Rising 6th Grade Summer Learning
Scroll to the bottom of this page to find printable Choice Book lists and discussion questions for Required Books.
Required Math Practice
This summer we are offering two options for students to reinforce their math proficiency over the summer months. Practicing 1 to 1.5 hours a week consistently every week of the summer (10 to 15 hours total) will help ensure a smooth transition back to school in August. If your child wants to do more, all the better. Review the following options with your child to determine which are preferred and would be beneficial.
- Math Minutes for Rising 6th (ISBN-13: 978-1574718164 ): These workbooks are available for purchase online or through local bookstores. Students should complete the workbook for the grade they just completed.
- Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/math/get-ready-for-6th-grade): Complete the entire course or target specific areas for practice.
Keyboarding Practice
Ideally by fifth grade, students have developed beginning level keyboarding skills with attention to correct finger and hand positioning with touch typing skills. For students entering grades 6-8, computer literacy and keyboarding expectations continue to grow. Students are expected to type assignments and complete and submit assignments in Google Classroom in each of their classes. Depending on your student's current technology exposure and typing skills, we strongly recommend summer practice to increase typing speed and accuracy and computer literacy to ease their transition. Typing.com offers fun, helpful, and free practice for keyboarding, along with computer literacy modules and information. Students should create an account to keep track of their progress (not for teachers to monitor) and aim to complete courses based on their unique skill levels. Typing practice at the intermediate and advanced levels are encouraged, along with informational modules in digital literacy as time and interest allow.
Required Books
Read BOTH books and answer associated discussion questions.
Read BOTH books and answer associated discussion questions.
Choice Books
Choose at least TWO, preferably from different genres; as well, select titles you have NOT read previously. If you choose a graphic novel as one of your choice books, please choose a traditional book as your second choice book.
Printable lists available below.
Choose at least TWO, preferably from different genres; as well, select titles you have NOT read previously. If you choose a graphic novel as one of your choice books, please choose a traditional book as your second choice book.
Printable lists available below.
HISTORICAL FICTION
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis It's 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but he's on a mission. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: posters of Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression! Bud's got an idea that those posters will lead to his father. Once he decides to hit the road and find this mystery man, nothing can stop him. Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson (Winner of the 2023 Newbery and the Coretta Scott King Author Award) After 12 years of enslavement, young Homer escapes Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, leaving his mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back. The two find their way to a new, free society called Freewater made up of escaped slaves and some born-free children. There, Homer can almost forget where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he hatches a plan to return to Southerland plantation, overcome his own cautious nature, and free his mother. Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel Rothbury is traveling from England to the US aboard the celebrated ship Titanic. Her mother made arrangements for her to work in a factory, but Hazel really wants to be a journalist. And she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic's maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. With the help of a kind porter and a sweet first-class passenger, Hazel explores the ship, but a haunting mystery quickly finds her. The danger only intensifies when calamity strikes and Hazel must fight to save her friends and herself. Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood The Nazis are bombing London every night and thirteen-year-old Ken is one of the lucky ones to escape—he is among the of ninety children aboard the SS City of Benares heading for Canada. After five days at sea, an explosion hurls Ken from his bunk. They’ve been torpedoed and the Benares is sinking fast. Terrified, Ken scrambles aboard Lifeboat 12 with five other boys. Will they get away? Will they survive? The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine by Katherine Marsh Thirteen-year-old Matthew is miserable. His journalist dad is stuck overseas, and his mom has moved in with his 100-year-old great-grandmother to ride out the pandemic, adding to his stress and isolation. But when Matthew finds a tattered black-and-white photo in his great-grandmother’s belongings, he discovers a clue to a hidden chapter of her past, one that will lead to a life-shattering family secret. Set in alternating timelines that connect the present-day to the 1930s and the US to the USSR, this novel sheds fresh light on the Holodomor – the horrific famine that killed millions of Ukrainians, and which the Soviet government covered up for decades. A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta finds her family suddenly divided. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think forbidden thoughts of freedom, yet she can't help herself. But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Is he sending her a message? Nine Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin Ask anyone: September 11, 2001, was serene and lovely, a perfect day—until a plane struck the World Trade Center. But right now it is a few days earlier, and four kids in different parts of the country are going about their lives. These four don’t know one another, but their lives are about to intersect in ways they never could have imagined. Once by Morris Gleitzman (or any in series) Felix, a Jewish boy in Poland in 1942, is hiding from the Nazis in a Catholic orphanage. The only problem is that he doesn't know anything about the war, and thinks he's only in the orphanage while his parents travel and try to salvage their bookselling business. And when he thinks his parents are in danger, Felix sets off to warn them--straight into the heart of Nazi-occupied Poland. As Felix's journey gets increasingly dangerous, he begins to see horrors that not even stories can explain. MYSTERY/THRILLER/GHOST STORY Coraline (graphic novel, ISBN: 978-0060825454) by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell (Illustrator) Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own. A world where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others. The List of Unspeakable Fears by J. Kasper Kramer Essie O'Neill is scared of almost everything - cats, lights, even a mysterious family heirloom called the silver sick bell. Most of all, she’s afraid of the red door in her nightmares.When her mom remarries, Essie's world turns even scarier as they move to North Brother Island, where her stepdad runs a hospital for the incurable sick, including the infamous Typhoid Mary. But this place is more than just creepy - it's haunted by tragedy, like the General Slocum shipwreck that sent one thousand women and children to their deaths. As Essie explores, she realizes the red door from her nightmares is real, and it's hiding something sinister. With courage and determination, Essie faces her fears to uncover the secrets behind the red door and the island's chilling past. Scritch Scratch: a Ghost Story by Lindsay Currie Claire has absolutely no interest in the paranormal. She's a scientist, which is why she can't think of anything worse than having to help out her dad on one of his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours. She thinks she's made it through when she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There's something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour…he's gone. Claire tries to brush it off, but then the scratching starts. Voices whisper to her in the dark. And the boy with the dark eyes starts following her. Claire is being haunted. The boy wants something...and Claire needs to find out what before it's too late. Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll It has never been easy for Cora to make friends. Cora is autistic, and sometimes she gets overwhelmed. Adrien has ADHD and knows what it is like to navigate a world that isn’t always built for the neurodiverse. The two are fast friends until an accident puts Adrien in a coma. Cora is devastated until Dr. Gold from the Pomegranate Institute offers to let Cora talk to Adrien again, as a hologram her company develops. While at first enchanted, Cora soon discovers that the hologram doesn’t capture who he was in life. And the deeper Cora dives into the mystery, the more she sees Pomegranate has secrets to hide. Can Cora uncover Pomegranate's dark truth before their technologies rewrite history forever? Small Spaces by Katherine Arden (or any in series) Sixth-grader Ollie doesn’t want to talk about the pain she feels in the wake of her mother’s absence. Instead, she escapes into her books at her secret swimming hole. One day, a strange woman attempts to get rid of a book by throwing it into the water. Ollie steals the book and is given a warning: “Avoid large places.…Keep to small.” Soon she is wrapped up in the book’s haunting story of loss and a deal made with “the smiling man.” A class field trip reveals the truth behind “the smiling man”. Can Ollie save her classmates from him? Or will she, too, succumb to the lure of one of his bargains? Wrecker by Carl Hiaasen Valdez Jones VIII calls himself Wrecker because his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather salvaged shipwrecks for a living. So is it destiny, irony, or just bad luck when Wrecker comes across a speedboat that has run hard aground on a sand flat? The men in the boat don't want Wrecker to call for help—in fact, they'll pay him to forget he ever saw them. Wrecker would be happy to forget, but he keeps seeing these men all over Key West—at the marina, in the cemetery, even right outside his own door. And now they want more than his silence—they want a lookout. He'll have to dive deep into their shady dealings to figure out a way to escape this tangled net. NON-FICTION Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson Before he was a household name, Cassius Clay was a kid like any other. He enjoyed his friends, struggled in school, and faced bullies and racism. Unlike most kids, though, he discovered boxing. This engaging memoir describes Cassius' family and neighbors, and how, after a thief stole his bike, he began training as a boxer. Before long, he won his first Golden Gloves bout and began his transformation into the unrivaled Muhammad Ali. I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda The true story of an American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. Martin was lucky to receive a pen-pal letter for that letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives. Lincoln’s Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin A true crime thriller! The action begins in October of 1875, as Secret Service agents raid the Fulton, Illinois, workshop of master counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Soon after Boyd is hauled off to prison, members of his counterfeiting ring gather to discuss how to spring their ringleader. Their plan: grab Lincoln's body from its Springfield tomb, stash it near Lake Michigan, and demand, as a ransom, the release of Ben Boyd and $200,000 in cash. From here, the action alternates between the conspirators, the Secret Service agents, and the undercover agent moving back and forth between the two groups. On the way to a wild ending, readers get glimpses into the inner workings of counterfeiting, grave robbing, detective work, and the early days of the Secret Service. Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins, and they just might be right! How else could one explain the tremendous passion that drives her to surf? Nothing, not even the loss of her arm in a horrific shark attack can come between her and the waves she loves to surf. REALISTIC FICTION Crash by Jerry Spinelli John "Crash" Coogan, a seventh-grade football star, has been an aggressive person from the time he was very young; sometimes, he is too aggressive. He enjoys his rough behavior until he meets an unusual neighbor who forces him to think about his life and his way of treating others. A rare glimpse into the life of a bully in an unforgettable story about stereotypes and surprises. |
REALISTIC FICTION (cont'd)
Dust by Dusti Bowling After Avalyn nearly died from an asthma attack, her parents moved her to the clear, dry air of Arizona. And for the last ten years, she’s been able to breathe. That is, until Adam showed up. Quiet and disheveled, Adam is an instant target for the bullies who have plagued Avalyn and her friends. As Avalyn gets to know him, she begins to suspect that the sudden, strange increase in dust storms around town is somehow connected to his emotions. She thinks his problems may be even worse at home, especially when massive black walls of dust start rolling in after the school day. Will she find a way to stand up for her new friend? Her life may just depend on it. The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla Maudie, a neurodivergent girl, eagerly anticipates her summer visits to California with her dad. This year, however, she harbors a troubling secret about her home life, one her mom warns her never to disclose. Despite her desire to confide in her dad about her stepdad's anger, fear holds her back. When a wildfire forces them to evacuate to her dad's beachside hometown, Maudie sees an opportunity to learn surfing, a dream she's long had but never pursued. As she navigates new friendships and discovers that her autism isn't as big a deal as her mom suggests, Maudie grapples with the courage to reveal her secret and find a way to stay with her dad beyond the summer. Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. However, her newest teacher sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. She soon discovers that there’s a lot more to he than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike. The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson Matthew Corbin suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. He hasn't been to school in weeks. His hands are cracked and bleeding from cleaning. He refuses to leave his bedroom. To pass the time, he observes his neighbors from his bedroom window, making mundane notes about their habits. When a toddler staying next door goes missing, it becomes apparent that Matthew was the last person to see him alive. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling (or any in series) Aven Green has always loved her life in Kansas—hanging out with her best friends since kindergarten; planning pranks; and playing on the school soccer team. Though Aven was born without arms, she has never let that deter her from doing anything. But when her father gets a job in Arizona, the family’s move, right after Aven has started eighth grade, presents her toughest challenge yet. New Kid (graphic novel) by Jerry Craft (or any in series) Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons. But instead of sending him to art school, his parents enroll him in a private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from Washington Heights to Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself? Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos Twelve-year-old Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger. She and her big sister planned to watch the launch together. But Bridget has disappeared, and Nova is in a new foster home. While most dismiss Nova as severely autistic and nonverbal, Bridget understands how intelligent Nova is. As the liftoff draws closer, Nova's new foster family and teachers begin to see her potential, and for the first time, she is making friends without Bridget. But every day, she's counting down to the launch, and to the moment when she'll see Bridget again. Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett Kemi Carter loves scientific facts, specifically probability. It's how she understands the world and her place in it. But everything Kemi thought she knew changes when she sees an asteroid in the sky, casting a purple haze over her world. Amplus-68 has an 84.7% chance of colliding with earth in four days, and with that collision, Kemi’s life as she knows it will end. With the days numbered, Kemi decides to put together a time capsule that will capture her family’s truth. But no time capsule can change the truth behind all of it, that Kemi must face the most inevitable and hardest part of life: saying goodbye. Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings Tragedy strikes when the DiAngelos’ kayak overturns in the bay, and Brady wonders if it was more than an accident. Soon, Brady discovers the terrible truth behind the kayak’s sinking, and it will change the lives of those he loves forever as three teenagers are caught in a wicked web of deception. Wink by Rob Harrell Ross Maloy just wants to be a normal seventh grader. He doesn't want to lose his hair, or wear a weird hat, or deal with the disappearing friends who don't know what to say to "the cancer kid." But with his recent diagnosis of a rare eye cancer, blending in is off the table. Based on Rob Harrell's real life experience, this novel is an unforgettable, hilarious, and uplifting story of survival and finding the music, magic, and laughter in life's weirdness. REALISTIC FICTION-SPORTS-RELATED Benchwarmers by John Feinstein (or any in series) Twelve-year-old Jeff Michaels is just learning to play soccer on the new team at school. Andrea Carillo has fought her way onto the squad, but the coach doesn’t think girls should play with boys, so she’s riding the bench with Jeff. With Jeff’s help, the Philly media gets ahold of the story, and suddenly Andi is all over the news showing her worth on the field. But amid threats and a media firestorm, will Andi’s skills and Jeff’s perseverance be enough to save the season? Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been the charming, talented pro football star, beloved to the neighborhood kids and to his adoring sports fans. But lately life at ZJ's house is anything but charming. ZJ's father is having health issues from repeated hard hits and head injuries while playing pro. He struggles with headaches, anger, and memory loss. Between the myriad doctor visits, medications, and medical tests, ZJ's life quickly turns from charmed to tragic as he has to face that his father and family are forever changed. As ZJ contemplates his new reality, he has to figure out how to hold on to family traditions all the while wondering what their past amounts to if his father can't remember it. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (or any in series) Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health. Duel (graphic novel) by Jessixa Bagley and Aaron Bagley (illus.) In this hilarious and heartfelt graphic novel, sixth-grader Lucy finds herself at odds with her eighth-grade sister, GiGi, after a humiliating incident on the first day of school. The only thing they share is a passion for fencing and a rocky relationship since their dad's passing. When Lucy challenges GiGi to a high-stakes duel, tensions rise, and both sisters must navigate the consequences of their actions. With their school divided and family ties at stake, Lucy and GiGi must decide if winning the duel is worth the potential fallout. Slugfest by Gordon Korman Yash, the star athlete at Robinette Middle School, faces an unexpected hurdle on his path to graduation: he's failed to earn a required PE credit due to his commitment to high school sports. Forced to attend summer school, dubbed "Slugfest," Yash meets a motley crew of classmates, including academic whiz Kaden, feuding twins Sarah and Stewart, and rebellious Arabella. As they navigate the challenges of Slugfest, a scandal threatens to derail their progress. Yash and his unlikely allies must band together to uncover the truth and save their summer school experience. SCI-FI/FANTASY/MAGICAL REALISM Float by Laura Martin Emerson’s uncontrollable floating is his RISK factor (Reoccurring Incidents of the Strange Kind). The last place Emerson wants to be is at a government-mandated summer camp for RISK kids like him, so he’s shocked when he actually starts having fun at camp. The summer of fun takes a serious turn when Emerson and his friends discover that one of their own is hiding a deadly secret. It’s up to the Red Maple boys to save themselves—and everyone like them. Good Dog by Dan Gemeinhart Brodie didn't remember the exact moment that he died. But he did remember the exact moment that he woke up afterward. When he woke up he was already running. With a blend of action and heart, we learn the story of a good dog who can't move on to the afterlife until the boy he loves is safe. Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (or any in series) Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades. She’s not comfortable with her family. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret until she meets Fitz and learns she’s not alone. Fitz opens her eyes and she is forced to leave her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known. But Sophie still has secrets that are dangerous and in high-demand. What is her true identity? The truth could mean life or death. Map of Flames by Lisa McMann (or any in The Forgotten Five series) Fifteen years ago, eight supernatural criminals fled Estero City to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout. Over time, seven of them disappeared without a trace, presumed captured or killed. And now, the remaining one has died. Left behind are the criminals’ five children, each with superpowers of their own. While grieving her father’s loss, Birdie finds a map with a note: Go to Estero, find your mother, and give her the map. The five have lived their entire lives in isolation. What would it mean to follow the map to a strange world? A world where, thanks to their parents, being supernatural is a crime? A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga Resilience (his friends call him Res) was built to explore Mars. He was not built to have human emotions. But as he learns new things from the NASA scientists who assemble him, he begins to develop human-like feelings. Human emotions or not, launch day comes, and Res blasts off to Mars, accompanied by a friendly drone helicopter named Fly. But Res quickly discovers that Mars is a dangerous place filled with dust storms and giant cliffs. As he navigates Mars’s difficult landscape, Res is tested in ways that go beyond space exploration. As millions of people back on Earth follow his progress, will Res have the determination, courage, and resilience to succeed… and survive? |
Rising 6th Grade Summer Reading List (alpha by title)
Rising 6th Grade Summer Reading List (alpha by genre; includes summaries)
Discussion Questions for Required Reading
Answer the discussion questions in complete sentences. You may type or write your responses. We will discuss them as a class in August.
Summer Reading Record
Rising 6th Grade Summer Reading List (alpha by genre; includes summaries)
Discussion Questions for Required Reading
Answer the discussion questions in complete sentences. You may type or write your responses. We will discuss them as a class in August.
Summer Reading Record