Realistic Fiction Books for 4th Graders
226 books in the realistic fiction genre commonly assigned to 4th grade students — 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.
Most assigned 4th grade realistic fiction book
Shiloh
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · on 25 reading lists
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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.
226 4th grade realistic fiction books
Reading the whole 4th grade Realistic Fiction books? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.
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ShilohPhyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L
Front DeskKelly Yang · 640L
LoserJerry Spinelli
RulesCynthia Lord
City SpiesJames Ponti
DogtownKatherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko
The Strange Case of Origami YodaTom Angleberger
Ghost BoysJewell Parker Rhodes · 360L
HootCarl Hiaasen · 760L
No TalkingAndrew Clements
Shiloh SeasonPhyllis Reynolds Naylor
The PinballsBetsy Cromer Byars
FerrisKate DiCamillo
Are You There God? It's Me, MargaretJudy Blume
Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous JobWillo Davis Roberts
DukeKirby Larson
InvisibleChristina Diaz Gonzalez
Prisoner B-3087Alan Gratz
SchooledGordon Korman
TogoRobert J. Blake
WeslandiaPaul Fleischman
Dear Mr. HenshawBeverly Cleary
Sixth Grade Can Really Kill YouBarthe DeClements
All About SamLois Lowry
Show all 226 titles
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- Fudge · Charlotte Towner Graeber
- Ghosts · Raina Telgemeier
- Invisible Isabel · Sally J. Pla
- Jelly Belly · Robert Kimmel Smith
- Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) · Lynn Plourde
- Scranimals · Jack Prelutsky
- The Babe and I · David A. Adler
- Verdi · Janell Cannon
- Zach's Lie · Roland Smith
- Pie in the Sky · Remy Lai
- The Boys Start the War · Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Blubber · Judy Blume
- A Boy Called Bat · Elana K. Arnold
- A Dog Called Kitty · Wallace, Bill
- Attaboy, Sam! · Lois Lowry
- Ban This Book · Alan Gratz
- Boy at War · Harry Mazer
- Class Clown · Johanna Hurwitz
- Counting by 7s · Holly Goldberg Sloan
- Dragon Rider · Cornelia Funke
- Ellie's Story · W. Bruce Cameron
- Ferret in the Bedroom, Lizards in the Fridge · Bill Wallace
- Fourth Grade Rats · Jerry Spinelli
- Henry Reed's Babysitting Service · Keith Robertson
- Henry's Freedom Box · Ellen Levine
- How to Stay Invisible · Maggie C. Rudd
- Hummingbird · Natalie Lloyd
- John, Paul, George and Ben · Lane Smith
- Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All · Chanel Miller
- Math Curse · Jon Scieszka
- Mr. Lincoln's Way · Patricia Polacco
- My Dog, My Hero · Betsy Cromer Byars
- Night of the Twisters · Ivy Ruckman
- One Potato, Two Potato · Cynthia DeFelice
- Saving Winslow · Sharon Creech
- Say What? · Margaret Peterson Haddix
- Shoeshine Girl · Clyde Robert Bulla
- Snot Stew · Bill Wallace
- Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen · Candace Fleming
- The Boy at the Back of the Class · Onjali Q. Raúf
- The Cat Ate My Gymsuit · Paula Danziger
- The Fourteenth Goldfish · Jennifer L. Holm
- The Junkyard Dog · Erika Tamar
- The Lemonade War · Davies, Jacqueline
- Tornado · Betsy Cromer Byars
- Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival · Kirby Larson
- Wedgie & Gizmo · Suzanne Selfors
- When the Wolves Returned · Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
- You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye · Patricia Hermes
- 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents · Lee Wardlaw
- A Boy Named Queen · Sara Cassidy
- Across the Desert · Dusti Bowling
- Albert · Donna Jo Napoli
- Aliens Are Coming! · Megan McCarthy
- All the Money in the World · Bill Brittain
- Alligator Sue · Sharon Arms Doucet
- Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things · Lenore Look
- And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon · Janet Stevens
- Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity · Dave Roman
- Ava and Pip · Carol Weston
- Avalon High · Meg Cabot
- Backlash · Sarah Darer Littman
- Becoming Muhammad Ali · James Patterson
- Best Friends · Shannon Hale
- Better with Butter · Victoria Piontek
- Big Ben · David Harry Walker
- Bob and Jack: A Boy and His Yak · Jeffrey Moss
- Boxes for Katje · Candace Fleming
- Brighty of the Grand Canyon · Marguerite Henry
- Bristle Face · Zachary Ball
- Call Me Hope · Gretchen Olson
- Christopher Changes His Name · Itah Sadu
- Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler · William Wise
- City of Thieves · Alex London
- Clayton Byrd Goes Underground · Rita Williams-Garcia
- Cliff-Hanger · Alane Ferguson
- Cody Unplugged · Betsy Duffey
- Daphne's Book · Mary Downing Hahn
- Do Bananas Chew Gum? · Jamie Gilson
- Don't Hurt Laurie · Willo Davis Roberts
- Donut Feed the Squirrels · Mika Song
- Dress Coded · Carrie Firestone
- Drive-By · Lynne Ewing
- Each Kindness · Jacqueline Woodson
- Each Little Bird That Sings · Deborah Wiles
- Eerie Tales from the School of Screams · Graham Annable
- Eight Keys · Suzanne M. LaFleur
- El Chupacabras · Adam Rubin
- Fig Pudding · Ralph J. Fletcher
- Flaming Arrows · William O. Steele
- Flying Solo · Ralph J. Fletcher
- Four Eyes · Rex Ogle
- Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom · Eric Wight
- Ghost Fever/Mal de Fantasma · Joe Hayes
- Ghost Soldier · Elaine Marie Alphin
- Gracie Under the Waves · Linda Sue Park
- Harry Cat's Pet Puppy · George Selden
- Harry's Mad · Dick King-Smith
- Haven: A Small Cat's Big Adventure · Megan Wagner Lloyd
- Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller · Doreen Rappaport
- Help Me, Mr. Mutt! · Susan Stevens Crummel
- Here Comes the Garbage Barge · Jonah Winter
- 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
- Jake and Lily · Jerry Spinelli
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull · Richard Bach
- Just Gus · McCall Hoyle
- Last Holiday Concert · Andrew Clements
- Lawn Boy · Gary Paulsen
- Lei and the Fire Goddess · Malia Maunakea
- Little Vic · Doris Gates
- Loch · Paul Zindel
- Lost & Found: Based on a True Story · Mei Yu
- Lulu's Mysterious Mission · Judith Viorst
- Memoirs of a Tortoise · Devin Scillian
- Midnight at the Barclay Hotel · Fleur Bradley
- Mr. Maxwell's Mouse · Frank Asch
- My Explosive Diary · Emily Gale
- My Friend the Vampire · Angela Sommer-Bodenburg
- New From Here · Kelly Yang
- Nubby’s Story · Aubre Andrus
- Operation: Dump the Chump · Barbara Park
- Owney: The Mail-Pouch Pooch · Mona Kerby
- Postcards from Camp · Simms Taback
- Project Mulberry · Linda Sue Park
- Ramona's World · Beverly Cleary
- Sasha, My Friend · Barbara Corcoran
- Satch and Me · Dan Gutman
- Saving Sunshine · Saadia Faruqi
- Saving Zasha · Randi G. Barrow
- Seadogs: An Epic Ocean Operetta · Lisa Wheeler
- Secrets of My Hollywood Life · Jen Calonita
- Secrets of the Mummies · Shelley Tanaka
- Sharing Susan · Eve Bunting
- Shark Summer · Ira Marcks
- Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe · Jo Watson Hackl
- Socks · Beverly Cleary
- Stand Up, Yumi Chung · Jessica Kim
- Star in the Storm · Joan Hiatt Harlow
- Stepping Up · Mark Fink
- Stonewords: A Ghost Story · Pam Conrad
- Striped Ice Cream · Joan M. Lexau
- Stuntboy, In-Between Time · Jason Reynolds
- Summer Vamp · Violet Chan Karim
- Summer of Riley · Eve Bunting
- Swing · Audrey Meeker
- Tangerine · Edward Bloor
- The Adventures of Invisible Boy · Doogie Horner
- The Aquanaut · Dan Santat
- The Area 51 Files · Julie Buxbaum
- The Butterfly · Patricia Polacco
- The Candymakers · Wendy Mass
- The Computer Nut · Betsy Cromer Byars
- The Cybil War · Betsy Byars
- The Ghost Inside the Monitor · Margaret Jean Anderson
- The Ghost of Lizard Light · Elvira Woodruff
- The Giant Slayer · Iain Lawrence
- The Girl Who Could Fly · Victoria Forester
- The Golden Hour · Niki Smith
- The Gollywhopper Games · Jody Feldman
- The Good Dog · Avi
- The Goof that Won the Pennant · Jonah Kalb
- The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper · Jean Van Leeuwen
- The Grizzly · Annabel and Edgar Johnson
- The Hero of Bremen · Margaret Hodges
- The Hot and Cold Summer · Johanna Hurwitz
- The Legend of Gravity: A Tall Basketball Tale · Charly Palmer
- The Library of Ever · Zeno Alexander
- The Magic Fish · Trung Le Nguyen
- The Magic Misfits · Neil Patrick Harris
- The Magic of the Glits · Carole S. Adler
- The Perfect Score · Rob Buyea
- The Sasquatch Escape · Suzanne Selfors
- The School Story · Andrew Clements
- The Scrambled States of America · Laurie Keller
- The Secret Funeral of Slim Jim the Snake · Elvira Woodruff
- The Stranger Next Door · Peg Kehret
- The Thing About Leftovers · C.C. Payne
- The Trouble with Tuck · Theodore Taylor
- The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street · Karina Yan Glaser
- Trading Places with Tank Talbott · Dori Hillestad Butler
- Tucky Jo and Little Heart · Patricia Polacco
- Unplugged · Gordon Korman
- Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning · Danette Haworth
- When Zachary Beaver Came to Town · Kimberly Willis Holt
- When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop · Laban Carrick Hill
- White Falcon · Elliott Arnold
- Who Needs a Bratty Brother? · Linda Gondosch
- Wild Wings · Gill Lewis
- You Are Here: Connecting Flights · Ellen Oh
- Zen and the Art of Faking It · Jordan Sonnenblick
- Zeus, Dog of Chaos · Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
- Zia Erases the World · Bree Barton
- ¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat · Raúl the Third III
- Dobry · Monica Shannon
- Heaven · Angela Johnson
- Roller Skates · Ruth Sawyer
- Worth · A. LaFaye
- Crenshaw · Katherine Applegate
- Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life · Rachel Renée Russell
- Save Me a Seat · Sarah Weeks
Realistic Fiction books at other grades
Kindergarten · 1st grade · 2nd grade · 3rd grade · 5th grade · 6th grade · 7th grade · 8th grade
Other 4th grade genres
Children's · Picture Book · Juvenile Fiction · Middle Grade Fiction · Fantasy · Humor · Mystery · Nonfiction
← Full 4th grade reading list · All realistic fictionbooks →
Frequently asked questions
What realistic fiction books are good for 4th grade students?
226 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 226 4th grade realistic fiction titles, most-assigned first (ties alphabetical). The list expands as more curriculum references are verified.
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