“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax,
all you need is a book.” -Dr. Seuss
Sixth Grade
Happy Summer! Please choose one book from the list below and one book of your own
choosing to read over the summer.
Pie by Sarah Weeks: When Alice’s Aunt Polly, the Pie Queen of Ipswich, passes away, she
takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will,
Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily fat, remarkably disagreeable cat, Lardo . . .
and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice. Published 2011. Grade level 5-7
I Will Always Write Back by Caitlyn Alifirenka & Martin Ganda: The true story of an all-American girl, a boy from Zimbabwe, and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. Published 2015. Grade level 6-8
The Best Man by Richard Peck: Archer Magill has spent a lively five years of grade school
with one eye out in search of grown-up role models. Three of the best are his grandpa,
the great architect; his dad, the great vintage car customizer. ©2017 Grade Level 5-6
Talking Leaves by Joseph Bruchac: A work of historical fiction about Sequoyah and the creation of the Cherokee alphabet, from the acclaimed author of Code Talker. ©2017 Grade Level 5-7
A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord: When Lily’s blind dog, Lucky, slips his collar and runs
away across the wide-open blueberry barrens of eastern Maine, it’s Salma Santiago who
manages to catch him. ©2017 Grade Level 5-7
Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina: Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would
be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, Merci has never been
like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother,
Roli, are scholarship students. 2019 Newbery Medal ©2018 Grade Level 5-7
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds: features ten interconnected short stories about middle schoolers’ walks home from school, exploring themes of identity, race, bullying, and family through humorous and poignant moments. National Book Award finalist and the Carnegie Medal. Published in 2019. Grade level 5-7
One Wrong Step by Jennifer Nielson: a spine-tingling adventure about two kids and their fight for survival on the unforgiving trails of Mount Everest. Jennifer Nielsen’s storytelling climbs to new heights in this epic about loss, letting go, and the most important lessons a climber can learn. Published in 2025. Grade Level 6-8
The students will complete a project on one of their chosen books when they return to school.