Utah 4th grade reading list

Books with a Utah citation for 4th grade include El Deafo, Matilda and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. This list has 725 total books, 16 of them with a Utah-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 390L to 1000L.

Top Utah 4th grade pick: El Deafo by Cece Bell — on 1 Utah list

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Total books725Lexile390L–1000LSourceUtah Core 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 Utah 4th grade

These are the 16 titles named in Utah’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. El Deafo

    Cece Bell

    Cited in 1 Utah 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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  2. Matilda

    Roald Dahl

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers intelligence, overcoming neglect and teacher-student bond. At 840L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  3. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    Kate DiCamillo

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

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  4. Frindle

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 Utah 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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  5. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

    Dusti Bowling

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 5.

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  6. Out of My Mind

    Sharon M. Draper

    Cited in 1 Utah 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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  7. Roller Girl

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers friendship, perseverance and growing up. At 440L it reads well below the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  8. Stone Fox

    John Reynolds Gardiner

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers family, determination and sacrifice. At 550L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  9. Superfudge

    Judy Blume

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

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  10. There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

    Louis Sachar

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

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  11. Wait Till Helen Comes

    Mary Downing Hahn

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

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  12. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

    Grace Lin

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers family, folklore and adventure. At 810L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  13. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Utah 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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  14. Ruby Holler

    Sharon Creech

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5.

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  15. The City of Ember

    Jeanne DuPrau

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

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  16. The Superteacher Project

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers humor, technology and friendship.

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16 books cited for Utah 4th grade

Assignments tied directly to Utah’s Utah Core Standards with a Utah-specific citation.

709 additional grade-appropriate books for 4th grade readers

The 725-book total above includes 16 titles with direct Utah citation; these 709 additional titles cover 4th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Utah-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 709 titles

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Other Utah 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 · New York · Pennsylvania · Illinois

Browse 4th grade reading by theme

About the Utah 4th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Utah Core 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 Utah, of which 16 carry a direct Utah citation and 709 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 58 titles here with a Lexile score 34 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.

Utah’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Utah Core Standards (schools.utah.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 4th grade list below blends Utah-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 Utah-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 Utah?
Books with a Utah-specific citation for 4th grade include El Deafo, Matilda, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Frindle and Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus. 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 Utah?
This list has 725 books for 4th grade students in Utah. 16 of them have a Utah-specific citation; the other 709 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 4th grade reading in Utah?
Lexile measures across the 4th grade Utah 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?
Utah-specific entries reference Utah Core Standards (published at www.schools.utah.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.schools.utah.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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