The Best List of Upper Elementary Chapter Books to Read Aloud

Updated on 7-20-23 with some new favorites!

Building your classroom community is a high priority from the very first day of school. In this post, I shared some picture book suggestions for reading aloud in the first days and weeks of school. In this post, I am sharing some great chapter books for upper elementary grades.

Note: I suggest looking for these titles in your public library or purchasing from your local bookstore. I include Amazon links so that you can read the synopsis of the book and decide if it sounds like a good choice for your class.

BEGINNING OF THE YEAR:

~Wonder by R. J. Palacio – this book is such an important story! This is a great book for talking about how we will treat each other in our classroom, how to deal with bullying, and understanding different perspectives.

~Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mulally Hunt – this book is great for discussing growth mindset and having compassion.

~Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry – another great book for discussing compassion and acceptance.

~The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill – this is a great book about an amazing teacher who goes to a small village in Alaska and changes lives.

~Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper – a great book for discussing disabilities and changing our perspective on how we view those with a disability.

~The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson- this is an old book, but a good one. If you want to start your year with a lighter book that is also funny, try this one. The first book in this series was The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (also hilarious) and a sequel was The Best Halloween Ever. Many students enjoy reading one of these after hearing Best School Year Ever.

~Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed- I read this book to my class early in the year last year as part of Pernille Ripp’s Global Read-Aloud. (More about Global Read Aloud HERE.) I was a little concerned that my students (who were a little “young” compared to typical fifth-grade classes) would not enjoy the book. But I was wrong — they loved this book. Amal is a Pakistani girl who dreams of becoming a teacher but is forced into indentured servitude. There are so many great opportunities for discussions in this book. It opened our eyes to another culture and reinforced the value of education.

~Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate- this book about Kek, a refugee from Sudan, is funny and sad and thought-provoking. It brings up great discussions about different reasons for people to flee their home country and how they are treated when they come to a new country. My students always love this book and feel such compassion for Kek.

~Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea- this is a great story told from different students’ perspectives about the power of an amazing teacher. The sequels (Mr. Terupt Falls Again and Saving Mr. Terupt are good as well!

~Restart by Gordon Korman – a great story about getting a second chance

BOOKS TO SHARE AS READ-ALOUDS OR IN BOOK CLUBS:

~A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi & Laura Shovan – after reading this post on the Nerdy Book Club blog, I thought it would be a valuable book to add for rich classroom discussions.

~Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan – I also read about this book on the Nerdy Book Club blog in THIS post. I believe that knowing students’ names – and pronouncing them correctly – is critically important. That is a huge part of their identity. When I hear teachers butcher student names and laugh it off makes me angry. So the description of this book resonated with me. I can’t wait to read it.

~Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan – this was mentioned in the same blog post above. This book, however, goes more into the issue of a character trying to change their name in order to fit in. This would bring up similar issues but a different discussion.

~Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome – this book was also mentioned in the same blog post above. This book would be a great follow-up to any beginnning of year activities involving stories about how we got our names.

~Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling- this book is new to me, but it sounds compelling. The main character has a physical disability (she was born without arms) and has to continually explain it to others. When she and her family move to Arizona, she makes a friend and the story takes a different turn.

~Front Desk by Kelly Yang – this book is also new to me but sounds promising. The main character, Mia, is a Chinese immigrant. Her parents take jobs at a motel and Mia ends up working at the front desk, using her English skills. It comes highly recommended as a story of tolerance and diversity.

~The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt – this book sounds like a great story about a student experiencing difficulties and the power of a teacher.

~The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser – this book sounds really interesting and I have seen it recommended on several Instagram accounts. It’s about a family of five kids who work to remain in their home when their landlord decides to not renew their lease. If you know this book, let me know your thoughts!

BOOKS THAT COME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS:

~Ghost by Jason Alexander – this story about a boy on his middle school track team and the coach who sees the good in him sounds like a powerful read.

~Refugee by Alan Gratz

~One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

~As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds

~Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

VERY POPULAR CHOICES THAT MOST KIDS LOVE:

~One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate – your students might have heard this story before, but if not, make sure you read it!

~Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo – this is another book that your students might have read but is worth a read-aloud.

~Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko – this book is funny but leads to some good discussions about understanding autism

~Frindle by Andrew Clements – most kids love anything by Andrew Clements but this is one of my favorites!

~Holes by Louis Sachar

~Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (now a series)

~Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

~Shiloh series by Phyliss Reynolds Naylor

~Savvy by Ingrid Law

~I Survived . . . books

~Land of Stories series

~Who is . . . book series

~Who was . . . book series

~What was . . . book series

BOOKS BY SOME FAVORITE AUTHORS – THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THEIR TITLES:
*Pam Munoz Ryan:

~Esperanza Rising
~Becoming Naomi Leon
~Echo

*Christopher Paul Curtis:
~Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963
~Bud, Not Buddy
~Mighty Miss Malone

*Margaret Peterson Haddix:
~Among the Hidden

*Laurie Halse Anderson:
~Fever 1793

*Rick Riordan:
~Percy Jackson series

BOOKS ABOUT RACIAL INJUSTICE ISSUES – great for discussions:
~The Liberation of Gabriel King by K. L. Going
~The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
~Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper
~The Cay by Theodore Taylor
~Storm Warriors by Elisa Carbone
~Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
~Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
~A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee
~Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
~New Kid by Jerry Craft
~Class Act by Jerry Craft
~I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
~Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis
~Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson