MBMS 6th Grade Full List
Directions: Every student entering 6th grade is required to read a minimum of 2 books from this list. One of them must be nonfiction, and one of them must be fiction. During the first few weeks of school, students will work on projects based on these books. It will be helpful to take notes during the reading (Post-it notes, graphic organizers, etc.), so they can be used in Humanities class. Please bring these notes with you to class in August.
TIP: If you are unsure of your reading level, try to choose a "just-right" book. This means that if you read the first few pages of a book and don't come across any words that you are unfamiliar with, it may be too easy for you. If you come across 4 or more words that you are unfamiliar with, it may be too difficult for you. If you read 1-3 words that you are unfamiliar with, that book may be considered "just right" for you.
Alexander Crossover Fiction Z
Written in poetic verse, Crossover tells the story of basketball player Josh Bell. Josh and his twin brother are talented basketball players. Though they bond through their love of the sport, their relationship is tested throughout the novel. Crossover has won the Newberry Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award in 2015.
Avi The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Historical Fiction V
"As the only passenger, and the only female, on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, thirteen-year-old Charlotte finds herself caught between a murderous captain and a mutinous crew." A Newbery Honor book. - bamesandnoble.com
Compestine Revolution is Not a Dinner Party Historical Drama U
Ling is 8 years old in 1972 during China's Cultural Revolution. For the next four years she matures far beyond her years as she copes with her father's eventual imprisonment and the constant torment by classmates who have joined the Red Guard.
Curtis The Watsons Go to Birmingham -1963 Realistic Fiction U
The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963. A Newbery Honor Book.
Farmer The Eye, the Ear and the Arm Science Fiction Y
In 2194 in Zimbabwe, General Matsika's three children are kidnapped and put to work in a plastic mine while three mutant detectives use their special powers to search for them. A Newbery Honor Book.
Kadohata Cracker: The Best dog in Vietnam Historical Fiction T
Willie, forced to give up his dog Cracker, decides to turn him over to the Army canine program to be trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy during the Vietnam War. The story is told in alternating viewpoints-Cracker and his handler, 17-year-old Rick Hanski-as they come to trust and depend on each other during times of crisis.
Key Alabama Moon Fiction V
This story begins with the death of ten-year-old Moon Blake's father, an antigovernment radical who has been living off the land in rural Alabama. For the first time, he has contact with the outside world. Moon learns about humanity (the good and the bad), friendship, and love and begins to question his father's lifestyle and beliefs.
Mass Every Soul a Star Realistic Fiction U
Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, to watch a total eclipse of the sun; but soon they begin to learn a great deal about themselves, each other, and the universe.
Mikaelsen Touching Spirit Bear Fiction Y
After his anger erupts into violence, fifteen year-old Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the Native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life.
Park A Long Walk to Water Realistic Fiction W
This novel, based on a true story is about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. Nya, fetches water from a pond that is a two hours walk from her home. Salva becomes one of the "lost boys", a refugee who travels Africa on foot, searching for his family and safety. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya's in an astonishing and moving way.
Leyson The Boy on the Wooden Box Nonfiction W
Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and the generosity ofOskar Schindler, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis. This memoir captures the innocence of a young boy who goes through the unthinkable.
Swanson Chasing Lincoln's Killer Nonfiction Z
Using a compilation of trial manuscripts, interviews, and primary sources, Chasing Lincoln's Killer tells the thrilling story of capturing John Wilkes Booth. This novel follows the chase and eventual capture of Abraham Lincoln's killer.
Woodson Brown Girl Dreaming Nonfiction - Memoir U
This National Book Award Winner is an autobiography about the life of Jaqueline Woodson. Written in poetic verse, Brown Girl Dreaming tells the story of a young African American girl growing up between North Carolina and New York City. Woodson retells what it was like to grow up with the remnants of Jim Crow laws and the growing Civil Rights Movement.
