Sixth Grade Recommended Books: Fiction

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Survival, independence, ingenuity and resilience as a boy learns resourcefulness alone in the wilderness.

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Children uncover teamwork and responsibility in a mystery adventure about rebuilding a future.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
A girl displaced by war discovers belonging and self-worth in a supportive new environment.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Migration and family identity told with dignity, hope and growth.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Friendship and courage during the Holocaust presented accessibly for emerging adolescents.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
A captive gorilla finds voice, identity and empathy through friendship and bravery.

El Deafo by Cece Bell
A graphic memoir exploring identity and confidence through humor and honesty.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Learning differences and finding your strengths through supportive relationships.

Sixth Grade Recommended Non-Fiction

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition) by William Kamkwamba
Ingenuity and persistence as a Malawian boy builds a windmill to help his village.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (historical fiction but used as narrative nonfiction bridge)
A child born into freedom learns responsibility and history through community and courage.

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy
Chicago’s 1871 disaster retold through primary sources that invite analysis without overwhelming.

Who Was Nelson Mandela by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso
An accessible biography introducing justice, courage and civic responsibility.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Memoir in verse about identity, voice and growing up across cultures.

Temple Grandin (Who Was series or picture biography versions) by Sy Montgomery
Innovation, autism and problem-solving shared through a scientist’s life in accessible terms.

Sixth Grade Recommended Poems

Fog by Carl Sandburg
Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
A Song in the Front Yard by Gwendolyn Brooks
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Mother to Son by Langston Hughes
Dreams by Langston Hughes
Magical Eraser by Shel Silverstein
Oranges by Gary Soto
Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer

Seventh Grade Recommended Books: Fiction

The Giver by Lois Lowry
A controlled society raises questions about memory, identity, freedom and choice.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D Taylor
Family, dignity and justice in the face of racism, best suited for students ready to discuss equity.

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
Based on true events, Sudanese youth face displacement, perseverance and community rebuilding.

The Outsiders by S E Hinton
Friendship, loyalty, class identity and belonging in ways early teens can connect to.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Self-reliance and ingenuity as a boy learns problem-solving and confidence in isolation.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Censorship and conformity explored through a fireman who burns books.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Migration, loss and resilience explored through dignity and growth.

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
A troubled boy confronts anger, consequences and healing through restorative justice.

Seventh Grade Recommended Non-Fiction

Hidden Figures (Young Readers Edition) by Margot Lee Shetterly
Black women mathematicians help win the Space Race through skill, persistence and civic meaning.

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
A Japanese American childhood inside an internment camp explored reflectively.

Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
Humorous memoir vignettes that build voice and narrative awareness.

I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
A cross-continent friendship reveals inequality, empathy and shared growth.

Chasing Space (Young Readers Edition) by Leland Melvin
The story of an NFL player turned astronaut illustrating resilience and curiosity.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (can be placed either 6th or 7th, fits beautifully here)
Memoir in verse about belonging and identity.

Seventh Grade Recommended Poems

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
Hanging Fire by Audre Lorde
Fear by Gabriela Mistral
Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
Fifteen by William Stafford
Abandoned Farmhouse by Ted Kooser
Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost
Invictus by William Ernest Henley
Knoxville Tennessee by Nikki Giovanni
Persimmons by Li-Young Lee

Eighth Grade Recommended Books: Fiction

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Justice, empathy and moral courage requiring adolescent processing and discussion.

Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
Hope, fear and voice under oppression through the lens of a young teen.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Power and survival framed through dystopian storytelling teens can analyze symbolically.

Animal Farm by George Orwell
A fable of corruption and manipulation that eighth graders can decode metaphorically.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Narrated by Death, the Holocaust story invites reflection on humanity and beauty amid darkness.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Cosmic travel blended with love, courage and self-acceptance for reflective eighth graders.

The Outsiders by S E Hinton
Social belonging and identity examined through friendship and loss.

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
Accountability, growth and healing through truth-telling and nature.

Eighth Grade Recommended Non-Fiction

I Am Malala (Young Readers Edition) by Malala Yousafzai
A global call for girls education and voice written for developing adolescents.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Hope and fear under oppression framed through a teen voice for growing reflective capacity.

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah (advanced readers with teacher support)
Trauma, transformation and recovery told honestly, suitable for mature eighth graders.

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose
Resistance, courage and youth activism during World War II across Denmark.

The Red Bandanna (Young Readers Edition) by Tom Rinaldi
Courage and character revealed through an ordinary person’s extraordinary act.

The Other Wes Moore (Young Readers Edition) by Wes Moore
Two boys with the same name take radically different life paths inviting reflection on choice and circumstance.

Eighth Grade Recommended Poems

Harlem by Langston Hughes
Poetry by Marianne Moore
Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
We Wear the Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Eating Alone by Li-Young Lee
The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock (excerpt) by T S Eliot
The Tyger by William Blake
Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
Jabberwocky (revisited symbolically) by Lewis Carroll
Auguries of Innocence (excerpt) by William Blake