4th grade Realistic Fiction books

112 books in the realistic fiction genre commonly assigned to 4th gradestudents — every title’s grade range covers 4th grade, so each is grade-appropriate by curriculum placement. Each links to its reading level, themes, and the curricula that cite it.

Reading difficulty: the typical 4th grade text-complexity band is 740–1010L (Common Core Appendix A). Of the 6 realistic fiction titles here with a Lexile score, 4 are grade-level, 2 are more accessible, and 0 are stretch texts. Match a book to your reader’s measured Lexile rather than to the grade alone.

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Show all 112 titles

Dogtown · Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life · Rachel Renée Russell
Dress Coded · Carrie Firestone
Drive-By · Lynne Ewing
Duke · Kirby Larson
Eight Keys · Suzanne M. LaFleur
Ellie's Story · W. Bruce Cameron
Ferris · Kate DiCamillo
Flying Solo · Ralph J. Fletcher
Fourth Grade Rats · Jerry Spinelli
Front Desk · Kelly Yang
Fudge · Charlotte Towner Graeber
Ghost Boys · Jewell Parker Rhodes
Henry Reed's Babysitting Service · Keith Robertson
Here Comes the Garbage Barge · Jonah Winter
Hoot · Carl Hiaasen
Hope in the Valley · Mitali Perkins
Hostage · Willo Davis Roberts
Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World · Katherine Hannigan
Invisible Isabel · Sally J. Pla
Jelly Belly · Robert Kimmel Smith
Jonathan Livingston Seagull · Richard Bach
Lawn Boy · Gary Paulsen
Loch · Paul Zindel
Loser · Jerry Spinelli
Lulu's Mysterious Mission · Judith Viorst
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All · Chanel Miller
Math Curse · Jon Scieszka
My Dog, My Hero · Betsy Cromer Byars
My Explosive Diary · Emily Gale
Night of the Twisters · Ivy Ruckman
No Talking · Andrew Clements
Pie in the Sky · Remy Lai
Prisoner B-3087 · Alan Gratz
Project Mulberry · Linda Sue Park
Ramona's World · Beverly Cleary
Rules · Cynthia Lord
Save Me a Seat · Sarah Weeks
Saving Winslow · Sharon Creech
Saving Zasha · Randi G. Barrow
Say What? · Margaret Peterson Haddix
Schooled · Gordon Korman
Secrets of My Hollywood Life · Jen Calonita
Secrets of the Mummies · Shelley Tanaka
Sharing Susan · Eve Bunting
Shiloh · Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Shiloh Season · Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Shoeshine Girl · Clyde Robert Bulla
Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You · Barthe DeClements
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe · Jo Watson Hackl
Stand Up, Yumi Chung · Jessica Kim
Star in the Storm · Joan Hiatt Harlow
Stepping Up · Mark Fink
Striped Ice Cream · Joan M. Lexau
Stuntboy, In-Between Time · Jason Reynolds
Tangerine · Edward Bloor
The Boy at the Back of the Class · Onjali Q. Raúf
The Boys Start the War · Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit · Paula Danziger
The Computer Nut · Betsy Cromer Byars
The Cybil War · Betsy Byars
The Fourteenth Goldfish · Jennifer L. Holm
The Ghost Inside the Monitor · Margaret Jean Anderson
The Girl Who Could Fly · Victoria Forester
The Gollywhopper Games · Jody Feldman
The Lemonade War · Davies, Jacqueline
The Perfect Score · Rob Buyea
The Pinballs · Betsy Cromer Byars
The Secret Funeral of Slim Jim the Snake · Elvira Woodruff
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda · Tom Angleberger
The Stranger Next Door · Peg Kehret
The Thing About Leftovers · C.C. Payne
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street · Karina Yan Glaser
Togo · Robert J. Blake
Trading Places with Tank Talbott · Dori Hillestad Butler
Tucky Jo and Little Heart · Patricia Polacco
Unplugged · Gordon Korman
Verdi · Janell Cannon
Weslandia · Paul Fleischman
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town · Kimberly Willis Holt
When the Wolves Returned · Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Who Needs a Bratty Brother? · Linda Gondosch
Wild Wings · Gill Lewis
You Are Here: Connecting Flights · Ellen Oh
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye · Patricia Hermes
Zach's Lie · Roland Smith
Zen and the Art of Faking It · Jordan Sonnenblick
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat · Raúl the Third III

Realistic Fiction books at other grades

2nd grade · 3rd grade · 5th grade · 6th grade · 7th grade · 8th grade · 9th grade · 10th grade

Other 4th grade genres

Children's · Picture Book · Middle Grade Fiction · Fantasy · Humor · Juvenile Fiction · Middle Grade Fantasy · Mystery

← Full 4th grade reading list · All realistic fictionbooks →

Frequently asked questions

What realistic fiction books are good for 4th grade students?

112 realistic fiction books have a grade range that covers 4th grade and are assigned across US-school curricula — Common Core exemplars, AP, IB, Cambridge, and state ELA standards. Each title on this page links to its full curriculum citations and reading level.

Are these realistic fiction books grade-appropriate for 4th grade?

Every title's grade range covers 4th grade. The typical 4th grade text-complexity band is 740–1010L (Common Core Appendix A); of the 6 books here with a Lexile score, 4 are grade-level, 2 more accessible, and 0 a stretch. Match a book to your reader's measured Lexile rather than to the grade alone.

How many realistic fiction books are on the 4th grade list?

This page lists 112 4th grade realistic fiction titles, ordered alphabetically. The list expands as more curriculum references are verified.

4th grade Realistic Fiction books

112 4th grade realistic fiction books

Realistic Fiction books at other grades

Other 4th grade genres

Frequently asked questions

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