2012 Grade 4 Summer Reading

2012 Grade 4 Summer Readingfor students entering grade 4

HKIS Upper Primary

K= available on Kindle


HKIS Upper Primary



HKIS Upper Primary



HKIS Upper Primary


Agell, Charlotte. The Accidental Adventures of India McAllister. Henry Holt & Co., 2010. India, an unusual nine-year-old living in small-town, has a series of adventures which bring her closer to her artist-mother, strengthen her friendship with a neighbor boy, and help her to accept the man for whom her father moved away.

Angleberger, Tom. Darth Paper Strikes Back: an Origami Yoda Book. Amulet Books, 2011. After several Origami Yoda-related incidences, Dwight is suspended for being a troublemaker and Yoda asks Tommy and Kellen to save Dwight

Arnosky, Jim. Thunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators.Sterling, 2011. Arnosky describes and illustrates the qualities of magnificent raptors. Distinctive acrylic and chalk paintings depict birds gazing at readers from their natural environments.

Benton, Jim. The Frandidate. Simon & Schuster, 2008. Determined to be elected class president, mad scientist Franny K. Stein uses her Atomic Combiner to create a suit that makes her seem to be whatever a voter wants her to be, but the suit has plans of its own. Series

Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks at Point Mouette. Alfred Knopf, 2011. Rosalind heads to the beach when summer arrives, and the rest of the Penderwick girls go to a cozy cottage in Maine with Aunt Claire, leaving Skye feeling slightly overwhelmed with her new role as the oldest available Penderwick. Series K

Boelts, Maribeth. The PS Brothers. Harcourt, 2010. Sixth-graders Russell and Shawn, poor and picked on, work together scooping dog droppings to earn money for a Rottweiler puppy to protect them from bullies, but when they learn the puppies' owner is running an illegal dog-fighting ring, they are torn about how to respond.

Brown, Don. A Wizard From the Start: The Incredible Boyhood and Amazing Inventions of Thomas Edison. Houghton Mifflin, 2010. This picture book shows that young Thomas Edison was a hard worker who was curious about everything, read a lot of books, studied diligently for years, and was passionate about inventing.

Clements, Andrew. A Million Dots. Simon & Schuster, 2006. Illustrations and fun facts demonstrate what one million dots look like.

Freeman, Martha. The Case of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Dog. Holiday House, 2010. Seven-year-old Tessa and ten-year-old Cameron daughters of the first female president, and owners of a very rambunctious dog, play detective when a baton belonging to the director of the Marine Band goes missing at the White House. Series

Friedman, Laurie. Mallory’s Guide to Boys, Brothers, Dads & Dogs. Darby Creek, 2011. Ten-year-old Mallory's crush on J.T., a boy in her older brother's class, gets her in trouble with her teacher, her family, and her friends but no matter what she does, J.T. does not seem interested in her. K

Griffiths, Andy. Killer Koalas from Outer Space. MacMillan, 2010. A collection of silly stories by Andy Griffiths, including selections featuring zombie kittens, rocket stealing ants, and killer koalas. Series

Hatke, Ben. Zita the Spacegirl. First Second, 2010. Zita rushes to the rescue after her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, and, before long, finds herself hailed as an intergalactic hero.

Henkes, Kevin. Junonia. Greenwillow Books, 2011. Alice knows just how her vacation on Sanibel Island should be: the same as the previous nine, except that this year she hopes to find a rare junonia shell. Alice's tenth birthday, however, brings unexpected changes.

Holm, Jennifer. Squish, Super Amoeba. Random House, 2011. The young amoeba Squish, inspired by his favorite comic book hero, Super Amoeba, tries to navigate his way through school and save his friends and the world from the evils that lurk in the halls. Series

Jenkins, Emily. Toy Dance Party. Schwartz & Wade, 2008. Six stories relate further adventures of three best friends, who happen to be toys, as they encounter a fearsome--possible--shark, enjoy a dance party, and deal with rejection by The Girl, who is growing up. Series

Lawrence, Lee. Super Little Giant Book of Magic Tricks. Sterling Publishing, 2007. Contains directions for performing forty magic tricks using string, rope, handkerchiefs, paper, coins, and more; and includes a brief history of magic and tips on preparations and performance.

Lewis, Gill. Wild Wings. Atheneum Books, 2011. Callum becomes friends with Iona, a practically feral classmate who has discovered an osprey, thought to be gone from Scotland, on Callum's family farm, and they eventually share the secret with others, including Jeneba who encounters the same bird at her home in Gambia. K

Lindgren, Astrid. Pippi Longstocking. Viking, 2007. Escapades of a lucky little girl who lives with a horse and a monkey--but without any parents--at the edge of a Swedish village. This newer version with illustrations by Lauren Child is super fun!

Look, Lenore. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Dead Bodies, Funerals and Other Fatal Circumstances. Schwartz & Wade, 2011. A fearful second grader in Concord, Massachusetts, learns about death when his grandfather's best friend passes away and he offers to accompany his grandfather to the funeral. Series K

MacLachlan, Patricia. Kindred Souls. Katherine Tegen Books, 2012. Ten year-old Jake shares a special bond with his grandfather, Billy, but when Billy asks Jake to build him a sod house, Jake is not sure he wants to do it.

McCall Smith, Alexander. The Great Cake Mystery. Anchor Books, 2012. Before becoming the first female private investigator in Botswana, eight-year-old Precious Ramotswe tracks down a thief who has been stealing her classmates' snacks. K

McDonnell, Patrick. Me...Jane. Little, Brown, 2011. Watching birds and squirrels in her yard, a young girl discovers the joy and wonder of nature. A glimpse of the childhood of renowned primatologist Jane Goodall. (2012 Caldecott Honor Book)

Nesbo, Jo. Who Cut the Cheese? Aladdin, 2012. New adventures await Doctor Proctor, Lisa, and Nilly as they try to protect Oslo, Norway, from invading aliens, enormous snakes in the sewers, seven-legged Peruvian sucking spiders, and sinister waffle irons. K

Peirce, Lincoln. Big Nate on a Roll. Harper, 2011. Middle-schooler Nate Wright must compete with a new rival, the "perfect" Artur, for the grand prize of a customized skateboard in their scout troop contest.

Rascka, Bob. Lemonade, and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word. Roaring Brook Press, 2011.Think of a word, then compose a poem using only the letters in that word. Amusing challenges for poet and reader alike. Great fun for budding poets.

Riordan, Rick. Vespers Rising. Scholastic, 2011. Amy and Dan Cahill were never warned about the Vespers, powerful enemies, but when they rise from the shadows to seek out the Clues, the Cahills learn more about the legacy left to them by their grandmother, Grace. Series K

Rocklin, Joanne. One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street. Amulet Books, 2012. The last remaining orange tree on a Southern California street brings together neighbors of all ages as they face their problems and anxieties, including the possibility that a mysterious stranger is a threat to their tree.K

Riddell, Chris. Ottoline Goes to School. MacMillan Children’s Books, 2008. Ottoline and Mr. Munroe, her very helpful dog, enroll in the Alice B. Smith School for the Differently Gifted and while Ottoline worries that she may not have a special gift, Mr. Munro worries about the ghost that is said to haunt the school at night.Series

Simon, Coco. Emma On Thin Icing. Simon Spotlight, 2011. The girls in the Cupcake Club are ecstatic when Mia asks them to be junior bridesmaids in her mother's wedding, but while trying to pay for the dress without the help of her parents, Emma must balance babysitting her brother, a dog-walking business, flute practice, and baking for the Cupcake Club. Series K

Spires, Ashley. Binky Under Pressure. Kids Can Press, 2011. Binky, a house cat that believes he is a space cat, is dismayed when Gracie, a too-perfect foster cat, comes to live at his space station, and decides to investigate to learn the truth about this unwelcome guest.Series

Tak, Bibi Dumon. Soldier Bear. Eerdman’s Books, 2011. An orphaned Syrian brown bear cub is adopted by Polish soldiers during World War II and serves for five years as their mischievous mascot in Iran and Italy. Based on a true story. K

Urban, Linda. Hound Dog True. Harcourt, 2011. Mattie, a shy fifth grader, wants to hide out at her new school by acting as apprentice to her Uncle Potluck, the custodian, but her plan falls apart when she summons the courage to speak about what matters most and finds a true friend. K

Winter, Jeanette. The Watcher. Schwartz & Wade, 2011. An illustrated biography of British primatologist Jane Goodall, describing her childhood, the years she spent in the African forests to observe chimpanzees, and her efforts to protect and preserve primates and their habitats. K

Woodward, John. This Book Made Me Do It: Cool Things to Make, Do, and Explore. DK, 2010. Provides step-by-step illustrated instructions for a variety of projects for doing tricks, making food and crafts, investigating the world, and surviving in nature.

Vail, Rachel. Justin Case. Justin is very nervous about starting third grade and must make the best of things when he does not get the teacher he wanted, his best friend is in another class, and his favorite stuffed animal disappears. Series K

Voight, Cynthia. Young Fredle. Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. Exiled from his home in the pantry, Fredle, a mouse with a sweet tooth and unusual curiosity, discovers the wonders and dangers of the outside world. He learns to question the rules and returns home a changed mouse. K

Watts, Frances. The Middle Sheep. Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, 2008. Maud feels gloomy about being a "middle sheep," and decides that as Extraordinary Ernie's sidekick, she deserves a sidekick too, which makes Ernie, an only child, feel left out, which leads to bickering between the two of them. Series

Weeks, Sarah. Pie. Scholastic Press, 2011. Alice's Aunt Polly passes away and entrusts the recipe for her world-famous pie crust to her cat, which she leaves in Alice's care, and as everyone, including Alice, tries to discover the secret ingredients, Alice learns some important lessons about faith, love, and family.K

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2012 Grade 4 Summer Reading