READING LIST FOR RISING 6TH GRADERS
TOTAL OF 3 BOOKS
REQUIRED FOR THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT:
BANNER IN THE SKY - Ullman, James Ramsey
A young boy who yearns to climb mountains sets his sights on paying tribute to his deceased climber father, as he plans to climb “The Citadel,” the highest peak in the Alps.
REQUIRED FOR THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT:
HITTITE WARRIOR - Williamson, Joanne
Fictional account during the biblical time of Judges in Judea, which incorporates ancient history into a storyline involving a Hittite boy. The boy finds himself in battle against the Hebrews, who once gave him shelter after his home was destroyed and his father was killed by invading Greeks.
Plus one book chosen from the following list of Classics, Contemporary Fiction or Non-Fiction.
PETER PAN - Barrie, J.M.
This is the story about Wendy and Peter, the boy who just doesn’t want to grow up.
THE SECRET GARDEN - Burnett, Frances Hodgson
A lonely, ill-tempered orphan girl comes to live with her uncle in Yorkshire and discovers secrets of gardening, friendship and happiness.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS - Christie, Agatha
Hercule Poirot, en route to Istanbul, becomes involved in solving the mystery of a murdered passenger.
OLD YELLER - Gibson, Fred
This story of a farm boy’s relationship with his dog in the late 1860’s demonstrates a dog’s devotion to its duty and its master.
KING ARTHUR (EYEWITNESS CLASSICS) - Kerven, Rosalind
This version of King Arthur is not only beautifully illustrated, but it also provides interesting sidebars explaining Arthurian lore, weaponry, terminology, and history. The visually compelling format offers a terrific resource for Arthur aficionados.
JUST SO STORIES - Kipling, Rudyard
How did the camel get his hump? How did the leopard get his spots? How did the elephant get his trunk? These are questions that children around the world have asked for centuries, but it took Nobel Prize winner Rudyard Kipling’s lively, hilarious stories to give them answers. A wonderful collection of stories to read aloud.
A WRINKLE IN TIME - L’Engle, Madeleine
Find out what a “tesseract” is and how it sends Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O’Keefe on a wild adventure in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who’s been missing since he engaged in secret work for the government. A 1963 Newbery Award Winner.
WHITE FANG - London, Jack
London chronicles the desperate attempt of animals and men to survive harsh winters in the void of the north. This is the story about love, loyalty, and survival.
TREASURE ISLAND - Stevenson, Robert Louis
Climb aboard for the swashbuckling adventure of a lifetime. TREASURE ISLAND has enthralled readers for decades. See also KIDNAPPED.
SKELLIG - Almond, David
Michael discovers a strange and mystical creature in the garage of his new house. He soon makes friends with a girl named Mina and they look after Skellig. David Almond works magic as he examines the large issues of death, life, friendship, love and the connections among all of these things. Try also KIT’S WILDERNESS.
NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH - Avi
A ninth grader’s suspension for singing “The Star Spangled Banner” during homeroom becomes a national news story.
STEALING SOUTH: A STORY OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD -Ayers, Katherine
An engaging teenage hero helps rescue a slave family in Kentucky.
CHASING VERMEER - Balliett, Blue
Fans of Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game and E. L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, will welcome this novel about two classmates determined to solve the mystery of a missing painting. Puzzles, codes, letters, number and wordplay, a bit of danger, a vivid sense of place, and a wealth of quirky characters enrich the exciting, fast-paced story that's sure to be relished by mystery lovers. Have a look at Balliet's latest, The Wright 3, for an architectural mystery involving Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House located in Chicago.
PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS - Barry, Dave and Pearson Ridley
"Peter's adventure begins when he is transported from his orphan home to a ship called the Neverland. He unwittingly befriends a girl named Molly, who is the daughter of a high class Englishman, and a kind of sailor, named Alf. As they travel to a distant island, ruled by an evil man named King Zarboff the Third, they encounter mystery, magic and adventure. In the end, Peter is greeted wtih a hard choice: eternal youth or staying with his friends." Reviewed by Brendan Chin
STAND TALL - Bauer, Joan
Tree, the tallest boy in seventh grade learns to cope – to “stand tall” – by helping others during the tough times of his parents’ divorce, his grandfather’s leg amputation, and finally a flood. Lots of heroism & big-hearted humor.
TANGERINE - Bloor, Edward
This story features a very near-sighted star goalie on a student soccer team, his menacing older brother, his new friends from the other side of town, and death by lightning. A very exciting and insightful story.
THE GHOST IN THE MIRROR - Bellairs, John
Strange things have been happening to Mrs. Zimmerman. Ever since she saw the image in the mirror of the ghost, she and Rose Rita must go back in time and save the wise family from “the great wrong ” and discover a big secret. Other excellent books by John Bellairs include THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS,THE MANSION IN THE MIST, and THE EYES OF THEKILLER ROBOT.
SACAJAWEA: THE STORY OF BIRD WOMAN AND THELEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION - Bruchac, Joseph
Told in alternating points of view by Sacajawea and Clark, this historical novel will rivet every reader. Including excerpts from Lewis and Clark’s journals as well as traditional Shoshone tales, this compelling story will inspire, educate, and entertain.
SUMMERLAND - Chabon, Michael
Summerland is a magical place, where the local Little League gathers to play baseball on a perfectly manicured lawn, and the sun is always shining in a flawless blue sky. However, the small beings known as ferishers , who ensure this perfect weather, are threatened by an ancient enemy and need a hero—a baseball star, in fact—to vanquish their foe.
AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS - Choldenko, Gennifer
Twelve-year-old Moose moves to Alcatraz in 1935 so his father can work as a prison guard and his younger, autistic sister, Natalie, can attend a special school in San Francisco. This appealing coming of age story offers some fascinating historical background on Alcatraz in an afterward.
GODDESS OF YESTERDAY - Cooney, Caroline B.
Caught up in the Trojan War, Anaxandra must reinvent herself to appease the gods and save her own life.
BUD, NOT BUDDY - Curtis, Christopher Paul
Bud, 10, is on the run from the orphanage and from yet another mean foster family. His mother died when he was 6, and he wants to find his father. Set in Michigan during the Great Depression, this story is told with a lot of humor and warmth. This is the 2000 Newbery Award winner for its excellence in literary achievement.
THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM – 1963 - Curtis, Christopher Paul
A novel that begins as a light hearted romp follows ten-year-old Kenny and the rest of the “Weird Watsons” of Flint, Michigan, as they travel South in 1963 and become witnesses of a tragic event during the civil rights movement.
THE NUMBER DEVIL: A MATHEMATICAL ADVENTURE -Enzenberger , Hans, translated by Michael Henry Heim
Twelve-year-old Robert is bored with math and can’t stand his math teacher whose main interest in life is to secretly eat pretzels when his students are solving math problems. When the Number Devil starts to visit Robert in his dreams, however, Robert is intrigued by the funky things numbers can do! This is for both math lovers and people who dislike math with a passion.
FIG PUDDING - Fletcher, Ralph
A funny story of a huge family turns tragic, the narrator being the eldest child.
FLYING SOLO - Fletcher, Ralph
This is the story of what happens to a class of sixth graders when their teacher is absent and the substitute doesn’t show up. The class decides not to tell the office, and the group’s leaders emerge. This gives the class a way to resolve a longstanding conflict amongst themselves.
UNCLE DADDY - Fletcher, Ralph
Nine-year-old Rivers deals with challenging emotional problems when his missing father reappears and his beloved great-uncle becomes seriously ill.
THE STOWAWAY - Hesse, Karen
Based on the actual Endeavor stowaway, 11-year- old Nicholas Young, Hesse uses the 1768 diaries of Captain Cook and shipboard naturalist Joseph Banks to breathe life into this fictionalized diary.
HOOT - Hiaasen , Carl
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy’s attempt to save burrowing owls from a proposed construction site. Also, check out FLUSH, Hiaasen's latest environmental adventure.
LEAVING PROTECTION - Hobbs, Will
Sixteen-year-old Robbie Daniels hopes to earn money for college by working on a fishing trawler in southeastern Alaska during the king salmon season. He has no luck finding a job until he encounters Tor Torsen. Robbie soon discovers that in addition to fishing, Torsen hopes to find plaques that early Russian explorers buried in the late eighteenth century as they lay claim to Alaska . Torsen plans to sell the plaques illegally, until he and Robbie are caught in a huge storm.
WARRIORS (Series) - Hunter, Erin
This is the first of a six-book series. It is about a house cat named Rusty. He always dreamed of going into the wild. One night he goes into the forest and gets attacked by a forest cat. Then he gets invited into a clan. There are four clans: Thunderclan, Shadowclan, Riverclan and Windclan. Anyone who likes animals and adventure should read this amazing book of "cat action". reviewed by Chase Yarnell
THE LONGITUDE PRIZE - Dash, Joan
A good companion for THE STOWAWAY, this tells the story of John Harrison, eighteenth-century maker of clocks and watches, who spent his life building a timepiece accurate enough to determine longitude at sea.
THE GOOSE GIRL - Hale, Shannon
Princess Anidori contends with turncoat guards, becomes a goose girl and finds her true self and her place on the throne. An intriguing adventure based on the Grimm’s tale.
ALEX RIDER ADVENTURE SERIES - Horowitz, Anthony
STORMBREAKER, POINT BLANK, SKELETON KEY, EAGLE STRIKE, SCORPIA and ARK ANGEL
Fourteen-year-old Alex Rider has one hair-raising adventure after another in this series. Read any or all of them and find out how Alex survives and outsmarts the most wicked villains. Check out also Alex Rider: The Gadgets , also by Anthony Horowitz and see the blueprints and explanations of the equipment invented especially for a teenage spy: a radio mouth brace, a pizza delivery assassin kit, etc.
REDWALL (series) - Jacques, Brian
Small animals such as mice, shrews, weasels and stoats are in their own world having adventures, battles, and great feasts (no guns involved). Look for the newest additions to the batch – LEGEND OF LUKE and LORD BROCKTREE. Check out the official Redwall website: www.redwall.org/dave/jacques.html. There are now 14 titles in the series. Check out the latest, TAGGERUNG, an awesome book, with lots of exciting parts. "There was always a part in the story where I was sitting at the edge of my seat trying to find out what happens next. The main character (an otter) is raised with vermin, but his kind and diligent heart prevails leading to the end of the vermin hopes for power. It began with a small otter babe being stolen by a vermin clan that believes the otter to be an example of a god. This book was very descriptive; it formed a picture in my mind every time. It is a classical triumph over evil. - Reviewed by Corey Juan
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE and CASTLE IN THE AIR -Jones, Dianne Wynne
Magic is an everyday air in the charmed world of this story. It bubbles with invention and surprise. You’ll meet Cat and Gwendolen and Chrestomance – and you’ll never know who may turn out to be a witch or an enchanter! Don’t miss other titles with Chrestomanci – LIVES OF CHRISTOPHER CHANT and WITCH WEEK.
THE VIEW FROM SATURDAY - Konigsburg, E.L.
This is a comic novel about four students who develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic. She chooses them to represent their sixth grade class to compete in the Academic Bowl. This is the 1997 Newbery Award winner.
DAVE AT NIGHT - Levine, Gail Carson
Dave becomes an orphan at the beginning of the story and is sent to the Hebrew Home for Boys (or Hell Hole of Brats, or any other combination of words that make up the abbreviation HHB.) He never stops trying to escape and sneaks out at night – when he meets a mysterious old man who introduces him to a different life and world.
THE CONTENDER - Lipsyte, Robert
Alfred Brooks is scared. He's a high school dropout and his grocery store job is leading nowhere. His best friend is sinking further and further into drug addiction. Some street kids are after him for something he didn't even do. So Alfred begins going to Donatelli's Gym, a boxing club in Harlem that has trained champions. There he learns it's the effort, not the win, that makes the man -- that last desperate struggle to get back on your feet when you thought you were down for the count.
NUMBER THE STARS - Lowry, Lois
This is a World War II story of two Danish girls, only one of whom is Jewish. It tells the story of how the Danes risked their lives to protect their Jewish citizens from the Nazis.
THE MOORCHILD - McGraw, Eloise
A changeling, half-folk and half-human, struggles with her identity and place in the medieval village of Torskaal. A 1997 Newbery Honor Book.
ZAZOO - Moser, Richard
Zazoo, a Vietnamese girl living in France with her aging grandfather, deals with the hatreds and losses of World War II.
MISTER MONDAY, KEYS TO THE KINGDOM (Series) - Nix, Garth
A young boy is thrust into a quest to save his world from dark forces. See also GRIM TUESDAY and the new DROWNED WEDNESDAY and the new SIR THURSDAY.
A SINGLE SHARD - Park, Linda Sue
In twelfth century Korea, a young, homeless boy finds work with a master potter. Winner of the 2001 Newbery award.
ERAGON (BOOK 1, THE INHERITANCE TRILOGY) Paolini, Christopher
A boy named Eragon finds a strange blue object in the forest, which turns out to be a dragon’s egg. The egg hatches under Eragon’s care and reveals him to be a Dragon Rider. Eragon and the dragon, Saphira, develop a powerful psychic bond. After Eragon’s house is destroyed and his uncle killed, he sets out to seek revenge. Enjoy the sequel, BOOK 2: THE ELDEST.
A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO - Peck, Richard
This Depression-era novel is made up of seven humorous, rollicking tales about a boy named Joey and his sister Mary Alice during the summers they spend with their larger-than-life Grandma Dowdel. This won a Newbery Honor in 1999.
A YEAR DOWN YONDER - Peck, Richard
This sequel to A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO is the story of the year that 15-year-old Mary Alice spends with her formidable and loveable grandmother. This won the 2000 Newbery Award.
THE TEACHER'S FUNERAL: A Comedy in Three Parts
In rural Indiana in 1904, 15-year-old Russell's summer ends with the unexpected death of old Miss Myrt Arbuckle. Russell and his younger brother are thrilled because just maybe the school board will decide to tear down the one-room schoolhouse students attend. But to his utter horror, his extremely bossy older sister, even though she still has a year left of high school herself, takes the job. Another fun book by Peck.
HERE LIES THE LIBRARIAN - Peck, Richard
A tornado in rural Indiana in 1914 turns up many graves - but dares not touch the grave of the former frightening librarian. Enter the new librarian, Irene Redpath: young, pretty and the driver of a fabulous car. Follow 14-year-old Peewee as he gets involved in some wild pranks.
THE AMAZING MAURICE AND HIS EDUCATED RODENTS -Pratchett , Terry
Maurice the cat and his troop of talking rats plan a Pied Piper scam in the town of Bad Blintz.
PIRATES! - Rees, Celia
In the beginning of the 18th century, sixteen-year-old Nancy Kingston is sent to her family’s plantation in Jamaica, which she is to inherit. There she befriends Minerva Sharpe, a slave on the plantation. Nancy discovers that her father has promised her hand in marriage to an evil man named Bartholome. Nancy and Minerva run away, and end up seeking refuge on a pirate ship, where they must work with the pirates to earn their keep.
THE BOY WHO SAVED BASEBALL - Ritter, John H.
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the old baseball legend, Dante del Gato.
BLACK SHIPS BEFORE TROY - Sutcliff, Rosemary
“Achilles sat among his ships, nursing his anger as though it were a red rose in his breast.” The late Rosemary Sutcliff knows how to humanize the epic heroes without diminishing their power. Now, with the same kind of lyrical prose that distinguished her Arthurian trilogy, she takes on Homer’s Iliad. People whose names we all know – Helen, Hector, Achilles, Odysseus, etc. – are all woven into one great story, with the jealous gods taking sides in the Greeks’ 10-year siege of the city of Troy.
BLUE FINGERS - Whitesesel, Cheryl
Blue Fingers, a suspenseful, action-packed coming-of-age story set in feudal Japan , offers an up-close look at ninja way of life. Through an odd twist of fate, a stubborn twelve-year-old boy named Koji is kidnapped by a secret ninja clan and taken to its hidden camp high in the mountains. He wants desperately to return home, but that is forbidden. He must forget his old life and become a ninja-or die. In this carefully researched and well-crafted novel, Koji must learn to survive in the mysterious and dangerous world of the ninja and fulfill a destiny far different from any he could have imagined.
DEALING WITH DRAGONS - Wrede, Patricia
Bored with traditional palace life, a princess goes off to live with a group of dragons and soon becomes involved in fighting against some disreputable wizards who want to steal away the dragons' kingdom. This is the first story in THE ENCHANTED FOREST CHRONICLES series.
HIGH EXPOSURE - Brashears, David
David Brashears has climbed Mt. Everest four times. For this, he is known as a world-class mountaineer. A lengthy career in documentary filmmaking – including the Imax film Everest – has earned him wide acclaim as a filmmaker. A talented writer as well, this biography reads like an exciting and suspenseful novel.
THROUGH THE TEMPESTS DARK AND WILD: A STORY OF MARY SHELLEY - Darrow, Sharon
At fourteen, Mary Wollstonecraft is sent from a Cinderella-like situation in England to Scotland, residing with friends who she came to love as family. Upon her return to England, she failed to fit the mold that her family intends for her. She translates her isolation into power by writing what two hundred years later is considered one of the first modern works of science fiction, Frankenstein.
THE RACE TO SAVE THE LORD GOD BIRD - Hoose, Philip
This meticulously researched labor of love uses drama, suspense, and mystery to tell the story of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the first modern endangered species. Its story is also the story of America, its economics and its politics, its settlement and its development, its plume hats and its environmental protection laws. Since this book was published, there have been sightings of this marvelous creature, much to the joy of naturalists everywhere, making this book even timelier.
ICE STORY: SHACKELTON’S LOST EXPEDITION -Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody
In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set off on an expedition to Antarctica. His ship, the Endurance, got stuck in heavy ice. This is the fascinating story of his struggle for survival.
LOOKING BACK: A BOOK OF MEMORIES - Lowry, Lois
Using family photographs and quotes from her books, the very popular author (THE GIVER) provides glimpses into her life.
MOSQUE - Macauley, David
Clear text and detailed instructions show the extensive construction process of this impressive structure while presenting its impact on a community.
EMPEROR’S SILENT ARMY: TERRA COTTA WARRIORS OF ANCIENT CHINA - O’Connor, Jane
O’Connor describes the archaeological discovery of thousands of life-sized terra cotta warrior statues in northern China in 1974, and discusses the emperor who had them created and placed near his tomb.
WOODSONG - Paulsen Gary
This is the compelling memoir of Paulsen’s intimate relationship with Minnesota’s North Woods and the dog team he trained for the Iditarod, a dogsled race across Alaska.
WITHIN REACH: MY EVEREST STORY - Pfetzer, Mark and Jack Galvin
Pfetzer, 18 at the time of publication, describes his summits of a number of peaks worthy of a climber twice his age, including Huascaran, Aconcagua, Ama Dablam, Kilimanjaro, and Cho Oyu. He tells at length of his two expeditions to Everest, where he reached 25,000 feet from Tibet and 26,000 feet from Nepal. Read the account of these adventures that took place when the author was only 14 and 15 years old.
PROMISES TO KEEP: HOW JACKIE ROBINSON CHANGED AMERICA - Robinson, Sharon
The daughter of the man who integrated Major League Baseball has given America a beautiful gift in the form of an annotated scrapbook. From his early days as a WWII soldier who was arrested for refusing to ride at the back of an army bus to his rise to leadership as a community businessman, raising money for the Civil Rights Movement by sponsoring jazz concerts, this book has many surprising and always impressive details about this man who was a champion on and off the field.
FORGING FREEDOM: A TRUE STORY OF HEROISM DURING THE HOLOCAUST Talbot, Hudson
This is the story of Jaap Penraat , who grew up in Amsterdam in the 1930’s. He devises ways to protect his friends and neighbors from Nazi persecution. Jaap took these risks and heroic tasks because as he says, “You do these things because in your mind there is no other way of doing it.”
THE INVISIBLE THREAD Uchida, Yoshido
Yoshido tells her own story of feeling American, but being treated differently, as she describes her early life and incarceration in a prison camp for Japanese Americans during World War II.