Books to read in Year 5

[postitnot]

I've been told that my daughter could do with reading books that 'challenge' her to improve her vocabulary. I've tried to get her to read 'Ballet Shoes' but she thinks that's too dull.
Anyone have any suggestions? She usually likes Jacqueline Wilson, or adventure stories, or Ladies Detective Agency. Fun, but no good for vocabulary!
Thanks!

Amazon now sort books by age

Have a look on their list

100 books

Link here to lists by year group. There is a Yr 5/6 one. You might not agree with them all (I don’t! ) but it’s a really good resource for dc to look at themselves and see if there is anything they like the look of that hasn’t been covered in school

Thanks! The 100 book list is a great place to start, a good mix there!

How about Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart books? Strong female character, rip-roaring action/detective stories, and very rich language. There are a couple of slightly adult/scary ideas in them, so you might want to check them out first (but they're a much more accessible read than the Dark Materials books, and I think would be OK for a mature Year 5).

Eva Ibbotson's fantasy books
Demon Headmaster (possibly a little easy)
Tilly and the Book Wanderers
No Ballet Shoes in Syria
The BookShop Girl
Hilary McKay's series about the artistic family, e.g. Saffy's Angel are excellent and feel more old school in tone whilst still being fast paced.
Mallory Towers and St Clare's
The classics tend to have more complicated vocabulary, compared to Anne Fine , JW, Harry Potter etc. So maybe Little Women, Anne of Green Gables etc. However they do tend to take longer to get going and be a bit more descriptive than modern books.

Louis Sachar
Philip Pullman recs above
Katherine Rundell
Robin Stevens
Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson novels

All stretch children in some way while being very enjoyable.

F

Goodnight Mr Tom
Tom's Midnight Garden

Jessica Townsend
Sophie Anderson
Julie Pike
Piers Torday
Juliet Forrest
Robin Stevens
Maz Evans

I'm sure I can think of more but that's a few to be getting on with.

Oh don't forget Vashti Hardy, Abi Elphinstone or Katherine Rundell.

DS is in Year 5 & has enjoyed the following:

Harry Potter
Percy Jackson
The Mystery of.... by Helen Moss - These are similar to Secret Seven but up to date & really good little adventure stories set in Cornwall.

My son and I read loads and loads of Michael morpurgo books together when he was in y5 - we both love them. Also, Goodnight Mr Tom, Street Child and a slightly edited (me reading aloud) version of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

There are quite a few more challenging titles on this Year 5 book list from the School Reading List. Their site has lists for every year group - and genre lists too - so there's lots to choose from.

My Year 5 daughter absolutely loved the ‘A series of unfortunate events’ series