The 20 Best Books Your 4th Grader Will Love To Read

Books are a fantastic resource and essential for a great homeschool. There are so many reasons to add good literature, beautiful picture books, poetry, and guidebooks to your homeschool lessons. Even books we don’t typically think about for homeschooling like cookbooks can add new challenges, excitement, and activities to your homeschool lessons.

As your homeschoolers grow and learn, they’ll be ready for new and more challenging books. I’m excited to share the very best books your 4th graders will love with you today. I’ve got 20 books for fourth graders you won’t want to miss! I’ll even share my favorite book lists for homeschool moms!

The Power Of Story For Elementary-Aged Children

Reading is so valuable! Reading aloud to elementary-aged children, even those who can read independently has so much educational value and it’s a great way to foster a more meaningful relationship with your child. Having elementary-aged children read independently is important as well, because it helps kids build vocabulary and develop writing skills.

Reading audiobooks or reading on a Kindle has value too! As your child grows, you might find that methods like audiobooks and screen readers make helpful additions to your homeschool lessons and activities. 

In the fourth grade, kids are beginning to figure out how the world works. The power of good stories will fuel their curiosity, teach them problem-solving skills, and challenge their minds. Some stories will also help homeschoolers begin to understand literary devices like symbolism and more abstract concepts. 

Books can be used to teach every subject in your homeschool! Books are fantastic for auditory learners and books with lots of pictures are great for visual learners. Kinesthetic kiddos will enjoy books with interactive elements.

20 Books Your 4th Grader Will Love

The perfect books for fourth graders have to be books that are lots of fun to read! Capturing your child’s attention can be done with books that are exciting and intriguing, as well as books that offer them opportunities for entertainment and engagement. Here are 20 books your fourth grader will love!

     

 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Greek mythology meet with the modern world in this page-turner. Your fourth grader won’t be able to put it down! It’s a a light-hearted fantasy about a modern 12-year-old boy who learns that his true father is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.

Pashmina

Reluctant readers and struggling readers can benefit greatly from graphic novels, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice good literature. Pashmina is all about Pri, her family’s magical pashmina, and learning to juggle life between two different cultures. This book is perfect for exploring other cultures and teaching empathy.

Gold Rush Girl

Tory wants to stay with her father, so she stows away on a ship to the west in 1848. Add this vivid suspenseful novel to your homeschool history lessons all about the gold rush. Fourth graders will love this historical adventure novel.

The Good Thieves

This mystery novel takes place in Manhattan during the Jazz Age. Follow along as the main character, Vita enacts her plan to save her family’s stolen mansion and expose the villain. It’s filled with lessons about hope, grief, and justice for fourth graders who are learning more about the world every day.

Nim’s Island

In this fantasy adventure novel, Nim, a young girl alone on a tropical island, becomes a hero. Fourth graders will love reading about her adventures with her iguana, a sea lion, and a turtle. It’s an inspiring read that’s sure to foster a love of books in your homeschooler.

     

 

Greystones Secrets Series

Does your homeschooler love to solve mysteries? In this series, your homeschooler will follow clues, solve puzzles, and discover hidden codes to reveal the truth in each mystery thriller. It’s the perfect book series to help your 4th graders develop critical thinking skills and fall in love with reading at the same time.

The Chronicles of Narnia

If you love fantasy, you’ll definitely want to read The Chronicles of Narnia with your fourth grader. These books make great read-aloud books and they work for independent reading too. Follow along with the Pevensies as they discover the magical land of Narnia, Aslan, and adventure in books like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Voyage of the Dawntreader. 

Wish Tree 

Charlie, the main character in Wish, wants a family to call her own. She meets a lovable stray dog instead and discovers that wishes sometimes come true in very unexpected ways.

Wonderland

This is a great book all about friendship and growing up. In this book, two girls from very different worlds collide and learn about one another as they discover that sometimes friendship comes from the most unexpected places.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

The Kincaid siblings have run away from home to The Met! There they spend their days wandering about the paintings, sculptures, and their nights sleeping in antique beds meant for royalty. It’s a tale full of imagination that will bring art history to life in your homeschool.

     

 

Crenshaw

If you read The One and Only Ivan, you’ll want to add Crenshaw to your reading list too. This novel will offer you an opportunity to discuss the immigrant experience with your fourth grader as you go on an unforgettable journey filled with magic, friendship, and resilience.

The Wild Robot Series

What happens when nature and technology mix? That’s what the author and illustrator, Peter Brown, explores in this series. Roz, a thinking and feeling robot, gets stuck on an island and builds relationships with the local animals.

Pax

Pax is a novel about a fox named Pax and his boy, Peter. The story is filled with themes of friendships, surviving loss, discovering the truth, and a journey of self-discovery. It’s a great read for fourth graders.

Frindle

A great story that really helps students dive deep into conflict and the protagonist-antagonist relationship, Frindle is a realistic fiction novel. Your fourth graders will be calling a pen a frindle for the rest of the year!

Ghost

Ghost wants to be the fastest kid at his school, but something is slowing him down. Fourth graders will learn a lot as they follow Ghost while he overcomes prejudice and events from his past. 

     

 

Tales of A Fourth-Grade Nothing

Like Judy Blume’s other novels, Tales of A Fourth-Grade Nothing is hilarious! This book is perfect for kids who might be experiencing some sibling rivalry. It’s a great way to talk about emotions with your kids and explore empathy too.

Weird Little Robots

This book is the perfect read for kids interested in science, especially girls interested in science. In this novel, two science-loving girls create a whole world of robots. Then, they discover their creations are magical when the robots come to life!

The Evolution of Capurnia Tate

Your homeschooler will love exploring the world of Capurnia Tate! From her grandfather’s civil war stories to her relationship with her brothers to the Darwin quotes that begin the chapters, this novel is full of talking points for homeschool families. It’s a great book to explore with your homeschoolers as you learn about science, nature, and evolution this year.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

This beautiful book about the love between a stuffed bunny and his owner goes far beyond classics like The Velveteen Rabbit. In this novel, the main character crosses worlds and overcomes hardship to reunite with the one he truly loves.

A Wolf Called Wander

This gripping novel about survival and family is based on the real story of one wolf’s incredible journey to find a safe place to call home. If your fourth grader is an animal lover this book will definately be a favorite!

Additional Books Lists For Kids

I hope these 20 books your 4th grader will love have given you some ideas for your homeschool reading list this year. These are some of our favorites and there are so many more books to read too! Check out these additional book lists for kids to get more great ideas for your family.

Did you find your favorite fourth-grade book on my list? If not, share your favorites in the comments. I can’t wait to read about your favorites and add a few of them to our reading list this year too!