The Frame-Up by Wendy McLeod MacKnight
• Chirp by Kate Messner
• The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going

Historical Fiction Summer Reading for 5th Grade

If you like historical fiction, you’ll love 

• The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
• Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
• Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
• The War That Saved My Life (series) by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
• Al Capone Does My Shirts (series) by Gennifer Choldeko
• Lost in the Pacific, 1942: Not a Drop to Drink (series) by Tod Olson
• Dactyl Hill Squad (series) by Daniel Jose Older
• Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper
• Journey of the Pale Bear by Susan Fletcher

Realistic Summer Reading for 5th Grade

If you like realistic fiction, try reading:

• Get a Grip Vivy Cohen by Sarah Kapit
• Roll with It by Jamie Sumner
• Wink by Rob Harrell
• Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
• Focused by Alyson Gerber
• El Deafo by Cece Bell (graphic novel)
• Coo by Kaela Noel
• Unteachables by Gordon Korman
• The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
• No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen
• New Kid by Jerry Craft (graphic novel)
• Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Humor Summer Reading for 5th Grade

If you like funny, you’ll laugh your way through these books:

• Origami Yoda (series) by Tom Angleberger
• Middle School: The Worst Years of my Life (series) by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts
• The Worst Class Trip Ever (series) by Dave Barry
• Belly Up (series) by Stuart Gibbs
• The Last Kids on Earth (series) by Max Brallier
• Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai

Animals

If you like animal stories, you’ll love:

• The Last Dogs(series) by Christopher Holt
• Warriors (series)by Erin Hunter
• Mouseheart (series)by Lisa Fielder
• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
• Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer (series) by Kelly Jones

Nonfiction

What about NONFICTION? Here are some great choices:

• Rise Up: Ordinary Kids With Extraordinary Stories by Amanda Li, illustrated by Amy Blackwell
• Ostriches: The Superpower Field Guide (series) by Rachel Poliquin
• Two Truths and a Lie by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson, illustrated by Lisa K. Weber
• 2020 National Geographic Almanac
• The Thrifty Guide to Ancient Rome by Jonathan Stokes
• The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman

(Some of these middle-grade chapter books cross over genres. I tried to keep them in the most recognizable groupings I could.)

Don’t forget to find ways to make reading FUN!

Participate in a summer reading program.

Read with a headlamp in bed.

Read on an electronic device. (Free eBooks?)

Start a book club.

Reward reading with . . . more BOOKS! (Kids choose, of course.)

Read nonfiction books and graphic novels, too.

Even More Book Suggestions for Your 5th Graders:

–> More Book Recommendations Plus REVIEWS for 5th Graders

Summer Reading List for 6th Grade

Brain Camp Summer Learning Printable

 

Fun Activity Books for Kids

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