Grade 6

Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan

When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life. Newbery Winner

Digital    Physical Copy

Barnhill, Kelly Regan. The Girl Who Drank the Moon

An epic fantasy about a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a perfectly tiny dragon, who must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her. Newbery Winner

Benjamin, Ali. The Thing About Jellyfish

Twelve-year-old Suzy Swanson wades through her intense grief over the loss of her best friend by investigating the rare jellyfish she is convinced was responsible for her friend's death.

Brown, Peter. The Wild Robot

Roz the Robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there. Her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants.

Cameron, W. Bruce. Bailey’s Story: A Dog’s Purpose 

Searching for his purpose over the course of multiple canine lives, Bailey, is reborn as a golden-haired puppy after a tragic death as a stray and shares a loving bond with young Ethan before he dies again and starts over.

Creech, Sharon. A Long Walk to Water 

When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old, Salva, becomes separated from his family, and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of a safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water wells in Sudan.

Draper, Sharon. Out of My Mind 

A brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time. (One Book, One School - 2016)

Henkes, Kevin. Sweeping Up the Heart

Amelia is stuck at home for spring break with her father and her babysitter, the beloved Mrs. O'Brien. The week ahead promises to be boring, until Amelia meets Casey at her neighborhood art studio. Amelia has never been friends with a boy before, and the experience is both fraught and thrilling. When Casey claims to see the spirit of Amelia's mother (who died ten years before), the pair embarks on an altogether different journey in their attempt to find her.

Holm, Jennifer. Turtle in Paradise

At the height of the Great Depression, eleven-year-old, Turtle, is forced to move to Key West, Florida when her mother  takes a housekeeping job for a woman who detests children. Having spent much of her life indoors, Turtle finds Florida to be strange and adventurous. Newbery Honor

Kelly, Erin Entrada. You Go First

Charlotte, twelve, and Ben, eleven, are highly-skilled competitors at online Scrabble.  and that connection helps both as they face family issues and the turmoil of middle school.

Korman, Gordon. Restart

Chase does not remember falling off the roof, in fact he does not remember anything about himself, and when he gets back to middle school he begins to learn who he was through the reactions of the other kids--trouble is, he really is not sure he likes the Chase that is being revealed, but can he take the opportunity amnesia has provided and restart his life?

L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government. Newbery Winner

Lloyd, Natalie. A Snicker of Magic

The Pickles are new to Midnight Gulch, Tennessee, a town which legend says was once magic--but Felicity is convinced the magic is still there, and with the help of her new friend Jonah the Beedle she hopes to bring the magic back.

Lord, Cynthia. Half a Chance

When Lucy's family moves to an old house on a lake in rural New Hampshire, Lucy plans to spend the summer with her new friend Nate taking photos for a contest, but pictures sometimes reveal more than people are willing to see.

Martin, Ann. Belle Teal 

Against the backdrop of 1960's school integration, a fifth grade girl finds strength with the women of her family as she faces life's difficulties.

Palacio, R. J. Wonder

Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan.  This change entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

Patterson, James. Word of Mouse

The illuminating journey of a very special mouse, and the unexpected friendships he makes along the way.

Pennypacker, Sara. Pax

After being forced to give up his pet fox, Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back.

Perez, Celia. The First Rule of Punk

Twelve-year-old, María Luisa O'Neill-Morales (who really prefers to be called Malú), reluctantly moves with her Mexican-American mother to Chicago and starts seventh grade with a bang--violating the dress code with her punk rock aesthetic, and spurning the middle school's most popular girl in favor of starting a band with a group of like-minded weirdos.

Rogers, Thomas. Eleven

Alex Douglas always wanted to be a hero. But nothing heroic ever happened to Alex. Nothing, that is, until his eleventh birthday. When Alex rescues a stray dog as a birthday gift to himself, he doesn't think his life can get much better. But this day has bigger things in store for both of them. This is Eleven: the journey of a boy turning eleven on 9/11.

Shovan, Laura. The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary

A story told in verse from multiple perspectives of the graduating fifth grade class of Emerson Elementary. The kids join together to try to save their school from being torn down to make way for a supermarket.

Snicket, Lemony. Series of Unfortunate Events

After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune. (Series)

Warga, Jasmine.  Other Words for Home

Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind her, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.

Yang, Kelly. Front Desk

Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern California, even though the owner, Mr. Yao is a nasty skinflint who exploits them; while her mother (who was an engineer in China) does the cleaning, Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding customers and other recent immigrants--not to mention being only one of two Chinese in her fifth grade class, the other being Mr. Yao's son, Jason.