# 5th grade Realistic Fiction books

**38** realistic fiction books commonly assigned to 5th grade students in US schools. Every title's grade range covers 5th grade, so each is grade-appropriate by curriculum placement. Sourced from Common Core exemplars, AP, IB, Cambridge, and 50 state ELA curricula.

**Reading difficulty:** the typical 5th grade band is 740–1010L (Common Core Appendix A). Of the 8 titles here with a Lexile score, 5 are grade-level, 3 more accessible, and 0 a stretch.

**Grade:** 5th grade  ·  **Genre:** Realistic Fiction
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/genre/realistic-fiction/grade/5
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.
**Primary source — Common Core ELA exemplars:** https://achievethecore.org/page/2699

## 5th grade Realistic Fiction reading list

- [A Boy Called Bat](https://readinglist.school/book/a-boy-called-bat) by Elana K. Arnold _(Grades 3–5 · pub 2017)_
- [Amal Unbound](https://readinglist.school/book/amal-unbound) by Aisha Saeed _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2018)_
- [Ban This Book](https://readinglist.school/book/ban-this-book) by Alan Gratz _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2017)_
- [Black Brother, Black Brother](https://readinglist.school/book/black-brother-black-brother) by Jewell Parker Rhodes _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2021)_
- [Blubber](https://readinglist.school/book/blubber) by Judy Blume _(Grades 4–7 · pub 1974)_
- [Crenshaw](https://readinglist.school/book/crenshaw) by Katherine Applegate _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2015)_
- [Dear Mr. Henshaw](https://readinglist.school/book/dear-mr-henshaw) by Beverly Cleary _(Grades 4–6 · pub 1983)_
- [Dogtown](https://readinglist.school/book/dogtown) by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2023)_
- [Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life](https://readinglist.school/book/dork-diaries-tales-from-a-not-so-fabulous-life) by Rachel Renée Russell _(890L · Grades 4–7 · pub 2009)_
- [Ferris](https://readinglist.school/book/ferris) by Kate DiCamillo _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2024)_
- [Front Desk](https://readinglist.school/book/front-desk) by Kelly Yang _(640L · Grades 3–7 · pub 2018)_
- [Genesis Begins Again](https://readinglist.school/book/genesis-begins-again) by Alicia D. Williams _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2020)_
- [Ghost](https://readinglist.school/book/ghost) by Jason Reynolds _(730L · Grades 5–8 · pub 2016)_
- [Ghost Boys](https://readinglist.school/book/ghost-boys) by Jewell Parker Rhodes _(360L · Grades 4–7 · pub 2018)_
- [Hoot](https://readinglist.school/book/hoot) by Carl Hiaasen _(760L · Grades 4–7 · pub 2002)_
- [Hope in the Valley](https://readinglist.school/book/hope-in-the-valley) by Mitali Perkins _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2025)_
- [Invisible Isabel](https://readinglist.school/book/invisible-isabel) by Sally J. Pla _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2024)_
- [Look Both Ways](https://readinglist.school/book/look-both-ways) by Jason Reynolds _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2019)_
- [Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All](https://readinglist.school/book/magnolia-wu-unfolds-it-all) by Chanel Miller _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2024)_
- [Mick Harte Was Here](https://readinglist.school/book/mick-harte-was-here) by Barbara Park _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2011)_
- [Pie in the Sky](https://readinglist.school/book/pie-in-the-sky) by Remy Lai _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2019)_
- [Rules](https://readinglist.school/book/rules) by Cynthia Lord _(Grades 4–7 · pub 2006)_
- [Save Me a Seat](https://readinglist.school/book/save-me-a-seat) by Sarah Weeks _(780L · Grades 4–7 · pub 2016)_
- [Shiloh](https://readinglist.school/book/shiloh) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor _(890L · Grades 3–6 · pub 1991)_
- [Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe](https://readinglist.school/book/smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-maybe) by Jo Watson Hackl _(Grades 4–7 · pub 2018)_
- [So B. It](https://readinglist.school/book/so-b-it) by Sarah Weeks _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2009)_
- [Stand Up, Yumi Chung](https://readinglist.school/book/stand-up-yumi-chung) by Jessica Kim _(Grades 4–7 · pub 2021)_
- [Stuntboy, In-Between Time](https://readinglist.school/book/stuntboy-in-between-time) by Jason Reynolds _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2023)_
- [Surviving the Applewhites](https://readinglist.school/book/surviving-the-applewhites) by Stephanie S. Tolan _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2009)_
- [The Boy at the Back of the Class](https://readinglist.school/book/the-boy-at-the-back-of-the-class) by Onjali Q. Raúf _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2018)_
- [The Cybil War](https://readinglist.school/book/the-cybil-war) by Betsy Byars _(Grades 3–6 · pub 1981)_
- [The Honest Truth](https://readinglist.school/book/the-honest-truth) by Dan Gemeinhart _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2015)_
- [The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise](https://readinglist.school/book/the-remarkable-journey-of-coyote-sunrise) by Dan Gemeinhart _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2019)_
- [The Thing About Leftovers](https://readinglist.school/book/the-thing-about-leftovers) by C.C. Payne _(Grades 4–7 · pub 2016)_
- [The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street](https://readinglist.school/book/the-vanderbeekers-of-141st-street) by Karina Yan Glaser _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2017)_
- [Ungifted](https://readinglist.school/book/ungifted) by Gordon Korman _(Grades 5–8 · pub 2012)_
- [Walk Two Moons](https://readinglist.school/book/walk-two-moons) by Sharon Creech _(770L · Grades 5–7 · pub 1994)_
- [You Are Here: Connecting Flights](https://readinglist.school/book/you-are-here-connecting-flights) by Ellen Oh _(Grades 3–6 · pub 2023)_

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