New York 5th grade reading list

Books with a New York citation for 5th grade include Wonder, Maniac Magee and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. This list has 869 total books, 13 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 1020L.

Top New York 5th grade pick: Wonder by R.J. Palacio — on 2 New York lists

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Total books869Lexile390L–1020LSourceNext 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 5th grade

These are the 13 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. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 2 New York curriculum documents 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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  2. Maniac Magee

    Jerry Spinelli

    Cited in 1 New York curriculum document and 4 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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  3. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

    E.L. Konigsburg

    Cited in 1 New York curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers independence, art and running away. At 700L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  4. Number the Stars

    Lois Lowry

    Cited in 1 New York curriculum document and 2 national references, 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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  5. 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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  6. Because of Winn-Dixie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 New York 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. 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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  8. Hatchet

    Gary Paulsen

    Cited in 1 New York curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers survival, resilience and self-reliance. At 1020L it runs above the 740–1010L band — a stretch text.

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  9. 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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  10. 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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  11. 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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  12. Mick Harte Was Here

    Barbara Park

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

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  13. Stolen Children

    Peg Kehret

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

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13 books cited for New York 5th grade

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

856 additional grade-appropriate books for 5th grade readers

The 869-book total above includes 13 titles with direct New York citation; these 856 additional titles cover 5th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a New York-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 856 titles

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Other New York 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 · Pennsylvania · Illinois · Ohio

Browse 5th grade reading by theme

About the New York 5th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Next Generation Learning 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 869 titles for 5th grade in New York, of which 13 carry a direct New York citation and 856 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 34 are grade-level, 24 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.

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 5th 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 5th 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 5th grade students read in New York?
Books with a New York-specific citation for 5th grade include Wonder, Maniac Magee, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Number the Stars and A First Time for Everything. 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 New York?
This list has 869 books for 5th grade students in New York. 13 of them have a New York-specific citation; the other 856 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 5th grade reading in New York?
Lexile measures across the 5th grade New York 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?
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 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.nysed.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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