New York 4th grade reading list

Books with a New York citation for 4th grade include Maniac Magee, Because of Winn-Dixie and A First Time for Everything. This list has 725 total books, 10 of them with a New York-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 390L to 1000L.

Top New York 4th grade pick: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli — on 1 New York list

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Total books725Lexile390L–1000LSourceNext Generation Learning 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 New York 4th grade

These are the 10 titles named in New York’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. Maniac Magee

    Jerry Spinelli

    Cited in 1 New York curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers race, homelessness and family. At 820L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  2. Because of Winn-Dixie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 New York 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. A First Time for Everything

    Dan Santat

    Cited in 1 New York curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 8.

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  4. Fallen Angels

    Walter Dean Myers

    Cited in 1 New York curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 8.

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  5. Number the Stars

    Lois Lowry

    Cited in 1 New York curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers courage, friendship and Holocaust. At 670L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  6. We Will Not Be Silent

    Russell Freedman

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

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  7. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 New York 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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  8. A Tale Dark and Grimm

    Adam Gidwitz

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

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  9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

    J.K. Rowling

    Cited in 1 New York curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers friendship, courage and good vs evil. At 880L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  10. Stolen Children

    Peg Kehret

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

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10 books cited for New York 4th grade

Assignments tied directly to New York’s Next Generation Learning Standards with a New York-specific citation.

715 additional grade-appropriate books for 4th grade readers

The 725-book total above includes 10 titles with direct New York citation; these 715 additional titles cover 4th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a New York-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 715 titles

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Other New York 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 · Pennsylvania · Illinois · Ohio

Browse 4th grade reading by theme

About the New York 4th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Next Generation Learning 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 725 titles for 4th grade in New York, of which 10 carry a direct New York citation and 715 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 59 titles here with a Lexile score 35 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.

New York’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Next Generation Learning Standards (nysed.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 4th grade list below blends New York-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 New York-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 New York?
Books with a New York-specific citation for 4th grade include Maniac Magee, Because of Winn-Dixie, A First Time for Everything, Fallen Angels and Number the Stars. 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 New York?
This list has 725 books for 4th grade students in New York. 10 of them have a New York-specific citation; the other 715 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 4th grade reading in New York?
Lexile measures across the 4th grade New York 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?
New York-specific entries reference Next Generation Learning Standards (published at www.nysed.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.nysed.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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