This is part II of the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award list from last year. Part I is here and covers 3rd and 4th grade books for kids. The grade levels suggestions are from either School Library Journal or Booklist. This year’s Massachusetts Children’s Book Award list is here.
What books for 5th or 6th grade are you and your child enjoying?
Fifth Grade Books
World Cup by Matt Christopher
The Lost Children by Carolyn Cohagan
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
PickyKidPix loved this special needs character chapter book in 5th grade and it’s on my Top 10 Perfect Read Alouds for 5th Grade list.
90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis
Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli
Sixth Grade Books
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
I think this novel in verse about immigrating from Vietnam to the United States also works as a read aloud for 4th grade, especially if the class is doing an immigration unit.
The Yggyssey: How Iggy Wondered What Happened to All the Ghosts, Found Out Where They Went, and Went There by Daniel Pinkwater
High Sixth Grade Books
The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin by Michael D. Beil
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen
If you’ve never read Carl Hiaasen before, I’d recommend starting with Hoot. Chomp is his latest.
Hero by Mike Lupica
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
My son and his friends read this in third grade and really enjoyed it. It’s like a less intense version of The Hunger Games. The second book in the series was more traumatic because one of the main characters dies and we didn’t get too far in that one so I can see why this series would be recommended for older kids.
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Welcome to the 48th Kid Lit Blog Hop where we continue to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children’s books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists. So, you are always more than welcome to join us by popping in a post and hopping around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors!
We are pleased to be welcoming two fabulous co-hosts this week: Kimbra, the blogger behind The Barefoot Librarian and Tiffiny from the blog, Spark and Pook. Big welcome to Kimbra and Tiffiny!
Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!
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My books:
BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
Thanks to this post, I read about more about the Massuchusetts Book Awards on your post last month. Living in Shanghai, we are not organized by states, however, there is an award here in China that has been running for 6-7 years, called the Panda Book Awards, which is very successful at promoting literacy in many of the schools here. We always follow it, and have had the kids vote in it before too ( I wasn’t able to post the link here, but googling panda book awards will get you to the wikispace if you want to read more. The books are selected by international librarians throughout China.Thanks as always for posting, and hosting, the #kidlitbloghop Mia.
Cheers from China
Hi Kimbra,
Thanks so much for your great suggestion about the Panda Book Awards. I’ll highlight it in a future Kid Lit Blog Hop! Here’s the link since my blog won’t let you post. Sorry about that!
http://pandabookawards.wikispaces.com/
Great list!! Short but sweet!
Ooops!!! You\’ve got the correct site but last year\’s (2013-14) book list. The 2014-15 book list is posted under the heading: MCBA Information and is titled ‘MCBA Master List 2014-15’ It is a .pdf document.
Hi Carol,
Thanks so much for your help! I think I fixed it!! I do really love last year’s list but I’ll put the new one on a future Kid Lit Blog Hop. Thanks again!
I’m trying to find books for our great granddaughter who is 8+ and in third grade. But, it’s nice to know that the books you mentioned, many of which I’ve reviewed, are great for 5th and 6th graders. I’ll know when to give them to her. Great list.
Hi Patricia,
I have a list that I did with Colby Sharp of the Nerdy Book Club. Top 10 Perfect Read Alouds for 3rd Grade. http://www.pragmaticmom.com/2014/01/10-perfect-read-aloud-books-3rd-grade/ Hope that helps!
Ooh some of these are books I would like to read!
Hi MaryAnne,
I’m glad you like the list!
My book, The Crystal Navigator, is now on independent and public school reading lists in MA. MD. VA. and DC. Please see more about my school visits on my Facebook page, website, on Twitter. I have a PhD in Renaissance art history and I wanted to write a fantasy about a child who finds her lost confidence on a magical journey back in time to meet five great artists, talk to them in their studios, learn the secrets of their most famous paintings, and give them suggestions that they take to heart and use in their paintings. This is a book about triumphing over the fear of being laughed at, about learning to believe in your original ideas, and about friendship.
Hi Nancy,
Thanks so much for the heads up on your wonderful book! I love how it combines your education with your passion!