2025-2026 4th/5th Grade Battle of Books

"Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree" -- people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood. You might say that Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experience as a wishtree is more important than ever"-- Provided...

"There are a few things you should know about Harriet Wermer: She just finished third grade. She has a perfect cat named Matzo Ball. She doesn't always tell the truth. She is very happy to be spending summer vacation away from home and her mom and dad and all the wonderful things she had been planning all year. Okay, maybe that last one isn't entirely the truth. Of course, there's nothing Harriet doesn't like about Marble Island, the small island...

When an ordinary-looking fifth grader purchases a talking toad, she embarks on a series of extraordinary adventures.

Jack is studying poetry again in school, and he continues to write poems reflecting his understanding of famous poems and how they relate to his life.

"When Asim moves to a new town, he must save his new teacher when an evil spirit from Guyanese folklore begins to wreak havoc"-- Provided by publisher.

Lunchbox is an ordinary basset hound until he is abducted by aliens, zapped by a mental enhancer, and sent back to convert Earth's garbage into food--a task that would be easier if he had opposable thumbs, or at least tentacles.

Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site of a new pancake restaurant.

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of....

Greg records his sixth -grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive. But when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship. "Being a kid can really stink. And no one knows this better than Greg Heffley. It's a new school year, and Greg finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings...

In this story told mostly through letters, children's book author, I.B. Grumply, gets more than he bargained for when he rents a quiet place to write for the summer.