6^th Grade Summer Reading List

Notre Dame Catholic School, Clarendon Hills, IL

 

Students are to read three selections from this list.  One book is required – Castle in the Attic.  The other two remaining books are the student’s choice.  Students need to be prepared to discuss and complete a project on these books during the month of September.

 

Blood on the River – Carbone (Historical Fiction) 820L – Grade 4.8

Twelve-year-old Samuel Collier is a lowly commoner on the streets of London. So when he becomes the page of Captain John Smith and boards the Susan Constant, bound for the New World, he can't believe his good fortune. He's heard that gold washes ashore with every tide. But beginning with the stormy journey and his first contact with the native people, he realizes that the New World is nothing like he imagined. The lush Virginia shore where they establish the colony of James Town is both beautiful and forbidding, and it's hard to know who's a friend or foe. As he learns the language of the Algonquian Indians and observes Captain Smith's wise diplomacy, Samuel begins to see that he can be whoever he wants to be in this new land.

 

Castle in the Attic – Winthrop (Fantasy) 750L – Grade 5.9

William, a ten year old boy, is given a model of a castle by his nanny, Mrs. Phillips because she is leaving him to return to her home in England. A Silver Knight comes with the castle which William brings to life one day--only to discover that the knight is under a spell, and needs to return to his kingdom to save it from the evil wizard Alastor. With the help of a magic coin, which shrinks living objects, William travels with Sir Simon to help save the kingdom. William finds himself alone in a strange new land and learns a great lesson in courage.

 

The Egypt Game – Snyder (Adventure) 1010L – Grade 5.9

The first time Melanie Ross meets April Hall, she's not sure they'll have anything in common. But she soon discovers that they both love anything to do with ancient Egypt. When they stumble upon a deserted storage yard behind the A-Z Antiques and Curio Shop, Melanie and April decide it's the perfect spot for Egypt Game.  Before long there are six Egyptians instead of two. After school and on weekends they all meet to wear costumes, hold ceremonies, and work on their secret code.  Everyone thinks it's just a game, until strange things begin happening to the players. Has the Egypt Game gone too far?

 

Goose Girl – Hale (Fantasy) 870L – Grade 6.0

On her way to marry a prince she's never met, Princess Anidori is betrayed by her guards and her lady-in-waiting and must become a goose girl to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim the crown that is rightfully hers.

 

Hatchet – Paulsen (Adventure) 1020L – Grade 6.3

Stranded in the Canadian wilderness with only the clothes on his back and a hatchet, Brian Robeson must put his bitter thoughts of his parents' divorce behind and deal with trying to stay alive.

 

The Mysterious Benedict Society – Stewart (Mystery) 840L – Grade 6.3

Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children-two boys and two girls-succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they'll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. So, if you're gifted, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, they could probably use your help.

 

A Wrinkle in Time – L’Engle (Science Fiction) 740L – Grade 5.3

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government. In this story, Meg Murry, her extraordinary little brother Charles Wallace, and schoolmate Calvin O'Keefe make the acquaintance of eccentric Mrs. Whatsit and friends (who turn out to be extraterrestrial beings). Together they journey through a wrinkle in time, a tesseract, to rescue the Murrys' missing father from an evil presence (likened by some interpreters to a black hole), and a sinister brain called IT.

 

NOTE:  If you enjoy a book and would like to find additional books at this reading level, by the same author or genre, visit either:

 

www.lexile.com - The Lexile Framework for Reading is a scientific approach to reading and text measurement.

http://bookwizard.scholastic.com - Finds children's books for all ages, grades, and reading levels.  Teacher Book Wizard searches all children's book and makes recommendations for the individual reader.