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​: John Boyne - T​ he Boy in the Striped Pajamas

This list is a collection of recommended titles to get your started on summer reading. Students can read whatever books they like. Students in 5th and 6th grade can log their summer reading (and beyond) on a form in their Library Google Classroom..

Students can join their Google Classroom with the following codes:

Students entering 5th Grade (Class of 2022) - el77ek Students entering 6th Grade (Class of 2021) - wpe2xb4

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