Rising 6th Grade Summer Reading List
This list includes a wide variety of books to appeal to the interests and reading levels of many students.
Parents please review book selections with children in order to help them make appropriate choices.
All students should read at least two books from this list over the summer and come prepared in
September to complete a writing assignment based on one of the books you’ve read.
All students signed up for Honors English 6 should read four books from this book list over the summer.
Please come prepared in September to complete a writing assignment based on one of the books you’ve
read.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Babbit, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting (Fantasy)
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 than it might
seem.
Barrett, Tracy. The 100-Year-Old Secret
(Mystery) An American brother and sister living
in London for a year discover that Sherlock
Holmes was their great-great-great grandfather.
They are inducted into the Society for the
Preservation of Famous Detectives and given his
unsolved casebook. They attempt to solve the
case of a famous missing painting.
Buyea, Rob. Because of Mr. Terupt (Fiction)
It's the start of fifth grade for seven kids at Snow
Hill School. There's Jessica, the new girl, smart
and perceptive, who's having a hard time fitting
in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your
enemy the next; Peter, class prankster and
troublemaker; Luke, the brain; Danielle, who
never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose
home situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey,
who hates school. Only Mr. Terupt, their new and
energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal
with them all. He makes the classroom a fun
place, even if he doesn't let them get away with
much . . . until the snowy winter day when an
accident changes everything-and everyone.
Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts
(Fiction) In this novel, Moose Flanagan and his
family move to Alcatraz Island, where Moose's
father has gotten a job as both electrician and
prison guard for the federal prison situated on
the island. Moose misses his friends back home
and resents his mother for uprooting the family
for another of her schemes to help his sister
Natalie be normal. Almost immediately, Moose
finds himself in trouble when the daughter of the
warden, Piper, draws him into a scheme to make
money off of the name of the most famous
prisoner at Alcatraz, Al Capone. However, Moose
soon learns he does not need Piper to find
trouble.
Creech, Sharon. Love That Dog (Realistic
Fiction) A young student, who comes to love
poetry through a personal understanding of
what different famous poems mean to him,
surprises himself by writing his own inspired
poem.
Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Mighty Miss
Malone (Fiction) With love and determination
befitting the "world's greatest family," Deza
Malone, her brother Jimmie, and their parents
endure tough times in Indiana and later
Michigan, during the Great Depression.
Dahl, Roald. The Witches (Fiction) This Roald
Dahl classic tells the scary, funny and
imaginative tale of a seven-year-old boy who has
a run-in with some real-life witches! This young
boy and his Norwegian grandmother, who is an
expert on witches, together foil a witches' plot to
destroy the world's children by turning them
into mice.
Erskine, Kathryn. Mockingbird (Fiction) Tenyear-old Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome,
struggles to understand emotions, show
empathy, and make friends at school, while at
home she seeks closure by working on a project
with her father.
Rising 6th Grade Summer Reading List
Flanagan, John. Ranger’s Apprentice: The
Hiaasen, Carl. Chomp (Fiction) When filming an
Ruins of Gorlan (Fantasy)
episode of the reality television show
15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has
"Expedition Survival" in the Florida Everglades,
been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he
the difficult star disappears. Wahoo and
doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the
classmate, Tuna Gordon, set out to solve the
protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the
mystery.
skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the
battles before the battles reach the people. And
Kennedy, Marlane. Dog Days of Charlotte
as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle
Hayes (Realistic Fiction) Eleven-year-old
brewing. (First book in the series)
Charlotte is not a dog person but does not like it
that the rest of her family neglects their Saint
Fleischman, Sid. How to Eat Fried Worms
Bernard puppy. With a lot of determination and
(Fiction) Because of a bet, Billy is in the
a little sneakiness, she works on finding a good
uncomfortable position of having to eat fifteen
home for the gentle giant.
worms in fifteen days. A hilarious story that will
revolt and delight bumptious, unreachable
Konigsburg, E.L. The View from Saturday
intermediate-grade boys and any other less
Four students, with their own individual stories,
particular mortals.
develop a special bond and attract the attention
of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them
Funke, Cornelia. Inkheart (Fantasy)
to represent their sixth-grade class in the
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father,
Academic Bowl competition.
who repairs and binds books for a living, can
"read" fictional characters to life when one of
Levine, Ellen. If Your Name Was Changed at
those characters abducts them and tries to force
Ellis Island If you were traveling through Ellis
him into service.
Island, would everyone in your family travel
together? How long would you stay at Ellis
George, Jean C. My Side of the Mountain
Island? Would your name be changed? This book
(Fiction) A young boy relates his adventures
tells you what it was like when Ellis Island was
during the year he spends living alone in the
opened in 1892 as a center for immigrants
Catskill Mountains including his struggle for
coming to live in America. This book describes,
survival, his dependence on nature, his animal
in question and answer format, the great
friends, and his ultimate realization that he
migration of immigrants to New York's Ellis
needs human companionship.
Island from the 1880s to 1914.
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Lilly’s Crossing (Fiction)
During a summer spent at Rockaway Beach in
1944, Lily meets Albert, a refugee from Hungary,
during the summer of 1944, they begin a special
friendship. However, Lily and Albert have both
told lies, and Lily has told a lie that may cost
Albert his life.
Hesse, Karen. Letters from Rifka (Historical
Fiction) Rifka knows nothing about America
when she flees from Russia with her family in
1919. But she dreams she will at last be safe
from the Russian soldiers and their harsh
treatment of the Jews in the new country.
Lupica, Mike. Game Changers (Fiction/ Sports)
Ben McBain is every football team's dream
player. He's a jack-of-all-trades guy that can
handle almost any position. When the game is on
the line, Ben's number is the one being called for
the final play. But Ben wants to be the starting
quarterback and the one thing standing in his
way is the coach's son.
Mass, Wendy. 11 Birthdays (Fiction) After
celebrating their first nine same-day birthdays
together, Amanda and Leo, had a falling out on
their tenth birthday and have not spoken since.
Since not speaking to each other for the last year,
they prepare to celebrate their eleventh birthday
separately. Soon peculiar things begin to happen
Rising 6th Grade Summer Reading List
as the day of their birthday begins to repeat itself
the first day of school, a new kid, a new girl,
over and over again.
boldly crosses over to the boy's side of the
playground and outruns everyone.
Miller, Sarah. Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen
Keller Annie Sullivan was little more than a halfPaulsen, Gary. Brian’s Winter (Fiction) In
blind orphan with a fiery tongue when she
Hatchet, 13-year-old Brian Robeson learned to
arrived at Ivy Green in 1887. Desperate for work,
survive alone in the Canadian wilderness, armed
she’d taken on a seemingly impossible job—
only with his hatchet. As millions of readers
teaching a child who was deaf, blind, and as
know, he was rescued at the end of the summer.
ferocious as any wild animal. But if anyone was a
But what if Brian hadn't been rescued? What if
match for Helen Keller, it was the girl who’d been
he had been left to face his deadliest enemy-nicknamed Miss Spitfire. In her efforts to reach
winter? Gary Paulsen raises the stakes for
Helen’s mind, Annie lost teeth to the girl’s raging
survival in this riveting and inspiring
blows, but she never lost faith in her ability to
continuation of Hatchet as one boy confronts the
triumph. Told in first person, Annie Sullivan’s
ultimate test and the ultimate adventure.
past, her brazen determination, and her
connection to the girl who would call her teacher
Peck, Richard. A Long Way from Chicago
are vividly depicted in this powerful novel.
(Historical Fiction) A boy recounts his annual
summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister
Nielsen, Jennifer. The False Prince (Fantasy)
during the Great Depression to visit their largerIn a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To
than-life grandmother.
unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of
the court, devises a cunning plan to find an
Riordan, Rick. Red Pyramid
impersonator of the king's long-lost son and
Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have
install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are
become near strangers. Soon they discover that
recruited to compete for the role, including a
the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of
defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that
them has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him,
Conner's motives are more than questionable,
the siblings embark on a dangerous journey
yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must
across the globe - a quest that brings them ever
be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly
closer to the truth about their family and their
be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own
links to a secret order that has existed since the
agendas as well. (First book in the series)
time of the pharaohs. (First book in the series)
Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. Dogs on Duty
(Nonfiction) The invaluable contributions of
Military Working Dogs are well documented in
this book. Patent discusses their special
attributes such as the night vision and sense of
smell that help these dogs keep their human
partners safe. The roles they have played in
World Wars I and II, in Vietnam, and in Iraq and
Afghanistan are highlighted. Brief histories of
individual dogs such as Stubby from World War I
and Eli in Afghanistan are told.
Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia
10-year-old Jess Aaron's greatest ambition is to
be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. He's been
practicing all summer and can't wait to see his
classmates' faces when he beats them all. But on
Schmidt, Gary. Okay for Now (Fiction) As a
fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new
town, Doug Swieteck has no friends, an abusive
father, and a louse for an older brother. He finds
an ally in Lil Spicer--a fiery young lady. Together,
they find a safe haven in the local library,
inspiration in learning about the plates of John
James Audubon's birds, and a hilarious
adventure on a Broadway stage.
Scott, Elaine. Buried Alive (Nonfiction) This
book describes the 2010 mining accident in San
José, Chile, in which thirty-three men became
trapped underground for over sixty days and
details the rescue efforts and the worldwide
media coverage of the event.
Rising 6th Grade Summer Reading List
Selznick, Brian. Wonderstruck (Fiction) Having
tries to make sense of a series of mysterious
lost his mother and his hearing in a short time,
notes received from an anonymous source that
twelve-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home
seems to defy the laws of time and space.
in 1977 to seek the father he never knew in New
York City. There he meets Rose, who is also
Stewart, Trenton. The Mysterious Benedict
longing for something missing from her life.
Society (Fiction) Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and
Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures.
Constance are all graduates of the Learning
Institute for the Very Enlightened and members
Smith, Roland. Peak (Fiction) After fourteenof the Benedict Society. They embark on a
year-old Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a
scavenger hunt that turns into a desperate
New York City skyscraper, he’s left with a choice:
search for their missing benefactor, Mr. Benedict.
wither away in juvenile detention or fly to
(The first book in a series.)
Kathmandu with his long-lost father. Peak
quickly learns that his father’s renewed interest
Swanson, James L. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer
in him has strings attached. As owner of Peak
Based on rare archival material, obscure trial
Expeditions, he wants his son to be the youngest
manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the
person to reach the Everest summit. The story of
conspirators and the manhunters, CHASING
Peak’s dangerous ascent—told in his own
LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about
words—is suspenseful, immediate, and
the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a
impossible to put down.
wild twelve-day chase through the streets of
Washington, D.C., across the swamps of
Smith, Roland. Storm Runners
Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.
Chase Masters and his father are "storm
runners," racing across the country in pursuit of
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit (Fantasy)
hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Anywhere bad
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a
weather strikes, they are not far behind. Chase is
comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling
learning more on the road than he ever would
any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his
just sitting in a classroom. But when the
contentment is disturbed when the wizard
hurricane of the century hits, he will be tested in
Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his
ways he never could have imagined. (First book
doorstep one day to whisk him away on an
in the Series)
adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the
treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the
Spinelli, Jerry. Hokey Pokey
Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.
There are no adults in Hokey Pokey, just kids,
Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that
and the laws governing Hokey Pokey are simple
on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will
and finite. But when one of the biggest kids, Jack,
encounter both a magic ring and a frightening
has his beloved bike stolen—and by a girl, no
creature known as Gollum.
less—his entire world, and the world of Hokey
Pokey, turns to chaos. Without his bike, Jack feels
Wadsworth, Ginger. First Girl Scout Ever
like everything has started to go wrong. He feels
(Nonfiction) Juliette (Daisy) Gordon Low was a
different, not like himself, and he knows
remarkable woman with ideas that were ahead
something is about to change. And even more
of her time. She witnessed important eras in U.S.
troubling he alone hears a faint train whistle. But
history, from the Civil War and Reconstruction to
that's impossible: every kid knows there are no
westward expansion to post-World War I. She
trains in Hokey Pokey, only tracks.
made history by founding the first national
organization to bring girls from all backgrounds
Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me (Mystery)
into the out-of-doors.
As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the
1970s television game show, "The $20,000
Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl