SJPL Picks: Fifth GradeLike this list

40 items

• The Mystery of Locked Rooms

  Currie, Lindsay,

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  Crack the codes. Find the treasure. Escape the house. From the acclaimed author of Scritch Scratch and What Lives in the Woods comes a action-packed adventure novel about three friends who team up to find a hidden treasure in an abandoned…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Spy School Goes Wild

  Gibbs, Stuart, 1969-

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  Superspy middle schooler Ben Ripley gets lost on a perilous mission with one of his greatest enemies. Ben Ripley is recruited for a top secret mission to bring down his nemesis, Murray Hill, once and for all. But when things go horribly…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Pearl Hunter

  Beck, Miya T.

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  Set in a world inspired by pre-Shogun era Japan, this is a stunning debut fantasy in the vein of Grace Lin about how a young pearl diver goes to the ends of the earth to rescue her twin sister, who has been stolen by a ghost whale. Kai…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Still Belong

  Day, Christine, 1993-

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  Wesley's hopeful plans for Indigenous Peoples' Day (and asking her crush to the dance) go all wrong--until she finds herself surrounded by the love of her Indigenous family and community at the intertribal powwow.

• The Spirit Glass

  Chokshi, Roshani,

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  Corazon yearns to finally start training as a babaylan (a mystical healer and spirit guide) under her powerful guardian, Aunt Tina. As soon as her magic awakens, Corazon plans to bring her parents back from the dead and no longer have to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hunted

  Melki-Wegner, Skye,

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  Battle rages between the dinosaur kingdoms of Cretacea. When the Fallen Star struck, it brought death and despair, ash and toxic rain. But some dinosaurs survived . . . and were changed. Their minds grew alert. They learned to speak. To…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Squished

  Lloyd, Megan Wagner,

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  Eleven-year-old Avery Lee loves living in Hickory Valley, Maryland. She loves her neighborhood, school, and the end-of-summer fair she always goes to with her two best friends. But she's tired of feeling squished by her six siblings!…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Golden Girl

  Faruqi, Reem,

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  Seventh grader Aafiyah loves playing tennis, reading Weird but True facts, and hanging out with her best friend, Zaina. However, Aafiyah has a bad habit that troubles her--she's drawn to pretty things and can't help but occasionally…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• It's Boba Time for Pearl Li!

  Chen, Nicole, 1980-

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  Twelve-year-old Pearl Li tries to gain her family's acceptance and save her favorite boba tea shop by selling her crocheted amigurumi dolls. But as she navigates the ups and downs of running a business, Pearl realizes that monetizing her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Secret of the Dragon Gems

  LaRocca, Rajani,

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  Eleven-year-olds Tripti Kapoor, a feisty "word nerd" from Massachusetts, and Sam Cohen, a shy, imaginative, budding geologist from California, are both miserable at Camp Dilloway, a summer camp in upstate New York. On the last night of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Finally Seen

  Yang, Kelly,

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  When ten-year-old Lina Gao leaves China to live with her parents and sister, after five years apart, she must reckon with her hurt, anger, and curiosity and find a way to get her bearings in this new country--and the almost-new family that…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Sky Full of Song

  Meyer, Susan, 1960-

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  In 1905 North Dakota, eleven-year-old Russian immigrant Shoshana is bullied for being Jewish, but after listening to the music of her homeland, she is reminded of the resilience and traditions her people have brought all the way to the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Maizy Chen's Last Chance

  Yee, Lisa,

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  Eleven-year-old Maizy Chen visits her estranged grandparents, who own and run a Chinese restaurant in Last Chance, Minnesota; as her visit lengthens, she makes unexpected discoveries about her family's history and herself.

• Turtles of the Midnight Moon

  Fitzgerald, María José,

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  Twelve-year-olds Barana and Abby come together to solve a sea turtle egg poaching mystery plaguing Barana's Honduran coastal village, and learn the true meaning of friendship, courage, and community along the way.

• The Accidental Apprentice

  Foody, Amanda,

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  Eleven-year-old Barclay Thorne yearns for the quiet life of a mushroom farmer, but after unwittingly bonding with a beast in the forbidden Woods, he must seek Lore Keepers to break the bond and return home.

• New School Skirmish

  Tokushige, Zoe,

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  After spending her entire childhood moving from one military base to another, Airi Sano is excited to be settling down for the long-term in Hawai'i. She’s less excited about her new teacher, who's determined to make her like school. But…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Northwind

  Paulsen, Gary,

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  An orphan named Leif finds himself alone in a canoe fleeing northward along a rugged and untamed shoreline to escape a deadly plague, discovering a deep connection with the wilderness along the way.

• Concrete

  From the Ground Up

  Theule, Larissa,

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  From a lowly mixture of stone, sand, water, and cement have sprung sidewalks, streets, and skyscrapers, . . . lighthouses and . . . palaces, long bridges and massive dams. In ancient building practices, in modern engineering, and in the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Science of Being Angry

  Melleby, Nicole,

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  Eleven-year-old Joey navigates family, friendships, and her first crush, while looking for answers to why she feels so angry sometimes and by searching for the donor her moms chose.

• New From Here

  Yang, Kelly,

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  When the coronavirus hits Hong Kong, ten-year-old Knox Wei-Evans's mom makes the last-minute decision to move him and his siblings back to California, where they think they will be safe. Suddenly, Knox has two days to prepare for an…Read moreRead more of this annotation