Connecticut 5th grade reading list

Books with a Connecticut citation for 5th grade include New Kid; Shiloh and The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1). This list has 879 total books, 25 of them with a Connecticut-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 390L to 1020L.

Top Connecticut 5th grade pick: New Kid by Jerry Craft — on 1 Connecticut list

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Total books879Lexile390L–1020LSourceCT Core Standards✓ sources cited per book

Most-assigned on state lists: across every US state’s official reading and award lists, the Elementary (K–5) titles appearing in the most states are Wonder (29 states), Because of Winn-Dixie (26 states), and Shiloh (25 states). From our 2026 study of 13,258 source-cited assignments (as of 2026-07-13).

Our pick to start — most-cited for Connecticut 5th grade

These are the 25 titles named in Connecticut’s own curriculum documents for this grade — everything below is the wider national list. Read against the Common Core Appendix A complexity band; reading level is not thematic maturity, and several sit below the band because they are assigned for discussion.

  1. New Kid

    Jerry Craft

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 4 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers race and identity, code-switching, middle school adjustment.

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  2. Shiloh

    Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers animal welfare, morality and family. At 890L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  3. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers Greek mythology, neurodivergence (dyslexia, ADHD) and friendship. At 740L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  4. The One and Only Ivan

    Katherine Applegate

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers animal welfare, captivity and freedom, friendship across species. At 570L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  5. The War That Saved My Life

    Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers war, resilience and disability. At 580L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  6. Because of Winn-Dixie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers loss, friendship and mother absence. At 610L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  7. Ghost

    Jason Reynolds

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers running, family violence and mentorship. At 730L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  8. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

    Dusti Bowling

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 5.

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  9. Out of My Mind

    Sharon M. Draper

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers disability, inclusion and intelligence. At 700L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  10. Roller Girl

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers friendship, perseverance and growing up. At 440L it reads well below the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  11. When Stars Are Scattered

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers refugees, family and hope.

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  12. A Boy Called Bat

    Elana K. Arnold

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers neurodiversity, animals and family.

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  13. Among the Hidden

    Margaret Peterson Haddix

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers freedom, identity and resistance.

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  14. Ban This Book

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers censorship, books and standing up.

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  15. Because of Mr. Terupt

    Rob Buyea

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5.

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  16. Game Changer

    Tommy Greenwald

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers football, injury and truth.

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  17. Hoot

    Carl Hiaasen

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers environmentalism, friendship and activism. At 760L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  18. Mick Harte Was Here

    Barbara Park

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers grief, family and safety.

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  19. My Teacher Is an Alien

    Bruce Coville

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers humor, school and friendship.

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  20. Restart

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers identity, bullying and memory. At 730L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  21. Scritch Scratch

    Lindsay Currie

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5.

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  22. Stolen Children

    Peg Kehret

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  23. The City of Ember

    Jeanne DuPrau

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  24. The Million Dollar Shot

    Dan Gutman

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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  25. The Unwanteds

    Lisa McMann

    Cited in 1 Connecticut curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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25 books cited for Connecticut 5th grade

Assignments tied directly to Connecticut’s CT Core Standards with a Connecticut-specific citation.

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854 additional grade-appropriate books for 5th grade readers

The 879-book total above includes 25 titles with direct Connecticut citation; these 854 additional titles cover 5th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Connecticut-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

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Other Connecticut grades

4th grade · 6th grade · 3rd grade · 7th grade

Reading lists by grade (all states)

4th grade · 6th grade · 3rd grade · 7th grade

Same 5th grade in other states

California · Texas · Florida · New York · Pennsylvania · Illinois

Browse 5th grade reading by theme

About the Connecticut 5th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in CT Core Standards with books from national sources that list titles for 5th grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Golden Kite Award, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction. ReadingList currently tracks 879 titles for 5th grade in Connecticut, of which 25 carry a direct Connecticut citation and 854 are grade-appropriate titles whose reading level overlaps 5th grade. Across the list, Lexile measures span 390L–1020L.

5th grade sits in the 3-5 grade band, where students are transitional readers. At this stage the emphasis is on shifting from learning-to-read to reading-to-learn and sustaining attention across longer chapter books. Assigned reading skews toward early novels, narrative non-fiction, and a student's first assigned full-length stories, with text complexity that, per Common Core’s Appendix A reading bands, typically falls around roughly 400L to 800L. Measured against that 740–1010L range, of the 60 titles here with a Lexile score 34 are grade-level, 25 are more accessible (often assigned for theme over challenge), and 1 is a stretch text that may need scaffolding. Because readers in a single 5th grade classroom can span several hundred Lexile points, this list is best read as a starting point rather than a fixed requirement.

Connecticut’s English Language Arts requirements are set by CT Core Standards (portal.ct.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 5th grade list below blends Connecticut-specific assignments with widely taught national titles. Every title links to its primary source on the book’s detail page, so you can confirm exactly where and why it is assigned.

How to use this list:match a title to your child’s most recent Lexile or guided-reading level rather than to the grade alone. Teachers building a 5th grade unit can pair a Connecticut-cited core text with a grade-appropriate companion novel; parents previewing summer or supplemental reading can check each book’s content notes and challenge history before assigning it.

Common questions

What books do 5th grade students read in Connecticut?
Books with a Connecticut-specific citation for 5th grade include New Kid; Shiloh; The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1); The One and Only Ivan and The War That Saved My Life. Individual schools and districts choose their own titles, so check with your child's teacher for the exact list.
How many books are assigned to 5th grade students in Connecticut?
This list has 879 books for 5th grade students in Connecticut. 25 of them have a Connecticut-specific citation; the other 854 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 5th grade reading in Connecticut?
Lexile measures across the 5th grade Connecticut reading list range from 390L to 1020L. Books without a published Lexile (poetry, drama, picture books) are not included in this range.
Where does this reading list come from?
Connecticut-specific entries reference CT Core Standards (published at portal.ct.gov). The other books come from national sources that list books for 5th grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Golden Kite Award, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction. Each book's page links the primary source for every listing.

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State-specific entries sourced from portal.ct.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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