Anonymous wrote:Pax, by Sara Pennypacker
The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate
Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
And the classics:
Old Yeller
Marguerite Henry's books
Redwall
Sounder
Shiloh
Watership Down
Anonymous wrote:I loved Watership Down when I was in 4th grade!
Anonymous wrote:I love Gerald Durrell's books. As they are not children's books, you will find characters swearing, etc. but they are great for animal lovers. I read them at that age anyway!
He was a real-life zookeeper who had an unconventional childhood on a Greek island, kept a ton of unusual pets, and started writing books to fund his collecting expeditions. Later books told the stories of the collecting expeditions to Africa, South America, etc. Not widely known here in the US, but worth seeking out.