15 Fantastic Books for Your 6th Grade Book Club

Lou has recently gone through a spat with her best friend Francie, and the two are no longer speaking because of something Lou did that makes her feel like the worst friend in the world. Lou has also been ostracized by Francie and her new friend Madison. But when a new girl, Cece, comes to town, she immediately gravitates toward Lou and asks her help because she believes she’s been kidnapped by her dad. As Lou works with Cece to get to the bottom of things, she finds some loopholes in Cece’s story that will once again move her to go against a friend’s wishes. Not the Worst Friend in the World is a hugely relatable book about friendship angst, how much words can hurt, and (self-)forgiveness after a mistake.

ACTIVITY IDEA: It would be great to pair this book with Harriet the Spy and help young mystery lovers discover the classic.

This inspiring, highly-approachable release conveys the little-known story of Muslims who rescued hundreds of Jews in Paris during WWII. With an unforgettable protagonist, high-stakes rescues, and a fast-paced plot, this is an unmissable historical fiction novel.

Told from Jameela’s perspective, More to the Story is a modern middle-grade novel inspired by the classic novel Little Women. Four Muslim-American sisters, Jameela, Maryam, Bisma, and Aleeza are distraught when their dad has to go abroad for six months for a job. Thirteen-year-old Jam, as she is fondly called, has just become the features editor for her school’s newspaper. She’s determined to impress her dad with her first story. At the same time, a family friend’s nephew, Ali, moves from the UK to Atlanta. As Jam and Ali’s friendship blossoms, one of her sisters receives devastating news about her health. I ADORED THIS BOOK from the very first sentence–I just knew it would be good.

ACTIVITY IDEA/BOOK PAIRING: Consider identifying differences between this retelling and the classic or watch a movie adaptation of Little Women

Dani and Eric have been best friends since Dani moved next door in second grade. They bond over donuts, comic books, and camping on the Cape. But one summer, Eric saves Dani from a fire in his family’s camper. Unfortunately, the accident prevents Dani from doing what she loves the most: playing baseball. It also drives a wedge between the friends as they discover the real reason behind the fire. Can Dani forgive her best friend? Hidden Truths is an insightful, realistic, and touching middle grade book about forgiveness and evolving friendships.

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Drawing a comic, practicing writing an apology

A Place to Hang the Moon follows three orphaned kids in England during the WWII evacuation. Orphans William, Edmund, and Anna (aged 12, 11, and 9) are evacuated after their (not nice) grandmother dies. The kids are instructed not to disclose how well off their family is until they’re placed with a new family that feels like a forever family. In their new countryside dwelling, the kids are placed with several poorly matched families. The first family has twin boys who are just horrid, and the second family is too poor (and couldn’t care less about them besides the money she’s paid to look after them). Through it all, the children take solace in each other, stories from William about their parents, and their love of books and the town library. A Place to Hang the Moon is a heartwarming, immersive middle-grade debut. 

11-year-old Mo is facing a hard life moment. Her Nan (and sole guardian) has died, and her uncle (and only surviving relative) has decided to pass on caring for her in favor of enlisting in the military. So, Mo’s entering the foster care system. Her Nan’s last wish for Mo was that she find a hobby, but Mo isn’t sure about that — until she finds a book with family recipes. After one failed homing, she ends up in the home of a very well-to-do white couple who seem delighted to have her. There, Mo feels safe to try her hands out at recipes and even start a website to house all the family recipes she’s been collecting. But then, Mo’s world is turned upside down again. Will Mo ever find her own family? Lasagna Means I Love You is an achingly tender portrait of a girl searching — through food and recipes — for a family to belong to.

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Try some of the recipes Mo makes, start a blog about a topic you like, define what family means to you

Sweet Michael Rosario is shy and anxious about Y2K. The only bright spot in his life besides his doting but BUSY (working three jobs) single mother is his babysitter Gibby, whom he might have a crush on. One day, Gibby and Michael spot an unusually dressed teenager hanging around their housing complex, and after a confrontation, they realize he’s a time traveler from the future named Ridge. The First State of Being is a brilliant, highly readable middle grade book from the QUEEN of character-driven middle grade literature. This expansive sci-fi feels at once introspective and cinematic, leaping off the page like something made for a movie.

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Learn about Y2K, write about what you think life will be like 1000 years from today

In this exceptional debut novel, a boy and a typewriter work together to solve the mystery of his missing mother. The Brindley family has been through the wringer but seem to be on the mend after “Everything that happened before” when all of a sudden, their mother leaves the house in tears, witnessed only by her Olivetti typewriter, which she pawns immediately for the precise sum of $126. The pawn shop owner’s daughter accosts Ernest, the third out of four Brindley kids, right after he steals back the Olivetti, which he discovers can type back in response. The two work together, Ernest, reluctant, Quinn confident and opinionated, to retrace his mother’s steps and figure out why she ran away. This reads like an instant classic, and although some readers may be dubious about the talking typewriter element, it is excellently executed — better than many anthropomorphized animals and creatures have been in books.

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Use a real-life typewriter, write about what could happen if other inanimate objects came to life, do a scavenger hunt

12-year-old Jolene has a tough life. Her mom is misusing opioids and can barely care for her. She’s mocked at school for wearing too-small clothing and looking haggard. Jolene’s only bright spot is a tween pilot she watches via livestream at the library, “Addie Earhart.”Addie and Jolene gradually form a warm friendship and encourage each other through life’s hardships. But one day during the livestream, Addie crashes her plane. No one but Jolene is watching the stream, and Addie’s mom doesn’t know she even flies planes. It’s up to Jolene to save her, but she’s a kid with no money — and Addie’s is stuck miles away in the Arizona desert. How will Jolene make it work? Across the Desert is a heart-pounding middle grade novel about self-worth, friendships, and the struggle of a parent with addiction.

In this compulsively readable book, Mavis and her siblings return from a dream vacation to a nightmare as FBI agents seize their assets and her mother absconds, leaving their dad to fend for them. Stuck in Somewhere, Illinois, Mavis starts a babysitting business and is torn between loving and hating her mom, especially as postcards from exotic destinations start to arrive from her mother.

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Find out how long a pineapple would last as a pet, make a business plan for a potential business idea

Mia Tang is a ten-year-old Chinese immigrant who lives in a motel with her parents in the 1980s. They run the motel for its crooked owner, Mr Yao. Mia runs the front desk, and soon she realizes that her parents use the motel to protect undocumented immigrants. I highly recommend this debut by Kelly Yang. It deals with heavier topics like racism, class prejudice, the value of diligence, and the struggles of immigrants in a dignified way that kids can relate to.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES on Yang’s website. 

The unlikely foursome made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher’s pet, and a slacker — Brenton, Sam “Snick,”, Judy and Kelsey, respectively, — are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine. Because the machine, code named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together, attracting a lot of attention. And attention is exactly what you don’t want when you are keeping a secret.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES on Gutman’s Facebook Page.

This book is about Castle Crenshaw (aka Ghost), who has PTSD from a dad who tried to fire a gun at him as a child. When he meets Coach and the rest of the team, he can finally harness his talent as a sprinter and stop running away from his problems. I love how powerful these kids’ stories are (in the Track series) and that they’re super short.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES on the Simon & Schuster website

THEMES: Social media, virality, friendships, bullying

Kate McAllister’s life is in need of a refresh. Her mother has left town chasing the highest tier in an MLM scheme and Kate is living with her cop dad and getting driven to school in his police car. When a bunch of popular kids seems to welcome Kate into their clique, she is torn about ditching her longtime best friend, Haddie. Haddie marches to the beat of her own drum and could care less about being accepted. Things get complicated, however, when Kate is a passive participant in a bullying incident that leads to Haddie sinking on thin ice. Then, Kate is captured on camera saving Haddie, and the video goes viral. While news outlets hail “Kate the Great” as a shining example for tweens who should not be bullying other kids, Kate continues to oscillate between craving acceptance from the popular kids and trying to keep her friendship with Haddie, all the while maintaining her public image by appearing in newspapers and on popular YouTube channels. But how long can she keep up the charade? And, is Kate great? Or is she a bad person? The Kate in Between is a timely, complex, and engaging middle grade book about identity, popularity, bullying culture, and going viral.

DISCUSSION GUIDE & ACTIVITIES on Claire Swinarski’s website

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Think about alternative actions Kate could have taken when Haddie fell

THEMES: Blended family, friendships

When a dead body is found in Coop’s small town, he and his best friends Justice and Liberty are intrigued and want to help solve the mystery. But the stakes get even higher when Coop’s grandfather is accused of murdering the victim (who turned out to be Coop’s missing grandma!). Can Coop get the scoop on this mystery and save his grandfather before it’s too late? Coop Knows the Scoop is a thrilling middle grade mystery with a rollercoaster of a narrative and seriously high stakes.

ACTIVITY IDEAS: Scavenger hunt, family history deep dive

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS on Sourcebooks website