Washington 4th grade reading list

Books with a Washington citation for 4th grade include Bud, Not Buddy; Holes and Maniac Magee. This list has 736 total books, 56 of them with a Washington-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 390L to 1000L.

Top Washington 4th grade pick: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis — on 1 Washington list

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Total books736Lexile390L–1000LSourceWA K-12 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 Washington 4th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Washington’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. Bud, Not Buddy

    Christopher Paul Curtis

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 4 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers family, identity and perseverance. At 950L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  2. Holes

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 3 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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  3. Maniac Magee

    Jerry Spinelli

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  4. New Kid

    Jerry Craft

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers race and identity, code-switching, middle school adjustment.

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  5. The Tale of Despereaux

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  6. Because of Winn-Dixie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  7. El Deafo

    Cece Bell

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  8. King of the Wind

    Marguerite Henry

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

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  9. Mr. Popper's Penguins

    Richard Atwater · Florence Atwater

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers family, adventure and imagination. At 910L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  10. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

    Robert C. O'Brien

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers family, courage, science and ethics. At 790L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  11. Shiloh

    Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  12. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers growing up, friendship and self-acceptance. At 410L it reads well below the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  13. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, 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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  14. The Bridge Home

    Padma Venkatraman

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

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  15. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    Kate DiCamillo

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

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  16. The One and Only Ivan

    Katherine Applegate

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  17. Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy

    Tui T. Sutherland

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers adventure, friendship and war. At 720L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  18. 11 Birthdays

    Wendy Mass

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

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  19. A Dog's Life

    Ann M. Martin

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

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  20. Artemis Fowl

    Eoin Colfer

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

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  21. Blubber

    Judy Blume

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

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  22. City of Ghosts

    Victoria Schwab

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

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  23. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers school, friendship and family. At 950L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  24. Dog Man

    Dav Pilkey

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 2 to 5. Covers humor, friendship and good vs evil. At 390L it reads well below the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  25. Dragon Rider

    Cornelia Funke

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers animals, mythical.

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  26. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

    Chris Grabenstein

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

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  27. Frindle

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  28. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

    Dusti Bowling

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

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  29. Ramona the Pest

    Beverly Cleary

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 2 to 4. Covers family, school and growing up. At 750L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  30. Roller Girl

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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56 books cited for Washington 4th grade

Assignments tied directly to Washington’s WA K-12 Learning Standards with a Washington-specific citation.

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680 additional grade-appropriate books for 4th grade readers

The 736-book total above includes 56 titles with direct Washington citation; these 680 additional titles cover 4th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Washington-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 680 titles

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Other Washington 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

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About the Washington 4th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in WA K-12 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 736 titles for 4th grade in Washington, of which 56 carry a direct Washington citation and 680 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 34 are grade-level, 25 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.

Washington’s English Language Arts requirements are set by WA K-12 Learning Standards (k12.wa.us). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 4th grade list below blends Washington-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 Washington-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 Washington?
Books with a Washington-specific citation for 4th grade include Bud, Not Buddy; Holes; Maniac Magee; New Kid and The Tale of Despereaux. 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 Washington?
This list has 736 books for 4th grade students in Washington. 56 of them have a Washington-specific citation; the other 680 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 4th grade reading in Washington?
Lexile measures across the 4th grade Washington 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?
Washington-specific entries reference WA K-12 Learning Standards (published at www.k12.wa.us). 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.k12.wa.us. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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