Summer Reading Recommendations 5th - 6th Grade
Great Books for 5th and 6th Grade:
Required f or students entering 5th Grade: Robert C. O’Brien - Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Required f or students entering 6th Grade: Natalie Babbit - Tuck Everlasting
GOAL: Read 10 books over the summer! Student who read 10 books will have their name listed on the Summer Reading Extravaganza Wall!
Historical Fiction:
Laurie Halse Anderson : Fever, C hains, AND F orge Avi: Sophie’s War: A Tale of Revolution AND The Secret School John Boyne : The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Kimberly Brubaker Bradley : T he War that Saved My Life AND The War I Finally Won Ann E. Burg : Unbound Gennifer Choldenko : A l Capone Does My Shirts Christopher Paul Curtis : B ud, Not Buddy AND The Watsons Go To Birmingham Esther Forbes : J ohnny Tremain Jennifer L. Holm : T urtle in Paradise Jacqueline Kelly : The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Kristen Levine : T he Lions of Little Rock Lois Lowry : N umber the Stars Linda Sue Park : A Long Walk to Water Gary Paulson : Woods Runner Richard Peck : A Long Way From Chicago AND A Year Down Yonder Jewell Parker Rhodes : T owers Falling Tom Rogers : Eleven Augusta Scattergood : G lory Be Rita Williams-Garcia : One Crazy Summer, A ND Gone Crazy in Alabama
Mysteries:
Avi: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Jennifer Allison: G ilda Joyce series Blue Balliett : C hasing Vermeer Elise Broach : S hakespeare’s Secret Patrick Carman : Floors Heather Vogel Frederick : Absolutely Truly Stuart Gibbs : Belly Up Patricia Reilly Giff : E leven Dan Gutman : The Homework Machine Carl Hiaasen : Hoot, Flush, Scat AND C homp E.L. Konigsburg : From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Gordan Korman : S windle series Rebecca Stead : When You Reach Me AND L iar & Spy
Realistic Fiction:
Kate DiCamillo : B ecause of Winn Dixie Jacqueline Davies : Lemonade War series Sharon M. Draper : Ou t of My Mind Gordan Korman : U ngifted AND Slacker Dana Alison Levy : T he Misadventures of the Family Fletcher Mike Lupica : Long Shot, Heat, AND H ome Team series Wendy Mass: 11 Birthdays AND F inally R.J. Palacio : Wonder
Funny:
Roald Dahl : Matilda Tim Federle : Better Nate Than Ever Andy Griffiths : Treehouse s eries Christopher Healy : A Heroes Guide to Saving Your Kingdom series Jory John : The Terrible Two series Jeff Kinney : Diary of a Wimpy Kid series Jo Nesbo : F art Powder s eries James Patterson : Middle School series AND I , Funny series Ellen Potter : Slob Adam Rex : T he True Meaning of Smek Day Thomas Rockwell : How to Eat Fried Worms Lemony Snicket : The Bad Beginning A ND A Series of Unfortunate Events series David Walliams : Gangsta Granny, The World’s Worst Children, AND Demon Dentist
Adventure/Fantasy:
Avi: Crispin Natalie Babbitt: Tuck, Everlasting David Baldacci: Vega Jane s eries Dave Barry : Peter and the Starcatcher Jennifer Chambliss Bertman: Book Scavenger series Suzanne Collins : Hunger Games Kate DiCamillo : T he Magician’s Elephant Stuart Gibbs : Spy School s eries, Moon Base Alpha series, F un Jungle series George Orwell: Animal Farm Margaret Peterson Haddix : T he Missing series AND The Shadow Children series Norton Juster : The Phantom Tollbooth Brandon Mull : F ablehaven series AND Five Kingdoms series Jennifer A. Nielsen : T he False Prince series James Patterson : Treasure Hunters series Gary Paulsen : Hatchet Rick Riordan : P ercy Jackson series AND Kane Chronicles series Laura Amy Schlitz : Splendors and Glooms
Graphic Novels:
Svetlana Chmakova: awkward AND b rave Emmanuel Guibert: A riol series Nathan Hale: Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series Shannon Hale : Real Friends AND Rapunzel’s Revenge Jay Hosler: Last of the Sandwalkers Victoria Jamieson: Roller Girl Kazu Kibuishi: A mulet series Terri Libenson: Invisible Emmie Jeff Smith: Bone series Raina Telgemeier : Smile, Sisters, Drama, AND G hosts
Written in Verse:
Kwame Alexander : The Crossover AND B ooked Katherine Applegate : Home of the Brave Marion Dane Bauer : Little Cat’s Luck Ann E. Burg : Unbound AND All the Broken Pieces Margarita Engle : Mountain Dog Nikki Grimes : Garvey’s Choice Karen Hesse : O ut of the Dust AND Witness Thanhha Lai : I nside Out and Back Again Katherine Lawrence : Stay Maryann MacDonald : Odette’s Secret Caroline Starr Rose : May B. Jennifer Roy : Y ellow Star Julie Sternberg : Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie Jacqueline Woodson : Brown Girl Dreaming
Told From Different Perspectives:
John David Anderson : Ms. Bixby’s Last Day Tom Angleberger : S trange Case of Oragami Yoda Nora Raleigh Baskin : N ine, Ten: A September 11 Story Rob Buyea : Because of Mr. Terupt series Helen Frost : H idden Jennifer L. Holm : T urtle in Paradise AND Full of Beans Silas House : Same Sun Here Erin Entrada Kelly : H ello Universe Gordon Korman : Flipped Wendy Mass : Every Soul a Star Shelley Pearsall : All of the Above
Non-Fiction:
Jennifer Armstrong : Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World Jeannine Atkins : Finding Wonders - Three Girls Who Changed Science William Kamkwamba : The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Reader’s Edition) Rick Riordan : Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods James L. Swanson : C hasing Lincoln’s Killer
Bluebonnet Ambassadors
Over the summer, students can begin or complete the Bluebonnet Challenge. Students who read 5 books from this list will have the opportunity to vote on the winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award.
At Good Shepherd, students can read 5 Bluebonnet Books + 5 other books and then be eligible to serve as a Bluebonnet Ambassador to the younger students.
Bluebonnet Books for 2018-2019 Read 5 books by January 20, 2019
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan
Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle
The Bicycle Spy by Yona Zeldis McDonough
Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix b y Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee
Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes G rand Canyon by Jason Chin
Grandpa’s Hal-La-Loo-Ya Hambone by Joe Hayes
The Harlem Charade by Natasha Tarpley
Hello, Universe b y Erin Entrada Kelly
How to Avoid Extinction by Paul Acampora
Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing by Kay A. Haring,
Me and Marvin Gardens b y Amy Sarig King
Refugee by Alan Gratz
Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero by Patricia McCormick
Slider by Pete Hautman
Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres
Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness by Donna Bowman
The Unlucky Lottery Winners of Classroom 13 by Honest Lee and Matthew J. Gilbert
Wedgie & Gizmo by Suzanne Selfor Title Author