Year 5 reading list

Ages 9 to 10 · Key Stage 2

Children can stay with a story for weeks. This is a good age for historical novels, myths and books that raise real questions, and for reading the same book as your child.

Loved by many

• Holes by Louis Sachar. A boy sent to dig holes at a camp, with a mystery from the past.
• Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian. A wartime evacuee and a lonely man. It touches on difficult subjects.
• Skellig by David Almond. A boy finds something strange in the garage.
• Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Greek gods in modern America. Fast-moving, and a gateway to the myths.
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Rich language, best shared or read in short stretches.
• Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. A boy stranded on an island with a man who has been there for years.
• Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce. A clock that strikes thirteen and a garden that appears at night.
• The Witches by Roald Dahl. A darker, funny Dahl about spotting real witches.

At home

Read the same book as your child and talk about it on the way to school. It is the easiest book club there is.