6th Grade Summer Reading List (Ages 11 – 12)

Want to keep your 6th grader (age 11-12) reading all summer long? The best way is to make sure they have a lot of excellent books. I’ve debated forever and finally chosen the best books for your child to read. Here’s my 6th-grade summer reading list for kids ages 11 and 12.

Of course, it’s not always that easy. Kids are distracted by technology and activities and life and on and on.

What else helps motivate kids to read?

1. Choice 
   Let kids pick their own books. Even if it’s a choice within certain guidelines, it’s still a choice. No one likes to be forced to do anything, so the more autonomy kids can have, the better.
2. Accountability
   If I didn’t require a certain amount of time reading, it wouldn’t happen with my tween. Even though she loves reading. Last summer my kids tracked minutes reading to earn minutes on screen time. However you plan it, make sure you’re checking in on the reading so it doesn’t get forgotten.
3. Variety
   Think outside the traditional book here. Try ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, or blogs.
4. Fun
   Get a new beanbag pillow just for reading. Read with headlamps in the dark. Whatever your kids like, see if you can pair it with reading.

I have the lists organized by genre. Consider picking one book from each genre to read this summer. That way, your child gets exposed to a wide variety of fiction.

Shop this book list.

Want to help your child be accountable for their reading? Get this summer reading packet witih goal setting, a genre graph, & book tracker.

You Might Also Like:
All reading lists by grade level
5th grade summer reading list
7th grade summer reading list
Best books for 11-year olds (with reviews)
Fun activity books for kids

6th Grade Summer Reading List (Ages 11 – 12)

6th Grade Summer Reading List: FANTASY

If you like fantasy chapter books, you’ll like:

• Iron Trial (Magisterium series) by Holly Black
• Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
• Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
• The Adventurers Guild by Zach Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos
• The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
• Snow Rose by Emily Winfield Martin
• Imperium by Henry H. Neff

6th Grade Summer Reading List: ADVENTURE

If you like mystery and adventure, you’ll love:

• The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks
• Alex Rider: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
• Ranger’s Apprentice by John A. Flanagan
• To Catch a Cheat by Varian Johnson
• Edge of Extinction The Ark Plan by Laura Martin
• Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart
• Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard

6th Grade Summer Reading List: CREEPY

If you like your stories to be a little creepy, try:

• Coraline by Neil Gaiman
• 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
• Lockwood & Co The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
• A Tale of Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
• Doll Bones by Holly Black
• The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie

6th Grade Summer Reading List: HISTORICAL

If you like historical fiction, you’ll love:

• Sweep by Jonathan Auxier
• Refugee by Alan Gratz
• Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras
• Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson
• The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and A Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson
• The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz
• The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

6th Grade Summer Reading List: REALISTIC

If you enjoy reading realistic books, read:

• Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
• Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
• Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
• Booked by Kwame Alexander
• Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
• Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
• Beast Rider by Tony Johnston and Maria Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
• Ghost by Jason Reynolds
• Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya

6th Grade Summer Reading List: FUNNY

If you like funny books, try:

• The Wishmakers by Tyler Whitesides
• Strange Case of the Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
• A Whole Nother Story by Cuthbert Soup
• Middle School: The Worst Years of my Life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts
• The Croc Ate My Homework by Stephan Pastis
• The Tapper Twins Go to War (with each other) by Geoff Rodkey

I hope these books give your children enough excellent choices and lots of hours of reading!

Don’t forget to find ways to make reading FUN!

Participate in a summer reading program.

Read with a headlamp in bed.

Read on an electronic device. (Free eBooks?)

Start a book club.

Reward reading with . . . more BOOKS! (Kids choose, of course.)

Read nonfiction books and graphic novels, too.