Entering Grade 4 Summer Reading
Fiction
The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein by Johanna Hurwitz
Tired of his ordinary name, David Bernstein, age eight, decides he wants his
life to be more exciting so he changes his name to Ali Baba. He begins a
series of adventures which end on his ninth birthday when he invites all the
David Bernsteins in the New York Telephone Directory to his birthday party.
That’s when he realizes how different people with the same name can be!
(may be difficult to purchase-copies available at school libraries
and Revere Public Library.)
Catcher With the Glass Arm by Matt Christopher
Just when Matt thinks he’ll spend the rest of the baseball season nursing his
weak throwing arm, he learns what it takes to come through in a pinch.
The School Mouse by Dick King Smith
In this story a mouse uses her newfound reading skills to save her parents
from extermination. By reading a warning on the package, Flora prevents her
parents, who cannot read, from eating little blue pellets that are poisonous.
Flora must convince everyone that reading is tremendously important.
Ramona’s World by Beverly Cleary
As she starts the fourth grade, Ramona believes this year will be “the best year
of her life.” Little does Ramona know the challenges her fourth grade year
holds in store. Not only must she improve her spelling, but she must be a
good role model for her new baby sister Roberta. Read about Ramona’s ups
and downs and how she learns it’s fine to be imperfect!
Please Note: Any chapter book written by Matt Christopher or by
Beverly Cleary is acceptable as a summer reading book.
Entering Grade 4 Summer Reading
Biographies
26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie DePaola
Tomie’s family starts building their house at 26 Fairmount Avenue in 1938,
just as a hurricane was hitting the town, starting off a busy, crazy year. Tomie
had many adventures all his own, including eating chocolate with Nana
Upstairs, only to find out the hard way that they have eaten a chocolate
laxative. Tomie DePaola’s childhood memories are hilarious and his charming
illustrations are sure to please.
The Secret Soldier by Ann McGovern
In 1778, when Deborah Sampson was 18 years old, most girls her age were
settling down and getting married. But Deborah had other ideas. She wanted
to travel and have adventures-even if it meant joining the army and dressing
like a man! In 1782, the Revolutionary War was still going on. No one
suspected that the man in the uniform was really a woman.
The Story of Thomas Alva Edison by Margaret Davidson
It was eight o’clock at night, on October 19, 1879 when Tom Edison turned
electricity into light with the invention of the electric light bulb.
Thomas Edison also invented the phonograph and an early form of motion
pictures. This is the amazing story of his life and of the inventions that
changed the world.
(may be difficult to purchase-copies available at school libraries
and Revere Public Library.)
Eleanor Everywhere The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt by Monica Kulling
Eleanor Roosevelt will grow up to become one of the bravest women in the
world. She will travel all over our country making speeches. She will help
people who are hungry and poor. She will become the most beloved person
of her time. Read about her exciting life in this true story.
(may be difficult to purchase-copies available at school libraries
and Revere Public Library.)
Entering GRADE 4 SUMMER READING
History
Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? by Jean Fritz
A brief biography of Patrick Henry, tracing his progress from planter to
statesman.
Katie's Trunk by Ann Warren Turner
Young Katie's family were Loyalists during the time of the American
Revolution. When the Patriots come to raid her house, Katie hides in the
trunk. Based on a true story of one of the author's ancestors.
Three Cups of Tea, Young Reader Edition: One Man’s Journey to
Change the World…One Child at a Time by Greg Mortensen
"One day in 1993, high up in the world's most inhospitable mountains, Greg
Mortenson wandered lost and alone, broken in body and spirit, after a failed
attempt to climb K2, the world's deadliest peak. When the people of an
impoverished village in Pakistan's Karakoram Himalaya took him in and
nursed him back to health, Mortenson made an impulsive promise: He would
return one day and build them a school.
Entering GRADE 4 SUMMER READING
Science
Tornadoes by Seymour Simon
A dramatic and informative book in which Simon explains how and why
tornadoes form, how they behave and how scientists predict and track them.
(may be difficult to purchase-copies available at school libraries
and Revere Public Library.)
Icebergs and Glaciers by Seymour Simon
Breathtaking photographs mark this dramatic introduction to a beautiful yet
frozen world of mountaintops and Polar Regions. The text is clear and well
written.
(may be difficult to purchase new-copies available at school libraries
and Revere Public Library.)
Puffin Project, How We Brought Puffins Back to Egg Rock by Stephen Kress
This illustrated book tells of the author's determination to reintroduce puffins to the
Eastern Rock, an island off the coast of Maine.
(may be difficult to purchase-copies available at school libraries
and Revere Public Library.)
Deserts by Gail Gibbons
Gail Gibbons describes the formation and characteristics of deserts around the
world as well as some desert plants.
other books by Gail Gibbons is also acceptable as a summer reading.
Entering GRADE 4 SUMMER READING
Fables
Aesop’s Fables retold by Ann McGovern
A collection of nearly sixty fables from Aesop, inlcuding such familiar ones as
“The Grasshopper and the Ant,” “The North Wind and the Sun,” “Androcles
and the Lion,” “The Troublesome Dog,” and “The Fox and the Stork.”
Fables by Arnold Lobel
This book is a collection of twenty original fables containing animal characters
with a moral at the end of each. The book won the 1981 Caldecott Medal for
best illustrations in a book for children.
Squids Will Be Squids: Fresh Morals and Beastly Tales by Jon Scieszka
We’re all used to hearing fables – moral filled stories about tortoises and hares
and ants and grasshoppers. But how about fables about skateboarding frogs?
These fables address such topics as homework, curfews, and television
commercials. Move over, Aesop because the world of fables may never be the
same!
Once a Mouse: A Fable Cut in Wood by Marcia Brown
This story is based on a fable from India. A wise man in ancient India saves a
mouse by transforming him into other animals. Unfortunately the mouse
becomes too arrogant forgetting that he once was a mouse.
The Little Red Ant and The Great Big Crumb: A Mexican Fable by Shelly Climo
The little red ant has found a wonderful crumb, but she’s not strong enough to
carry it all the way home. She goes from one animal to the next asking for help.
She is very surprised to discover who is the strongest of all. The Spanish
words add to the story’s Mexican flavor. (may be difficult to purchase -copies
available at school libraries and Revere Public Library)
Entering GRADE 4 SUMMER READING
Challenge
The Trouble with Tuck by Theodore Taylor
Helen's best friend is Tuck a loving, playful golden Labrador. Tuck waited daily for
Helen to come home from school and play. He guarded her through the long, scary
hours of the dark night. Twice he even saved her life. Now it's Helen's turn. No one
can say exactly when Tuck began to go blind. Probably the light began to fail for him
long before the alarming day when he raced after some cats and crashed through the
screen door, apparently never seeing it. But from that day on, Tuck's trouble—and how
to cope with it—becomes the focus of Helen's life.
Stuart Little by E.B. White
When Mrs. Frederick C. Little’s second son arrived, everybody noticed that he
was not much bigger than a mouse. The truth of the matter was the baby
looked very much like a mouse in every way. In spite of his small size Stuart
manages to get around quite a bit and have many interesting adventure.
The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George
Humorous, heart-warming, and just plain entertaining, these stories by Newbery
Medalist Jean Craighead George recall what life was like as she raised three children
and 173 wild pets. On any given day there might be a bat in the refrigerator, an owl in
the shower, or a crow at the kitchen table. Jean Craighead George’s respect for nature
and its many creatures can be felt in her writing. She offers a personal, firsthand
account of the many animals that made their way into her life and her books.
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Tommy and his sister Annika have a new neighbor, and her name is Pippi
Longstocking. She has crazy red pigtails, no parents to tell her what to do, a
horse that lives on her porch, and a pet monkey named Mr. Nilsson. Whether
Pippi’s scrubbing her floors, doing arithmetic or stirring things up at a fancy tea
party, her flair for the outrageous always seems to lead to another adventure.
(may be difficult to purchase -copies available at school libraries
and Revere Public Library.)
No Flying in the House by Betty Brock
Most little girls have parents to take care of them, but not Annabel Tippens. She
has Gloria, a tiny white dog who talks and wears a gold collar. Annabel never
thought it was strange that she had Gloria instead of real parents. Until one day
a wicked, wicked cat named Belinda comes to tell her the truth — she's not just
a little girl, she's a half-fairy!