- Click here for a printable version of the Summer Reading List for Students Entering 6th Grade
- Students are required to read at least two books over the summer. One book MUST be from the list below. The second reading selection is a reading level appropriate book of their choice (can include titles from the list below). Students are expected to choose books at their independent reading level. Students are required to complete two index card projects, one on the book of their choice and a second one on a book from the list below over the summer to bring completed to school in September.
- Click here for information on the index card project for fiction books.
- Click here for information on the index card project for nonfiction books.
Books can be borrowed from a local library or purchased from a book store. To find out what books are available through public libraries search the CLAN system. To find advice on summer reading check out Summer Reading Tips and Resources published by the American Library Association
CMS Entering 6th Grade Summer Reading List -2011
RL = Reading Level by Grade
Fic = Fiction
NFic = Non-Fiction
Students who read at least five of the nominees for Rhode Island Children’s Book Award can participate in Rooster Games. Rooster Games are an all day event for fifth and sixth grade. Books which are nominees that are read during the summer count towards the five required to play.
Rhode Island Children’s Book Award Nominees 2012(Rooster Game Books):
Angleberger, Tom. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda RL 4.1 Fic Is Origami Yoda real? Or is it just Dwight who is answering everyone’s questions with his Origami Yoda? Tommy enlists the help of his classmates, gathering stories and sketches to find out the truth. Tommy needs to know if Origami Yoda is real because he needs to know if he can trust him with a very important question…
Baskin, Nora Raleigh. Anything But Typical RL 4.1 Fic Jason is a boy with autism. Kids at school think he is “weird” and usually avoid him. Jason finally finds friendship with a girl in his online writing group. Will a face-to-face meeting change their friendship?
DiCamillo, Kate. Bink and Gollie RL 2.5 Fic Bink & Gollie, two imaginative best friends, share a tree house and a love of pancakes. In three very funny adventures, without leaving their neighborhood, they climb the Andes, befriend a goldfish, and have a big fight about rainbow colored socks.
Fleming, Candace. Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary School RL 6.4 Fic When Mr. Jupiter’s class starts fifth grade, the students and their teacher arrive wearing identical toucan headdresses. The moral of the story: Birds of a feather flock together. Mr. Jupiter and his class spend the school year together: learning, and having fun with lessons like singing hamsters and George Washington’s teeth.
Holm, Jennifer L. Turtle in Paradise RL 4.1Fic It's 1935 and 11-year-old Turtle moves to Key West to live with her Aunt Minnie. Her Mom is a live-in housekeeper, and her new employer doesn't want children around. Key West turns out to be fascinating, complete with a Diaper Gang, hidden pirates' treasures, and first cousins named Beans, Buddy, and Kermit.
Lord Cynthia. Touch Blue RL 3.6 Fic “Touch Blue and your wish will come true.” When the state of Maine plans to shut down her island's schoolhouse, Tess's family may be forced to move to the mainland. Will her luck hold out and her wish come true?
Macy, Sue. Bylines: A Photobiography of Nellie Bly RL 7.5 NFic Daring news reporter, globetrotter, and advocate for women's rights, Nellie Bly made people stand up and take notice.
McCarthy, Meghan. Pop :The Invention of Bubble Gum RL 4.8 NFic Accidents can sometimes be fun! The true story of how an accountant at a candy company, who likes a good puzzle, stumbles upon the perfect recipe for bubble gum.
Mone, Gregory. Fish RL 6.8 Fic Get ready for a swashbuckling pirate adventure! Join Fish as he swabs the decks on the Scurvy Mistress. When Fish finds himself caught between the noble Captain Cobb and the deceitful first- mate Scab, he puts his clever nature to good use. A story of mutiny, sea battles and of course, hidden treasure!
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Emily’s Fortune RL 5.4 Fic Eight year old Emily sets off on a rip-roarin’ ride as she travels by stagecoach in a Wild West adventure. She teams up with a boy named Jackson to outsmart her wicked uncle who wants her fortune.
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal RL 5.5 NFic It is 1875 and the West needs deputies. Former slave, Bass Reeves is hired to keep the peace. He is an honest man with a strong sense of right and wrong. Through courage and expert marksmanship Deputy Reeves brings 3,000 criminals to justice.
Paulsen, Gary. Masters of Disaster RL 6.7 Fic Henry and best friends, Riley and Reed share wacky and daring adventures. “Call 9-1-1” as these friends jump off a roof on a bicycle try to break a world record, spend the night in the woods with wild animals, and attempt to solve a hundred year old murder mystery.
Polacco, Patricia. Junkyard Wonders RL 3.1 Fic Young Trish finds herself welcomed into the “junkyard”, a class of very special friends, led by a very special teacher, who all learn to fly as they overcome tragedy and trials to triumph together!
Roberts, Laura Peyton. Green RL 4.9 Fic Lilybet Green’s 13th birthday begins with a bang. Literally! An exploding present is the start of a colorful adventure. Kidnapped by a trio of leprechauns, Lily is next in line to be Keeper for the Clan of Green’s gold – but only if she passes three tests that could change her life forever!
Singer, Marilyn. Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse RL 4.1 Fic Presto! Change-o! Ever read a poem in reverse? Prepare to be entertained as you read each poem two ways: top to bottom and ... bottom up!
Spinelli, Eileen. The Dancing Pancake RL 3.9 Fic Can eating pancakes make tough times better? When her mom opens a restaurant Bindi gets a taste of a new life with new friends, new experiences and a new apartment.
Springstubb, Tricia. What Happened on Fox Street RL 5.2 Fic Mo Wren, Dad and “wild child” younger sister live on Fox Street. The long, hot summer is full of alarming letters, mysterious packages and difficult changes. Growing friendships and the hope of finding a real fox in her neighborhood inspire Mo to find the courage she needs.
Stauffacher, Sue. Gator on the Loose! RL 4.7 Fic Carter’s Urban Rescue is the place to call when you find a wild animal where it shouldn’t be. Especially, when it’s a baby alligator - loose at the city pool! Follow the fun and adventures of this delightful family who work together to get the job done.
Viorst, Judith. Lulu and the Brontosaurus RL 5.6 Fic Bossy! Demanding! Spoiled! That's Lulu! Is it possible for a polite brontosaurus to be the pet she wants for her birthday? Or will Lulu find she has met her match and finally change her ways?
Williams-Garcia, Rita. One Crazy Summer RL 5.0 Fic As they board a plane to visit their mother in California, Delphine and her sisters imagine themselves visiting Disneyland, and meeting movie stars. Instead they learn about the Black Panthers, and a mother who’s a mystery to them.
The rest of the books on this list are not Rooster Game Books!
Graphic Novels:
The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb by M. Burgan. RL 4.9 NFic Presents a comic book version of the story of the discovery and excavation of King Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922, and the myth of the curse that afflicted those involved in the tomb's exploration.
Curse of the Red Scorpion by S. Nickel RL 2.0 Fic Mitchell thinks that the Red Scorpion of Manzitopia has followed him home from the museum.
Student Picks:
All the Lovely Bad Ones by M. Downing Hahn RL 4.5 Fic While spending the summer at their grandmother's Vermont inn, two prankster siblings awaken young ghosts from the inn's distant past who refuse to "rest in peace."
Heroes Don’t Run by H. Mazer. RL 4.6 Fic Sixteen-year-old Adam Pelko's father is killed in the attacks at Pearl Harbor. Hoping to follow in his father's footsteps, Adam lies about his age to join the Marines at age seventeen. He is sent to boot camp and then to Okinawa, Japan where he learns the realities of war.
Tunnels by R. Gordon RL 7 Fic When Will Burrows and his friend Chester embark on a quest to find Will's archaeologist father, who has inexplicably disappeared, they are led to a labyrinthine world underneath London, full of sinister inhabitants with evil intentions toward "Topsoilers" like Will and his father.
Graveyard Book by N. Gaimen RL 5.1 Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead.
Can You Get an F in Lunch? by N. Krulik RL 4.0 Jenny McAffee is looking forward to starting sixth grade with her friend, Addie. When Addie starts hanging out with the popular girls at school, Jenny feels left out. Includes quizzes for readers to determine the personality types of their friends.
Flipped by W. Van Draanen RL 5.9 Fic In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years.
On My Honor by M. Bauer RL 4.7 Fic Joel dares his best friend, Tony, to a swimming race in a dangerous river. Both boys jump in, but when Joel reaches the sandbar, he finds Tony has vanished. How can he face their parents and the terrible truth?
Heat by M. Lupica. RL 5.6 Fic Michael Arroyo, a 13-year-old Cuban immigrant, dreams of playing in the Little League World Series. After all, he's an excellent pitcher on his team, and he lives next to Yankee Stadium. But how can his team from the South Bronx beat the rich kids from the suburbs? Michael has more than baseball on his mind, however, as he must deal with the death of his father, and his decision (with big brother Carlos) to keep the death a secret to avoid foster care.
Gregor the Overlander by S. Collins. RL 6.0 Fic When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving humans, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.
Challenge Books (for students looking for a more difficult book):
The Swiss Family Robinson by J. Wyss RL 6.4 Fic Shipwrecked on an isolated island in the early nineteenth century, a Swiss couple and their four sons rely upon their ingenuity and nature's providence to survive in their "New Switzerland."
Anne of Green Gables by L. Montgomery RL 6.9 Fic Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller RL 6.8 NFic An autobiography of Helen Keller who overcame disabilities of deafness and blindness to become a well-known lecturer and writer.
The Prince and the Pauper by M. Twain RL 7.2 Fic When young Edward VI of England and a poor boy who resembles him exchange places, each learns something about the other's very different station in life.
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