One of the best things you can do for your 6th graders is to improve their brain diet. So, we’ve curated a list of books for 6th graders. They’re fun, diverse, age-appropriate, and thought-provoking. In short, they’re exactly what your students need in their transition from elementary to middle school, a period of growth and a dynamic school year.
1. Brown Girl Dreaming
It recounts the author’s experience growing up as an African American child in Columbus, Ohio, during the Civil Rights era.
Also, she sheds light on her struggle with reading and her desire to write, which makes this book arguably perfect for young and aspiring writers.
2. Bad Best Friend
About to start eighth grade, Niki and her best friend Ava have numerous plans for the new academic year. But they’re all thrown off when Ava starts seeking popularity. Now, Niki has to reconsider her friendships and interests.
3. The Someday Birds
Invite your kids to follow Charlie on his road trip as he searches for birds with his father, a reminder (or hope) that everything will be fine.
4. A Wrinkle In Time
Your middle school kid can join Meg, Charles, and Calvin in their extraordinary adventure to save Murry’s father.
5. Anne Of Green Gables
We couldn’t possibly list the best middle-grade books without including L. M. Montgomery’s masterpiece.
Of course, your kids might already know and love her from the hit CBC-Netflix adaptation!
6. Greenglass House
He plans to have a relaxing winter holiday. But, to his surprise, strange guests arrive at the inn with even stranger stories! Your sixth grade kid will love to go on this holiday adventure with Milo and Meggy, the cook’s daughter.
7. El Deafo
In Cece Bell’s “El Deafo,” your students discover if this superpower will help her find a true friend or further alienate her from everyone.
8. Diary Of A Wimpy Kid #1
In book 1, young Greg Heffley maneuvers middle school and records it all in his diary (to your kids’ amusement).
9. Goodbye, Stranger
Your young readers can enter seventh grade with our three main characters and grow up with them. Of course, their friendship gets strained, but do they remain best friends?
10. Parked
They’ll witness an unlikely bond between two totally different girls, Jeanne Ann and Cal. One lives in a van, and the another lives in a huge house. We love how the novel blends hope, humor, and honesty.
11. Counting By 7s
Her connection with her adoptive parents is all she has and needs. So, when they die in a car accident, she’s completely lonely. Your young reader will want to witness how Willow copes with her grief and finds a new family.
12. Loving Vs. Virginia
Teach your sixth graders how interracial marriages were legalized through Patricia Hruby Powell’s gorgeous writing and educate them about Richard and Mildred’s role in that.
13. The Outsiders
It focuses on Ponyboy Curtis, a greaser who feels like an outsider. When his friend kills a soc, everything falls out of place. If you aren’t one to shy away from heavy topics like violence, this is an insightful read for tweens.
14. Little Women
“Little Women” is a classic coming-of-age story where we follow the four sisters as they grow up in New England during the civil war.
15. The Watsons Go To Birmingham
Their normal life is never quite the same after they witness a church bombing. So, how do they cope with the trauma?
16. Wringer
When he turns ten, traditions dictate that Paul should become a “wringer.” But he hates the idea of wringing a bird’s neck, especially since he’s hiding one in his room. This is one of the chapter books that teach middle schoolers valuable lessons.
17. The Green Glass Sea
We love how Ellen Klages approaches the Manhattan Project from the perspective of a young girl.
But what happens when the truth is revealed?
18. A Night Divided
In East Berlin, Gerta gathers that her father on the West side wants her and Fritz, her brother, to tunnel under the wall, but the mission is too risky. Jennifer Nielsen’s story will have its hold on the entire grade, even reluctant readers!
19. Tuck Everlasting
“Tuck Everlasting” by Natalie Babbit is one of the most classic sixth grade books.
Common themes in this book are immortality, greed, and the power of choice.
20. Absolutely Normal Chaos
If you’re reviewing a book list for 6th grade, you may come across “Absolutely Normal Chaos” by Sharon Creech. Its sequel, “Walk Two Moons,” gets listed for younger readers.
Little does she know, summer is full of surprises.
20. The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda
In it, Dwight, the weird kid, makes origami, the only thing about him that other children think is cool. When he makes a Yoda finger puppet, he realizes that it can predict the future, and that changes everything.
21. Life As We Knew It
Science Fiction lovers will enjoy “Life As We Knew It” by Susan Beth Pfeffer.
Older kids can read her journal entries to see how these extreme circumstances unfold!
22. Ghost
One of the best 6th grade books is “Ghost” by Jason Reynolds.
Does he stand a chance at qualifying for the Junior Olympics?
23. Out Of Left Field
Katy Gordon, our main character, is the neighborhood’s best pitcher. But she can’t play in the Little League because she’s a girl, or can she? Her fight for equality is one impressionable minds can learn a lot from.
24. When You Reach Me
Why not add a mystery thriller to your 6th grade reading list?
Strange occurrences take place, and she receives anonymous messages. Who is writing them, and how can they predict the future? Your kids will fly through this book to know!
25. Out Of My Mind
Our main character, Melody, is wheelchair-bound and nonspeaking due to cerebral palsy. The world doesn’t know that she’s the smartest kid at her school and has a photographic memory. So, how does she show the world that she isn’t mentally challenged?
26. Tiger Eyes
In “Tiger Eyes,” Judy Blume depicts grief and loss as experienced by Davey. When tragedy strikes, and she loses her father, Davey moves to live with family in Los Alamos, New Mexico. And it’s there that she meets a mysterious cute boy. This is a powerful story that’ll move your students.
27. The Secret Garden
“The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a popular classic you might find on a book list for 6th grade. Mary moves to her uncle’s estate in Yorkshire, England. But she quickly realizes that it’s a strange house with endless secrets and an abandoned garden.
28. Princess Academy
Miri and the girls head to this school, where they learn how to be princesses. And the winner will become the king’s bride! Imagine how much your girls will enjoy experiencing this world and inserting themselves into it.
29. Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
In “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library,” a famous game designer creates the coolest library. A young boy, Kyle, is determined to be at the opening. Along with other kids, he realizes that getting out of the library is one big adventure!
30. Awkward
In the graphic novel “Awkward,” Svetlana Chmakova tells the story of Peppi. She believes that she has to follow the unwritten middle school rules but breaks them right away.
31. To Catch A Cheat
In “To Catch a Cheat,” we follow Jackson Green, who’s being blackmailed into stealing a copy of an exam. Will he give in to peer pressure or find a way out?
32. The Graveyard Book
It tells the story of a boy who was raised by ghosts and lives in a graveyard. What happens when he visits the real world? Your young reader will want to know!
33. Stargazing
We follow two unlikely friends, Moon and Christine, who become best friends. Moon relies on Christine for everything until she gets sick. Your sixth grader can follow Moon’s attempts at being the friend Christine needs.
34. New Kid
He desperately wants to go to art school. However, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school.
As one of the few kids of color at school, Jordan feels like he doesn’t belong there. But he feels the same way in his neighborhood as well. Your tween will learn a lot by understanding how he’ll find himself and handle the new school culture.
35. Smile
An injury causes Raina her two front teeth and leaves her with fake teeth, headgear, braces, and surgery. Undoubtedly, this accident throws off her plan to blend in at school.
36. Invisible Emmie
Terri Libenson introduces us to the shy, artistic Emmie and famous, athletic Katie.
Your tween will find the chaos and drama riveting!
37. The Stonekeeper
Emily and Navin have lost their father. And, now, they’re about to lose their mother to strange creatures and an underground world. How far would they go to save her?
38. Ways To Live Forever
She introduces us to eleven-year-old Sam, who has Leukemia and so does research about death. Will he find the answers he’s looking for?
39. Listen, Slowly
Mai, a California girl at heart, reluctantly travels to Vietnam with her grandmother. The goal is to find out what happened to the grandmother’s husband during the war. This novel will help your students recognize the importance of knowing their roots.
40. Wonder
You’ve probably heard of the #1 New York Times Bestseller “Wonder” by R. J. Palacio. Due to his facial disfigurement, August Pullman’s parents have homeschooled him his entire life. But he’s a fifth-grader now and wants nothing more than to be normal and go to public school.
41. See You In The Cosmos
This boy is so space-obsessed that he named his dog after the real-life astronomer, Carl Sagan.
Like how Sagan launched his Golden Record, Alex’s dream is to launch his golden iPod into space. So, he records his complicated world on the iPod for other lifeforms to see. Little does he know, Alex still has a lot to learn about the world, his long-dead dad, troubled mom, and mostly not around brother.
42. Other Words For Home
In Jasmine Warga’s novel in verse, Jude has to flee Syria without her beloved older brother and father. She and her mother move to Cincinnati, and it’s nothing like she’d expected. The pace of life is too fast, and she’s only seen as “middle eastern.”
43. Fablehaven
Brandon Mull’s “Fablehaven” is about this sanctuary for all mythical creatures.
44. Matilda
The famous Roald Dahl gave us the classic “Matilda,” a story that your kids might already know and love.
45. The Little Prince
For ages, kids and adults have loved “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This translated fiction starts with a pilot crashing in the Sahara Desert. He meets a strange boy, the Little Prince, who has fascinating tales from his travels.
46. The Girl Who Drank The Moon
Every year, townspeople offer the forest’s witch a baby to appease her.
However, the witch is kind and finds homes for these abandoned babies. What happens when she accidentally feeds a baby moonlight on the journey to find it a new home?
47. Heart Of A Samurai
A Japanese fishing boat leaves him stranded on a small island with four others. Then, an American ship saves them, and they have to learn new customs and laws. Does this turn bring Manjiro closer or farther from his dream? There’s only one way to find out!
48. Holes
When he’s wrongly convicted of a crime, Stanley Yelnets goes to Camp Green Lake, a terrible correctional camp. Also, the way Louis Sachar weaves generations of Stanley’s family history into the story is simply stunning.
49. Wolf Hollow
When Betty enters Annabelle’s middle grade class, all hell breaks loose. She bullies and manipulates the people that Annabelle cares about. So, will Annabelle be able to face Betty? Are kindness and courage enough? “Wolf Hollow” by Lauren Wolk is one of the best books for sixth grade book clubs.
50. Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl
The wartime journal is a classic pick for a 6th grade reading list. Anne Frank, a 13-year-old Jew, is forced to hide with her family from the Nazis. They live in a secret annex of a warehouse.
Your tween can learn how these two years unfolded in her journal.
51. Bridge To Terabithia
Another beloved classic is “Bridge to Terabithia.”
The two fastest kids in fifth grade run into the woods, where they create a world of their imagination. Katherine Paterson’s realm is one of fantasy, excitement, tragedy, and grief.
52. Roller Girl
Twelve-year-old Astrid has always done everything with her best friend, Nicole. She decides to go to derby camp because she loves roller derby, but Nicole decides dance camp is a better fit for her.
Your students will relate to Astrid’s struggles as she tries to keep up with other campers, make new friends, and avoid drifting apart from her best friend.
53. Doll Bones
This is the story of three friends, called Zach, Alicia, and Poppy, who love acting out fantastical adventures with dolls. Now, they have to bury a porcelain doll because of the rumor that it’s made of the ashes of a dead girl.
54. One Last Word: Wisdom From The Harlem Renaissance
So, your kids can learn about Georgia Douglas Johnson, Langston Hughes, and Jean Toomer. Not to mention, they can get inspired by the art of today’s biggest black illustrators. This thought-provoking book will spark interesting debates in class.
55. Real Friends
We have Shannon who feels that she might lose her best friend Adrienne to “the Group.” This is the friend group with the most popular girl in class, Jen. Will Shannon and Adrienne stay friends, or will Adrienne completely lose herself to the allure of popularity?
Writer Shannon Hale, illustrator Leuyen Pham, and colorist Jane Poole join forces to give you this fresh and funny story.
56. Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a mischievous boy who never grows old. He befriends Wendy, John, and Michael, the children of a proper middle class family. Peter Pan teaches them to fly, takes them to Neverland, introduces them to the Lost Boys, and introduces them to a world of adventure.
57. Hello, Universe
The book depicts how four very different misfits come together in a time of crisis. When a bully’s prank sends poor Virgil to the bottom of a well, Valencia, Kaori, and Gen, Kaori’s little sister, unite to find and save him.
Jump In: Reading prose is probably the most enjoyable material to practice your 6th graders’ fluency in English. However, they will also improve their vocabulary and creativity by appreciating poetry! View my post on the list of 6th-grade poetry here — 37 Great 6th Grade Poems To Share With Your Students.
Conclusion
Overall, we hope that our list of books for 6th graders has given you precisely what you need. We’ve rounded up fantasy, horror, mystery, historical fiction, and more. This way, you can find books that’ll grip your little readers’ attention and teach them a valuable lesson along the way.
Last Updated on July 24, 2022 by Emily
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