Dear Incoming 5th Grade Families,
Did you know that many students can lose some reading progress over the summer months? The great news is that we can help prevent this simply by keeping our children connected to books! By reading regularly, they’ll continue to grow and stay on track academically.
This summer, your child will embark on an exciting reading journey Attached, you'll find all the details about our summer reading expectations. Our main goal is to nurture a lifelong love of reading, one page, one chapter, one book at a time.
Please note that Accelerated Reader (AR) quizzes cannot be taken over the summer break. However, students will be able to take AR tests during the first week back to school. While these points won't apply to the first nine-week goal, they will count toward their overall total for the 2026–2027 school year
Wishing you a summer full of sunshine, imagination, and wonderful stories! Don’t forget to read at least 20 minutes each day, and I can’t wait to hear all about the books you’ve explored when we return.
Warmly,
Brooke Newell & Jessica Meade
Principals, Foundation Academy
Welcome to the Exciting World of Summer Reading!
We’re so glad you’re here! This summer, we hope you’ll dive into adventures, make discoveries, and fall in love with reading. To help you make the most of your break, we’ve created some fun and meaningful summer reading activities for students entering Grade 5.
Summer
Reading Requirements
1. Reading Log (Required for All Students)
● Keep a reading log to track the books you read this summer
● Include:
○ Book title
○ Author’s name
○ Start and/ or finish dates
● Aim to read at least 5 books over the summer break
2. Book Report (Required - Classwork Grade)
● Choose one book from your summer reading list to complete a book report.
● The book should be at your reading level and finished by the end of the summer
● Use the Book Report template provided for your grade level.
○ The book report includes 4 different worksheets. Pick 2 worksheets to complete for the report.
● Due Friday, August 14th.
3. Summer Reading Challenge (Optional - Earn a Reward!)
Join the fun by participating in our Summer Reading Challenge! Choose one or more of the activities below:
● Write a letter to the main character telling them what you liked about their story
● Design a new book cover for a book you enjoyed.
● Make a bookmark that includes 5 details from the book.
Summer Reading Lists for Book Report
Grade 5 – Choose one required book:
● Amelia Six - Kristin L. Gray
● Charlie & Frog - Karen Kane
● The Disaster Days - Rebecca Behrens
● A Field Guide to Getting Lost - Joy McCullough
● Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson
● Following Baxter - Barbara Kerley
● Roll With It - Jamie Sumner
● Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom - Matthew Swanson
● Distress Signal - Mary E. Lambert
● J.D. and the Great Barber Battle - J. Dillard
● Julieta and the Diamond Enigma - Luisana Duarte Armendáriz
● Leonard (My Life as a Cat) - Carlie Sorosiak
● The Million Dollar Race - Matthew Ross Smith
● Adam of the Road - Elizabeth Janet Gray
● Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
● Tom’s Midnight Garden - Philippa Pearce
● A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett
● Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Grace Lin
● Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine
● The Swiss Family Robinson - Johann David Wyss
● The Children’s Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Fall of TroyPadraic Colum
We hope you encourage your children to immerse themselves in good books over the summer! We present this list to you as a guide, but please feel free to offer your children other books appropriate to their reading level. Happy reading, we can’t wait to hear about your adventures when school starts!