LibGuides: Summer Reading: Rising Sixth Grade

Requirements

Wonder by R. J. Palacio
ISBN: 9781524720193
Publication Date: 2017-09-26
9781524720193

Requirements: (total of 4 books)

Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Two books from this list.
One book of choice.

If students have a book they would prefer to read that is not on the list, they need to have permission from their English teacher.

Accountability

Students should complete a Middle School Summer Reading Form for Wonder, two books from this list, and one book of choice.

During the first weeks of school, there will be graded assignments on Wonder. On the first day of school, students should bring their four completed Middle School Summer Reading Forms and their copy of Wonder.

Middle School Summer Reading Form

Science Fiction/Fantasy

The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal) by Kelly Barnhill
ISBN: 9781616207465
Publication Date: 2019-04-30
9781616207465
This Newbery Medal winner has magic, mystery, a quest, and lots of adventure. A witch, a swamp monster, and a tiny dragon provide humor is this story about what it means to grow up and to find where we belong.
Gregor the Overlander (The Underland Chronicles series) by Suzanne Collins
ISBN: 9780439678131
Publication Date: 2013-06-25
9780439678131
Gregor expects a boring summer before he and his little sister fall through an air vent in their New York City apartment and wind up in an underground world where humans live alongside huge bats, cockroaches, and rats.
Ranger's Apprentice (series) by John Flanagan
ISBN: 9780142406632
Publication Date: 2006-06-08
9780142406632
The Rangers are a mysterious band who keep the law of the land and serve as spies for the Kingdom of Araluen. Fifteen-year-old Will was orphaned at a young age after the death of his father and becomes an Apprentice Ranger in the first book of this exciting series.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
ISBN: 9780143107620
Publication Date: 2015-07-07
9780143107620
In 1865 Charles Lutwidge Dodson (otherwise known as Lewis Carroll) created this fantasy story at the request of three young sisters. His story went on to become one of the most treasured of all time and includes such fantastical characters as the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts.
Redwall (series) by Brian Jacques
ISBN: 9780142302378
Publication Date: 2002-09-30
9780142302378
These popular epic adventures are built around an amazing animal world filled with mice, moles, and badgers.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
ISBN: 9780312367541
Publication Date: 2007-05-01
9780312367541
In this scientific fantasy, Meg and members of her family embark on a perilous quest through space to find their father.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien
ISBN: 9780689710681
Publication Date: 1986-03-01
9780689710681
This Newbery Medal winner includes some unusual lab rats who learn more than the scientists bargain for. Mrs. Frisby is a widowed mouse with a sick child who must turn to these rats for assistance
We're Not from Here by Geoff Rodkey
ISBN: 9781524773076
Publication Date: 2020-03-10
9781524773076
Imagine being forced to move to a new planet where you are the alien. The Zhuri on planet Choom don’t like singing, jokes, or any kind of emotion, and they don’t like humankind. Your family has one chance to change their minds so that humankind will have somewhere to live.
Nic Blake and the Remarkables: the Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas
ISBN: 9780063225138
Publication Date: 2023-04-04
9780063225138
A series of shocking revelations send Nik and her friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she does not believe he committed. Award-winning author Angie Thomas makes her middle grade debut with this blend of fantasy and mystery inspired by African American history and folklore.
100 Cupboards (series) by N. D. Wilson
ISBN: 9780375838828
Publication Date: 2008-12-23
9780375838828
In this fantasy adventure, twelve-year-old Henry York awakens to find plaster falling, revealing doors of all shapes and sizes all over the wall of his bedroom. Finding out where these doors lead will change Henry’s life.

Short Stories

Flying Lessons and Other Stories by Ellen Oh (Editor)
ISBN: 9781101934623
Publication Date: 2018-08-14
9781101934623
Ten award-winning middle-grade authors contributed to this collection of short stories. This is a thought-provoking collection that celebrates the uniqueness in all of us.

Magical Realism

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd
ISBN: 9781338654585
Publication Date: 2022-08-02
9781338654585
Twelve-year-old Olive - armed with her snazzy wheelchair - refuses to let brittle bone disease define her as fragile or stand in the way of adventure. After she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Mackelmore Elementary School, Olive hears a legend about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives in a forest nearby. This is a Schneider Family Book Award Honor book.

Classics

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
ISBN: 9780142408766
Publication Date: 2008-03-27
9780142408766
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March are four very different sisters who are growing into adulthood during the American Civil War. This classic novel was an instant success when it was published in 1868 and has remained a popular favorite ever since.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
ISBN: 9780143107620
Publication Date: 2015-07-07
9780143107620
In 1865 Charles Lutwidge Dodson (otherwise known as Lewis Carroll) created this fantasy story at the request of three young sisters. His story went on to become one of the most treasured of all time and includes such fantastical characters as the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts.

Historical Fiction

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
ISBN: 9781416975663
Publication Date: 2009-01-27
9781416975663
When Pearl Harbor is attacked, the lives of a Japanese-American girl and her family are thrown into chaos.
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
ISBN: 9780141303529
Publication Date: 1999-09-30
9780141303529
Set in the 1930s, this book follows Joe and his sister, Mary Alice, during one of their annual visits to their grandmother’s house. Grandma Dowdel is quite a character, and her outlandish exploits include many members of her colorful community.
The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau
ISBN: 9780545800853
Publication Date: 2016-12-27
9780545800853
In the remote mountains of Mexico in the 1950's, nothing exciting ever happens for Teo until Esme arrives. The friendship between these two will also include a rescued duck, a three-legged skunk, and a blind goat.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
ISBN: 9780439120425
Publication Date: 2002-05-01
9780439120425
Ryan uses the experiences of her own Mexican grandmother in this novel set in 1930. Esperanza must leave her home and her social class as she immigrates to California and begins a new life.

Realistic Fiction

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
ISBN: 9780062333476
Publication Date: 2017-12-05
9780062333476
Eleven-year-old Perry has always lived with his mother at the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in Surprise, Nebraska. When a new district attorney discovers this, Perry must move into a foster home.
We Still Belong by Christine Day
ISBN: 9780063064560
Publication Date: 2023-08-01
9780063064560
Wesley is proud of the poem she has written for Indigenous People’s Day, but will the reaction from a teacher ruin her hopeful feelings? This novel by American Indian Youth Literature Honor-winning author Christine Day (Upper Skagit) is a heartfelt look at the array of feelings Wesley has about her heritage and her inability to enroll as a member of the Upper Skagit tribe.
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
ISBN: 9780763696917
Publication Date: 2018-04-10
9780763696917
It’s the summer of 1975, and Raymie has decided it’s all up to her: she must learn to twirl a baton and win the Miss Central Florida Tire Contest so her father will come home. This quirky novel is a 2016 National Book Award finalist.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
ISBN: 9781250196705
Publication Date: 2019-01-08
9781250196705
Coyote and her dad have criss-crossed the United States for five years in an old school bus they have made their home. Along the way, they pick up a crew of misfit travelers and Coyote learns that going home can often be the hardest journey of all.
Rules by Cynthia Lord
ISBN: 9780439443821
Publication Date: 2006-04-01
9780439443821
Twelve-year-old Catherine is torn between love for her autistic brother, David, and impatience with the responsibilities he brings. This award-winning book is heartwarming and thought provoking.
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
ISBN: 9780399544682
Publication Date: 2018-05-08
9780399544682
Amal is a young Pakistani girl forced into indentured servitude. She dreams of becoming a teacher but will need patience and persistence as she learns to navigate her new world.
Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt
ISBN: 9781442428782
Publication Date: 2012-03-06
9781442428782
Voigt’s depiction of the four Tillerman children and their journey after their mother abandons them is gripping and beautifully written.
Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein
ISBN: 9780593121597
Publication Date: 2021-05-11
9780593121597
Will Levine is a boy who has spent his life living inside a shell. He meets RJ as part of his bar mitzvah community service project and hears about RJ’s bucket list. He realizes that even though it is way outside his comfort zone, he needs to tackle the bucket list on his new friend’s behalf before it is too late. This is a Sydney Taylor Book Award winner.
Front Desk (series) by Kelly Yang
ISBN: 9781338157796
Publication Date: 2018-05-29
9781338157796
Mia Tang and her parents immigrate to the United States from China and find themselves managing a motel for an unkind owner. Ten-year-old Mia's experiences as she takes over the front desk are based on Kelly Yang's own experiences as an immigrant in the 1980's and 1990's

Modern Classics

The Chronicles of Narnia (series) by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 9780064409438
Publication Date: 2000-08-22
9780064409438
Follow the adventures of four children as they travel repeatedly to the fantasy world of Narnia where everything is far more than it seems.
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
ISBN: 9780141321592
Publication Date: 2008-09-11
9780141321592
Anne Shirley is a scrawny, red-haired, eleven-year-old orphan who is adopted by an elderly couple and changes their lives forever.
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
ISBN: 9780140177367
Publication Date: 1993-02-01
9780140177367
This is the story of a young boy who learns about responsibility by caring for a pony of his own in rural California.

Mystery

The World-Famous Nine by Ben Guterson
ISBN: 9780316484442
Publication Date: 2024-01-30
9780316484442
Zander Olinga’s grandmother owns Number Nine Plaza, a spectacular nineteen-story building filled with shops, a ferris wheel, and twenty-five glass elevators. When strange accidents start happening, Zander and his friend Natasha must find inscriptions hidden throughout the Nine in order to solve the mystery.
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
ISBN: 9780689711817
Publication Date: 1998-04-01
9780689711817
In this Newbery Medal winner, Claudia and her brother Jamie run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and find an adventure - and a mystery!
The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics) by Ellen Raskin
ISBN: 9780142401200
Publication Date: 2004-04-12
9780142401200
In this Newbery Medal winner, sixteen individuals try to solve the puzzle of who killed Samuel Westing and who will win his millions by uncovering the murderer.
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
ISBN: 9780316003957
Publication Date: 2008-04-01
9780316003957
Reynie Muldoon is an eleven-year-old orphan when he becomes one of four children chosen to use their special talents for a secret mission to uncover the mysterious Mr. Curtain’s plans. This book includes dramatic plot twists and unusual characters, along with an underlying theme about the power of media messages.

Books in Verse/Poetry

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
ISBN: 9780147515827
Publication Date: 2016-10-11
9780147515827
In this Newbery Honor book, Woodson creates a memoir in verse, describing what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Adventure

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
ISBN: 9780141312422
Publication Date: 2001-05-21
9780141312422
This Newbery Honor book is about Sam Gribly, who tires of life in the city and runs away to the Catskill Mountains to forge a life of his own.
City Spies by James Ponti
ISBN: 9781534414921
Publication Date: 2021-01-26
9781534414921
The City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world recruited by a British spy for a secret MI6 agency. In the first book of this series, we meet Sara Martinez, a young hacker from New York who ends up in Paris for an international youth summit as she and her new teammates use their unique skills to try to stop a villain.

Biography/Memoir

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
ISBN: 9780147515827
Publication Date: 2016-10-11
9780147515827
In this Newbery Honor book, Woodson creates a memoir in verse, describing what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Nonfiction/Narrative Nonfiction

Jack London and the Klondike Gold Rush by Peter Lourie
ISBN: 9780805097573
Publication Date: 2017-03-28
9780805097573
This is the story of Jack London's part in the Gold Rush of 1897, an adventure that would sow the seeds of his later books White Fang and The Call of the Wild.
The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner by Marissa Moss
ISBN: 9781419758539
Publication Date: 2022-04-05
9781419758539
As a female Jewish physicist in Berlin during the early 20th century, Lise Meitner had to fight to get an education and a job. When her groundbreaking research led to the splitting of the atom, it was her male lab partner who received a Nobel Prize.
Seen and Unseen by Lauren Tamaki (Illustrator); Elizabeth Partridge
ISBN: 9781452165103
Publication Date: 2022-10-25
9781452165103
Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki weave together photographs, firsthand accounts, and original art to provide a vivid examination of the injustice of the Japanese American incarceration. This book includes eighteen pages of backmatter with an Author’s Note and Illustrator’s Note, photo credits, and biographies of the photographers.
Born to Fly by Steve Sheinkin
ISBN: 9781626721302
Publication Date: 2019-09-24
9781626721302
This book tells the story of the trailblazing women pilots who flew in the 1929 Air Derby, the first women's air race across the United States.