Several parents have asked me if I could give them some book recommendations for thier child to read throughout the year. While Wake County does not have specified required book lists for each grade, there are many books given as suggested reading. I've compiled a list of books that have been recommended from the Wake County Library System, Education World, the American Library Association, and RIF (Reaidng Is Fundamental). These are not mandatory and before a child reads one of these books, the parent should review and make sure that it's acceptable for their child.

Genre Code: F= Fantasy, RF= Realistic Fiction, HF= Historical Fiction, SciFi= Science Fiction, FT= Folk Tale/Fairy Tale, S= Sports, P= Poetry, M= Mystery, A= Adventure, NF= Nonfiction, A/Bio= Auto/Biography

Book Title Author Genre
The Cricket in Times Square George Selden F
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Judy Blume RF
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 Beverly Cleary RF
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl F
Bunnicula James Howe F
How to Eat Fried Worms Thomas Rockwell RF
Where the Sidewalk Ends Shel Silverstein P
Charlotte's Web E.B. White F
Little House on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder HF
The Boxcar Children Gertrude Warner M
Sarah Plain and Tall Patricia MacLachlan HF
Fantastic Mr. Fox Roald Dahl F
Fudge-A-Mania Judy Blume RF
Indian in the Cupboard Lynne Reid Banks F
The Mouse and the Motorcycle Beverly Cleary F
My Side of the Mountain Jean Craighead George A/RF
Stuart Little E.B. White F
The Rough-Faced Girl Rafe Martin FT
The Boy Who Lived With the Seals Rafe Martin FT
If the World Was a Village: A Book About the World's People David J. Smith NF
Martin's Big Words Doreen Rapaport NF
Everything I Know About Monsters Tom Lichtenheld NF
So You Want to be President? Judith St. George NF
T is for Tarheel Carol Crane NF
Talkin' About Bessie Nikki Grimes NF
The Doll People Ann M. Martin F
Gooney Bird Green Lois Lowry RF
Loser Jerry Spinelli RF
Love that Dog Sharon Creech P/RF
Chasing Vermeer Blue Balliett A/F
The Spidewick Cronicles (Book 1: The Field Guide) Holly Black A/F
The Sister's Grimm (Series) Michael Buckley A/F
The Report Card Andrew Clements RF
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane Kate DiCamillo A/F
The Thief Lord Cornelia Funke A/F
Inkheart Cornelia Funke A/F
Inkspell Cornelia Funke A/F
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes Eleanor Coe RF
The Whipping Boy Sid Fleischman F
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil  E. Frankweiler B.L. Konigsburg RF
Shiloh Phyllis Reynolds Naylor RF
Maniac MaGee Jerry Spinelli RF
Mr. Popper's Penguins Richard Atwater RF
Stone Fox John Gardiner RF
The Wind and the Willows Kenneth Grahame F
The Howliday Inn James Howe A/M/F
Skinnybones Barbara Park RF
Hatchet Gary Paulson A/RF
There's A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom Louis Sachar RF
A Taste of Blackberries Wanda Smith RF
Because of Winn-Dixie Kate DiCamillo RF
A Tale of Desperaux Kate DiCamillo F
Dear Mr. Henshaw Beverly Cleary RF
Frindle Andrew Clements RF
The Relatives Came Cynthia Rylant RF
Walk Two Moons Sharon Creech RF
The Westing Game Ellen Raskin M/RF
The Sign of the Beaver Elizabeth George Speare HF/A
The Young Man and the Sea Rodman Philbrick RF
All the Money in the World Bill Brittain RF
Bud, Not Buddy Christopher Paul Curtis HF
A Wrinkle in Time Madeline L'Engle F
Pippi Longstocking Astrid Lindgren RF
Be A Perfect Person in Just Three Days Stephen Manes RF
The Borrowers Mary Norton F
The War With Grandpa Robert Kimmel Smith RF
Help! I'm A Prisoner in the Library Eth Clifford RF
The Wizard of Oz Frank Baum F/A
The Cabin Faced West Jean Fritz HF
The Story of Dr. Dolittle Hugh Lofting F
The Courage of Sarah Noble Alica Daligilesh HF
Island of the Blue Dolphins Scott O'Dell A/RF
James and the Giant Peach Roald Dahl F
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe CS Lewis A/F
A Series of Unfortunate Events Lemony Snicket A/RF