BOOKS FOR AVID 6th GRADE READERS!

BOOKS FOR READERS!

FANTASY

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

 2017 Newbery medal, the epic fantasy story in which a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon must unlock the dangerous magic buried deep inside her.

Kelly Barnhill

The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable

Calwyn, a young priestess of ice magic, or "chantment," joins with other chanters who have different magical skills to fight a sorcerer who wants to claim all powers for his own

The Strangers (Greystone Secrets) by Margaret Haddix

Told from separate viewpoints, Chess, Emma, and Finn Greystone, ages twelve, ten, and eight, investigate why their mother went missing and uncover their ties to an alternate world.(Supernatural)

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents. (Supernatural)

Rachel Hartman

note: mostly a YA author

Stravaganza: City of Masks

While sick in bed with cancer, Lucien begins making journeys to a place in a parallel world that resembles Venice, Italy, and he becomes caught up in the political intrigues surrounding the Duchessa who rules the city.

Stravaganza

Eye of the Moon by Dianne Hofmeyer

Isikara and her father tend the sacred crocodiles and assist at mummifications of both humans and animals. One day, they are ordered to a tomb. Two bodies are waiting for them--Queen Tiy and her eldest son, Tuthmosis. Tuthmosis has been poisoned but is clinging to life. With no time to spare, Isikara rescues the young prince and runs away with him. The pair find themselves on a journey across Egypt, searching for allies who will help Tuthmosis regain his throne. Their travels lead them along the Nile, across the desert, and through bustling market towns. All the while they must avoid their pursuers, the High Priests who wish to silence them. But there are dangers in the desert and all around. Who can they trust? And where will their adventure lead them?

In this gripping tale, published for the first time in the U.S., author Dianne Hofmeyr spins a web of intrigue, mystery and adventure, woven throughout with fascinating historical details about Ancient Egypt. (Publisher)

Warriors (series) Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

Rusty, a bored house kitten, is apprenticed by the ThunderClan and must struggle to fit in when the group of feral cats is threatened by ShadowClan, the enemy.

Phenomenal series! Adventure, courage, loyalty, betrayal...excitement. This series is addictive!

Warrior Cats

When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin

"Pinmei, a storyteller's granddaughter, must find the Luminous Stone that Lights the Night to rescue her grandmother, who has been kidnapped by the Tiger Emperor"--Provided by publisher. (China-History, Fiction/Storytelling/Fantasy)

Grace Lin

HISTORICAL FICTION

The War that Saved by Life (and sequel) by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793.

Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte

It is 1805 and Mary Lambert has always felt safe among the deaf community of Chilmark on Martha's Vineyard where practically everyone communicates in a shared sign language, but recent events have shattered her life; her brother George has died, land disputes between English settlers and the Wampanoag people are becoming increasingly bitter, and a "scientist" determined to discover the origins of the islands' widespread deafness has decided she makes the perfect "live specimen"--and has kidnapped her.

REALISTIC FICTION (sort of, but not always!)

Barbara Dee

"Misfit Tally is forced to room with queen bee Ava on the seventh grade's extended field trip to Washington, D.C., and discovers several surprising things about her roommate, including the possibility of an eating disorder"--Provided by publisher.

Tae Keller

The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Kellar

Natalie's year-long assignment to answer a question using the scientific process leads to truths about her mother's depression and her own cultural identity.

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

When Lily, her sister Sam, and their mother move in with her sick grandmother, Lily traps a tiger and makes a deal with him to heal Halmoni. (bits of fantasy mixed in with realistic fiction)

Tae Keller

Lynne Kelly

Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Iris and her grandmother, both deaf, drive from Texas to Alaska armed with Iris's plan to help Blue-55, a whale unable to communicate with other whales. Compelling tale of a girl's search for a whale.

Lynne Kelly

Hello Universe by Lynne Kelly

The lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully's prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him.

Lynne Kelly

SCIENCE FICTION

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Shadow Children series)

In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.

Margaret Peterson Haddix

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle 

Meg Murry, her brother Charles, and their friend Calvin, embark on a journey through space and time, assisted by three otherworldly women, when they set out to find Meg's father, a physicist who disappeared while experimenting with time travel. (Space and time)

Madeline L'Engle

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (series)

Orphan Reynie Muldoon becomes a member of a crack team tasked to infiltrate the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened. Their job: to discover the purpose behind subliminal messages emitted from the school. The children face danger and discovery, puzzles and plots, and their own mortal weaknesses. With its lively style, fresh character portrayals, and well-timed revelations, this story flies along. (Hornbook starred review)