[read lisa scott Posts: 132 Status: Offline middle grade, chapter books, picture books]

Can anyone recommend some favorite MG books with characters in upper elementary school, like 5th grade?  Thanks!

[RebeccaL-G Posts: 1,112 Status: Online RA SCBWI Cen-Cal WWW]

I don't have the books with me to check ages, but I think Frindle
and The Wednesday Wars have characters that age.

[Barbara Etlin Posts: 2,328 Status: Offline WWW]

THE WEDNESDAY WARS is classic middle-grade. The characters are 12, so Grade 7, I think. One of the characters in the class has his Bar Mitzvah, so he's 13. It's also one of my favourite books ever. It won the Newbery Honor. 

I just looked up FRINDLE, and it fits your requirements. The characters are in Grade 5.

[tim-riekena Posts: 17 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

TUCK EVERLASTING is a fun book with a 10 year old girl as the main character. 

[read lisa scott Posts: 132 Status: Offline middle grade, chapter books, picture books]

I loved Wednesday Wars too. And I'll check out Frindle, thanks! Any others with 5th graders?

[literaticat Posts: 447 Status: Offline WWW]

I was thrown by the topic of your post. For what it's worth: FRINDLE and WEDNESDAY WARS are what I'd call "perfect" middle grade -- and MOST middle have characters between 5th and 7th grade. (After all, 8/9-to-12 is the perfect middle grade target demographic!)

"Lower" middle grade means something else: That kind of book that is longer-than-a-chapter-book but might feel too young for a 12 year old. As in, DOLL PEOPLE by Ann M Martin, or THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY.

If you just want recommendations for middle grade starring fifth graders, you might want to change the name of your post for best results! :-)

[read lisa scott Posts: 132 Status: Offline middle grade, chapter books, picture books]

Thanks.  I was asked to revise something from a 11 year old POV to upper elementary and thought that meant lower middle grade. In any event, it's tough to find MG with 5th graders!

[literaticat Posts: 447 Status: Offline WWW]

WONDER by RJ Palacio
OUT OF MY MIND by Sharon Draper
NO TALKING by Andrew Clements
CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT by Linda Urban
SHREDDERMAN by Wendelin Van Draanen
SURVIVING BRICK JOHNSON by Laurie Myers
CHEESIE MACK IS NOT A GENIUS OR ANYTHING by Cotler

... then of course there are LOTS and LOTS of books featuring 10-11 year olds but that are not set in school -- either because it is summer vacation, or because they are fantasy!   

[read lisa scott Posts: 132 Status: Offline middle grade, chapter books, picture books]

Thanks! I just read Umbrella Summer and I'm pretty sure it was the summer after 5th grade for the MC.

[ChristinefromCorona Posts: 817 Status: Offline]

TEN by Lauren Myracle (first of a series; it goes up to 13).

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 5,888 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

Check out the other books by Andrew Clements, author of Frindle, too. Many have main characters in this age range. Some of Judy Blume's books will also fit if I recall correctly. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson, is another great book.

[Natalie Posts: 796 Status: Offline Flying the Dragon, Charlesbridge 2012 WWW]

FRINDLE was one of the first titles that came to my mind, too. I can't remember if the MC is in 5th grade or not, but Zelly in WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU O.J. by Erica S. Perl is 10 years old.

My own MG, FLYING THE DRAGON, has two main characters in 5th grade.

 

[jancoates Posts: 151 Status: Offline Obsession? What obsession? WWW]

Just read NEST (debut novel by Esther Ehrlich) - great book, and I'm pretty sure the memorable main character, Chirp, is in grade five.

[Dianna Winget Posts: 380 Status: Offline I love kids' books! WWW]

My own book, A Smidgen of Sky, as well as the sequel, A Sliver of SUn, feature fifth grader Piper Lee. A large part of SLIVER takes place in a school setting.