Classic Children's books for 4th grade?

[LauraBeth475]

What are the not to be missed reading selections for this age?  I'm thinking Boxcar Children, Charlotte's Web, Narnia and Little House type of books.  

[LauraBeth475]

Forgot Henry Huggins and Ramona.  And Paddington!

Edited May 20, 2021 by LauraBeth475

[Brittany1116]

Stone Fox. The Big Wave. Homer Price.

[Lori D.]

Favorites here for 4th grade:
- In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson (Lord)
- Naya Nuki: The Shoshone Girl Who Ran (Thomasma)
- Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman (Sterling)
- Trumpet of the Swan (White)
- By the Great Horn Spoon (Fleischman)
- Ben and Me; Mr. Revere and I (Lawson)
- Kildee House (Montgomery)
- Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds (Reit)
- Because of Winn Dixie (di Camillo)
- The School Story (Clements)
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series (MacDonald)
- The Ordinary Princess (Kaye)
- One Hundred and One Dalmatians (Smith) -- much better than the harsh/intense Disney-fied movie adaptations
- The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines, Miss Biance in the Orient (Sharp) -- these are lovely, well-written, humorous -- and also much better than the harsh/intense Disney-fied movie adaptations

And, some gentle girl protagonist books for that age:
- Emily's Runaway Imagination (Cleary)
- Understood Betsy (Canfield)
- books by Elizabeth Enright
- Caddie Woodlawn (Brink)
- The Birchbark House (Erdrich)
- Twig (Jones)
- Baby Island (Brink)
- Two Are Better Than One (Brink)
- All of a Kind Family (Taylor)
- Bayou Magic (Rhodes)
- The Mighty Miss Malone (Curtis)
- The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (Yan Glaser)
- Front Desk (Yang)
- The Year of the Dog (Lin) -- and others in the Pacy Lin series
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Lin)
- The Dragon of Lonely Island series (Rupp)


ETA:
Note about previous suggestions: 
- Stone Fox -- dog drops dead just inches from completing the sled dog race -- did NOT SEE THAT COMING 😱😭
- The Big Wave -- boy's family is drowned/washed away in a tsunami -- unexpected! -- so he joins his friend's family and struggles with grief 😪

Edited May 20, 2021 by Lori D.

[Rachel]

We recently read Homer Price again, we all laugh just as hard at repeated readings. 

I’d like to 2nd @Lori D.’s list. Also, we are big fans of the Vanderbeekers in my house. The books appeal to boys and girls. 
 

I always like to check Memoria Press, Ambleside, and Read Aloud Revival for ideas. 

[Carol in Cal.]

The Matchlock Gun

Ben and Me

Half Magic (and sequels)

I read Little Women at that age, but it was a slog.  Also David Copperfield, which I hated so much that I wouldn’t read any more Dickens for years.

Number the Stars, although it does have some scary bits.  In Place of Katie, ditto.  These are two of my favorite books for the middle grades.  The other being The Diamond In The Window, but it’s more for 5-6th grade.

[LauraBeth475]

I have decided that fourth grade reading is just going to be a big basket of excellent books to read for 30 min every day.  #easybutton

[Carol in Cal.]

17 minutes ago, LauraBeth475 said:

I have decided that fourth grade reading is just going to be a big basket of excellent books to read for 30 min every day.  #easybutton

Secret trick:  I told DD that she had to go to bed on time, but could stay up reading in bed as long as she wanted.  (No electronics.  Just books.). That was a popular and effective decision.