20 Best Books For Fifth Graders (2023 Update)

I looked into how to start GMing. I've always been a PC, so thinking about being a GM was a bit overwhelming- this set comes with EVERYTHING I need to start out. I've gone from mostly nervous, to mostly excited. And everything in here is an easy read, even if you've never been a PC or are mostly unfamiliar, the starter set is awesome. It's a randomly selected adventure as far as I can tell, but it gives you everything you need to get started and makes it super easy. Highly recommend, it because the only way to get over the nerves and the feeling of needing to plan for EVERY single scenario as a new GM, is to actually just do it! Dive in, get used to improv, and have fun!Kandra A M

I’m a long time gamer, and found this particular product to be an excellent purchase. What it is: This is a starter set. As the name implies, it has everything you need to start playing Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (D&D Next). It includes a manual with the basic game rules, a set of dice, several pre-made characters, and a full adventure. The adventure itself really blew me away. I was expecting one or two simple quests for new players. The adventure included is actually a full campaign that takes players from 1st level up to 5th, containing several dungeons and quests. I ran it for a group and we all loved it. There is a good amount of content in the adventure. Players have a main plot they can follow, but there are multiple paths the players can take to complete it. It is built in a way that as the adventure proceeds, more of the rules are slowly implemented. It is great for any group that is new to Dungeons and Dragons, or any group who is new to the 5th Edition mechanics and would like to ease into them. The adventure even contains several side quests (smaller adventures that are not necessary to the central plot), so there is plenty of content to keep groups going for several sessions. The premade characters contain personal quests that tie them into the story. The art is all really great. There are maps of all major locations that are beautifully done. I thought the dice were of nice quality and was happy to add them to my collection. What it is not: The rule book included in this set teaches the game, but it’s not a complete Players Handbook (another product that greatly expands upon the rules contained in this kit). Character creation is not covered in the included rule book. However, if your players want to create their own characters rather than use the pregenerated ones included, you have options. If you do not want to purchase the Player’s Handbook until you’ve tested the game out, or are gaming on a budget, Wizards of the Coast provides a free rulebook file on their website that provides character creation rules for the 4 classic classes (Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard). The set only includes 1 dice set. It could be tricky or time consuming to run a game with only one set, so I personally suggest having a few more dice to prevent the game from getting bogged down. While all major locations contain maps, minor locations do In conclusion, I found this to be an excellent value. I am a veteran gamer and dungeon master, and felt this product basically sold me on the new 5th edition system and revived my interest in Dungeons and Dragons. Any of its short comings can easily be overcome for free through wizard’s website, or through purchasing the Player’s Handbook (which I recommend because it’s also a Grade-A product). For the listed price, my friend and I got more entertainment out of it than I could have hoped for.Adam

I had been wanting to try D&D for ages, this was an affordable way to dip my toes… Having pre-generated characters has been helpful and DM ing my first session went well too. Lots of tips for DM in the booklet. I did dip into online information to flesh out a few things and print a couple of maps but overall a great way to try the game as player or DM.Dagmar O.

Really, this book is just fantastic. It may be a little boring at the start, but it is really interesting and exciting. I was actually amazed by how breathtaking it was. I would definitely recommend this for people who like adventure, excitement and mystery. This book is up in one of the best books I've ever read. This book is the GOAT of all books.Budah

Originally reviewed on Just Me My Books. The book follows Percy, who ends up vaporising his maths teacher on a trip to a New York museum, and no one seems to notice. When he is expelled from yet another boarding school, his mother treats him to a weekend at the beach, even though it looks like a hurricane is about to descend on them. It's only on the arrival of Percy's friend Grover do they realise something is wrong and that a Minotaur is after Percy. Soon, Percy arrives at Camp Half-Blood and learns that he is a Demigod – half human, half god. After being recognised by his father, one of the three gods who vowed they would not have any more children, Percy finds out he is being blamed for stealing Zeus' master lightning bolt, and so is sent on a quest to retrieve it from the Underworld before the Summer Solstice, in order to prevent war on Mount Olympus. With the help of his Satyr Grove and fellow camper Annabeth, they discover that the gods have more to worry about than Percy being the son of a powerful god, and that Kronos maybe trying to make a comeback.victoria.k

My Appraisal of the book Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Written by Rick Riordan If you were wondering about this book and can't decide if you want to read it, I read it and maybe this will help you decide. This book tells the first story of the Percy Jackson Series. The story is mainly based on Greek mythology but with a modern twist. Read about the marvelous first adventure of main character Percy Jackson (a teen from Manhattan) and his friends as they fight monsters and try to keep peace between the Olympian gods. This story is full of action and adventure and will keep readers wanting more. This story won't let you down, except that there is more in the series, and you haven't read it all. yet. I highly recommend this book. Opinion of the Tome GuyThe Tome Guy

I have always like Kumon workbooks. Big size Arial font with good spacing gives my daughter a stress free feeling. Step by step method with one chapter per day and plenty of spaces for working out. Yep, very happy with my daughter's progress.Linda

There are so many typos in this manual that I'm wondering if it's a copy rather than an original. How can something this well read not have had these corrected by now? Did no-one prof read it? Easily one typo per page. Every (except for headings for some reason) time 'orc' occurs in the manual it's printed as 'ore'. But there are lots and lots of other typos and weird corrupted words. I can nearly always work out what the intent of the sentence was but it's surprising that SO MANY errors made it to print. That said it's a good manual, sturdy hard-back construction. A few things could be explained better but all in all still worth purchasing, unless there is a newer edition or re-print available in which case (assuming the errors have been fixed) I'd recommend getting that edition instead.ablac-8

It's all here for creating characters for the most famous role-playing game. It seems like such a time commitment to play a game like this. Even as a teenager it was hard to find others to commit to playing (just reading the rules is a big commitment!). But for me the books are a beautiful nostalgia trip (I played D&D in the 80s) and fun just to read. Maybe I'll convince people to play with me one of these days!Micah M

This is probably my favorite edition of D&D yet. Gone are 4e's miniature combat focus and the abusability of 3e/3.5e, 5e is a refreshing journey back to 2e sensibilities while also acknowledging the advancements pen and paper RPGs have made over the years. One of the hall marks of this newest system is the notion of bounded accuracy which is this design notion to keep numbers from bloating and instead uses a system of advantage and disadvantage (roll 2d20, taking higher or lower result respectively). This also helps keep the need for a constant stream of magic items to a minimum that tended to plague higher level play in 4e, making the ones you do get really exciting. In an attempt to streamline the rules and breath some simplicity back into the game, this edition is plagued at times by muddled wording. The action economy we've grown used to between 3.5/Pathfinder/4e is more or less still there, but the language around is awkward as the writers seem to be trying to acknowledge it's still there. As with any system, there's a ton of debate over certain ambiguous wording of abilities, feats, spells, etc. but this edition does a great job of reinforcing the role of the DM and letting people play the way they want to play. While the newest edition of D&D is on the pricier side, the book itself is beautiful and you can tell where they can get off on charging a bit more. This is certainly one of the best illustrated rule books I've ever seen.Sir L

Oh my gosh. My husband begged me for this book, of course I'm not going to say no. It benefits us both. After we purchased this book its alllllll he could talk about to any and everyone he saw. The content is like everything extra that comes from the players handbook and the dungeon masters guide. Great purchase!BRITTANI

Xanthars Guide To Everything is just that. An amazing source book especially for a Dungeon Master. New spells, gear, weapons, tables for names when making PCs and NPCs. The book even has notes from Xanthar himself that break the fourth wall as he talks to the reader and his pet fish. Highly recommend to a DM and those who play D&D.brandobec-70

I love 5th Edition. It brings together everyone under one umbrella whether they realize it or not. The only gripe with this book is Wizards of the Coast I felt didn't come full force with the available fighter sub-classes. I like the ones they provided but felt one ore more was missing. That however is only one small facet of the additional content available and overall I consider it a very worthwhile expansion to the lore of 5th edition. People who are tired of Pathfinder, miss the good old days, want to play with or without miniatures, desire a more simplified yet still intriguing experience whether in or out of combat: check this out! The main rulebook is still essential of course.JAY

This is the second copy of this book I have bought. Though our first is well eared, this was a gift for my kids reception teacher. I LOVE this book. My kids love this book. We love all doing the silly voices (because you won't be able to read it in your normal voice. Silly voices are a must!) We lent it to the nursery last year and the teachers loved it as it was a brilliant way of teaching 3-4 year olds the concept of what words are in a book. There is only one problem with the Book With No Pictures. Just one. You will never be able to read it just once with your kids. So if you are sitting down to read it with them be aware. When you finish they will probably ask you to turn back to the beginning and start again.noximas

Reader must read aloud everything printed and that means crazy words and sounds that will delight your young one. There are no pictures but plenty of fun.Polly

The book came with the cover torn. No big deal, I just threw it away since the hard cover looks the same. The reason why I gave it one star is, despite several excellent reviews from friends, it taught my kids the phrase, “boo boo butt”. I don’t like potty words at my house so I’m unimpressed that my 4 and 7 year olds go around yelling this after reading the book. I’ll probably shelf this book and not read it again.JB

I bought this book for my 11yo son during the iso period to keep him busy and apparently, he has read this as part of reading prog in year 4! So he recommended that I've read it and I'm on the last chapter now. It's been decades since I burnt the midnight oil so I'm on the last chapter now before I can watch the giver movie by Meryl Streep! The book talks a community living in a "dome" where it's climate control, memories with held and lives a very structure livelihood akin to communism somehow but with supernatural powers. Reminds me bit of the Truman show by Jim Carey where it's all not true but a virtual world!JT

I read this as required reading in Juniour high and really enjoyed it (I hated reading as a kid)! My daughter is now reading it in Middle school on her own! It is truly a classic that illustrates well how human nature will run its natural course given the opportunity. A somewhat pessimistic battle against good and evil that leaves one thinking about the true nature of human kind, be it evil or good! Can't wait to discuss it with my daughter!damalenurse

Somewhere deep within the chaotic realm of middle school, I remember having first read "Lord of the Flies". It is an apt microcosmic account of the polarization that would take place should society suddenly find itself without law and given over to anarchy. There would be 3 main categories of people: The Ralphs; struggling to provide law and order where there is little hope for it, the Piggies; who would be crushed and overtaken by the strong without the protection of law and order, and the Jacks of the world; who would immediately come into power. Indeed the Jacks of the world are always in power. They are the ruthless, the savage, the borne dictators. Ralph's government was a Republic. Jack's government was a militaristic ruthless and base empire with little to no regard for the individual, with the exception of the individual at the head. There is another type of individual we find in the story who I most relate to–that being the non-participant who stares of into strange other-worlds. The Simons of the world.endersolder

Very good copy of this classic piece of literature. Never having experienced this typical high school required reading, I decided I'd gone long enough without reading it and I needed to be able to finally understand all the references to it one hears time and time again. I enjoyed it but I'm fairly sure I would not have enjoyed it as a teenager as it is literature and I was not enjoying true literature at that age. Humans truly are savages and we can only struggle not to be.kayakscout

My son read these in English class when he was in junior high. He and his fellow students love this Percy Jackson series of books. It was very engaging.iluvamtrak

The covers were not the covers shown in the pictures. They are the newer covers. Unfortunately, my daughter was set on having the original covers like the one shown. Had to return.Michele

I would recommend this box set to anyone, new to the series, young, older, its very satisfying having a hardcover collection and as someone reading Percy Jackson for the first time at 27 its really good, I quite enjoy mythology and thought it was incorporated quite well and wasn't too childish whist being fun and engaging.Caitlin

Spectrum Language Arts is a resource I have used in my classroom for years. I'm so happy to have a new edition of this resource tied to the current state standards. It provides practice in every grammar topic we cover all year long! I love having this as a resource for extra practice, review, and quick/easy assessing. I've used Spectrum resources for years in my classroom, and I know I can depend on them for exactly what I need for Language Arts! There are lesson pages for each topic of instruction with practice for students to complete and review pages after every few lessons so that teachers can easily assess student understanding and retention of material. I highly recommend this Spectrum Language Arts resource and all other Spectrum resources! I participate in the Brand Ambassador Program for Carson Dellosa and have received this product for free to review.Melissa P.

I absolutely LOVE this resource! At the top of each page, it talks about the skill and basically teaches it to the reader. Everything they need for review is at the top of each page.TerriThornton

The best parts of this book: the mystery and riddles/puzzles, it keeps you reading more and wanting more. As a fan of Nash I was glad to see more involvement this book. The development of Jameson was great to see. What I wish could change: what happened to Grayson. The character was confusing throughout the story and personality was all over the place for some reason.LJLee

We love a good book set. Bought this for my children and the love it. They like this series and love the fact they don't have to wait their turn since we got a set.Books-A-Million

This is, top to bottom, one of the best D&D books I've bought. At a basic level the quality of the physical book is higher than what's standard for these sorts of products, especially the paper quality. That might sound like a small thing, but if you live somewhere humid and have watched the pages of other sourcebooks warp you'll know that it really matters. The binding is also strong and I haven't gotten the bulging in the spine that happens with other often-used books like my PHB. I also can't say enough about the art. There's a ton of it and virtually every piece is mindblowingly good. This is helped by the choice to emphasize the range of possibilities presented by the material, so, for instance, the sample Path of the Juggernaut barbarian is a gnome rather than a half-orc or dwarf. It does a lot to make the setting feel distinct. I especially love the depictions of dragon blood characters who look a bit less human (big chonky heads) than is typical for dragborn in other handbooks. Add to that the excellent city maps and fully detached fold-out continent map and the book is worth buying for the illustrations alone. As for the writing and game content, it's amazing. I missed campaign 1 and doubt I'll ever have the time to go back and watch all of it, so I bought this book in part to get a sense for what I've missed. It does not disappoint. The overview of Tal'Dorei was good enough that it replaced the novel I was reading for a few nights and the overview of the afterlives of Vox Machina gave a great sense of what happens to heroes when the adventures are over. Unsurprisingly the world-building is first-class. The world feels real and interconnected but isn't so specific that you couldn't steal tons of this stuff to drop Kraghammer or Emon directly into your own games. Mechanically, there's too much good stuff to cover. All of the new subclasses are well designed and intriguing to me, but what sets them apart is the merging of mechanics and flavor. One problem with many subclasses in the PHB, Xanathar's, etc. is the disconnect between their fluff and mechanics. Not so here. The Path of the Juggernaut barbarian is all about being an unstoppable force moving people around the battlefield, the open sea paladin is all about freedom of movement, etc. There's not much here for min/maxers, but if you want to play evocative and thematic characters, I genuinely haven't seen a better set of subclasses. To sum up, this book is the best sourcebook I've ever bought in terms of physical product, artwork, lore, and mechanics. What more could you ask for?Marion K.

I absolutely love the book, it adds a lot of fun options to the campaigns I DM, and it’s so helpful to have such an expansive world and history. The magic items are exciting and make sessions much more fun for the players, the additional stat blocks make things interesting for the DM, and getting to see the Vox Machina characters and their stat sheets are great for die hard fans. Absolutely recommend for anyone who likes Critical Role, and even those who don’t. (Also, if you have Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, the maps can be overlaid almost perfectly to combine the continents and make for a bigger world for all your players to explore and enjoy.)Angelo P.

I'm still going through the book, but I am quite pleased with its design. As it showcases a whole continent, it is very broad, covering just about every locale. Despite that, the detail it provides is nice; it gives you a rough idea for just about every location, settlement or otherwise. I also appreciate the list of NPCs in the beginning sections as well, and the included monsters are always a boon. Just so I am being transparent to other potential buyers, I primarily bought this book to help with designing my own world. I may use it to actually create my own version of Tal'Dorei later down the road, but the usefulness it has provided for my personal world design has been significant. All that is to say, I cannot speak to some of the player option choices or other Tal'Dorei specific information. The artwork is very nice as well!Nicholas O.

Spectrum Reading is a resource I have used in my classroom for years. I'm so happy to have a new copy of this resource tied to the current state standards. It provides practice in many reading skills/strategies. I love having this as a resource for extra practice, review, and quick/easy assessing. I've used Spectrum resources for years in my classroom, and I know I can depend on them for exactly what I need for reading practice! There are around 75 passages in this book with comprehension and skill practice for students to complete. This is great for teachers so they can easily assess student understanding of a cold read passage and show mastery of skills taught. I highly recommend this Spectrum Reading resource and all other Spectrum resources! I do wish there was an index that was available for teachers to easily find passages that practiced each standard/skill. This would make it easier for teachers to find practice for each skill they are working on quickly without having to look through all the passages. I participate in the Brand Ambassador Program for Carson Dellosa and have received this product for free to review.Melissa P.

Spectrum Reading is a resource I have used in my classroom for years. I'm so happy to have a new copy of this resource tied to the current state standards. It provides practice in many reading skills/strategies. I love having this as a resource for extra practice, review, and quick/easy assessing. I've used Spectrum resources for years in my classroom, and I know I can depend on them for exactly what I need for reading practice! There are around 75 passages in this book with comprehension and skill practice for students to complete. This is great for teachers so they can easily assess student understanding of a cold read passage and show mastery of skills taught. I highly recommend this Spectrum Reading resource and all other Spectrum resources! I do wish there was an index that was available for teachers to easily find passages that practiced each standard/skill. This would make it easier for teachers to find practice for each skill they are working on quickly without having to look through all the passages. I participate in the Brand Ambassador Program for Carson Dellosa and have received this product for free to review.Melissa P.

As a veteran homeschooler I will always include these workbooks for my first through sixth graders. They are so very complete for language arts and mathscott.mommy

This curriculum is very nice. It is just what you need for your homeschooling. You should also get the Test Prep Grade 5 by Flash Kids Harcourt Family learning to use also.velmacarpenter