Fantastic Book Series for 6th Graders

1 book in the series so far

This fun, SHORT series opener is immediately reminiscent of friendship group books like The Babysitters Club. Gigi and her two friends, Zeina and Caroline, decide to start a tutoring club in the library to help them save up some cash for an art summer camp. Gigi’s parents think being an artist is not a promising career option and would rather she focus on math and the sciences, so she neglects to tell them about the club and her plan. The girls add wannabe goth Emma to their team, and business begins. They must navigate business planning, crushes, tricky clients, and worried parents to keep their business (and their friendship) afloat. The vibes were so sweet in this one, and kids who love entrepreneurial stories, books by Debbi Michiko Florence, and friendship-based realistic fiction will love it.

2 books in the series

Lina is finally moving to the US to reunite with her parents after five years apart. She’d been living with her grandmother in China, but now her grandmother is ill, and her parents want her to come to North Carolina with them and her little sister Millie. But when she arrives, nothing about their life is as her parents have told her. They live in an apartment, not a house like her mom said and her parents owe a ton of back rent after the pandemic. Her dad is an organic farmer, and her mom is trying hard to launch a bath bomb business with little capital. Things aren’t any easier at school with Lina’s poor English. When she finally finds a graphic novel she loves and her teacher wants the class to read it, influential parents at her school are determined to stop it from being read. Will Lina use her voice? Finally Seen is a moving, inspiring, and insightful middle grade book about immigration, family, and sisterhood.

3 books in the series

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. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself? This middle grade graphic novel is an excellent choice for tween readers who love graphic novels, the arts, and books about male friendship.

3 books in the series

Real Friends is Shannon Hale’s graphic memoir of her middle school experience with real friends — and girls who weren’t quite friends. Shannon and Adrienne have been best friends since Shannon came out of her shell in early elementary school. She had earlier been the shy middle child who never felt like she quite fit in anywhere. But with Adrienne, it was like she could finally exhale. But when Adrienne starts hanging out with the popular girl, Jen, Shannon suddenly doesn’t know where she fits in anymore. As we go through the stressful roller coaster years with Shannon, each chapter highlights her relationship with one of the girls in the new friend group. Each of the girls basically lives to impress Jen, the ultimate cool girl, and the group operates by making other girls feel left out. Thankfully, Shannon eventually finds friends who like her but she also has to learn whom to let in and whom to. Shannon Hale’s Real Friends is a realistic, moving depiction of the roller coaster that middle school friendships can be and how affirming it can be to find true friends.

2 books in the series

When Zoey’s parents decide she’ll go from homeschooling to in-person middle school, she’s nervous about fitting in. Fortunately, she has one major skill: coding. Having been exposed to computers and coding earlier, Zoey builds a mobile app called The Cool Code, which uses artificial intelligence and data to predict which outfits she should wear, what to say in conversations, and even which kids to befriend if she wants to be popular. When two not-so-popular kids befriend Zoey, they’re eager to experiment with the app as their STEM project to see if following its tips really makes Zoey popular. But letting an app decide your social interactions gets complicated pretty quickly. The Cool Code is a fun, STEM-centered graphic novel about fitting in, being yourself, and finding your tribe.

1 book in the series so far

This is a semi-autobiographical story of Lia, who moves from Romania to Canada just as she’s getting her first (very painful) period. It seems to be the first in a series about Lia. In Montreal, she struggles at first in her French immersion school. I love the progression as she begins to understand more and more French. This is a great one if you’re looking for a slice-of-life graphic novel tackling periods and puberty, featuring crushes, and exploring the struggles and wins of immigrating. Readers should know that a girl crushes on another girl in this story, but doesn’t reveal it.

2 books in the series

Middle schooler Viv is tired of being boring and ordinary. She wants to amass social media followers and be a trendsetter like some of her classmates. She also watches a YouTuber who encourages her inclinations. So, on Picture Day, she gets the grand idea to chop off her pigtail, creating a strange hairstyle, which a hairstylist eventually refines into something more attention-grabbing. Suddenly, everyone wants Viv’s advice, and she becomes more pushy too, especially towards her friends. It’s not long before everything comes crashing down. Picture Day by Sarah Sax is a funny but thoughtful start to a new graphic novel series for fans of the Click Series.

2 books in the series

Squad Goals (Hearts & Crafts #1) is the first in a new middle grade series about Mackenzie Miller, a new seventh-grader who calls herself a “maker.” Mackenzie loves projects especially when they involve crafting artsy things or planning things. After her parents’ divorce and her father’s remarriage, it’s just Kenzie and her mom and Kenzie wants her mom to find a boyfriend. Last year, her BFFs also dumped her and Kenzie is convinced she can try to win them back this year while working hard to make new friends. In the spirit of making, she quickly finds herself embroiled in a fundraiser to help get some of the Band kids in her school (she’s also in Band) new instruments. But can Mackenzie balance it all? Squad Goals (Hearts & Crafts #1) is a relatable, enjoyable middle grade book about crafting, friendships, and letting others help you. 

4 books in the series

As they start sixth grade, Kayla and her BFF, Ari brainstorm a list of 11 things they need to do before they turn 12. But between making guy friends, getting detention (and makeovers!), helping humanity, and having super-candid conversations with their moms about their flaws, the first 100 days of school turn out worse than Kaylan ever imagined. Kaylan and Ari forget to focus on their friendship, and soon, their loyalty to the list—what was meant to help them keep it together—becomes the very thing tearing their lives apart. This is another cute friendship series that is absolutely relatable for tween girls on the cusp of growing up.

5 books in the series

Twelve-year old Sara Martinez is a hacker bouncing from foster home to foster home in Brooklyn, New York. After getting arrested for hacking into the NYC foster care system to expose her foster parents as criminals, she meets a man named Mother who is not a lawyer but convinces her to take on her case. Mother somehow wins and Sara gets released only to join a team of kid spies operating out of a base in Scotland. As Sara adjusts, the team prepares for their first mission in Paris, France, even as Mother is working hard to find his two kids lost as a consequence of a previous mission. James Ponti’s City Spies #1 is an excellent start to an exciting mystery series that both kids and adults can enjoy.

2 books in the series

Sixth grade is off to a rocky start for Rex. His district moved most of his elementary school to another middle school, his best friend ditches him for the popular crew, and his blurry vision means he has to get clunky new glasses–the only kind his family can afford. This sweet graphic novel for fans of Telgemeier is an ode to middle school, family, and finding your people.

1 book in the series so far

This is an entertaining graphic novel about cousins Maya and Riley (Black and Muscogee) who end up living with their grandmother when Maya’s parents are deployed and Riley’s parents move back in with her grandmother. The two girls get off to a rough start exarcebated by their personality differences. Maya is reserved, studious, and science-focused while Riley is outgoing, friendly, and artsy. At school, the girls quickly realize that their vice principal is suspicious, slashing arts, robotics and any budgets possible in favor of increasing the number of detention classrooms. With their grandmother’s advice about using their voices firm in their mind, the girls hatch a plan to expose vp balderdash’s schemes. I loved many things about this series starter, including the natural, subtle way both girls share about their heritage and the way they find home and community with their grandmother. This is also super short (under 200 pages) and the superhero and planning scenes feel like something out of a Spy Kids movie.

2 books in the series

Four friends Gina, Elena, Edgar, and Kevin (or the GEEKs as they come to be known) and a dog named Sauce must work together to find a treasure that will keep their small town from a major economic collapse. I loved the kids in this story (I recommend the audiobook!), their diverse interests, true platonic friendship, and their love for their community. I found this book to be truly funny, the mystery engaging (full of riddles), and the plot majorly believable. It’s a fun read for young mystery fans.

2 books in the series

Twelve-year-old Zoe Washington’s summer is off to a rough start. She’s not speaking to one of her best friends, for one. Her other best friend is away at summer camp, and the third one has moved away. But things get more complicated when she finds a letter in the mail from her incarcerated birth father. The only problem is that he’s in jail for something “very bad,” and Zoe has never met or spoken to him before. As she starts to write to Marcus, Zoe realizes that things might not be so black and white — not with her friend Trevor, and certainly not with Marcus. While she learns more about Marcus, she also spends part of her summer interning at a pastry shop. From the Desk of Zoe Washington is a moving, true-to-life middle-grade novel that highlights just how potent perseverance can be — even when you’re just twelve. 

2 books in the series

Yared Heywat lives in Addis Prime, a rundown reimagined Ethiopian city. Although Addis Prime is light years ahead of our current tech scene, it still has remarkable technology, from holovids (which allow holograms of kids to attend classes instead of the actual kids) to sky sailing transportation. However, several unreasonable rules seem to stifle more than they protect the people. Plus, no one ever believes the stories Yared tells about a long-lost city in the sky named Axum — stories his uncle Moti shared with him. Yared is a frequent competitor in an augmented reality game set in the city, sometimes ditching school — much to Uncle Moti’s chagrin. But just when he seems to be getting the upper hand, the game rules change, and Yared has to sign in using his real name. Halfway through the game, Yared is suddenly being pursued by real-life law enforcement simply for being Yared. Forced to join forces with his rival, a girl called the Ibis, Yared, and his pet bionic lioness have to get to the bottom of the attack and, in the process, learn some shocking information about Yared’s identity. This a propulsive sci-fi adventure set in an Afrofuturistic city, perfect for fans of The Black Panther‘s Wakanda.

1 book in series so far

Weatherby is a new kid at a Boston private school. She’s at the school on a sailing scholarship and immediately is thrust into a world she knows nothing about. Old school phone booths, scrambled phone service at school, friends with kids who go to the country club, and a boy who seems to hate her guts. Jack is a rich kid at the school who is also on the sailing team and is constantly pressured by his father to be the best. When the money for a famed school trip is stolen, Jack, Weatherby, and some of their friends are invited to play a high-stakes secret game that leads to the revelation of shocking family secrets. This suspenseful mystery, told from Jack’s and Weatherby’s perspectives, is fast-paced and high-stakes, perfect for 6th and 7th graders.

1 book in series so far

Meet 13-year-old twins Hope and Gordon. They’ve just discovered that their dad was Brandon Winterton (of the wealthy dictionary magnate family). Unfortunately, Hope can’t stand rich people, especially since the twins and their mom barely make ends meet and live in a motel. But their fortune is about to change. When Gordon enters the family into the Winterton Bee, they’re thrust into the midst of the family’s secrets, with a deadly enemy and a scavenger hunt set up by the family’s dead matriarch. This is a fast-paced mystery with plenty to gnaw on between the twin relationship, family drama, character development, and flashbacks that help readers learn more about the Winterton family. This one does touch a bit on addiction, and there’s a scene where the kids’ lives are in danger, but all ends well!

1 book in the series

When Raam Patel is schooled by another kid in front of his NBA idol and the video goes viral, he escapes to LA to take a break from basketball, the sport he loves. But there, he soon realizes he can’t escape the sport. With his cousin and some new friends, he learns to get better at basketball not just by physical improvement but also by becoming more mentally and emotionally resilient. I’m in the middle of this debut right now and I think sports fans and male readers will enjoy it.

2 books in series

After she receives a mysterious message about her estranged father, Emmy discovers a box of her father’s possessions, especially a set of intricately designed medallions. Soon after, Emmy’s life is turned upside down as her mom sends her to a British boarding school. There, she begins to connect the school’s medallion’s symbols with her father’s medallions. This book is fantastic on audio and hooked me from page one!