Summer Reading Choices for Students Entering the 6th Grade Fish in a Tree (Realistic Fiction) Linda 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. She is afraid to ask for help. However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels 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. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.
Ungifted (Realistic Fiction) Gordon Korman When Donovan Curtis pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he’s finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students. As the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything), he shows that his gifts may be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.
Tales Dark and Grimm (Fantasy and Adventure) Adam Gidwitz This book reveals the "real" reason that Hansel and Gretel run into the woods and it is most definitely not what you have read in the past! Once in the woods, Hansel and Gretel weave their way through different adventures that include characters from several other fairy tales! Be very careful as you read this book because it is frightening, gruesome, and bloody! But don't worry. The author will always warn you when bad things are about to happen!
Bud, Not Buddy (Culture) Christopher Paul Curtis Soon after his mother dies in 1936, at the height of the Great Depression, Bud hits the road in search of his father. Bud’s mother never told him who his father was, but this ten year old is convinced that a poster of a jazz band will help him in his search.
The City of Ember (Fantasy)Jeanne DuPrau The City of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Now the lights of the city are beginning to flicker. Lina and her friend Doon must decipher the message she finds before the lights go out forever!
Out of My Mind (Realistic Fiction) Sharon M. Draper Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom—the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged, because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy and she is determined to let everyone know it…somehow.
How They Croaked (Nonfiction) Georgia Bragg Even the most reluctant reader will enjoy this examination of the lives and deaths of nineteen historical figures. Humorous cartoon illustrations and subtitles accompany the gory but interesting details. Readers will be fascinated and feel lucky to live in a world with medicines, X-rays, and soap.