Looking for some of the best chapter books for 5th graders to read?
Finding books for fifth graders is a tricky thing to do. They are becoming more mature, distancing themselves from their elementary past, and looking forward to new challenges. One of these challenges can be reading harder and longer books.
Gone are the days of picture books, while chapter books start becoming more and more welcome. Many fifth graders can take on a chapter book by themselves, and many probably have for a few years even.
Finding a chapter book worth reading, that’s the tricky part. There are a lot of good chapter books for fifth graders to read, but we’ve done our best to narrow down which ones we think are the best.
Best Chapter Books for 5th Graders
Here is our full list of the 11 best chapter books for 5th graders:
- The Giver by Louis Lowry
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Hatchet by Gary Paulson
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Old Yeller by Fred Gibson
- Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
- The BFG by Ronald Dahl
- Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Giver by Louis Lowry
The Giver was written by Louis Lowry, published in 1993, and contains 240 pages. The book won a Newbery Medal in 1994, and is considered one of the best children’s novels of all time.
The Giver follows our main character, Jonas, in a dystopian world where everything seems perfect. Children are placed with families after being born to designated birthmothers. People are assigned their jobs and partners, everyone gets enough of what they need. They are the same, but they feel no pain or stress.
Jonas is a little different. He is given his life assignment of being the Receiver of Memory. With this assignment, he begins to see the complex and dark secrets of the community everyone seems to adore.
As he learns more about his dark society, Jonas starts to realize that power is in feelings, but soon his power comes to the test when he must save someone that he loves.
Is Jonas ready to use his power, dare to be different, and save the people he loves from a society where everything is the same?
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was written by C.S. Lewis. This book was published in 1950, and is 208 pages long. This is the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, but can be read as a standalone.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe starts off in a large mansion in England with four young siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. A hide and seek game ends with them going into a wardrobe that transports them into another land called Narnia.
In Narnia things are a lot different, more mythical in a way. They find that time in the real world stops completely while they are in Narnia. The land is frozen in winter by the White Witch, there is a talking lion named Alan who wants to stop the witch’s terror, and a gentle fawn that befriends one of the siblings.
Join the children on the quest to save Narnia from the grip of the White Witch and experience a magical land beyond our own imaginations.
Hatchet by Gary Paulson
Hatchet was written by Gary Paulson. The book was published in 1986. It has about 190 pages depending on the version of the book you have. The book was nominated for a Newbery Medal.
Hatchet follows Brian, who is a young boy on his way to see his father for the first time since his parents divorce. He is in a single engine plane flying over the Canadian wilderness, when all the sudden the plane crashes, killing the pilot.
Brian is the only one who survives the crash, but is now all alone in the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on his back and a small hatchet that his mother gave him right before he left.
At first, Brian is too depressed thinking about his bad luck and the fact that he will die alone in the woods. However, soon he begins to learn survival skills like building a shelter, hunting and fishing, foraging, and building a fire.
Soon he discovers he really isn’t alone in the forest. There are animals who don’t really appreciate him being around. Bears, moose, porcupines, skunks, and many other critters and insects make his life in the woods even more miserable. Worse yet, he has to deal with a tornado that destroys all his work.
Will Brian survive his time in the woods? Will he be rescued? Will he develop a sense of patience and maturity that he otherwise wouldn’t have?
Holes by Louis Sachar
Holes was written by Louis Sachar. It was published in 1998, and contains about 233 pages long. It has won several awards including a Newbery medal, a Nation Book Award, and even spent some time at number 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Holes is the story of Stanley Yelnats and the Yelnats curse that started with his ‘no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather’.
The curse follows each generation of Yelnats, and it finally catches up to Stanley when he is unfairly sent to a detention camp for boys after being accused of stealing shoes.
This detention camp isn’t really that normal. First, it’s called Camp Green Lake, but Stanley doesn’t see any lake. Second, he is forced to dig holes that are exactly five feet wide and five feet deep to ‘build character’.
Stanley meets a bunch of other boys here and they quickly develop a bond. The great thing is they all have funny nicknames like ‘Barfbag’.
It doesn’t take long for Stanely to understand that there is a lot more to digging holes than just building character. He and his buddies begin to wonder if they are looking for something.
What is the Warden looking for? Is there actually anything out in what seems like a never ending desert? Can Stanely and his new friends dig up the truth of Camp Green Lake?
Shout out to Holes for being a book that I read back in 5th grade, and for getting to go on a field trip to see the movie when it came out!
Old Yeller by Fred Gibson
Old Yeller was written by Fred Gibson, published in 1956, and is 192 pages long. It almost won a Newbery Medal. The book is read in many schools across America.
Old Yeller follows a young boy named Travis Coates who is tasked with taking care of his family and the farm he lives on while his father sets out on a cattle drive towards Kansas.
After some time, a big, stray dog painted a vibrant yellow color randomly shows up on the farm and tries to steal the family’s food.
At first, the dog proves to be quite the nuisance, but Travis has a change of heart when ‘Old Yeller’ saves the family from a terrible danger. The dog instantly becomes Travis’s best friend.
Through the dog, Travis finds his courage, his comfort, and love that he never thought he could feel for another creature. It seems like nothing can break the bond between Travis and Old Yeller.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Where the Red Fern Grows was written by Wilson Rawls. This book was published in 1961, and has around 245 pages.
Where the Red Fern Grows follows a younger Billy Coleman, who has always had a dream of owning two dogs that he wants to hunt with. After working a few odd jobs, he is able to save enough money to purchase the two hounds. He names the Little Ann and Old Dan after seeing the names carved into a tree.
After a short while of hunting, the boy and his two dogs become well known hunters. They are even invited to join a hunting tournament that only the very best hunters get to participate in.
This leads them to being challenged to catch the legendary ‘ghost coon’ that has been plaguing hunters of the area for years.
However, during the hunt for the ‘ghost coon’ a tragic event occurs that changes Billy’s life forever and he must learn to cope with his troubles.
The BFG by Ronald Dahl
The BFG was written by Ronald Dahl, and published in 1982. The book has 208 pages. It is considered one of the best chapter books for 5th graders.
The BFG stands for the Big Friendly Giant. This is the giant that our main character, Sophie, sees out her window one day walking through the street and carrying a trumpet. The giant sees her even though she hides in her blankets. He then picks her up and carries her with him.
The giant whisks her away to a mysterious cave in the middle of nowhere. Instead of eating her, the BFG begins to tell Sophie all about the other giants who would have quickly made her dinner. He also explains how he catches dreams and gives them to the good boys and girls.
Soon, Sophie and the BFG learn that the other giants are looking to invade England and eat as many humans as they possibly can. Sophie decides enough is enough and seeks help from none other than the Queen of England herself.
Will the Queen help out the BFG? Or will she be scared of him like all the others? Will Sophie and the BFG be able to stop the other giants from treating England as their own personal charcuterie board?
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Tuck Everlasting was written by Natalie Babbitt. The book was published in 1975. It is between 139 and 192 pages long depending on the version. It is considered a classic of modern children’s literature.
This book is all about immortality. Winnie Foster finds a spring while out exploring the woods at the edge of her family’s property. At the spring, she runs into another boy who she finds out is really old despite looking like a teenager.
After talking with the boy, part of the Tuck family, she soon discovers that the spring’s water can grant an immortal life, and that the boy’s entire family has drunk from the spring.
The Tucks tell her the story of how they found the spring, and beg her to keep their secret, but things get complicated when someone wants to bottle the spring’s water up and sell it to people.
Now Winnie finds in possession of the spring’s water asking herself, “Is eternal life a blessing or a curse?”
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Bridge to Terabithia was written by Katherine Paterson, published in 1977, and is about 200 pages long. The book won a Newbery Medal in 1978.
Bridge to Terabithia follows Jesse Aarons, who practices every day to be the fastest kid in the fifth grade. While he is the fastest for a little while, he is soon beaten by his new neighbor, Leslie Burke. After losing to her in the footrace, the two become very close friends.
After Jesse meets Leslie his whole personality changes. He becomes more calm, more courageous, and more creative. Together, the two imagine a kingdom just for them called Terabithia.
In their kingdom they are king and queen. One day, when Leslie tries to go to Terabithia without Jesse, tragedy strikes and their lives are changed forever.
Not so fun fact: Bridge to Terabithia was inspired by a real life event in which her young son’s friend was struck by lightning, passing away at just eight years old.
I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
I Can Make This Promise was written by Christine Day, and published in 2019. The book is 272 pages long, making it one of the longest books for 5th graders, but for those who like to be challenged, this book is for them.
In I Can Make This Promise, Edie desperately wishes to find out the identity of her Native American heritage. All that she knows is that her Native American mother was adopted by white parents, so her current family doesn’t have the answers to her questions.
One day, while she was hanging out with her friends, they found a box of letters hidden deep in the attic that looked like it hadn’t been touched for years. Upon further investigation by Edie, she discovers all the letters signed with ‘Love, Edith’, her exact name, along with photos of someone who looks exactly like her.
The can of worms is open, and Edie has millions of questions. Will she discover the origins of her family? Who is this mysterious woman? Did her parents know her family identity her whole life and not tell her?
Fun fact: Christine Day got the inspiration for I Can Make This Promise from her own Native American family history.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, sometimes called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was written by J.K. Rowling. The first book in the Harry Potter series was published in 1997. It has about 225 pages depending on the version. The book is the 3rd best selling novel of all time, and has been adapted into a movie.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone starts the Harry Potter series by introducing us to Harry Potter and the Dursley family who he has lived with almost his entire life after his parents mysteriously died. The Dursley family treats Harry very poorly, even confining him to a life under the stairs.
One day, a bunch of letters get sent to Harry, but his uncle does not allow him to read any of them. Eventually, getting fed up with Harry not getting the letters, a giant shows up to tell Harry directly that he is a wizard, and that he will be attending Hogwarts School of Magic soon with other fellow wizards.
Harry’s whole life changes in the blink of an eye when he discovers the wizarding world. Chocolate frogs, magic spells, goblins, wands, broomsticks, even a talking hat are just the tip of the iceberg of what Harry sees during his time at Hogwarts.
As he becomes more comfortable in this new world, he starts to learn the secrets of his past. He finds out that he has an enemy he never knew about, and that this enemy could be lurking around any corner.
There are seven Harry Potter books in total, and while there are differences in difficulty between the first and the last, it is possible for a fifth grader to easily be able to read through these. The stories are enchanting and the descriptions, creativity, and imagery are sure to spark an imaginative fire.