California 5th grade reading list

The 741 books most commonly assigned to California 5th grade students in US schools — each with its reading level and a cited source.

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Books741Lexile410L–1020LSourceCA Common Core + state add-ons✓ sources cited per book

Most-assigned nationally: 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).

Start here — most-cited for California 5th grade

These are the 30 titles named in California’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. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 2 California curriculum documents 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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  2. Island of the Blue Dolphins

    Scott O'Dell

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers survival, solitude and indigenous identity. At 1000L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  3. Number the Stars

    Lois Lowry

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers courage, friendship and Holocaust. At 670L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  4. The War That Saved My Life

    Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers war, resilience and disability. At 580L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  5. A Dog Called Homeless

    Sarah Lean

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

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  6. Echo

    Pam Muñoz Ryan

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers music, family and war. At 680L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  7. Esperanza Rising

    Pam Muñoz Ryan

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers Mexican-American immigration, Great Depression and labor history. At 750L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  8. Out of My Mind

    Sharon M. Draper

    Cited in 1 California 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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  9. Wonderstruck

    Brian Selznick

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  10. A Night Divided

    Jennifer A. Nielsen

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers courage, freedom and family.

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  11. Among the Hidden

    Margaret Peterson Haddix

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers freedom, identity and resistance.

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  12. Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art

    Hannah Salyer

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers history, art and humanity.

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  13. Because of Winn-Dixie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, 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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  14. Ella Enchanted

    Gail Carson Levine

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers courage, fairy-tale and independence.

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  15. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

    Chris Grabenstein

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

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  16. Hope in the Valley

    Mitali Perkins

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers grief, change and family.

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  17. In the Beautiful Country

    Jane Kuo

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers immigration, family and resilience.

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  18. Keeper of the Lost Cities

    Shannon Messenger

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers magic, identity and friendship.

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  19. Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade

    Barthe DeClements

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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  20. Pax

    Sara Pennypacker

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers friendship, war and loyalty. At 760L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  21. Refugee

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers refugees, survival and family. At 800L it falls inside the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  22. Restart

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers identity, bullying and memory. At 730L it sits just under the 740–1010L band for this grade.

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  23. Ruby Holler

    Sharon Creech

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

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  24. Stormbreaker

    Anthony Horowitz

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers spies, adventure and courage.

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  25. The False Prince

    Jennifer A. Nielsen

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers identity, adventure and power.

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  26. The Fire of Stars

    Kirsten W. Larson

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers science, perseverance and history.

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  27. The Indian in the Cupboard

    Lynne Reid Banks

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers friendship, responsibility and imagination.

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  28. The Mystery of the Monarchs

    Barb Rosenstock

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers science, nature and community.

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  29. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

    Dan Gemeinhart

    Cited in 1 California curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers grief, family and journey.

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  30. The Unwanteds

    Lisa McMann

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

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741 books cited for California 5th grade

Assignments tied directly to California’s CA Common Core + state add-ons or national curricula with a California-specific citation.

Show all 741 titles

Reading the whole California 5th grade reading list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

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Other California grades

4th grade · 6th grade · 3rd grade · 7th grade

Reading lists by grade (all states)

4th grade · 6th grade · 3rd grade · 7th grade

Same 5th grade in other states

Texas · Florida · New York · Pennsylvania · Illinois · Ohio

Browse 5th grade reading by theme

About the California 5th grade reading list

In California schools, 5th grade students are most often assigned books drawn from CA Common Core + state add-onsalongside the national curricula that apply nationwide — Common Core State Standards Appendix B, AP English, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. ReadingList currently tracks 741 titles for 5th grade in California, each tied to a California-specific curriculum citation. Across the list, Lexile measures span 410L–1020L.

5th 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 53 titles here with a Lexile score 30 are grade-level, 22 are more accessible (often assigned for theme over challenge), and 1 is a stretch text that may need scaffolding. Because readers in a single 5th grade classroom can span several hundred Lexile points, this list is best read as a starting point rather than a fixed requirement.

California’s English Language Arts requirements are set by CA Common Core + state add-ons (cde.ca.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework, so the 5th grade list below blends California-specific assignments with the widely-taught national canon. 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 5th grade unit can pair a California-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

How many books are assigned to 5th grade students in California?
741 books appear on ReadingList for 5th grade students in California, sourced from CA Common Core + state add-ons and national curricula (Common Core, AP, IB) with applicable grade citations.
What's the Lexile range for 5th grade reading in California?
Lexile measures across the 5th grade California reading list range from 410L to 1020L. Books without a published Lexile (poetry, drama, picture books) are not included in this range.
Where does this reading list come from?
Entries reference CA Common Core + state add-ons (published at www.cde.ca.gov) plus national curricula that apply to California schools: Common Core State Standards Appendix B, AP English Literature and Language, IB Diploma Programme, and Cambridge Assessment International. Every assignment row on each book's detail page links its primary source.

Reading guides for parents

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State-specific entries sourced from www.cde.ca.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.