Hamden Hall Entering Grade Four
Summer Reading List
2005  

Students entering grade four are required to read Windcatcher by Avi. In addition, students must read three other books.

Avi. Windcatcher   
Tony is learning to sail – and loving it!  But suddenly he becomes confused about his heading and feels lost.  Who are the people with the fancy motorboat who are too busy searching beneath the water to hear his call for help?  After getting back to shore, Tony keeps an eye on the mysterious couple and becomes involved in a hunt for a 200-year-old shipwreck.

Mrs. Mack and Mrs. Hunter Recommend

Avi.  The Secret School          
Ida looks forward to going to a real high school so she can have a chance at a better life.  Then the teacher of her one-room schoolhouse must leave and it looks like she’ll have to work on her family’s farm forever.  Can Ida come up with a plan to keep the school going?

Birdseye, Tom.  Just Call Me Stupid 
Patrick is in fifth grade and he still can’t read.  The teachers don’t know what to do, and the kids tease him.  Then Celina moves into the house next door, and things start to change for Patrick.

Byars, Betsy.  The Summer of the Swans
In the Newbery Award winning book The Summer of the Swans, Sara's life is turned upside down when her mentally retarded brother disappears. Her brother Charlie loves to go to the lake and watch the swans. Late one night he gets out of bed to follow them and becomes lost in the dark. What follows is a desperate search for the young boy and an unexpected friendship.

Etchemendy, Nancy.  The Power of Un   
Gib Finney was just a regular kid until he finds a device called the unner.  He thinks he has discovered the answer to all his problems until he realizes the true power of the unner after a terrible accident. Can Gib decide which events he must undo to erase the accident?  2004 Nutmeg Nominee.

Manes, Stephen.  Make Four Million Dollar$ by Next Thursday!
Jason wanted to become a multi-millionaire more than anything else. Then he finds a book with unusual directions on how to do just that. If he follows all of the directions precisely, can his dream come true?

Adoff, Arnold.  Sports Pages
An exciting book of sports poetry.

Applegate, K. A.  The Andalite's Gift
A darkly comic tale of friendship and sisterhood showing how beautiful, perfect, loving Angela can have an effect on hateful, frightening, dreadful, Diabola.  (Animorphs Megamorphs series #1).

Avi.  The Good Dog
McKinley, a malamute, is torn between the domestic world of his human family and the wild world of Lupin, a wolf that is trying to recruit dogs to replenish the dwindling wolf pack.

Blume, Judy.  Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Peter’s 3-year-old brother, Fudge, is endlessly meddlesome and disgustingly cute.

Branzei, Sylvia.  Grossology: The Science of Really Gross Things!
A science book for those who are very curious and who have really strong stomachs for learning about gross things.

Bradbury, Ray.  Fever Dream
A glow-in-the-dark book of suspense. (Fantasy)

Brittain, Bill.  The Wish Giver
The wish giver grants wishes, but the people who have been granted their wishes find they don't want them.

Bruchac, Joseph.  The Arrow Over the Door
Samuel tells his version of a historic meeting between the Quakers and Indians in the summer of 1777.

Cepeda, Joe.   Juan Bobo Goes to Work
A retelling of traditional Puerto Rican folktales. Juan Bobo's determined but disastrous antics are told through bold brush strokes, expert use of varied perspectives and vibrant Caribbean colors.

Cleary, Beverly .  Dear Mr. Henshaw
Ten year old Leigh Botts writes to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw, as part of a school project. Mr. Henshaw's surprising answer helps Leigh to rethink his whole life. (Realistic Fiction)

Clements, Andrew.  The School Story                                                       Who would publish a novel by a twelve-year-old – even if (or maybe especially if) her mother is the editor?  2005 Nutmeg Nominee.

Coville, Bruce.  The Monsters of Morley Manor
Anthony has to have the wooden box he finds at Morley Manor , but then he opens it.  Can Anthony, his sister, and a host of alien monsters save the Earth? 2005 Nutmeg Nominee.

Creech, Sharon. The Wanderer
Sophie joins her uncles and male cousins on a sailing voyage from Connecticut across the Atlantic to England on a small sailboat. Along the way, Sophie proves her bravery and competence to the rather grumpy all-male crew; intrigues and captivates her cousin Cody with her beautiful, odd stories of her grandfather, Bompie, that always somehow end in underwater disaster and apple pie; and spills her heart into a daily journal. 2004 Nutmeg Nominee.  

DiCamillo, Kate.  The Tale of Despereaux 
A small mouse falls in love with music, stories and a princess named Pea. This tiny hero faints at loud noises but gathers the courage to fulfill his dreams.  2004 Newbery Award winner.

Gilson, Jamie. Wagon Train 911
Dinah, the tallest girl in the 5th grade, is paired with Orin, the shortest boy, for a class reenactment of the pioneer's journey from Missouri to Oregon .

Gutman, Dan.  Babe And Me
 A boy and his father zip back in time to discover whether Babe Ruth actually predicted his home run in Game Three of the 1932 World Series. 2004 Nutmeg Book Award.

Henkes, Kevin.  Kitten’s First Full Moon
2005 Caldecott Medal.

Kadohata, Cynthia.  Kira-Kira
"With compelling quietude that makes room for both pathos and humor, this luminous novel takes us on Katie Takeshima's journey through a childhood punctuated by prejudice, poverty and family tragedy," said Award Committee Chair Susan Faust. 2005 Newbery Medal.

Keegan, Marcia.   Pueblo Boy: Growing Up in Two Worlds
Timmy, a 10 year old boy lives in a New Mexico pueblo combining contemporary American culture and Native American traditions.  (History)

Klass, Sheila Solomon.  A Shooting Star: A Novel About Annie Oakley
How a servant to a cruel family becomes a sharpshooter known to us as Annie Oakley.  2001 Nutmeg Nominee.

Knight, Joan MacPhail.   Charlotte in Giverny
While living in France in 1892, Charlotte, a young American girl, writes a journal of her experiences.

Lehman, Barbara.  The Red Book
2005 Caldecott Honor.

Murphy, Stuart.  Too Many Kangaroo Things To Do
Introduction to the concept of multiplication.

Osborne, Mary Pope.  Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catherine Carey Logan
Fictionalized account of an adolescent Quaker girl's capture in 1763 by Lenape Indians in the Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania. Diary format.  Part of the “Dear America” series.

Peck, Soup and Me
Read through a series of adventures of Peck and his childhood buddy Soup, in a small Vermont town. (Humorous)

Prelutsky , Jack.  It's Raining Pigs & Noodles
A collection of humorous poems, illustrated by James Stevenson .

Richler, Mordicai.  Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang
Jacob Two-Two, so called because he says everything twice, is thrown into children's prison where he must confront the villainous looking Hooded Fang. (Humor)

Rylant, Cynthia.   Gooseberry Park
Stumpy squirrel finds a home and gives birth to beautiful babies. After a storm, Stumpy is missing and her friends have to rescue her.

Schwartz, David.  How Much Is A Million?
Meet Marvelosissimo the mathematical magician

Smoothey, Marion.  Shape Patterns
From the Let's Investigate Series: an exploration of the world of shapes! (Math)

Snicket, Lemony.  A Series of Unfortunate Events
Unhappy tales about three very unlucky children.

Tang, Greg.  The Grapes of Math
Numerous real-life scenarios, often dealing with aspects of nature.  Each riddle ends with a clue to one way to solve the problem.

Titus, Eve.  Basil of Baker Street
Meet the mouse equivalent of Sherlock Holmes in his first great adventure. (Fantasy)

Untermeyer, Louis.  The Golden Treasury of Poetry
A collection of poems.

Vaugelade, Anais.  The War
The Reds and the Blues are at war.  Prince Julius and Prince Fabien decide a duel will determine the winner.  When tragedy strikes, Fabien has a plan that he hopes will bring peace to the land.

Viorst, Judith.  Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday Alexander's brothers both have money, but all he has are bus tokens. Then Alexander receives one dollar from his grandparents. He wants to save it for a walkie-talkie, but he spends it quickly and ends up with bus tokens.

Visit the Hamden Hall Fourth Grade Resources web page for librarian selected subject area activities.