Entering Grade 6
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Realistic Fiction

​Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia L. Smith
Sixteen interconnected stories set at an intertribal powwow where families from all over the U.S. and Canada gather to celebrate their native heritage. A hilarious road trip, a meeting with a long lost brother, two frenemies meeting up and the whole event narrated through the eyes of a "rez" dog are just some of the story lines woven through this book.
Bhai For Now by Maleeha Siddiqui
Ashar is busy with hockey and trying to get into good schools. Shaheer is trying to adjust to yet another move and trying to find new friends, again. The two boys are nothing alike, except they look identical. They soon discover that they are twins, separated as babies, and devise a plan to get to know the parents they have been separated from.
Breakout by Kate Messner
When seventh grade students are assigned a summer project to make a time capsule for their sleepy town, they didn't anticipate that two inmates would escape from the nearby maximum security prison. The story, told through news articles, parodies, infographics and letters, narrates the rising tension between townspeople whose livlihood depends on the facility and those whose loved ones are incarcerated there.
Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
While his father works two jobs, seventh-grader Efrén must take care of his twin siblings, kindergartners Max and Mia, after their mother is deported to Mexico.
Flying Through Water by Mamle Wolo
Sena loves working with his grandfather on their farm in rural Ghana. In order to help his family survive their poverty, Sena apprentices himself to a fisherman, who turns out to be a cruel taskmaster. Sena must escape and hope that Mami Wata, a water spirit who helped his grandfather once, can help him, because he cannot rely on human help.
Forever, or a Long, Long Time by Caela Carter
Flora and her brother Julian have lived in so many foster homes they find it hard to believe that their current home will be their forever home.
Freestyle by Gale Galligan
Cory's dance team is praticing hard for a competition, but his parents are more worried about his grades. At first he's resistant to the tutor they hire, his nerdy lab partner.  But her amazing yo-yo skills intrigue him and soon he's spending more time with her than his old friends. How will this affect the dance team's chances of working smoothly together? (graphic novel)
A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation by Pablo Cartaya
Gonzalo is sent along on his grandfather's book tour, even though he'd rather stay at home drawing. He doesn't expect that on the epic 10 day road trrip, some of the demons and monsters from his grandfather's fantasy series will seem real, and Gonzalo will have to learn to be a hero.
It Wasn't Me by Dana Alison Levy
When Theo's photography project is vandalized, he'd just like to forget it and move on.  But his favorite teacher decides the way to solve the problem is to make Theo and all the students who were in the gallery at the time of the vandalism come to school (during Spring Break!) and conduct what she calls a "justice circle."  What could go wrong?
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee
Maizy has never visited her grandparents in Last Chance, Minnesota before. Her grandfather is sick, and the family needs help running the Golden Palace, a restaurant that's been in the family for generations. Maizy is fascinated by the story of how her Chinese great-grandfather came to America and founded the restaurant, but she's also learning about her mom, her new neighbors and how things are not always what they seem.
Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee
At first when some of the boys in her seventh grade class crash the playground birthday celebration for a friend, and give her a hug, Mila thinks nothing of it. Soon, there's another hug, and a smirk, comments on the bus . . . it all feels weird. Her friend says they're just flirting. But it doesn't feel like flirting and soon she just wants to hide, even in band, her favorite subject.
New Kid by Jerry Craft
sequels: Class Act, School Trip
​Jordan draws all the time and really wanted to go to an art school for seventh grade.  Instead, his parents send him to an elite private school where everything is so different from his neighborhood. (graphic novel)
Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles
Wes wants to spend the summer focusing on getting new kicks and maintaining his rep as the coolest, well-dressed kid at his middle school. He generally tries to avoid his mom when she's looking to drag him along to another community service event or protest, but when his neighborhood is being threatened by a big developer, Wes decides this battle is worth fighting.
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
When Omar gets the opportunity to go to school, he is excited. He knows an education could enable him and his younger brother to get out of the refugee camp where they've spent most of their lives. But going to school also means leaving his brother behind to fend for himself every day. (graphic novel)
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
(also by this author: White Bird)
Auggie, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities, goes from being home-schooled to a private middle school, where he must deal with new people and new situations.
Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi
It's his first year of middle school and Yusuf is looking forward to joining the robotics club with his best friend. But it's also the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and anti-Muslim sentiment is rising in his small Texas town with Yusuf as a target.
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