Summer Reading List
Students Entering 6th Grade
By maintaining an active literacy life over the summer, you ensure your child the best start to the next grade level!  Happy Reading and Writing!
IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARENTS: PLEASE DON’T BECOME CONCERNED OVER READING LEVELS  In Elementary school, each child is developing on their own continuum, and it is useless to assess your child’s strengths as a reader by his/her reading level alone. To develop strength as a reader, children need lots of time to read lots of books that are “just right” for their abilities. FAQ: WILL HAVING MY CHILD READ HARDER BOOKS HELP THEM GET STRONGER AT READING? Nope! Exactly the opposite can happen!  It is critically important that children not read books that are too difficult for them. Research has shown that reading books that are at the “frustration level” can actually stunt a readers’ growth, or send them backwards in their development.  When in doubt, help your child select books that feel “friendly/familiar” to other books they have enjoyed. Also, check out series books ‐ many of the books in this packet are part of a series. Not only is it fun to follow familiar characters through new adventures and experiences, but reading through a book series can help readers grow! FAQ – MY CHILD REALLY CAN READ HARDER BOOKS THROUGH – AND WANTS TO! THEY CAN READ ALL THE WORDS ON THE PAGE WITHOUT MAKING MISTAKES. THEY EVEN SEEM TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON THE IN STORY. ARE YOU SURE I SHOULDN’T GIVE THEM MUCH HARDER BOOKS? Good question, but proceed with caution!  “Harder books” often deal with themes and issues that are more mature. These texts, while perhaps “readable” or “decodable” by your child, may not be developmentally appropriate for your child’s age. Also, please keep in mind that just because readers can read each word on the page smoothly and without error, does not mean that they are able to comprehend the sophisticated themes and layered plot lines that these texts may contain.  If your child is desperate to read a harder book, read it aloud together!  Their ability to comprehend a story by listening to it read aloud is much higher than their ability to understand it alone. Plus, it’s a lovely way to bond with your child over your shared love of reading! Please help your child select books that you are 100% Have a safe and happy summer! confidant your child can read independently with ease, and that are clearly written for readers the age of your child. You will see the results of this important, careful book selection work in September!  GREAT WEBSITES FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS: http://www.hornbookguide.com, http://www.cbcbooks.org/readinglists/ , http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/ and http://www.nsta.org/recommends/ LEVEL Q ‐ TITLE AUTHOR Aliens Ate My Homework Help! I’m Trapped In…(series) Bunnicula (series) Dear Mr. Henshaw Little House in the Big Woods (series) James And The Giant Peach Just Juice Mr. Popper's Penguins The War with Grandpa Superfudge, Fudge‐a‐Mania, Double Fudge Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing There's a Boy In The Girl's Bathroom The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs Black Diamond: the Story Of Negro Baseball Leagues Finding The Titantic Great Black Heroes: Five Notable Inventors If You Lived At The Time Of … If Your Name Was Changed At Ellis Island A Medieval Feast Sarah Morton's Day Walking The Road To Freedom Coville, Bruce Strasser, Todd Howe, James Clearly, Beverly Wilder, Laura I Dahl, Roald Hesse, Karen Atwater, Richard Smith, Robert Blume, Judy Blume, Judy Sachar, Louis Scieszka, Jon McKissack, Patricia Ballard, Robert Hudson, Wade Various Authors Levine, Ellen Aliki Waters, Kate Ferris, Jeri LEVEL R ‐ TITLE AUTHOR Amos (series) Because Of Winn‐Dixie Brian's Winter Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Charlotte's Web Every Living Thing Frindle Hatchet How To Eat Fried Worms Shiloh The Whipping Boy Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great The Witches The Indian in the Cupboard (series) All For The Better Amelia Earhart: Young Adviator And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? Can't You Make Them Behave, King Geroge? Can it Rain Cats and Dogs? Question And Answers About The Weather Flight: The Journey Of Charles Lindbergh The Great Migration Mummies Made In Egypt Mummies! Secrets Of the Dead Sadako And the Thousand Paper Cranes Paulsen, Gary DiCamillo, kate Paulsen, Gary Dahl, Roald White, E.B. Rylant, Cynthia Clements, Andrew Paulsen, Gary Fleischman, Sid Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds Fleischman, Sid Blume, Judy Dahl, Roald Banks, Lynne Reid Mohr, Nicholasa Gormley, Beatrice Fritz, Jean dePaola, Tomie Berger, Melvin Burleigh, Robert Lawrence, Jacob Aliki Griffey, Harriet Coerr, Eleanor FICTION NONFICTION X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X FICTION NONFICTION X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X LEVEL S ‐ TITLE Aldo Applesauce (series) My Teacher…(series) Harry (series) Bridge to Terabithia The Dollhouse Murders From The Mixed‐Up Files Of Mr. Basil E. Frankweiler The Great Gilly Hopkins How Many Days To America? In The Year Of The Boar And Jackie Robinson Letters From Rifka Lily's Crossing On My Honor The Pinballs Poppy The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal A Boy Called Slow Do Tornadoes Really Twist? Eleanor A More Perfect Union My Life In Dog Years One Day In The Tropical Rain Forest Out Of Darkness Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher AUTHOR Hurwitz, Johanna Coville, Bruce Sheldon, Dyan Paterson, Katherine Wright, Betty Ren Konigsburg, E.L. Paterson, Katherine Bunting, Eve Lors, Bette Hesse, Karen Giff, Patricia Reilly Bauer, Marion D. Byars, Betsy Avi Harness. Cheryl Bruchac, Joseph Berger, Melvin Cooney, Barbara Maestro, Betsy Paulsen, Gary George, Jean C. Freedman, Russell Sachar, Louis FICTION X X X X NONFICTION X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X FICTION NONFICTION LEVEL T ‐ TITLE AUTHOR An Angel For Solomon Singer Bridge To Terabithia Bud, Not Buddy Blubber & Then Again, Maybe I Won’t Joey Pigza Swallowed The Key The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe The Man Who Was Poe & Something Upstairs Sees Behind Trees The Sign Of The Beaver Tuck Everlasting Report to the Principal’s Office Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story Of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy Boy: Tales Of Childhood Earthquakes Freedom Train Frozen Man Lightning Muscles: Our Muscular System Shh! We're Writing The Constitution Woodsong Rylant, Cynthia Paterson, Katherine Curtis, Christopher Paul Blume, Judy Gantos, Jack Lewis, C. S. Avi Dorris, Michael Speare, Elizabeth G. Babbit, Natalie Spinelli, Jerry X X X X X X X X X X X Reit, Seymour Dahl, Roald Simon, Seymour Sterling, Dorothy Getz. David Kramer, Stephen Simon, Seymour Fritz, Jean Paulsen, Gary X X X X X X X X X Love that Dog Creech, Sharon X LEVEL U ‐ TITLE AUTHOR FICTION NONFICTION My Side Of The Mountain Number The Stars A Single Shard Tangerine The View From Saturday The Watsons Go To Birmingham ‐ 1963 Wringer Insects Knots in My Yo‐Yo String Mandela Ordinary Genius: The Story Of Albert Einstein A Place Called Heartbreak Rosa Park The Silk Route The Tarantula In My Purse George, Jean C. Lowry, Lois Park, Linda Sue Bloor, Edward Konigsburg, E.L. Curtis, Christopher Paul Spinelli, Jerry Bird, Bettina Spinelli, Jerry Cooper, Floyd McPherson, Stephanie S. Myers, Walter Dean Parks, Rosa Major, John S. George, Jean C. X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Volcano: The Eruption And Healing Of Mount St. Helens The Witchcraft of Salem Village Lauber, Patricia Jackson, Shirley X X LEVEL V ‐ TITLE AUTHOR FICTION NONFICTION A Long Way From Chicago Peck, Richard X Silent To The Bone Konigsburg, E.L. X Soldier's Heart Paulsen, Gary X Stargirl Spinelli, Jerry X The Westing Game Raskin, Ellen X Who Put That Hair In My Toothbrush? Spinelli, Jerry X The American Revolution: The War For Independence Carter, Alden R. Amos Fortune, Free Man Yates, Elizabeth The Boston Tea Party Stein, R. Conrad Ellis Island Stein, R. Conrad Father Water, Mother Woods: Essays On Fishing And Hunting In The North Woods Paulsen, Gary Jackie Robinson Breaks The Color Line Santella, Andrew John James Audubon: Wildlife Artist Anderson, Peter Lincoln: A Photobiography Freedman, Russell Sojourner Truth McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick Stealing Home: The Story Of Jackie Robinson Denenberg, Barry LEVEL W ‐ TITLE AUTHOR Freak The Mighty Hoot The House On Mango Street The Last Book In The Universe Maniac Magee Nightjohn Seedfolks The Skin I'm In Slam! Philbrick, Rodman Hiaasen, Carl Cisneros, Sandra Philbrick, Rodman Spinelli, Jerry Paulsen, Gary Fleichman, Paul Flake, Sharon G. Myers, Walter Dean X X X X X X X X X X FICTION NONFICTION X X X X X X X X X Walk Two Moons Anne Frank: Life In Hiding Artic Explorer: The Story Of Matthew Henson Around The World In A Hundred Years A Girl From Yamhill I Am A Star: Child Of The Holocaust The Lost Garden Maya Angelou Pride Of Puerto Rico: The Life Of Robert Clemente When I Was Your Age: Original Stories About Growing up You Want Women To Vote, Lizzie Stanton? Creech, Sharon Hurwitz, Johanna Ferris, Jeri Fritz, Jean Cleary, Beverly Auerbacher, Inge Yep, Laurence Pettit, Jayne Walker, Paul Robert Ehrlich, Amy, Ed Fritz, Jean X X X X X X X X X X X Summer Reading
Need suggestions for beach reading or books to bring to camp? Check out these hand-picked
titles that are ideal for the season.
Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware written by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by
Kurt Cyrus (Beach Lane/Simon)
In spoof of foreign adventure novels, Jasper, Katie, and Lily (Whales on Stilts, The Clue of the
Linoleum Lederhosen) again save the world when they set off a chain of events in which the
friends help monks retrieve stolen artifacts. 423 pages.
The Magician’s Elephant written by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Yoko Tanaka
(Candlewick)
In this allegorical and surreal novel about the triumph of hope over despair, Peter searches for
his sister, instructed by a fortuneteller to “follow the elephant.” 202 pages.
The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes written by Kelly Easton, illustrated by
Greg Swearingen (Lamb/Random)
In this contemporary fantasy, Libby does everything from communicating with animals to
discovering “lifting soda,” which carries her into a city filled with adventures. 201 pages.
The Dream Stealer written by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Peter Sis (Greenwillow)
An omniscient narrator describes eight-year-old Susana’s encounters with the nightmare
capturing Dream Stealer, who grows weary of his mission and starts collecting happy dreams.
90 pages.
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters written by
Lenore
Look, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Schwartz & Wade/Random)
In his second book, second grader Alvin, little sister Anibelly, and their dad go camping, coming
face-to-face with the troubles, hilarities, and joys of the outdoors. 170 pages
Thumb and the Bad Guys written by Ken Roberts, illustrated by Leanne Franson
Thumb and his friend Susan try sleuthing in their isolated Canadian village, encountering
fishy characters like Old Kirk McKenna and a new teacher who wears thick makeup and an
obvious wig. 120 pages.
Mudville written by Kurtis Scaletta (Knopf)
After twenty-two years of rain in Moundville, the sun has finally come out, and twelve-year-old
baseball lover Roy assembles a team that brings life to a whole town. 266 pages.
When You Reach Me written by Rebecca Stead (Lamb/Random)
Sixth grader Miranda has an ordinary life until she starts receiving anonymous notes that
appear to foretell the future. 197 pages.
Leaving the Bellweathers written by Kristin Clark Venuti (Egmont)
Butler Tristan Benway pens a tell-all tome as he counts down the weeks and days until he’s
finished serving the unconventional Bellweather family in their lighthouse home. 242 pages.
One Crazy Summer written by Rita Williams-Garcia (Amistad/HarperCollins)
Eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters spend the summer of 1968 in Oakland
visiting the mother who deserted them and getting an unexpected education in revolution from
the Black Panthers. 218 pages.
Frindle written by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Brian Selznick (Simon)
When Nick reinvents the name for pen, a hilarious student-teacher battle ensues. 105 pages.
Ghost Girl: A Blue Ridge Mountain Story by Delia Ray (Clarion)
Eleven-year-old April’s isolated life in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains changes when
President and Mrs. Hoover start a school in her community. 216 pages.
Thumb on a Diamond written by Ken Roberts, illustrated by Leanne Franson
(Groundwood)
Thumb and his fellow middle-schoolers learn baseball for a chance to visit the big city
(Vancouver). 128 pages.
Bad Girls by Cynthia Voigt (Scholastic)
Two troublemakers, Margalo and Mikey, form a powerful and wickedly entertaining alliance in
this deft portrayal of the dynamics of a fifth-grade classroom. 278 pages.
Funny Reads to Make You LOL (Laugh Out Loud!) 
Whales on Stilts written by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (Harcourt)
In this satirical send-up of series fantasy, Lily Gefelty finds herself in the thick of the action
when a visit to her dad’s office convinces her that a stilt-walking army of whales is about to
take over the world. 200 pages.
Exploits of a Reluctant (But Extremely Goodlooking) Hero by Maureen Fergus (Kids
Can)
A self-centered thirteen-year-old narrator obliviously plays the buffoon in his own audio diary,
which brims with misplaced bravado. 215 pages.
Ferret Island by Richard W. Jennings (Lorraine/Houghton)
While on a sightseeing tour, fourteen-year-old Will falls into the Mississippi and finds himself
stranded on an island inhabited by giant ferrets and a reclusive author who’s training the
ferrets to be eco-terrorists. 227 pages.
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (Lorraine/Houghton) This story features four (selfdescribed) old-fashioned children who notice their own resemblance to children’s book
characters and aspire above all else to be orphans. 174 pages.
Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians; Alcatraz and the Scrivener’s Bones by Brian
Sanderson (Scholastic) Newly thirteen-year-old Alcatraz discovers his secret birthright and
is charged with freeing our world, the Hushlands, from oppressive Librarian rule in this series
big on action and meta-sarcasm. 308 pages.
The Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow by Kaye Umansky (Candlewick) This entertaining
farce introduces Solly Snow, a baby abandoned on a snowy doorstep with only a silver spoon to
his name, now grown up and in search of his true identity. 289 pages.
Schooled by Gordon Korman After his hippie grandmother ends up in the hospital, Cap
Anderson is forced to leave the commune where he is home schooled and attend Claverage
Middle School, where his odd looks and behavior make him the target of bullies.
SLOB by Ellen Potter Twelve-year-old Owen Birnbaum is the fattest kid in school. But he’s
also a genius who invents cool contraptions— like a TV that shows the past. Something
happened two years ago that he needs to see. But genius or not, there is much Owen can’t
outthink. Like his gym coach, who’s on a mission to humiliate him. Or the way his Oreos keep
disappearing from his lunch. He’s sure that if he can only get his invention to work, things will
start to make sense. But it will take a revelation for Owen to see the answer is not in the past,
but the present.
The Wish List by Eoin Colfer Irreverent, hilarious, and touchingly hopeful, The Wish List
takes readers on a journey of second chances, where joy is found in the most unexpected places.