Indiana 4th grade reading list

Books with an Indiana citation for 4th grade include New Kid, Because of Winn-Dixie and Shiloh. This list has 755 total books, 51 of them with an Indiana-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 390L to 1000L.

Top Indiana 4th grade pick: New Kid by Jerry Craft — on 1 Indiana list

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Total books755Lexile390L–1000LSourceIndiana Academic 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 Indiana 4th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Indiana’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 Indiana curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers race and identity, code-switching, middle school adjustment.

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  2. Because of Winn-Dixie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 2 national references, 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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  3. Shiloh

    Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Cited in 1 Indiana 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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  4. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers growing up, friendship and self-acceptance. At 410L it reads well below the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  5. 11 Birthdays

    Wendy Mass

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

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  6. A Dog's Life

    Ann M. Martin

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  7. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

    Chris Grabenstein

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  8. Frindle

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers creativity, language and thought, intelligence. At 830L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  9. Out of My Mind

    Sharon M. Draper

    Cited in 1 Indiana 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 Indiana 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. Small Steps

    Peg Kehret

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 10.

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  12. Superfudge

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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  13. Ten Kids, No Pets

    Ann M. Martin

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, 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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  15. The War with Grandpa

    Robert Kimmel Smith

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  16. Wait Till Helen Comes

    Mary Downing Hahn

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers ghosts, family and jealousy.

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  17. Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  18. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers facial difference, kindness and bullying. At 790L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  19. A Boy Called Bat

    Elana K. Arnold

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

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  20. Abduction

    Peg Kehret

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

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  21. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers puberty, menarche and christians.

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  22. Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job

    Willo Davis Roberts

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers babysitters, kidnapping and babysitters, fiction.

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  23. Because of Mr. Terupt

    Rob Buyea

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

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  24. Christina's Ghost

    Betty Ren Wright

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers children: grades 4-6, mystery and detective stories, ghosts, fiction.

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  25. Cliff-Hanger

    Alane Ferguson

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

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  26. Dead Man in Indian Creek

    Mary Downing Hahn

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers mystery and detective stories, detective and mystery stories.

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  27. Don't Hurt Laurie

    Willo Davis Roberts

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers child abuse, child abuse, fiction, parent and child, fiction.

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  28. Ella Enchanted

    Gail Carson Levine

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers courage, fairy-tale and independence.

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  29. Escaping the Giant Wave

    Peg Kehret

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

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  30. Fudge

    Charlotte Towner Graeber

    Cited in 1 Indiana curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers responsibility, dogs and pets.

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51 books cited for Indiana 4th grade

Assignments tied directly to Indiana’s Indiana Academic Standards with a Indiana-specific citation.

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704 additional grade-appropriate books for 4th grade readers

The 755-book total above includes 51 titles with direct Indiana citation; these 704 additional titles cover 4th grade in the broader canon. They don't have an Indiana-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

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Other Indiana grades

3rd grade · 5th grade · 2nd grade · 6th grade

Reading lists by grade (all states)

3rd grade · 5th grade · 2nd grade · 6th grade

Same 4th grade in other states

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

Browse 4th grade reading by theme

About the Indiana 4th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Indiana Academic Standards with books from national sources that list titles for 4th grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Golden Kite Award, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and the Newbery Medal. ReadingList currently tracks 755 titles for 4th grade in Indiana, of which 51 carry a direct Indiana citation and 704 are grade-appropriate titles whose reading level overlaps 4th grade. Across the list, Lexile measures span 390L–1000L.

4th 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 58 titles here with a Lexile score 34 are grade-level, 24 are more accessible (often assigned for theme over challenge), and 0 are stretch texts that may need scaffolding. Because readers in a single 4th grade classroom can span several hundred Lexile points, this list is best read as a starting point rather than a fixed requirement.

Indiana’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Indiana Academic Standards (in.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 4th grade list below blends Indiana-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 4th grade unit can pair a Indiana-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 4th grade students read in Indiana?
Books with an Indiana-specific citation for 4th grade include New Kid, Because of Winn-Dixie, Shiloh, Smile and 11 Birthdays. 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 4th grade students in Indiana?
This list has 755 books for 4th grade students in Indiana. 51 of them have an Indiana-specific citation; the other 704 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 4th grade reading in Indiana?
Lexile measures across the 4th grade Indiana reading list range from 390L to 1000L. Books without a published Lexile (poetry, drama, picture books) are not included in this range.
Where does this reading list come from?
Indiana-specific entries reference Indiana Academic Standards (published at www.in.gov). The other books come from national sources that list books for 4th grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Golden Kite Award, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and the Newbery Medal. Each book's page links the primary source for every listing.

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

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