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Required Reading
for Incoming Sixth Graders

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town  by Kimberly Willis Holt

            During the summer of 1971 Zachary Beaver, the fattest boy in the world, comes to town and changes the lives of everyone in Antler, Texas - especially that of 13 year old Toby Wilson.  In a story of simultaneous loss and discovery, Toby’s world changes, and he uncovers the importance of true friendship.

Faculty Recommendations
for Incoming Sixth Graders

English
Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn - This home front World War II novel raises thought-provoking questions about loyalty, patriotism, bullying and friendship and introduces the reader to unforgettable characters who learn important lessons.

Holes by Louis Sachar - The wonder of Holes comes from several stories woven into one. Holes is the story of Stanley’s summer at juvenile detention camp. He’s been wrongly placed there as a result of his “family curse.” The wicked warden, the poisonous critters, the “thumb,” the friendships that form, and the outlaw Kissing Kate, make Holes a “must” read.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech - This is an excellent book about Salamanca Tree Hiddle, who journeys cross country searching for answers about her mother and herself.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse - This book is different from other young adult books. Each page is written like a small poem. Each poem feeds into the next to tell the story of Billie Jo, who struggles through great tragedy and somehow survives. She completes an amazing journey of self-discovery that will change her life forever.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis - Ten-year-old Bud, an orphan in a Flint, Michigan foster home during the Depression, escapes from his abusive situation to find the man he believes to be his father, the famous band leader, H.E. Calloway.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos - A story about a young boy with Attention Deficit Disorder who approaches the world with zest and learns many lessons about himself.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix - Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police of a futuristic society. When Luke discovers another child like himself, he is faced with even more dilemmas.

World Languages
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan - Esperanza Ortega possesses all the treasures a young girl could want, a beautiful home and the promise of one day presiding over all of El Rancho de las Rosas. A sudden tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and her mother to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza must relinquish her hold on the past
and learn to embrace a future ripe with the riches of family and community.
The Piñata Maker by George Ancona - This story describes how Don Ricardo, a
craftsman from Ejulia de Crespo in southern Mexico, makes pinatas for all the village
birthday parties and other fiestas.

El Guero by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino - When General Diaz deposes Mexican
president de Tejada, el Guero and his family go into exile overnight, bringing only a
few treasured possessions and a change of clothes.

Math
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Jester - During a journey through a strange land,
Milo learns the importance of words and numbers and discovers a cure for his
boredom.

The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill - Read about how friends make one million dollars by creating and marketing a cheaper and better toothpaste.

Science
The Time Bike by Jane Langdon - The main character of this book is a boy who attends the Concord Middle School. Written by a local author, this book chronicles the adventures of a boy whose bike is stolen. The replacement bike, with odd dials on the handle, turns out to be a time machine.

Z for Zaccariah by Robert C. O’Brien - Seemingly the only person left alive after the holocaust of a war, a young girl is relieved to see a man arrive into her valley until she realizes that he is a tyrant and she must somehow escape.

It’s Raining Frogs and Fishes by Jerry Dennis - This is a spellbinding look into the natural world's most fascinating and baffling phenomena, with illustrated explanations of rainbows, meteors, sunsets, hurricanes, and the Northern Lights.

Social Studies

Wind Rider (gr 5-8) by Susan Williams
A coming of age story set on the steppes of Central Asia 6,000 years ago. The young protagonist, Fern, finds and tames a wild foal, namig it Thunder and keeping it secret from her hunting and gathering tribe(who considers horses to be prized food). Eventually her secret is discovered, and she is allowed to keep Thunder when Fern proves her usefulness by carrying loads. An exciting animal story, combined with the timeless struggles of growing up.

Diamonds in the Shadow (gr 6 and up) by Caroline B. Cooney
An American family (the Finches) take in a church-sponsored refugee family(the Amabos) from Sierra Leone. While snooping through the Amabo's boxes of cremated remains, the Finch children find uncut diamonds in the ashes. Cooney contrasts the horror of Africa's civil wars with the abundance of American suburban life, while she creates the uncanny bond that develops between families.

Listening for Lions (gr 6-9)by Gloria Whelan
13-year-old Rachel had grown up in East Africa with her missionary parents, but loses them to an influenza epidemic. When she turns to her English neighbors for help, she is ensnared into a shocking scheme of taking the place of their own daughter (who had also died from the flu) in order to manipulate the inheritance of her grandfather's estate.

Pharoah's Daughter: a novel of ancient Egypt (gr 6-9)by Julius Lester
A retelling of the well-known tale found in Exodus that illustrates the author's view of the complex nature of the relationship of Egyptians and Hebrews. Questions raised about identity, loyalty and religion are timeless and familiar and Lester skillfully portrays the time, place and cultures.

La Linea (gr 5 - 8)by Ann E. Jaramillo
Miguel (15) and his sister (13) leave San Jacinto, Mexico, to join their parents in California. A gripping, contemporary survival story.

What the Moon Saw: a novel (gr 5-9) by Laura Resau
Fourteen year old Clara spends her summer with her grandparents in Oaxaca, Mexico in the remote Oaxacan mountains. Clara learns that her Abuelita is a healer - and Resau juxtaposes Clara's and Abuelita's alternating first person narratives. This story offers a rare glimpse into an indigenous culture.

NON-FICTION

Who Came First? New Clues to Prehistoric Americans (gr 5-8) by Patricia Lauber
In carefully researched and clearly written text, Lauber challenges long held theories on the first Americans. With descriptions of how science works, how new findings shed light on old theories, this is an accessible and fascinating look at archeology.

Special Areas
The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett Hodgson - Mary comes to live in a lonely house on the Yorkshire Moors and discovers an invalid cousin and the mysteries of a locked garden.

Mary Cassatt by Robyn Montana Turner - This biography celebrates the life and
work of this American artist.

The Magic of Mozart: Mozart, The Magic Flute and the Salzburg Marionettes by Ellen Eichenwald Switzer - This retelling of Mozart’s The Magic Flute includes a
biographical section about Mozart and a behind-the-scenes account of a performance
of the work by the Salzburg Marionette Theater.

The Kids’ Art Pack by Ron van der Meer and Frank Whitford - Pop-ups, flip-ups, three dimensional glasses, photographs, and illustrations interactively demonstrate the way art is made and constructed and help the reader to understand and enjoy art and its elements.

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg - Claudia feels unappreciated by her parents, so she and her brother run away and hide out in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse - Researchers rescue a girl from the sea, discover that she was raised by dolphins, and try to rehabilitate her to the human world.

Kid Picks
for
Incoming Sixth Graders
Novels
1. The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
2. A Mango Shaped Space, by Wendy Mass
3. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
4. Stargril by Jerry Spinelli
5. The Sea of Trolls, by Nancy Farmer
6. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Eldest by Christoper Paolini

7. Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
8. Travel Team, by Mike Lupica
9. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
10. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
11. The Egypt Game by Zilpha K. Snyder
12. Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
13. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
14. The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

Series
1. The Golden Compass Series, by Phillip Pullman
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympian Series, by Rick Riordan
3. The Clique Series, by Lisi Harrison
4. The Alex Rider Series, by Anthony Horowitz
5. The Uglies Series, by Scott Westerfeld