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Favorite Books for 6th Grade from 6th Graders

50+ Favorite Books for 6th Grade from 6th Graders

Posted on October 26, 2011May 28, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

Best Books for 6th Grade by Ninety 6th Grade Students

I was my daughter’s middle school visiting day when I chanced upon a wall of “the first day get to know you” papers. There were the usual questions like “favorite color” and “what elementary school did you attend?” but I honed in on “favorite book.” Most of these sixth graders had a favorite chapter book but a few did not which made me sad.

Since these sixth graders filled out this questionnaire during the first day of school, this list would also be great for fifth graders.

I have also added two new chapter books that 6th graders will love.

For Girls:

How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston (soon to be a TV show on WB)

For Boys:

Middle School The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson

 

p.s. I found it so interesting the wide range of interests and levels of newly minted 6th graders. They are reading everything from adult literature to fantasy adventure to Karl Sagan non-fiction. I guess it goes to show you that the middle school kid is everywhere on the spectrum from adult-like to still child-like.

 

Most Popular 

Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Warriors by Erin Hunter

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney

Maximum Ride series by James Patterson

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkien

 

Newbery (and Caldecott) Books

 

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Rules by Cynthia Lord

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

 

Sports Books

Travel Team by Mike Lupica

Million Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica

Face Off by Jake Maddox

Young Adult

 

Things Not  Seen by Andrew Clements

The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick

I am the Wallpaper by Mark Peter Hughes

Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten

The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak

 

Fast Paced Fantasy Series

Dormia by Jake Halpern

Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz

Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull

Daniel X series by James Patterson

Magyk by Angie Sage

 

6th Grade Requisite Reading

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

The Giver by Lois Lowry

 

Adult Books

A Dogs Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

The Andromedia Strain by Michael Crichton

Contact by Carl Sagan

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

 

 

Wonderful Classics

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

 

 

Don’t Miss These Series for Girls

The Doll People series by Ann M. Martin

Eleven by Lauren Myracle

 

New to Me

Silverwing series by Kenneth Oppel

100 Cupboards series by Nathan D. Wilson

Masterpiece by Elise Broach

Radiance by Alyson Noel

Gobbolino The Witch’s Cat by Ursula Moray Williams

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

A Good Horse by Jane Smiley

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Crash by Jerry Spinelli

Wait Until Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

Non-Fiction

 

Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton

p.s. Other grade specific books lists:

26 Perfect Read Alouds for Kindergarten

19 Perfect Read Alouds for 1st Grade

10 Perfect Read Aloud Books for 2nd Grade

10 Perfect Read Aloud Books for 3rd Grade

10 Perfect Read Alouds for 4th Grade

10 Perfect Read Alouds for 5th Grade

23 Great Picture Books for 5th Grade

Best Books for Middle Schoolers from Our Wonderful Middle School Librarian

6th Grade Reading Challenge: More Books Like The Hunger Games

Best Books for Middle School from Actual Middle School Kids

To examine any of the items listed, please click on image of item. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

 best books for 6th grade, favorite six grade books,

 

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.

 

My books:

We Sing From the Heart picture book cover reveal of The Slants Simon Tam

 Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Cover Reveal: Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

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Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World

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cover for Sumo JoeChanging the Game: Asian Pacific American Female Athletes by Mia WenjenAmazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me

The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship: An Insider’s Guide

How To Coach Girls by Mia Wenjen and Alison FoleyAsian Pacific American Heroes

11 thoughts on “50+ Favorite Books for 6th Grade from 6th Graders”

  1. Colin Davison says:
    October 27, 2011 at 3:45 pm

    Wow – glad you nominated Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat. One of the 20th Century’s children’s Classics, but nearly lost forever, because of the London bombing Blitz? I loved the book – told to our children at bedtime – then discovered the story behind the story, which led me to write the author’s biography – Through the Magic Door, published this year on Ursula’s centenary by Northumbria Press, an imprint of Northumbria University, UK. She had a remarkable life – just as inspirational as those of her brave, fictional heroes.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      October 28, 2011 at 1:06 pm

      To Colin,
      It was actually a 6th grader who chose Gobbolino the Witch’s cat as his or her very favorite book. I didn’t recognize the title but I am glad to have discovered it. Thanks for your comment. You are making me want to hunt it down and read it!

      Reply
  2. linda says:
    June 18, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    Hi Mia,
    Another great list, thanks for sharing! I’ll send this to my daughter as well; she’s already shared the other list with her friends. Keep up the great work!
    Linda

    Reply
  3. Sherrie Petersen says:
    May 10, 2014 at 3:55 pm

    I love how varied this list is. I know from watching my daughter’s reading choices (she just happens to be a sixth grader) that her favorites often surprise me. It’s always interesting to see what grabs her attention.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      May 14, 2014 at 5:01 pm

      Hi Sherrie,
      The list was fun because it was the ice breaker for my daughter’s 6th grade team. They had to fill out a questionaire about themselves including their favorite book. There were many books new to me and I was also surprised at the range of books including adult books that made the list. They were barely 6th graders so it’s really what they liked in 5th grade!

      Reply
  4. Lindsey says:
    May 14, 2014 at 9:40 am

    This is such a great list! My children are 11 and 9 and many of our favorites are here but there are also such great titles I had never heard of. Adding them to our list!! Thank you.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      May 14, 2014 at 5:47 pm

      Thanks so much Lindsey! It was fun to see the wide range of books that my daughter’s 6th grade team chose on their first day of 6th grade!

      Reply
  5. Kim Robinson says:
    September 30, 2014 at 9:34 am

    Mia I work at Forrestdale Middle School in Rumson, NJ as the a.m. media specialist. I love your articles! Thank you for your good insight, research and pertinant information! I’ve actually done a display challenging the students to see if they’re as well read as the 90 6th graders on your list: “Are you as well-read as these 6th graders?” I would love a pic of the kids (one class) and since I don’t know where it is I don’t think it would infringe on any privacy laws. If you can’t, I understand, it just would be nice for our kids to actually see “the” kids I’m talking about and challenging them to connect literarily with! Thank you, Kim Robinson

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      October 10, 2014 at 8:20 pm

      Hi Kim,
      You are so nice to make a board on that post. Unfortunately, it was my oldest when she was in 6th grade — now she is in 9th grade — and it was just her “team” of 90 kids. There are 270 kids in her grade. I don’t think there is a photo of her team; I got the information from the form they posted on the hallways.

      I’m sorry!

      Reply
  6. Novel Thinker says:
    August 8, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    Your list is great because you classify books by genre whereas (many) public libraries do not. They simply lump all fiction together with no regard for genre. And yet, this is so frustrating for those who want to read more within a genre. What the fiction section really needs is its own Dewey Decimal system to catalog fiction by genre. Can you pass the word to librarians you know? Maybe this idea will catch on.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      August 30, 2018 at 4:00 pm

      Hi Novel Thinker,
      I like your idea!

      Reply

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