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1 | 6th Grade Literature List | ||||
2 | Title | Author | Genre | Curriculum Connections | Synopsis |
3 | A Long Walk to Water | Park, Linda Sue | historical fiction- based on a true story | perseverance, survival | A Long Walk to Water, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. |
4 | A Single Shard | Park, Linda Sue | historical fiction | social studies | This quiet story is rich in the details of life in 12th Century Korea.However, what truly stands out are the characters and the determination of one young boy. |
5 | A Wrinkle in Time | L'Engle, Madeline | science fiction/ fantasy | Meg and Charles Wallace and Calvin O'Keefe search for Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while trying to solve the tesseract (wrinkle in time) problem. The story combines theology, fantasy, and science in a story of time and space travel and the power of good over evil. The value of a close, loving family is emphasized. | |
6 | Al Capone Does My Shirts | Choldenko, Gennifer | fiction | historical fiction (California History), learning disabilities, autism awareness, special needs, family problems | A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935, He has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister. |
7 | Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream | Stone, Tanya Lee | biography | science, history | Meet the 13 women who should have been contenders for America’s Mercury space program. During the 1960s, all of these talented and qualified women—who were referred to as “space gals,” “astronettes,” and “astrodolls”—were summarily excluded from participation as astronauts in the NASA program to put a man on the moon. |
8 | Baseball in April | Soto, Gary | autobiography, memoir (short story) | Eleven short stories portray the lives of Mexican American children in everyday situations - solving problems, dealing with friendships and disappointments, and being part of a family. | |
9 | Boy of the Painted Cave | Denzel, Justin | historical fiction | Tao, a young outcast in his tribe because of his deformed leg, is doomed to a life of menial service and rejection. However, Graybeard, an old man, recognizes the boy's talents and takes the boy under his protection. Graybeard later showcases Tao's skills as a cave painter and a recorder of tribal history. The story connects to the curriculum for sixth-grade history/social science. | |
10 | Casting the Gods Adrift: A Tale of Ancient Egypt | McCaughrean, Geraldine | historical fiction | social studies | An apprentice sculptor, Tutmose, and his brother, Ibrim—an apprentice musician who is nearly blind—are content at the court of Pharaoh Akhenaten, but their father rages against Pharaoh’s rejection of traditional Egyptian gods and plots deadly revenge. The main character is the sculptor Tutmose (seen as a young boy), who is believed to have carved the famous bust of Nefertiti. |
11 | Catherine, Called Birdy | Cushman, Karen | historical fiction | history | The daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off. |
12 | Cay, The | Taylor, Theodore | realistic fiction, historical fiction | In 1942 an elderly black man and a young white boy are victims of a shipwreck and are stranded on a Caribbean island. In the day-to-day struggle to survive, the differences between age and youth, black and white, and innocence and experience become secondary to the characters' need to understand each other and transcend their differences. This story uses the dialectic language of the setting and of the day. California author. | |
13 | Children of the Dust Bowl | Stanley, Jerry | narrative non-fiction | The plight of Depression migrant workers, the prejudice against these newcomers, their forced existence in the federal labor camp at Arvin, California, and the remarkable school superintendent who provided opportunities for the children and changed their lives. Primary source photographs document this uplifting story of an otherwise bleak chapter in California's history. | |
14 | Crash | Spinelli, Jerry | fiction | Crash is an arrogant, athletic seventh grader with a jock mentality and a knack for putdowns. Things change when Crash’s grandfather comes to live with his family and suffers a severe stroke. | |
15 | Crispin | Avi | fiction | social studies - Middle Ages, England | An action-packed historical narrative that follows the frantic flight of a 13-year-old peasant boy across 14th-century England. |
16 | D’Aulaires” Book Of Mythology | D'Aulaire, Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire | mythology | social studies | Greek myths about the gods, the titans, and the heroes are told in a simple narrative style. The volume is large and is vividly illustrated. Young or reluctant readers will find this classic appealing. |
17 | Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty and the Beast Tale | Yep, Laurence | folklore | social studies | A poor farmer’s youngest daughter agrees to marry a fierce dragon in order to save her father’s life. Author Laurence Yep presents a polished retelling of a story he calls “a Southern Chinese version of a traditional Chinese tale.” When the farmer falls into the clutches of a dragon, he begs each of his seven daughters to save him from death by marrying the horrifying creature. |
18 | Egypt Game, The | Snyder, Zilpha Keatley | fiction | A group of kids stumble upon a deserted storage yard, Melanie and April decide it’s the perfect spot for the Egypt Game. Before long there are six Egyptians, and they all meet to wear costumes, hold ceremonies, and work on their secret code. Everyone thinks it’s just a game until strange things start happening | |
19 | Esperanza Rising | Ryan, Pam Munoz | historical fiction | This novel tells of a Mexican girl's fall from riches and her immigration to California in the 1930s. The story highlights her awareness of Mexico's post-revolution tensions, the rivalry with Oklahoma Dust Bowl victims, and struggles of Mexican workers trying to organize themselves to ask the U.S. government for better living conditions. | |
20 | Evolution of Calpurnia Tate | Kelly, Jacqueline | historical fiction | field biology, life science, history of science, Women’s history, 1800-1900 | In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Vee Tate is instructed to be a lady by her mother, learns about love from the older three of her six brothers, and studies the natural world with her grandfather, the latter of which leads to an important discovery |
21 | Feathers | Woodson, Jacqueline | historical fiction | disabilities, religion, appearances, bullying | Set in 1971, this story centers on Frannie, who is in sixth grade in a mostly black classroom. It is told from Frannie’s viewpoint and filled with memorable characters: Frannie’s teacher introduces her students to Emily Dickinson and her poem, “Hope is the Thing with Feathers.” An excellent choice for starting a discussion about disabilities, religion, appearances, and bullying. |
22 | Flipped | Van Draanen, Wendelin | realistic fiction | coming of age, perspectives | This is a classic romantic comedy of errors told in alternating chapters by two fresh, funny voices.They are each learning to look beyond the surface of people, both figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and who they want to be with |
23 | Frog Scientist | Turner, Pamela | science/biography | The biography of Tyrone Hayes, an African American field Biologist at UC Berkeley who studied the environmental impact on frogs. | |
24 | Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions | Thimmesh, Catherine | biography/ auto- biography | science, inventors | Readers become acquainted with the various ways in which inventions come about. The readers meet 12 resourceful females whose inventions are now common to everyday life, such as Snugli, Liquid Paper, and Scotchgard. Written in a conversational style and accompanied by casual watercolor-collage illustrations, this book encourages readers to become inventors and provides information on the patent process, a bibliography, and a source list. A chronology featuring additional female inventors is included. |
25 | Gods and Goddesses of Ancient China, The | Fisher, Leonard Everett | mythology | social studies | Presents profiles of 17 gods and goddesses of ancient China: their origins, powers, and roles in ancient Chinese society. |
26 | Golden Goblet, The | Jarvis McGraw, Eloise | historical fiction | government/politics, world culture perspective | A young Egyptian boy struggles to reshape destiny |
27 | Great Wall of Lucy Wu, The | Shang, Wendy | realistic fiction | Lucy finds out that Yi Po, her great aunt, is coming for an extended visit from China, Lucy learns that she will have to share her room with her aunt—and her plans for the perfect year are shattered. | |
28 | Hatchet | Paulson, Gary | realistic fiction | Stranded in the desolate wilderness, Brian uses his instincts and his hatchet to stay alive for fifty-four harrowing days. | |
29 | Holes | Sacher, Louis | realistic fiction | social justice | Stanley Yelnats is sent to Camp Green Lake juvenile correctional camp for a crime he did not commit. He suspects the motives of the warden and camp counselors as he and the other boys are made to dig holes in the hot sun daily. Humor, Flashbacks, Foreshadowing, Multicultural and multiracial characters, social justice, math, science, Newbery award, National Book Award, Christopher Award. |
30 | Hoot | Hiaasen, Carl | fiction | Roy, who has recently moved to Florida from Montana, encounters a strange, barefooted running boy and his sister, the school bully, and some tiny owls. | |
31 | Julie of the Wolves | Craighead George, Jean | historical fiction | While running away from home and an unwanted marriage, a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl becomes lost on the North Slope of Alaska and is befriended by a wolf pack. | |
32 | Kite Fighters, The | Linda Sue Park | historical fiction | In Korea in 1473, eleven-year-old Young-sup overcomes a rivalry with his older brother who, as the first-born son, receives special treatment from their father and combines his kite-flying skill with his brother's kite-making skill in an attempt to win the New Year kite competition. | |
33 | Lions of Little Rock | Levine, Kristin | historical fiction | Civil Rights, diversity, African American history | Twelve-year-old Marlee develops a strong friendship with Liz, the new girl in school, but when Liz suddenly stops attending school and Marlee hears a rumor that her friend is actually an African American girl passing herself off as white, the two young girls must decide whether their friendship is worth taking on integration and the dangers it could bring to their families. |
34 | Little People and a Lost World: An Anthropological Mystery | Goldenberg, Linda | non-fiction | social studies | Archaeologists examine a human-like skeleton excavated from a cave on Flores Island in Indonesia that turned out to be an adult woman of extremely small stature. They study evidence on the discovery of a race of small humans from 12,000 years ago. Students will find the many color illustrations, including photographs and diagrams, appealing. |
35 | Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy | Schmidt, Gary D | historical fiction | social studies, coming of age, | Revolves around the forbidden friendship and struggles of two coming-of-age protagonists: Lizzie, an island girl, and Turner, a mainlander, who even defy nature to preserve the bond that exists between them. Based on the actual 1912 destruction of an island settled by former Civil War slaves, this powerful novel sends a strong message of the hope and despair that has existed between races. |
36 | London Eye Mystery, The | Dowd, Siobhan | mystery | Ted and Kat lose their cousin Salim at the London Eye sightseeing attraction, "the largest observation wheel ever built." Given a free ticket by a stranger, Salim enters the ride, but he never emerges. Good mysteries for kids are rare, and this offering does the genre proud | |
37 | Maroo of the Winter Cave | Tumbull, Ann | historical fiction | strong female lead character | Strong female lead character. Early human Ice Age family struggles for survival when a father is killed and the daughter must lead the family (mom, brother, grandma) to their safety camp. |
38 | Misfits, The | Howe, James | realistic fiction | personal identity, bullying, LGBQT relationships | The four seventh-grade students in the Gang of Five have been surprisingly well-adjusted social outcasts for various reasons, including weight, height, the look of a hoodlum, and an effeminate manner. |
39 | Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH | O'Brien, Robert | fantasy | cooperation | With nowhere else to turn, a field mouse asks the clever escaped lab rats living under the rosebush to help save her son, who lies in the path of the farmer's tractor, too ill to be moved. |
40 | One Crazy Summer | Williams-Garcia, Rita | historical fiction - Af. American fiction | diversity, social justice, civil rights movement African American | In the summer of 1968, after traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp. |
41 | Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | Rick Riordan | fiction | social studies | After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. |
42 | Phantom Tollbooth, The | Juster, Norton | fantasy | math | Milo, a young boy with little interest in anything, takes a trip through the Phantom Tollbooth to the Lands Beyond where he meets an enchanting cast of characters that teaches him the importance of words, numbers, ideas, creativity, and enthusiasm for life. |
43 | Pushcart War, The | Merrill, Jean | fiction | Jean Merrill'sThe Pushcart Waris a satirical look at war through the eyes of the major participants. The war in this novel is between pushcart vendors and truck drivers who are battling over the right to use the streets of New York City. Ms. Merrill presents her fictional war as if it were non-fiction in order to show her readers how even a small war has the potential of affecting thousands of lives and how important it is for people to see how wars start so that they may be avoided in the future. This novel is entertaining as well as a learning experience for all who read it, whether they be the young or the young at heart. | |
44 | Random House Book of Poetry for Children: A Treasury of 572 Poems for Today's Child, The | Prelutsky, Jack | poetry | This collections divided into broad subject areas such as nature, seasons, living things, children, and home. The poems convey both humorous and serious information and are representative of a wide variety of contemporary and classic poets. | |
45 | Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry | Taylor, Mildred | fiction | Set in Mississippi during the 1930’s, this modern classic portrays the struggles of the Logan family, determined to retain the land they own in the face of threats, harassment, and prejudice. | |
46 | Rules | Lord, Cynthia | fiction | Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules-from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"-in order to stop his embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal? | |
47 | Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes | Coerr, Eleanor | historical fiction | historical fiction | Hospitalized with the dreaded atom bomb disease, leukemia, a child in Hiroshima by the name of Sadako races against time to fold one thousand paper cranes to verify the legend that by doing so a sick person will become healthy. After her death, Sadako's classmates campaign to build the Children's Peace Statue in memory of Sadako and the other children who were victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. |
48 | Shooting Kabul | Senzai, N.H. | realistic fiction | diversity issues, Afghanistan, 9/11 | 11 year old boy moves to Fremont, after fleeing war-torn Afghanistan in 2001 - includes impact of 9/11. Based on the experiences of the author’s husband |
49 | Small Steps | Sacher, Louis | African American fiction | In this sequel to HOLES (1998), Armpit, a former resident of Camp Green Lake, is now sixteen years old and is trying to turn his life around. He seems to be on the right path until his old pal X-Ray shows up with a get-rich-quick scheme. Suddenly, Armpit’s life spins out of control and is changed forever. | |
50 | Swear to Howdy | Van Draanen, Wendelin | Rusty and Joey are best friends. Joey is often on the edge of reckless mischief, but he also carries the painful secret of a father who beats him. Rusty is grateful to have a friend like Joey but is pushed over the limit by peer pressure. When an innocent prank causes a death and destroys a family, the time for secrets is over. | ||
51 | Things Not Seen | Clements, Andrew | science fiction | personal identity, disability | A fifteen year old boy wakes up and is invisible. The family, the boy, and his new blind friend work hard to figure out the cause and how to reverse it. |
52 | True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, The | Avi | historical fiction/ mystery | personal identity, disability | Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle, the only passenger on a voyage from England to America in 1832, must take serious matters into her own hands when she learns that the captain is murderous |
53 | Tuck Everlasting | Natalie Babbitt | fiction | Doomed to―or blessed with―eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing that it might seem. | |
54 | Twenty-One Balloons, The | Du Bois, William Pene | fantasy | science (earth science) mathematics, historical fiction | During a hot-air-balloon adventure, Professor William Waterman Sherman unexpectedly lands in the middle of a hidden settlement on the island of Krakatau in 1883. The professor is forced to escape the island as the volcano erupts. He joins its quirky inhabitants on a marvelous balloon invention whose dimensions and aspects are unfolded to the reader through the use of scientific and mathematical reasoning. |
55 | Walk Two Moons | Creech, Sharon | realistic fiction | 13 yo girl of Native American descent travels with her grandparents as a way to mourn the loss of her mother. Deals with loss, diversity issues | |
56 | Wall, The: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain | Sis, Peter | autobiography | history | This picture book depicts the author/illustrator’s life from childhood through young adulthood as he struggled with the restrictions placed on him at school and outside his home. Despite his environment, he maintained his inner creativity and desire for freedom. |
57 | Watsons go to Birmingham | Christopher Paul Curtis | fiction | The whole family is packed up, ready to make the drive from Flint, Michigan, straight into one of the most chilling moments in America's history: the burning of the Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church with four little girls inside. | |
58 | We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball | Nelson, Kadir | biography | This book not only presents the inspirational story of these gifted athletes and determined team owners, but also reveals the discrimination and challenges faced by the players. | |
59 | Westing Game, The | Raskin, Ellen | mystery | This novel investigates the mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire. It introduces an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance. | |
60 | When You Reach Me | Stead, Rebecca | realistic fiction | As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space. | |
61 | Wild Girl | Riley Giff, Patricia | fiction | Since the death of her mother several years ago, Twelve-year-old Lidie has lived in Brazil with an aunt and uncle. Her great love is horses, and she has become a skillful rider. Lidie travels to New York to join her father and older brother, both of whom train racehorses. A parallel story unfolds: the birth of a filly, Wild Girl, who eventually meets Lidie. | |
62 | Wonder | Palacio, R.J. | realistic fiction | Themes of diversity, bullying, special needs, overcoming adversity. Auggie born w/ genetic disorder and her struggles | |