North Dakota 5th grade reading list

Books with a North Dakota citation for 5th grade include Holes, Maniac Magee and Shiloh. This list has 897 total books, 49 of them with a North Dakota-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 390L to 1020L.

Top North Dakota 5th grade pick: Holes by Louis Sachar — on 1 North Dakota list

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Total books897Lexile390L–1020LSourceND 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 North Dakota 5th grade

These are the 30 titles named in North Dakota’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. Holes

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 4 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers fate vs choice, friendship and justice. At 660L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  2. Maniac Magee

    Jerry Spinelli

    Cited in 1 North Dakota 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. Shiloh

    Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Cited in 1 North Dakota 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. The One and Only Ivan

    Katherine Applegate

    Cited in 1 North Dakota 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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  5. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 North Dakota 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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  6. Blubber

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers bullying, friendship and school.

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  7. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

    Chris Grabenstein

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

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  8. Frindle

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 North Dakota 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. Hatchet

    Gary Paulsen

    Cited in 1 North Dakota 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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  10. Out of My Mind

    Sharon M. Draper

    Cited in 1 North Dakota 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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  11. Refugee

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers refugees, survival and family. At 800L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  12. Skeleton Man

    Joseph Bruchac

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers kidnapping, psychopaths and mohawk indians.

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  13. Superfudge

    Judy Blume

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

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  14. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 2 to 5. Covers siblings, family and everyday life. At 470L it reads well below the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  15. The Evil Wizard Smallbone

    Delia Sherman

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 12.

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  16. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

    Brian Selznick

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

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  17. Where the Red Fern Grows

    Wilson Rawls

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers boy-and-dog bond, rural self-reliance and perseverance. At 700L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  18. A Wish in the Dark

    Christina Soontornvat

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  19. Amari and the Night Brothers

    B. B. Alston

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

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

    Judy Blume

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

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  21. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

    Roald Dahl

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers poverty, kindness and imagination. At 810L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  22. Fudge-a-Mania

    Judy Blume

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

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  23. How to Fight a Girl

    Thomas Rockwell

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  24. Inkheart

    Cornelia Funke

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

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  25. Island Book One: Shipwreck

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  26. Mick Harte Was Here

    Barbara Park

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

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  27. Miss Daisy is Crazy

    Dan Gutman

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  28. Noodleheads See the Future

    Tedd Arnold

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  29. Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade

    Barthe DeClements

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

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  30. On My Honor

    Marion Dane Bauer

    Cited in 1 North Dakota curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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49 books cited for North Dakota 5th grade

Assignments tied directly to North Dakota’s ND ELA Standards with a North Dakota-specific citation.

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848 additional grade-appropriate books for 5th grade readers

The 897-book total above includes 49 titles with direct North Dakota citation; these 848 additional titles cover 5th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a North Dakota-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

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Other North Dakota 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 North Dakota 5th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in ND 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 897 titles for 5th grade in North Dakota, of which 49 carry a direct North Dakota citation and 848 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.

North Dakota’s English Language Arts requirements are set by ND ELA Standards (nd.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 5th grade list below blends North Dakota-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 North Dakota-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 North Dakota?
Books with a North Dakota-specific citation for 5th grade include Holes, Maniac Magee, Shiloh, The One and Only Ivan and Wonder. 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 North Dakota?
This list has 897 books for 5th grade students in North Dakota. 49 of them have a North Dakota-specific citation; the other 848 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 5th grade reading in North Dakota?
Lexile measures across the 5th grade North Dakota 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?
North Dakota-specific entries reference ND ELA Standards (published at www.nd.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.nd.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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