Literature Resources for 5th Grade

Explore 12 curated literature learning resources designed for 5th Grade students. Browse curricula, apps, videos, worksheets, and more to find the perfect fit for your learner.

Amos Fortune, Free Man

Newbery Medal biography of an African-born man enslaved in colonial New England who bought his freedom and that of others.

Bud, Not Buddy

Newbery Medal novel following a ten-year-old orphan across Depression-era Michigan in search of the father he thinks he has found.

The Sign of the Beaver

Newbery Honor survival story set in 1768 Maine, in which a settler boy and a Penobscot boy teach each other to live in the wilderness.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

Newbery Medal biography-novel of Nathaniel Bowditch, the self-taught sailor-mathematician who rewrote the book on navigation.

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths

The classic illustrated introduction to the Greek gods, goddesses and heroes — a staple read-aloud in classical homeschool programs.

The Golden Goblet

A Newbery Honor novel set in ancient Egypt, commonly paired with ancient-history studies for grades 5-8.

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The Bronze Bow

Elizabeth George Speare's Newbery Medal novel set in Roman-occupied Galilee, a mainstay of ancient-history literature lists.

The Wanderings of Odysseus: The Story of the Odyssey

Sutcliff's companion volume to Black Ships Before Troy, retelling Homer's Odyssey for middle-grade and early high school readers.

Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad

Rosemary Sutcliff's vivid prose retelling of Homer's Iliad, widely used to introduce middle-grade students to the Trojan War.

Storyland Classics

Free narrated read-alouds of public-domain fairy tales, fables, poems and nursery rhymes, in vintage storybook style with deliberately unhurried pacing.

CommonLit

Free digital library of 2,000+ leveled reading passages for grades 3-12, each with comprehension questions, vocabulary support, and paired texts - a ready-made reading and literacy curriculum from the CommonLit nonprofit.

Elementary Language Arts, Literature, and Humanities Collection

Providing important support to elementary language arts and reading subjects, this collection familiarizes youngsters with the basics of oral and written language while also introducing students in the elementary grades to various genres and text typ...