High school books about animals are a bit hit and miss for me. I like stories of humans doing human things. but I know some kids who love animal stories. they like to think they can get into the minds of animals, and it must feel good to try to understand how your animal feels about all the things you do for them. I compiled a list of some of the best middle grade books on animals, some of which I have read and enjoyed. I also worked to include some highly rated fantasy selections, although I’m not a fan of the genre myself.
I have chosen books where animals are the main characters, not just books where animals appear. most of these stories are narrated from the perspective of the animals. so if that’s your jam, you’ll love this list. In this list you will find middle grade books about dogs, cats, mice, foxes, birds and some other interesting animals. If you want a list of dog books (about dogs and their owners), here are 31 of the best. let’s get started.
You are reading: Animal books for 5th graders
middle grade books about animals
pax
Published: April 2, 2019
pax was just a kit when his family was killed, and “his boy” peter rescued him from abandonment and certain death. now the war front is drawing near, and when peter’s father enlists, peter has to move in with his grandfather. far worse than being forced to leave home is the fact that pax cannot leave. Peter listens to his stern father, as he often does, and throws Pax’s favorite toy soldier into the woods. when the fox runs to retrieve it, peter and his dad go back to the car and leave him there, alone. But before Peter spends even one night under his grandfather’s roof, his regret and duty spur him into action; he packs up for a hike to retrieve his best friend and sneaks into the night. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their independent struggles to get back at each other against all odds. Told from the alternate points of view of Peter and Pax.
crenshaw
Published: September 26, 2017
In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers a magical and unforgettable story of family, friendship, and resilience. jackson and her family have been through tough times. there is no money for rent. and not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister and his dog may have to live in their minivan. again. crenshaw is a cat. he is big, he is frank and he is imaginary. He has come back into Jackson’s life to help him. But is one imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?
rebellious creatures
Published: January 18, 2022
Twelve-year-old Gabe no longer knows where he belongs. his family is caught up in their own lives and his friends hardly have time for him now that they are stars on the football team. In a desperate plea for attention to impress his friends after school, Gabe sets off fireworks in the woods near his house, starting a small forest fire that destroys several acres of land.
In the chaos of destruction, a coyote named rill, tired of her family and eager for adventure, finds herself far from home. Already under animal control surveillance for wandering into a backyard and biting a child, Rill crawls into a cave, where she tends to her wounds on her own. Gabe and Rill’s paths irrevocably cross when Gabe is tasked with clearing the forest through the court’s restorative justice program. . the damage to the earth and the life of both is beyond what the two can imagine. But together they discover that sometimes it just takes a friend to find where you belong.
the only ivan
Published: January 6, 2015
ivan is a calm gorilla. living at exit 8 of the large shopping mall and arcade, he has become accustomed to being watched by humans through the glass walls of his domain. he rarely misses his life in the jungle. in fact, he almost never thinks about it. instead, ivan thinks about the tv shows he has watched and his friends stella, an elderly elephant, and bob, a stray dog. But above all, Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the flavor of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see his home — and his own art — through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
leonard (my life as a cat)
Published: April 13, 2021
the cat that olive rescues from a flood has a secret: it’s not really a cat, but an alien that crashed to earth in a beam of light. The cat, whom Olive calls Leonard, was prepared to visit the planet as a human, but something went wrong. Now Leonard may never know what it’s like to hold an umbrella, go bowling, or host a dinner party. (and his human jokes still need some work: knock knock. who’s there? only leonard. it’s me).
while olive worries about whether she’ll have to move after her mom and her new boyfriend get back from their summer vacation, leonard tries to figure out how to get from south carolina to yellowstone national park, because if he’s not there in the end of the month, you will miss your trip home. But when Olive teaches Leonard about the beautiful and confusing world of humans, he begins to realize how much this one in particular matters to him. a sweet and dryly funny story about what it means to be human and what it means to be home.
otto p. nude
otto p. nudd: the best bird in the valley of ida (at least according to him). while his friends spend the day in the dump telling jokes, otto invents things with his human neighbor, old bartleby, in his workshop.
marla: the competition. This protective mama squirrel will steal otto’s snacks from under her beak if it means another meal for her babies!
pippa: the girl who loves birds in the valley of ida, and otto above all. But when Bartleby’s latest gadget puts him in danger, the entire neighborhood, kids and critters alike, must join forces to save their oldest friend!
Author Emily Butler delivers a timeless friendship story about a cheeky crow, a cunning squirrel, and the neighborhood that brings them together.
the only bob
Published: May 5, 2020
Bob embarks on a dangerous journey in search of his missing sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby. As a hurricane approaches and time runs out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family.
bob, ivan and ruby have touched the hearts of millions of readers and their story is not over yet. Catch up with these dear friends before the star-studded film adaptation of the one and only Ivan hits theaters in August 2020.
clarice the brave
Published: October 12, 2021
She and her brother, charles sebastian, were taught to be careful, as all mice are, but caution is no match for the sea, which took their mother, and it is certainly no match for the special lady, the horrible cat that ate his sister. now the brothers hide in their pantry box, knowing that every move they make could be their last. When a shocking mutiny forces Clarice onto a small, leaky boat with a special lady and a dozen hungry sailors in deadly boots, Charles Sebastian stays on the ship to fend off the mutineers, a flock of angry chickens, and a prisoner. curious human: a mouse. worst enemy. Being careful may have saved them in the past, but now Clarice and Charles Sebastian will need to get bold if they are to survive. . . and fulfill his promise to meet again.
maximilian fly
Published: June 11, 2019
The story of Maximillian Fly, a cockroach-like human whose quiet life is turned upside down when he helps two human children escape an oppressive ruling power. maximillian fly does not want problems. however, because he is six foot two, with beautiful indigo wings, long antennae, and more arms than you or me, he is feared by many. it is a gentle creature that looks like a giant cockroach. this extraordinary human wants to prove his kindness, so he opens his door to two silver seed children looking for a place to hide. Instantly, Maximillian’s quiet and lonely life changes. there are dangerous powers behind them and they have eyes everywhere. but in this gray city of hope trapped under the orb, is it possible to escape?
a wolf called wanderer
See Also: Little Golden Books through the decades – Penguin Books New Zealand
Published: May 07, 2019
This gripping novel of survival and family is based on the true story of one wolf’s incredible journey to find a safe place to call home. Illustrated throughout, this compelling tale from award-winning author Rosanne Parry is for fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax and Katherine Applegate’s one-of-a-kind Ivan.
swift, a young wolf pup, lives with his pack in the mountains learning to hunt, competing with his brothers and sisters for the pecking order, and raising a new litter of pups. then a rival pack attacks, and swift and his family scatter.
alone and scared, swift must run away and find a new home. His journey takes him an extraordinary thousand miles across the Pacific Northwest. The journey is full of danger and Swift encounters forest fires, hunters, highways and hunger before finding her new home.
elvis and the current world
Published: August 24, 2021
Most shelter animals dream of coming home to a forever family. but for elvis, being chosen by mrs. Pemberton is a nightmare. he has been separated from her sister, etta, and is determined to return to the shelter to find her. Despite himself, Elvis is curious about ten-year-old Georgina Pemberton, who builds Lego skyscrapers in her bedroom while navigating her parents’ separation. The longer he is in his new home, the more he begins to recognize new feelings: admiration for Georgina’s creations, affection for the other pets, and even empathy for the Pembertons, despite his inability to listen.
as georgina sets out to build her most important skyscrapers yet, the twin towers, elvis realizes that perhaps both humans and animals can take a page from georgina’s great book on american architecture and “build a world of their own choosing”, even if the choices are not what they initially expected.
I, cosmo
Published: December 24, 2019
ever since cosmo became max’s big brother ten years ago, he’s known his job: to protect his son and make him happy. Through many good years marked by tennis balls and stolen turkey, torn toilet paper and fragrant goose poop, Cosmo has stubbornly kept his promise. Until recently, his biggest problems were the evil tutu-wearing sheepdog he met at Halloween and arthritis in his own joints. But now, with daddy-scented blankets showing up on the couch and arguing voices growing louder, Cosmo senses a tougher challenge ahead. When Max comes up with the crazy idea of teaching them both a dance routine for a contest, how can Cosmo say no, hips tight or not? Max wants to remind his family of all the good times they’ve had dancing together and make them forget about the “d” word that makes them all cry. Told in the open, optimistic, and unintentionally humorous voice of a golden retriever, i, cosmo will grab readers from page one, reminding them that love and loyalty transcend anything life throws at you.
coo
Published: March 3, 2020
Ten years ago, the impossible happened: a flock of pigeons picked up a human baby girl who had been abandoned on a vacant lot and carried her, wrapped in blankets, up to their roof. coo has lived her whole life on the roof with the pigeons that saved her. she’s the only home she’s ever known. but then a hawk nearly kills burr, the pigeon he loves the most, leaving him seriously injured. Coo must make a perilous journey to the ground for the first time to find Tully, a retired postal worker who occasionally feeds Coo’s flock and can heal injured birds. Tully repairs Burr’s broken wing and brings Coo out of life isolated from him. living with tully, coo experiences warmth, security, and human relationships for the first time. But just as Coo begins to blossom, he learns that the human world is infinitely more complex and cruel than he could have imagined.
flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
Published: September 13, 2016
It begins, like the best superhero stories, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The Squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but the cynical self-styled Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic, Terrible Things Can Happen To You!, is just the right person to step in and save him. What neither of them can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born again, with powers of strength, flight and poorly written poetry, and that flora will change too, as he discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a spacious heart
the hedgehog of oz
Published: February 23, 2021
Marcel the hedgehog used to live with his loving owner Dorothy, but ever since she got hopelessly lost, he has tried to forget the happy home he left behind. Now, Marcel lives a quiet life on the abandoned balcony of the Emerald City Theater where he subsists on popcorn and the Saturday showings of the Wizard of Oz.
But when they find out, Marcel drifts away from everything he knows and ends up lost once again. His quest to return to the Emerald City Theater leads him to Mousekinland, where he meets Scamp, a small mouse armed with a huge spirit (and a trusty slingshot). before long, they’re joined by an old gray squirrel, slug, suffering from bad memories and a broken heart, and tuffy, a baby raccoon lost and scared in the woods. and the travelers attract the attention of an owl named Evilwing, who stalks them on their search for the ancient theater.
From the field to the forest, from the glittering theater to the sewer, the way home to the animals is a dark and winding journey. but sometimes you need to get lost a bit before they can find you.
thanks to winn-dixie
Published: August 30, 2009
One summer day, ten-year-old india opal buloni goes down to the local supermarket to do her shopping and returns home with a dog. but winn-dixie is not just any dog. It is thanks to Winn-Dixie that Opal begins to make friends. And it’s thanks to Winn-Dixie that she finally dares to ask her father about her mother, who she left when Opal was three years old. In fact, as Opal admits, just about everything that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie. with a new cover illustration by e. b. louis.
charlotte’s web
Published: April 10, 2012
this beloved book of e. b. white, author of stuart little and the trumpet of the swan, is a classic of children’s literature that is “almost perfect”. This high-quality paperback features vibrant color illustrations by Rosemary Wells! Some Pig. humble. radiant. these are the words on charlotte’s spider web, on top of zuckerman’s barn. charlotte’s web talks about her feelings for a little pig named wilbur, who just wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur’s life when the youngest of her litter was born.
freya and zoosis
Published: January 29, 2019
Freya has always longed for and feared adventure. Traveling around the world just isn’t what worthy rockhopper penguins do. But when she hears about Captain Solomon Augusto Andree’s hot air balloon expedition to the North Pole, Ella Freya packs up her copy of Advice for Ladies Travelers and climbs aboard.
Just moments after leaving land, Freya discovers a fellow stowaway! She meets Zoose, the scrappy, crude mouse whose endless pranks and despicable manners make him a less than ideal traveling companion.
When the hot air balloon is forced to land in the Arctic, these polar opposites must learn to get along. your very survival depends on it.
tally tuttle turns into a turtle (class #1 bugs)
See Also: Douglas Reeman / Alexander Kent – Book Series In Order
Published: August 31, 2021
It’s tally tuttle’s first day of second grade and she’s so nervous she feels like she ate butterflies for breakfast. In addition to moving to a new town and a new school where she doesn’t know anyone, everyone starts making fun of her when her full name, Tallulah, is revealed during roll call. she just wishes she could retreat into a shell. . . Then suddenly her and her classmates’ desks around her seem huge, and Tally is shocked to discover that she has actually turned into a turtle. she had heard that mrs. Norrell’s class was special, but she didn’t expect this. tally likes having a shell to hide in, but there are other parts of turtles’ lives, like the fear of being stepped on, that aren’t exactly ideal. and once she’s tired of hiding, how can she turn back into a girl? tally will have to forge her own transformation and come out of her shell, both literally and figuratively!
rain reign
Published: January 2, 2018
rose howard is obsessed with namesakes. She’s excited that her own name is a homonym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (kingdom, rein), which, according to Rose’s homonym rules, is very special. Not everyone understands Rose’s obsessions, her rules and the other things that make her different, not her teachers, not other kids, not her single parent.
When a storm hits your rural town, rivers overflow, roads flood, and the rain disappears. Rose’s father shouldn’t have let it rain. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search.
gaby, lost and found
Published: April 28, 2015
Looking for: An amazing forever home for an amazing 6th grader. “My name is Gaby and I’m looking for a home where I can invite my best friend over and have a hot breakfast a few times a week. Having the newest cell phone or fancy clothes isn’t important, but I’d like to have a cat with him.” that I can talk to when I’m home alone.” gaby ramirez howard loves volunteering at the local animal shelter. she plays with the kittens, helps train the dogs in obedience, and writes adoption ads for strays who live there can find their forever homes: places where they will be loved and cared for, no matter what happens.
Gaby has been feeling a bit off lately. her mother has recently been deported to honduras and gaby is stuck living with her inattentive father. she’s sure her mom will be home soon so they can adopt gaby’s favorite shelter cat together. However, when the cat’s original owners show up at the shelter, Gaby worries that her plans for the perfect family are about to fall apart.
a little jump
Published: June 1, 2021
When ahab and his friends find a bullfrog in their town, a real, live bullfrog, possibly the last bullfrog in north america, they have several options: a. report it to the environmental police. Too bad everyone knows the agency is a joke. b. let it be it’s just a bunch of kids, what if they hurt it by moving it? c. find another real, live bullfrog on the black market. convince their parents to let them cycle to canada. introduce the two frogs. save the entire race of frogs.
ahab convinces the rest of the group that c is their only real option. because if they don’t save this frog, who will? The search for him, which will involve fake ice cream, real frog spawning, and some very close calls, teaches Ahab that hope is always the logical choice and that science is always better with friends. With humor and empathy, acclaimed author Madelyn Rosenberg constructs an all-too-imaginable future ravaged by climate change, where a boy can still lean on her friends and dream of a better tomorrow.
cake
Published: April 30, 2013
When Alice’s aunt Polly, the ipswitch cake queen, passes away, she takes with her the secret of her world-famous cake batter recipe. or she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily fat and remarkably nasty cat, Lardo. . . And then she leaves Lardo in Alice’s care.
suddenly, the whole town wonders how you leave a recipe for a cat. everyone wants to be the next big cake contest winner, and it’s driving them crazy. It’s up to Alice and his friend Charlie to put the pieces together and discover the not-so-secret recipe for happiness: friendship. family. and the pleasure of doing something for the right reason.
mrs. frisby and the rats of nimh
Published: March 1, 1986
mrs. Frisby, a widower mouse with four young children, faces a terrible problem. he must move his family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. but his youngest child, timothy, lies sick with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, he meets the Nimh Rats, an extraordinary race of highly intelligent creatures, who find a brilliant solution to his dilemma. and mrs frisby, in turn, renders them a great service.
second hand dogs
Published: July 6, 2021
miss lottie’s house was for second chances.
When she adopted Gus, Roo, Tank, and Moon Pie, Miss Lottie rescued each member of the pack (including herself, her helper, Quinn, and her lonely cat, the Ghost) and made them a family. But when a new dog, Decker, arrives and attempts to steal Miss Lottie’s heart and home, the future of the pack is threatened.
Initially, Gus, the insecure leader of the pack, only notices little things, like a small mooncake being kicked off the bed and the ghost acting scared (then… the ghost is a cat). But things soon go from bad to worse as Decker’s presence causes disharmony in the group.
When Decker convinces Moon Pie to embark on an impossible journey, Gus must muster the courage, reunite his fragmented pack and bring the little dog home. And with coyotes and cars on the loose, the pack must navigate obstacles and danger to reunite with Moon Pie before she can get hurt or worse, have her heart broken.
heart
Published: October 26, 2021
jeremiah’s heart skips a beat before his first soccer game, but it’s not nerves. It is the first sign of a heart attack. he knows that he needs to go to the hospital, but he is determined to score a goal. charging after the ball, he refuses to stop…even if his heart does.
j6 is a pig and the only one of his five siblings to survive the research lab. Although he has never left his cell, he considers himself a therapy pig, a scholar, and a bodyguard. But when the lab sends him to live with Jeremiah’s family, there’s a new title he’s desperate for: brother.
jeremiah initially thinks his parents took j6 in to cheer him up. but before long, he begins to suspect that there is more to his new curly-tailed companion than meets the eye. When the truth is revealed, Jeremiah and J6 must protect each other at all costs, even if their lives depend on it.
there they are: 25 of the best high school books about animals! If you know kids (or adults) who enjoy middle grade books about animals, be sure to share this list with them!
Do you like high school books about animals? what are your favourites? Feel free to leave recommendations in the comments!
See Also: Turabian Bible Citation Examples | Bibliography.com
more book lists
- middle grade books with male lead characters
- middle grade dog books
- tween books about the environment (earth day picks + printable )
- 7 books like the one and only ivan