Summer is here and it is time to read for fun! We’ve gathered all our favorite books that are perfect for rising 6th graders. Though the library is still closed, you can place these books on hold for your curbside appointment or through one of our digital libraries (just download the Hoopla and/or Libby apps!)
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi: Twelve-year-old Aru stretches the truth to fit in at her private school, but when she is dared to prove an ancient lamp is cursed, she inadvertently frees an ancient demon. Catalog Hoopla Overdrive/Libby
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee: Inspired by Korean folklore, Lee presents a space opera about 13-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits, who stows away on a battle cruiser and impersonates a cadet in order to solve the mystery of what happened to her older brother in the Thousand World Space Forces. Catalog Hoopla Overdrive/Libby
The President Has Been Shot: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by James L. Swanson: The bestselling author of “Chasing Lincoln’s Killer” transports readers back to one of the most shocking events in American history. Swanson deploys his signature “you are there” style to tell the story of the JFK assassination as it has never been told before. Catalog Hoopla Overdrive/Libby
Homerooms and Hall Passes by Tom O’Donnell: In the mystical realm of Brâiandalèor, every day the brave and the bold delve into hidden temples or forgotten dungeons, battling vile monsters and evil wizards to loot their treasure hoards for sweet, sweet magic items. But in their free time, our heroes … need to relax and unwind. That’s why they meet up once a week to play Homerooms & Hall Passes, a role-playing game where they assume the characters of average American eighth graders. But when the five young adventurers are magically transported into their H&H game by an ancient curse, they must band together to survive their toughest challenge yet: middle school. Catalog Overdrive/Libby
Booked by Kwame Alexander: Twelve-year-old Nick loves soccer and hates books, but soon learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Catalog Overdrive/Libby
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh: Kat Leyh’s Snapdragon is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town’s witch and discovers the strange magic within herself. Catalog Overdrive/Libby
We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly: Cash, Fitch, and Bird Thomas are three siblings in seventh grade together in Park, Delaware. In 1986, as the country waits expectantly for the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, they each struggle with their own personal anxieties. Catalog Overdrive/Libby
Allies by Alan Gratz: Alan Gratz, bestselling author of Refugee, weaves a stunning array of voices and stories into an epic tale of teamwork in the face of tyranny — and how just one day can change the world. June 6, 1944: The Nazis are terrorizing Europe, on their evil quest to conquer the world. The only way to stop them? The biggest, most top-secret operation ever, with the Allied nations coming together to storm German-occupied France. Catalog Overdrive/Libby
When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed: Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a refugee camp, and when an opportunity for Omar to get an education comes along, he must decide between going to school every day or caring for his nonverbal brother in this portrayal of family and daily life in a refugee cam. Catalog Overdrive/Libby
Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros: While his father works two jobs, seventh-grader Efrâen Nava must take care of his twin siblings, kindergartners Max and Mia, after their mother is deported to Mexico. Catalog Overdrive/Libby
New Kid by Jerry Craft: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious 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 his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds–and not really fitting into either one. Catalog Hoopla Overdrive/Libby
I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda: The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. Catalog Overdrive/Libby
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds: When the school bell rings and students race for the doors, where do they go? What do they do? In each of the 10 short stories that compose Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, the reader follows a different student to see what they get up to on their way home. Catalog Overdrive/Libby
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery: As the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Albama, Lynda Blackmon Lowery proved that young adults can be heroes. Jailed eleven times before her fifteenth birthday, Lowery fought alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. for the rights of African-Americans. In this memoir, she shows today’s young readers what it means to fight nonviolently (even when the police are using violence, as in the Bloody Sunday protest) and how it felt to be part of changing American history. Catalog Overdrive/Libby
Reaching for the Moon by Katherine Johnson: The inspiring autobiography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who helped launch Apollo 11. Catalog Overdrive/Libby