I second what Duchess Skittles said... VC Andrews is in no way appropriate for a 5th grader!
More suggestions:
Big Red & Irish Red & Outlaw Red
A trilogy about Irish setter dogs by Jim Kjelgaard - loved these as a child... didn't remember the names until just now.
There were two more by the smae author Kjelgaard called Stormy and Snow Dog which I also loved and read and re-read.
How about Little Women and Little Men and Hans Brinker & The Silver Skates and The "Little House" book series? Those were all classics that I loved dearly. From age 5 until 13, if someone gave me some free time, a book, a quiet corner and an apple... I was completely in heaven!