Students Entering Grade 4: Summer Reading List 

Entering Grade 4

• The Anti-Book by Raphael Simon
  Mickey is angry all the time: at his divorced parents, at his sister, and at his two new stepmoms, both named Charlie. And so he can't resist the ad inside his pack of gum. "Do you ever wish everyone would go away? Buy The Anti-Book! Satisfaction guaranteed." He orders the book, but when it arrives, it's blank - except for one line of instruction. To erase it, write it. He fills the pages with all the things and people he dislikes until he finds himself wandering an anti-world, one in which everything and everyone familiar is gone. Or are they?
   

• Because of Wynn Dixie by Kate DiCamilio
  One summer's day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries--and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. It's because of Winn-Dixie that Opal begins to make friends. And it's because of Winn-Dixie that she finally dares to ask her father about her mother, who left when Opal was three. In fact, as Opal admits, just about everything that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie.
   

• Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson
  Before he was a household name, Cassius Clay was a kid with struggles like any other. Kwame Alexander and James Patterson join forces to vividly depict his life up to age 17 in both prose and verse, including his childhood friends, struggles in school, the racism he faced, and his discovery of boxing.
   

• The Bee Book by Charlotte Milner                                                                                                                                                              Buzzing with amazing facts, The Bee Book is a celebration of bees. The author takes you on an amazing journey through the world of bees and tells you everything you need to know about these fascinating creatures. Bees are incredibly industrious, brilliant at building, super social, and more importantly responsible for a third of every mouthful we eat! Learn to appreciate our fuzzy friends, discovering why their survival matters so much.
   

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
  Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
   

• Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker
  An eight-year-old, artistic, but impulsive girl named Clementine, characterized by her flaming red curls. In spite of her good but misunderstood intentions, she frequently finds herself being sent to the principal's office for her lack of cooperation and characteristic imperfections.
   

• The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg
  When 11-year-old John Watson moves downstairs, Shelby finds something that's eluded her up until now: a friend. The easy-going John isn't sure of what to make of Shelby, but he soon finds himself her most-trusted partner in a dog-napping case that'll take both their talents to crack.
   

• It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds
  When 12-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway is left home alone to do the laundry he’s been avoiding, the power goes out mid-cycle. Without clean clothes to wear,  Eddie sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood in just his swim trunks and flip-flops.  As he meets up with other neighborhood kids to find out what happened, they realize that their families aren't coming back anytime soon. And as night falls, they realize they aren't just the only people left in the neighborhood -- they might be the only people left . . . anywhere.
   

• Miles Morales: Shock Waves by Justin A. Reynolds
  Miles Morales juggles school while swinging through the streets of Brooklyn as Spider Man. After an earthquake strikes his mother's birthplace of Puerto Rico, Miles springs into action to help raise funds for the devastated island. But when a new student's father goes missing, Miles uncovers a connection between the disappearance and the corporation sponsoring his fundraiser.
   

• Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tolá Okogwu
  Onyeka has always felt insecure about her vibrant curls...until the day her hair takes on a life of its own to save her best friend Cheyenne from drowning. When Onyeka's mother tells her the shocking truth - she is a Solari, one of a secret group of people with superpowers unique to Nigeria - she is whisked off to the Academy of the Sun, a school in Nigeria where Solari are trained. There, Onyeka and her new friends have to put their powers to the test as they find themselves embroiled in a battle between truth and lies. 

• A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
  Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky.  In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odor.  And that’s just the beginning.

• Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
  Bree can't wait for her first day at her new middle school, home to Mighty Manatees -- until she's stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, but lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help. With Etta's training and a lot of hard work, Bree suddenly finds her swim-crazed community counting on her to turn the school's failing team around. Can Bree defy the odds and guide her team to a state championship?
   

• Titan and the Wild Boars: The True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team by Susan Hood and Pathana Somhiran               
  This is the true story of 11-year-old Titan, his friends from the Wild Boars soccer team, and their coach, who became trapped in a cave they were exploring. The world watched as rescuers from around the globe joined forces to try to free the boys. Will the international teamwork be enough to save them?
   

• Who Is/Was...? Book Series by Various Authors
  The Who Was? series is a phenomenal source for learning history. The biographical books are fun to read, packed with information and obscure details, and they're careful to show how the topics are relevant today. Click here for a list of titles in the series. 
   

• Wild River by P. J. Petersen
  It's Ryan versus the river in a race against time to save his brother's life. When 12-year-old Ryan reluctantly agrees to join his experienced older brother Tanner on a camping trip, he could never have dreamed this would turn into the most frightening day of his life.
   

• Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
  Red is the neighborhood “wishtree” — people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with her crow friend Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this “wishtree” watches over the neighborhood.

If you are having difficulty finding and acquiring a text for summer reading, please click here to email Lori Jolley in the Curriculum Department.