This document is a letter from the Fulton County School System English/Language Arts and Media Services Departments about the summer reading list for 4th to 5th grade students. It explains that the summer reading list contains a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction books at different Lexile levels to match students' interests. It notes that Lexile levels indicate vocabulary difficulty and sentence complexity but not necessarily maturity of content. The letter encourages parents to be involved in helping their children select age-appropriate books and stresses that short descriptions are provided to aid selection.

1. Dear Students and Parents,
The Fulton County School System strongly believes in developing readers who
read both for information and for pleasure. Books on the Summer Reading List
vary in subject matter and level of difficulty. Our intent is to provide students and
their parents with a wide range of authors and styles of writing in both fiction and
non-fiction, and to allow students to select reading materials that match their
interests.
Lexile levels are indicated for most books, and they address vocabulary and
sentence structure. When vocabulary is repeated often and sentences are more
simply written, a text has a lower Lexile scores. Texts with less frequently-used
vocabulary and with complex sentence structures have higher Lexile scores.
However, Lexile levels do not address subject matter. While a text may have a
lower Lexile number, the contents could be more mature. Parents should be
actively involved in assisting with their children’s reading choices. The short
descriptions with each book title should assist you in your selections.
Enjoy your summer reading.
Fulton County Schools English/Language Arts Department
Fulton County Schools Media Services Department

2. 4th to 5th Grade Fiction Chapter Book
Barnett, Mac Brixton Brothers: It happened on a train (2011) Lexile 620
Seventh-grader Steve Brixton finds himself pulled back into sleuthing when, during a train trip down the
California coast, he uncovers a mystery involving a fleet of priceless automobiles, an assassin, and a private car.
Birdsall, Jean The Penderwicks at Point Mouette (2011) Lexile 940
Rosalind heads to the beach when summer arrives, and the rest of the Penderwick girls go to a cozy cottage in
Maine with Aunt Claire, leaving Skye feeling slightly overwhelmed with her new role as the oldest available
Penderwick.
Gantos, Jack Dead End in Norvelt (2011) Lexile 920
In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962
grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore
involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from
history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.
Lai, Thanhha Inside Out and Back Again (2011) Lexile 800
Through a series of poems, a young girl chronicles the life-changing year of 1975, when she, her mother, and
her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama.
Nolen, Jerdine Eliza’s Freedom Road: An Underground Railroad Diary (2011)
Lexile 670
A twelve-year-old slave girl begins writing in a journal where she documents her journey via the Underground
Railroad from Alexandria, VA to freedom in St. Catherines, Canada.
Patron, Susan Lucky for Good (2011) Lexile 980
Eleven-year-old Lucky feels like the universe is conspiring against her as she faces troubles with her father, the
health inspector, her school principal, and middle school boys.
Peck, Richard Secrets at Sea (2011) Lexile 600
In 1887, the social-climbing Cranstons voyage from New York to London, where they hope to find a husband
for their awkward older daughter, secretly accompanied by Helena and her mouse siblings, for whom the
journey is both terrifying and wondrous as they meet an array of titled humans despite their best efforts at
remaining hidden.
Pinkney, Andrea Davis Bird in a Box (2011) Lexile 670
In 1936, three children meet at the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans in New York State, and while not all three
are orphans, they are all dealing with grief and loss which together, along with the help of a sympathetic staff
member and the boxing matches of Joe Louis, they manage to overcome. Includes author’s notes.
Selznick, Brian Wonderstruck (2011) Lexile 830
Relates the stories of Twelve-year-old Bed, who loses his mother and his hearing in a short time frame and
decides to leave his home in 1977 to seek the father he has never known in New York City: and Rose, who lives
with her father but feels compelled to search for what is missing in her life. Ben’s story is told in words; Rose’s
in pictures.
Yelchin, Eugene Breaking Stalin’s Nose (2011) Lexile 670
In the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, ten-year-old Sasha idolizes his father, a devoted communist, but when
police take his father away and leave Sasha homeless, he is forced to examine his own perceptions, values, and
beliefs.

3. 4th to 5th Grade Non-Fiction
Davies, Nicola Talk, Talk, Squawk (2011) Lexile N/A
Explores ways in which animals communicate with each other using colors, patterns, smells, movements,
vibrations, sounds and electricity for a variety of messages.
Evans, Shane Underground (2011) Lexile N/A
Follow a family’s journey toward freedom as they travel along the Underground Railroad.
Gramling, Gary 1st and 10: Top 10 List of Everything in Football (2011) Lexile N/A
Presents top ten lists covering various topics in football, including touchdown leaders, fastest players, football
families, rivalries, nicknames, and more.
How Cool is this? (2011) Lexile N/A
Explains the scientific ideas and discoveries behind some of the world’s coolest inventions and natural wonders.
Hurley, Michael The World’s Greatest Olympians (2012) Lexile 960
Photographs and text profile Olympians from around the world, describing the accomplishments of Jesse
Owens, Fanny Blankers-Koen, Abebe Bikila, Carl Lewis, Cathy Freeman, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, and
others.
Jurmain, Suzanne The Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the true story of an
American Feud (2011) Lexile 920
Describes how their different political views caused friends Thomas Jefferson and John Adams to become
rivals, until they learned to set aside their differences for the sake of their friendship.
Levy, Joel Phobiapedia (2011) Lexile N/A
An encyclopedia with information on some of the things people are afraid of, listing everything from the most
common to the most bizarre phobias.
O’Connell, Caitlin The Elephant Scientist (2011) Lexile N/A
Caitlin O’Connell recognized the behavior from her studies of insects. Was it possible that elephants “were
talking and listening with their feet?”
Say, Allen Drawing from Memory (2011) Lexile 560
Caldecott medalist Allen Say chronicles his experiences as an artist during World War II, and describes his
relationship with his mentor Noro Shinpei, Japan’s leading cartoonist.
Tonatiuh, Duncan Diego Rivera: his world and ours (2011) Lexile N/A
Provides and overview of the life of Diego Rivera, discusses his work, and prompts readers to imagine what he
would paint in contemporary times.
4th 5th Grade Share Out Loud Together
McKissack, Pat Never Forgotten (2011) Lexile N/A
A lyrical story-in-verse that details the experiences of an African Boy who was kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Nelson, Kadir Heart and Soul : The story of America and African Americans (2011) Lexile 1050
Examines the history of the United States, focusing on events that influenced African-Americans and how they
advanced liberty and justice in America.
Silverstein, Shel Every Thing On It: Poems and Drawings (2011) Lexile N/A A new poetry book chock
full of unpublished poems and artwork by the beloved Silverstein joins the ranks of the "New York Times"-
bestselling poetry collections "Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic," and "Falling Up."
Uhlberg, Myron A Storm Called Katrina (2011) Lexile 480
When flood waters submerge their New Orleans neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a young
cornet player and his parents evacuate their home and struggle to survive and stay together.
Walker, Sally Freedom Song : The story of Henry “Box” Brown (2012) Lexile N/A
Henry Brown copes with slavery by singing, but after his wife and children are sold away he is left with only
his freedom song, which gives him strength when friends put him in a box and mail him to a free state.