Fantastic Books for Fifth & Sixth Graders

Fiction

  • Booraem, Ellen. Small Persons with Wings. 2011.

    When Mellie's grandfather dies and leaves her family his run-down inn and bar, she learns that her family has been fairy guardians for generations, and they become involved in a series of magical adventures.

  • Burgis, Stephanie. Kat, Incorrigible. 2011.

    In Regency England, when 12-year-old Kat discovers she has magical powers, she tries to use them to rescue her sister from marrying a man she does not love.

  • Choldenko, Gennifer. No Passengers Beyond This Point. 2011. [also available on audio]

    India, Mouse and Finn think they're going to Colorado, but when they arrive they are welcomed to a strange place where each of them has a perfect house and a clock that is ticking down the time.

  • Gantos, Jack. Dead End in Norvelt. 2011. [also available on audio]

    In Norvelt, Pennsylvania, 12-year-old Jack spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore.

  • Greenwald, Tommy. Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading. 2011. [also available on audio]

    Charlie Joe is proud of his success at avoiding reading, but eventually his schemes go too far.

  • Gutman, Dan. Mission Unstoppable. 2011.

    On a cross-country vacation with their parents, twins Coke and Pepsi fend off strange assassins as they try to come to terms with being part of a top-secret government organization known as The Genius Files.

  • Hurd, Thacher. Bongo Fishing. 2011.

    Jason has a close encounter of the fun kind when Sam, a bluish alien from the Pleiades, arrives in a 1960 Dodge Dart spaceship and invites Jason to go fishing.

  • Krishnaswami, Uma. The Grand Plan to Fix Everything. 2011.

    Eleven-year-old Dini loves movies, so when she learns that her family is moving from Maryland to India, her devastation over leaving is tempered by the possibility of meeting her favorite actress, Dolly Singh.

  • McMann, Lisa. The Unwanteds. 2011. [also available on audio]

    In a society that purges 13-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic.

  • Nolan, Jerdine. Eliza's Freedom Road: An Underground Railroad Diary. 2011.

    A 12-year-old slave girl begins writing in a journal where she documents her journey to freedom in Canada.

  • Oliver, Lauren. Liesl and Po. 2011.

    A mix-up involving the greatest magic in the world has tremendous consequences for Liesl, an orphan; Will, an alchemist's runaway apprentice; and Po, a ghost, as they are pursued by friend and foe.

  • Rylander, Chris. The Fourth Stall. 2011.

    Sixth-graders Mac and Vince operate a business charging schoolmates for protection from bullies and help to negotiate conflicts peacefully, with amazing challenges and results.

  • Scattergood, Augusta. Glory Be. 2012.

    In the summer of 1964 as she is about to turn 12, Glory's town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi, is beset by racial tension when town leaders close her beloved public pool rather than desegregating it.

  • Selznick, Brian. Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures. 2011.

    After losing his mother and his hearing, 12-year-old Ben leaves Minnesota to find the father he never knew. In New York City he meets Rose, who is also longing for something missing from her life.

  • Stephens, John. The Emerald Atlas. 2011. [also available on audio]

    Kate, Michael and Emma have passed from one orphanage to another in the 10 years since their parents disappeared, but now learn they have special powers, a prophesied quest and a fearsome enemy.

  • Shang, Wendy Wan Long. The Great Wall of Lucy Wu. 2011.

    Aspiring basketball star and interior designer Lucy is excited about finally having her own bedroom, until she learns that her great-aunt is coming to visit and Lucy will have to share a room with her.

  • Stone, Phoebe. The Romeo and Juliet Code. 2011.

    During World War II, Felicity, who lives in England, is sent to Maine to live with her grandmother, aunt, uncle and a reclusive boy who helps her decode letters that contain the truth about her missing parents.

  • Tracy, Kristen. The Reinvention of Bessica Lefter. 2011.

    Bessica's plans to begin middle school as a new person unravel before school even begins.

Graphic novels

  • Santat, Dan. Sidekicks. 2011.

    When Captain Amazing feels he is getting too old to be a reliable superhero, he tries to hire a new sidekick, but his pets have different ideas.

Nonfiction

revised May 2012