Michigan 5th grade reading list

Books with a Michigan citation for 5th grade include New Kid, When You Reach Me and One Crazy Summer. This list has 936 total books, 97 of them with a Michigan-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 360L to 1020L.

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

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Total books936Lexile360L–1020LSourceMichigan ELA 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 Michigan 5th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Michigan’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 Michigan 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. When You Reach Me

    Rebecca Stead

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 4 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers time travel (speculative), friendship and 1970s NYC. At 750L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  3. One Crazy Summer

    Rita Williams-Garcia

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, race and civil rights. At 750L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  4. The Tale of Despereaux

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Michigan 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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  5. El Deafo

    Cece Bell

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers disability, friendship and self-acceptance. At 420L it reads well below the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  6. The Crossover

    Kwame Alexander

    Cited in 1 Michigan 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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  7. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    Kate DiCamillo

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

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  8. The One and Only Ivan

    Katherine Applegate

    Cited in 1 Michigan 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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  9. Unspeakable

    Carole Boston Weatherford

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 7.

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  10. Walk Two Moons

    Sharon Creech

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 5 to 7. Covers grief, family and identity. At 770L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  11. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Michigan 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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  12. A Mango-Shaped Space

    Wendy Mass

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8.

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  13. Blended

    Sharon M. Draper

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers family, race and identity. At 610L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  14. Clementine

    Sara Pennypacker

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 8.

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  15. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

    Chris Grabenstein

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

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  16. Fish in a Tree

    Lynda Mullaly Hunt

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers disability, friendship and school. At 550L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  17. Flora and Ulysses

    Kate DiCamillo

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

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  18. Ghost

    Jason Reynolds

    Cited in 1 Michigan 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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  19. Out of My Mind

    Sharon M. Draper

    Cited in 1 Michigan 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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  20. Superfudge

    Judy Blume

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

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  21. The Indian in the Cupboard

    Lynne Reid Banks

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers friendship, responsibility and imagination.

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  22. The Penderwicks

    Jeanne Birdsall

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

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  23. The Thief Lord

    Cornelia Funke

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

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  24. Traction Man Is Here!

    Mini Grey

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade K to 5.

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  25. When Stars Are Scattered

    Victoria Jamieson

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

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  26. Wonderstruck

    Brian Selznick

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

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  27. A Bad Case of Stripes

    David Shannon

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers individuality, popularity and ficción juvenil.

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  28. Adopted by an Owl

    Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 8. Covers great horned owl, owls as pets and biography.

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  29. Amari and the Night Brothers

    B. B. Alston

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers magic, family and courage.

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  30. And Then, Boom!

    Lisa Fipps

    Cited in 1 Michigan curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 5.

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97 books cited for Michigan 5th grade

Assignments tied directly to Michigan’s Michigan ELA Standards with a Michigan-specific citation.

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839 additional grade-appropriate books for 5th grade readers

The 936-book total above includes 97 titles with direct Michigan citation; these 839 additional titles cover 5th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Michigan-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

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Other Michigan 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 Michigan 5th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Michigan ELA 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 936 titles for 5th grade in Michigan, of which 97 carry a direct Michigan citation and 839 are grade-appropriate titles whose reading level overlaps 5th grade. Across the list, Lexile measures span 360L–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 63 titles here with a Lexile score 35 are grade-level, 27 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.

Michigan’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Michigan ELA Standards (michigan.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 5th grade list below blends Michigan-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 Michigan-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 Michigan?
Books with a Michigan-specific citation for 5th grade include New Kid, When You Reach Me, One Crazy Summer, The Tale of Despereaux and El Deafo. 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 Michigan?
This list has 936 books for 5th grade students in Michigan. 97 of them have a Michigan-specific citation; the other 839 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 5th grade reading in Michigan?
Lexile measures across the 5th grade Michigan reading list range from 360L to 1020L. Books without a published Lexile (poetry, drama, picture books) are not included in this range.
Where does this reading list come from?
Michigan-specific entries reference Michigan ELA Standards (published at www.michigan.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.michigan.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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