Dear Parents,
The fourth grade teachers would like to welcome your child to fourth grade. We enjoyed meeting you at the
Third Grade Parent Orientation to Pond Road Middle School.
It’s that time again when we start thinking about the wonderful summer ahead and planning how to spend
our time during those hot summer days. It is our hope that, when planning what to pack for camp, vacation,
or a sleepover, the children will remember to pack their favorite book or magazine to bring along, too!
Attached is a list of suggested titles that the fourth grade teachers have compiled. We hope you will find
these lists helpful when visiting the public library or local bookstore. Please remember that these books are
suggestions and are not required reading.
Children have strong opinions about themselves as readers. Some will say, “I like reading fantasy,” or “I
like to read a whole series in order,” or “I am more of a nonfiction reader”. We hope that these lists will
offer plenty of opportunities for your child to find the right books for him or her this summer. There is a
book out there for everyone, for sure! Please note that the books on the list represent a range of difficulty
levels. The children know what a “just right” book is for them and should be able to choose a book that they
will be able to read comfortably.
We hope you have a fun-filled, story-filled summer and we will see you all in September!
Sincerely,
The Fourth Grade Team
Suggested Summer 2007 Reading List for Students Entering Grade 4
FICTION
Conrad, Pam. Staying Nine.
Nine-year-old Heather doesn't want to turn ten until wacky Rosa Rita shows her that growing up isn't so bad.
Denslow, Sharon Phillips. Georgie Lee.
In this pleasing early chapter book, nine-year-old J.D. shares a birthday and a surprisingly unquiet summer on the
farm with his grandmother, her intelligent cow Georgie Lee, and Boots the cat.
Duffey, Betsy. A Boy in the Dog House.
George is faced with the task of training his new puppy Lucky.
Duffey, Betsy. Spotlight on Cody.
Nine-year-old Cody Michaels is bound for stardom in the third grade talent show just as soon as he figures out his
talent.
Funke, Cornelia DRAGON RIDER A silver dragon, a brownie and an orphan boy search for and find the meaning of home.
Henry, Marguerite. King of the Wind.
Follows the adventures of the Arabian stallion brought to England to become one of the founding sires of the
Thoroughbred breed and the mute Arab stable boy who tended him with loyalty and devotion all his life.
Hurwitz, Johanna. Baseball Fever.
Ten-year-old Ezra tries to convince his scholarly father that his baseball fever is not wasting his mind.
Hurwitz, Johanna. Class Clown.
Lucas Cott, the most obstreperous boy in the third grade, finds it very hard to turn over a new leaf when he decides to
become the perfect student. Read more of his adventures in School’s Out
Hurwitz, Johanna. Teacher’s Pet.
Nine-year-old Cricket's expectations of being, as always, the teacher's favorite student are dashed by the arrival of an
unusual new girl in her fourth-grade class.
Macaulay, David. Black and White.
A brilliantly conceived puzzle that, at first, appears to be four separate stories about a family, a train station, a bank
robber, and some cows.
Naylor, Phylis Reynolds. The Boys Start the War.
Disgusted that a family with three girls moves into the house across the river, nine-year-old Wally and his three
brothers declare a practical joke war on the girls. This is the first book of an eight-book series.
Polacco, Patricia. Mrs. Katz and Tush.A long-lasting friendship develops between Larnel, a young AfricanAmerican, and Mrs. Katz, a lonely, Jewish widow, when Larnel presents Mrs. Katz with a scrawny kitten without a tail.
Paulsen, Gary MOLLY MC GINTY HAS A REALLY GOOD DAY She loses her organizer, and spends her day in chaos
Simon, Seymour. Einstein Anderson Shocks His Friends.
Einstein Anderson uses his scientific knowledge to solve a variety of problems including getting rid of a bully and
preserving a snow sculpture.
Skieszka, Joh DA WILD, DA CRAZY, DA VINCI
The Brooklyn friends set out to Italy to discover who invented the book
Spinelli, Jerry. Fourth Grade Rats.
Suds learns that his best friend is wrong. You don't have to be a tough guy, a "rat," to be a grown up fourth grader.
NONFICTION
Burleigh, Robert. Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh.
Describes how Charles Lindbergh achieved the remarkable feat of flying nonstop and solo from New York to Paris in
1927.
Cerullo, Mary M. The Truth About Great White Sharks.
Are great whites dangerous predators or beautiful hunters? Where are you likely to see one? Can great whites jump?
Find out the latest information on this fascinating, misunderstood animal.
Cribb, Joe. Money.
Examines, in text and photographs, the symbolic and material meaning of money, from shekels, shells, and beads to
gold, silver, checks, and credit cards.
Hammond, Tim. Sports. (Eyewitness Books)
Examines the equipment, rules, and background of many different team, target, and court sports, including soccer,
rugby, ice hockey, table tennis, archery, and pool. Also try Eyewitness Books :Football and Soccer.
Janeczko, Paul and Raschka, Christopher. A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poetry.
These well-turned poems, each with an accompanying visual interpretation, engage readers’ eyes, ears, and intellects
in puzzling out their meanings.
Old, Wendie. To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers.
Each of fifteen warm and easy chapters is illustrated by at least one full page watercolor painting that recreates the
early twentieth century and the first airplane flight.Schanzer, Rosalyn, GEORGE VS. GEORGE The American
Revolution as seen from both sides.
St. George, Judith. So You Want to Be President?
Presents an assortment of facts about the qualifications and characteristics of U.S. presidents, from George
Washington to Bill Clinton. Won the Caldecott medal in January of 2001.
Schertle, Alice. Advice for a Frog.
Presents a collection of poems about the toucan, fruit bat, pangolin, and other animals.
Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends.A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two
of the characters in a collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author's own drawings.
Simon, Seymour. The Heart: Our Circulatory System.
Describes the heart, blood, and other parts of the body's circulatory system and explains how each component
functions.
Simon, Seymour. Storms.
Describes the atmospheric conditions which create thunderstorms, hailstorms, lightning, tornadoes, and hurricanes
and how violent weather affects the environment and people.
Sis, Peter. Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei.
Describes the life and work of Galileo who changed the way people saw the galaxy, by offering objective evidence
that the earth was not the fixed center of the universe.
Stanley, Diane. Leonardo da Vinci.
A biography of the Italian Renaissance artist and inventor who, at about age thirty, began writing his famous
notebooks which contain the outpourings of his amazing mind.
Wick, Walter. Walter Wick’s Optical Tricks.
This book presents a series of optical illusions and explains what is seen.
*If you would like any further suggestions, the staff at the Washington Township Public Library would be
more than happy to assist you. Please contact them regarding summer reading programs.
Washington Branch
42 Allentown-Robbinsville Road
Robbinsville, NJ 08691
609-259-2150