Battle of the Books: Grade 4

Ban this book

Gratz, Alan, 1972-

A fourth grader fights back when From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg is challenged by a well-meaning parent and taken off the shelves of her school library. Amy Anne is shy and soft-spoken, but don't mess with her when it comes to her favorite book in the whole world. Amy Anne and her lieutenants wage a battle for the books as they start a secret banned books locker library, make up ridiculous reasons to ban every single book in the library to make a point, and take a stand against censorship.

Date Published:2018

Contenders : two Native baseball players, one World Series

Sorell, Traci,

The true story of John Meyers and Charles Bender, who in 1911 became the first two Native pro baseball players to face off in a World Series. This picture book teaches important lessons about resilience, doing what you love in the face of injustice, and the fight for Native American representation in sports. Charles Bender grew up on the White Earth Reservation in Northwestern Minnesota. John Meyers was raised on the Cahuilla reservation in Southern California. Despite their mutual respect for each other's talents and their shared dedication to Native representation in baseball, the media was determined to pit them against each other. However, they never gave up on their dreams of being pro baseball players and didn’t let the supposed rivalry created by the media or the racism they faced within the stadium stop them. They continued to break barriers and went on to play a combined total of nine championships. With text by Traci Sorell and illustrations by Arigon Starr that brings these two players to life, the stories of John Meyers and Charles Bender remain an inspiration for achieving and maintaining one’s dreams in the face of prejudice.

Date Published:2023

El Deafo

Bell, Cece,

Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here, she’s different. She’s sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends. Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear, she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in the school—in the hallway . . . in the teacher’s lounge . . . in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different . . . and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most: a true friend? El Deafo is a book that will entertain children, give hearing-impaired children a hero of their own, and challenge others to consider an experience unlike their own. Like other great works for children, it provides the opportunity for young readers to consider how they would act or react in a similar situation, helping to build empathy and understanding through the power of story.

Date Published:2014

Frindle

Clements, Andrew, 1949-2019

When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.

Date Published:1998

Frindle

Andrew Clements

A delightful story about a boy who is about the cleverest kid at his school. It takes an extraordinary idea to outsmart his no-nonsense teacher. When he starts calling his pen a frindle, he sits back and watches as the excitement spreads beyond his school and town. But he also learns an important lesson about his teacher. .

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Front desk

Yang, Kelly,

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests. Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed. Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language? It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?

Date Published:2018

Hidden figures : the true story of four Black women and the space race

Shetterly, Margot Lee,

Marantz copy has the original dust jacket. Explores the previously uncelebrated but pivotal contributions of NASA's African American women mathematicians to America's space program, describing how Jim Crow laws segregated them despite their groundbreaking successes. Includes biographies on Dorothy Jackson Vaughan (1910-2008), Mary Winston Jackson (1921-2005), Katherine Colman Goble Johnson (1918- ), Dr. Christine Mann Darden (1942- ).

Date Published:2018

Knucklehead : tall tales & mostly true stories about growing up Scieszka

Scieszka, Jon.

How did Jon Scieszka get so funny, anyway? Growing up as one of six brothers was a good start, but that was just the beginning. Throw in Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, jokes told at family dinner, and the result is Knucklehead . Part memoir, part scrapbook, this hilarious trip down memory lane provides a unique glimpse into the formation of a creative mind and a free spirit. Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book. .

Date Published:2008

The One and Only Ivan

Katherine Applegate

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla, content with his life at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Until the arrival of Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, who makes Ivan see their home and his own art through new eyes. Ivan's transformative emergence comes to life through the gorilla's own distinctive narrative voice, which is filled with wry humor, deep emotion, and thought-provoking insights into the nature of friendship, hope, and humanity.

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The One and Only Ivan

Applegate, Katherine,

When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.

Date Published:2014

Out of my Mind

Draper, Sharon M. (Sharon Mills)

Melody is the smartest girl in school, but nobody knows it. Most people, including her teachers and doctors, believe she is cognitively challenged and have placed her in special ed. If she could only share what she thinks and knows, but Melody cannot speak, walk or write. Readers will be moved by her drive and perseverance.

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