Kentucky 5th grade reading list

Books with a Kentucky citation for 5th grade include The Tale of Despereaux, Smile and The Crossover. This list has 912 total books, 59 of them with a Kentucky-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 390L to 1020L.

Top Kentucky 5th grade pick: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo — on 1 Kentucky list

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Total books912Lexile390L–1020LSourceKentucky 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 Kentucky 5th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Kentucky’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. The Tale of Despereaux

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers courage, forgiveness and light vs dark. At 670L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  2. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 1 Kentucky 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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  3. The Crossover

    Kwame Alexander

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, brotherhood and basketball. At 750L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  4. The Graveyard Book

    Neil Gaiman

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers found family, the supernatural and the living, coming of age. At 820L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  5. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers love, loss and journey.

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  6. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 2 national references, 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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  7. City of Ghosts

    Victoria Schwab

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

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  8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers school, friendship and family. At 950L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  9. Dog Man

    Dav Pilkey

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 2 to 5. Covers humor, friendship and good vs evil. At 390L it reads well below the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  10. Ghost

    Jason Reynolds

    Cited in 1 Kentucky 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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  11. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

    Brian Selznick

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7.

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  12. When Stars Are Scattered

    Victoria Jamieson

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

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  13. A Corner of the Universe

    Ann M. Martin

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, mental illness and growing up.

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  14. A Tale Dark and Grimm

    Adam Gidwitz

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers fairy tales, courage and siblings.

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  15. Albert

    Donna Jo Napoli

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers birds, nests and birds, fiction.

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  16. Allergic

    Megan Wagner Lloyd

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers new york times reviewed and comic books, strips, etc..

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  17. Alone

    Megan E. Freeman

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

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  18. Avalon High

    Meg Cabot

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers arthur, in fiction, high schools and high schools in fiction.

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  19. Big Nate: In a Class by Himself

    Lincoln Peirce

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers humor, school and friendship. At 500L it reads well below the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  20. Black Brother, Black Brother

    Jewell Parker Rhodes

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers racism, identity and justice.

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  21. Bob and Jack: A Boy and His Yak

    Jeffrey Moss

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8.

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  22. Brother Eagle, Sister Sky

    Susan Jeffers

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8.

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  23. Call Me Hope

    Gretchen Olson

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers child abuse, stress (physiology) and schools.

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  24. Christopher Changes His Name

    Itah Sadu

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers african americans.

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  25. Class Clown

    Johanna Hurwitz

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers schools, behavior and behavior, fiction.

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  26. Duke

    Kirby Larson

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers german shepherd dog, war use and world war, 1939-1945.

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  27. Game Changer

    Tommy Greenwald

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

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  28. Giants Beware

    Jorge Aguirre

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers graphic novels, fairy tales and giants.

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  29. Knocked Out by Nunga-Nungas

    Louise Rennison

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers diaries, humor (fiction) and humorous stories.

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  30. Max and the Midknights

    Lincoln Peirce

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers adventure, humor and identity.

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59 books cited for Kentucky 5th grade

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

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853 additional grade-appropriate books for 5th grade readers

The 912-book total above includes 59 titles with direct Kentucky citation; these 853 additional titles cover 5th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Kentucky-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 853 titles

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Other Kentucky 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 Kentucky 5th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Kentucky Academic 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 912 titles for 5th grade in Kentucky, of which 59 carry a direct Kentucky citation and 853 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 59 titles here with a Lexile score 33 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.

Kentucky’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Kentucky Academic Standards (education.ky.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 5th grade list below blends Kentucky-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 Kentucky-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 Kentucky?
Books with a Kentucky-specific citation for 5th grade include The Tale of Despereaux, Smile, The Crossover, The Graveyard Book and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. 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 Kentucky?
This list has 912 books for 5th grade students in Kentucky. 59 of them have a Kentucky-specific citation; the other 853 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 5th grade reading in Kentucky?
Lexile measures across the 5th grade Kentucky 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?
Kentucky-specific entries reference Kentucky Academic Standards (published at www.education.ky.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 www.education.ky.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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