Suggested Summer 2006 Reading Lists
5th to 6th Grade
These lists are just a small selection of what's available. If you like a book, try a different one by the same author. Books with a star (*) are books published within the last few years. Books with two stars (**) are nominees for the year 2007 Colorado Children's Book Award (CCBA). Students will vote for their favorite next school year to determine the winners. In order to vote, a student must have read or had read to them at least three of the nominated books.
| AUTHOR | TITLE |
| Alcott | Little Women |
| Almond | Skellig |
| Amato | The Word Eater |
| Anderson | Fever, 1793 |
| Armstrong | Whittington* (2006 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Avi | Crispin: The Cross of Lead* (2003 Newbery Award) |
| Babbitt | Tuck Everlasting |
| Balliett | Chasing Vermeer* |
| Banks | Maura's Angel |
| Barron | The Lost Years of Merlin (and the other books in the Merlin series) |
| Barron | Tree Girl* |
| Barry | Peter and the Starcatchers* (2006 CCBA Winner) |
| Bellairs | The House With a Clock in its Walls |
| Blume | Double Fudge* |
| Bruchac | Skeleton Man* |
| Burnett | A Little Princess |
| Carman | The Dark Hills Divide* |
| Carman | Beyond the Valley of the Thorns* ** (Sequel to The Dark Hills Divide) |
| Choldenko | Al Capone Does My Shirts* ** |
| Clements | A Week in the Woods* |
| Clements | The School Story* |
| Cooney | The Beloved Dearly* |
| Coville | Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher |
| Coville | The Monsters of Morley Manor* |
| Coville | Song of the Wanderer (sequel to Into the Land of the Unicorns) |
| Creech | Granny Torrelli Makes Soup* |
| Creech | Ruby Holler* |
| Creech | The Wanderer (2001 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Creech | Heartbeat* |
| Curtis | The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 (1996 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Curtis | Bud, Not Buddy (2000 Newbery Award) |
| Danziger | P.S. Longer Letter Later, and its sequel, Snail Mail, No More* |
| DiCamillo | The Tale of Despereaux* (2004 Newbery Award) |
| DuPrau | City of Ember* |
| DuPrau | The People of Sparks* ** (Sequel to The City of Ember) |
| Evans | Apple Island, or the Truth About Teachers |
| Fleischman | The 13th Floor: A Ghost Story |
| Fletcher | Shadow Spinner |
| Funke | The Thief Lord* |
| Giff | Lily's Crossing (1998 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Giff | Nory Ryan's Song*, and its sequel, Maggie's Door* |
| Giff | Pictures of Hollis Woods* |
| Gregory | Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile |
| Gutman | The Babe and Me |
| Haas | Unbroken* |
| Haddix | Among the Hidden (series) Among the Betrayed* |
| Haddix | Just Ella |
| Hahn | Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story |
| Hale | The Princess Academy* (2006 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Hannigan | Ida B.* ** |
| Hiaasen | Hoot* |
| Hiaasen | Flush* ** |
| Hobbs | The Maze |
| Hobbs | Jason's Gold, and its sequel, Down the Yukon* |
| Holm | Our Only May Amelia (2000 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Holt | My Louisiana Sky |
| Horvath | Everything on a Waffle (2002 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Ibbotson | The Secret of Platform 13 |
| Ibbotson | Dial-a-Ghost* |
| Jacques | Redwall series |
| Kay | The Divide* |
| Kjelgaard | Big Red |
| Korman | No More Dead Dogs* |
| Lasky | The Capture* and others in the series |
| Lasky | Marven of the Great North Woods |
| Lasky | Faraway Summer |
| L'Engle | A Wrinkle in Time |
| Levine | Ella Enchanted (1998 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Levine | The Wish* |
| Levine | The Two Princesses of Bamarre* |
| Levitin | Nine for California |
| Levy | My Life as a Fifth Grade Comedian |
| Lindbergh | Travel Far, Pay No Fare |
| Lindquist | Wander* |
| Lowry | Number the Stars (1990 Newbery Award) |
| Lowry | Anastasia Krupnik (series) |
| Martin | Belle Teal* |
| Mazer | Good Night, Maman* |
| Mills | Losers, Inc. |
| Mills | You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman* |
| Naylor | The Boys Start the War, the Girls Get Even |
| Paolini | Eragon*(2005 CCBA Winner) |
| Park | The Graduation of Jake Moon* (about Alzheimer's Disease) |
| Park | A Single Shard* (2002 Newbery Award winner) |
| Paterson | Lyddie |
| Paulsen | The Transall Saga |
| Paulsen | Brian's Hunt* |
| Peck | A Long Way from Chicago (1999 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Peck | A Year Down Yonder (sequel to above) (2001 Newbery Award winner) |
| Peck | Fair Weather* |
| Perkins | All Alone in the Universe* |
| Perkins | Criss Cross* (2006 Newbery Award winner) |
| Peters | Romance of the Snob Squad* |
| Polacco | Thank You, Mr. Falker |
| Pratchett | The Wee Free Men* |
| Pullman | I Was a Rat* |
| Rowling | Harry Potter books |
| Ryan | Riding Freedom |
| Ryan | Esperanza Rising* |
| Ryan | Becoming Naomi León* ** |
| Sachar | Holes (1999 Newbery Award) |
| Shahan | Frozen Stiff* |
| Skurzynski | Cliff Hanger, and other National Park Mysteries* |
| Smith | Cryptid Hunters* ** |
| Spinelli | Maniac Magee |
| Spinelli | Loser*(2005 CCBA Runner-up)) |
| Spinelli | Wringer (2000 CCBA Runner-up) (1998 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Springer | Rowan Hood* and others in the series |
| Stanley | The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine* |
| Taylor | Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry |
| Weeks | So B. It* ** |
| White | Tadpole* |
| Williams | Titanic Crossing, and its sequel, Making Waves* |
| Wolff | Bat 6 |
| Woodruff | The Orphan of Ellis Island: A Time Travel Adventure |
| Woodson | Show Way* (2006 Newbery Honor Book) |
| Yolen | Dragon's Blood |
| Yolen | Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons* |
| Zindel | Raptor |
| MORE ADVANCED FICTION | |
| Almond | Skellig |
| Avi | Beyond the Western Sea |
| Blackwood | The Shakespeare Stealer, and its sequel, Shakespeare's Scribe |
| Clements | Things Not Seen* |
| Couloumbis | Getting Near to Baby (2000 Newbery Honor Book) |
| DeFelice | Weasel |
| English | Francie* |
| Funke | Inkheart* ** |
| Levine | Dave at Night |
| Lowry | The Giver, Gathering Blue,* and Messenger* (read these in this order!) |
| Pullman | The Golden Compass |
| Woodson | Locomotion* |
| INTERESTING NON-FICTION | |
| Arbogast | Buildings in Disguise: Architecture That Looks Like Animals, Food, and Other Things* |
| Armstrong | Spirit of Endurance* |
| Byrd | Leonardo, Beautiful Dreamer* |
| Curlee | Seven Wonders of the Ancient World* |
| Douglass | Escape From Slavery: Boyhood of Frederick Douglass in His Own Words |
| Duggleby | Artist in Overalls: The Life of Grant Wood (Biography) |
| Filipovic | Zlata's Diary (Biography) |
| Greenberg | Chuck Close, Up Close (Biography) |
| Harness | Ghosts of the White House |
| Hoose | We Were There, Too!: Young People in U. S. History* |
| Jones | Accidents May Happen: Fifty Inventions Discovered by Mistake |
| Kehret | Small Steps; The Year I Got Polio (Biography) |
| Krull | Lives of the Athletes: Thrill, Spills.and What the Neighbors Thought |
| Krull | Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times.and What the Neighbors Thought |
| Longfellow/Bing | The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere* (poetry) |
| Martin | Nature's Art Box* |
| Patent | The Incredible Story of China's Buried Warriors* |
| Swanson | Nibbling on Einstein's Brain: The Good, the Bad & the Bogus in Science* |