Alabama 6th grade reading list

Books with an Alabama citation for 6th grade include Superfudge, The Dollhouse Murders and 11 Birthdays. This list has 745 total books, 29 of them with an Alabama-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1120L.

Top Alabama 6th grade pick: Superfudge by Judy Blume — on 1 Alabama list

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Total books745Lexile410L–1120LSourceAlabama Course of Study✓ sources cited per book

Most-assigned on state lists: across every US state’s official reading and award lists, the Middle (6–8) titles appearing in the most states are The Giver (20 states), The Hunger Games (14 states), and Ground Zero (8 states). From our 2026 study of 13,258 source-cited assignments (as of 2026-07-13).

Our pick to start — most-cited for Alabama 6th grade

These are the 29 titles named in Alabama’s own curriculum documents for this grade — everything below is the wider national list. Read against the Common Core Appendix A complexity band; reading level is not thematic maturity, and several sit below the band because they are assigned for discussion.

  1. Superfudge

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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  2. The Dollhouse Murders

    Betty Ren Wright

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers mystery, family and ghosts.

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  3. 11 Birthdays

    Wendy Mass

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5.

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  4. 42 Miles

    Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  5. A Week in the Woods

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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  6. Anne Frank, Beyond the Diary

    Ruud van der Rol

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  7. Boy at War

    Harry Mazer

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers world war, 1939-1945, causes and history.

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  8. Bunnicula

    Deborah Howe

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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  9. Castles: Old Stone Poems

    J. Patrick Lewis

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  10. Circus Mirandus

    Cassie Beasley

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  11. Cousins

    Virginia Hamilton

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  12. Cracker The Best Dog in Vietnam

    Cynthia Kadohata

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  13. December

    Eve Bunting

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  14. Escaping the Giant Wave

    Peg Kehret

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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  15. Mick Harte Was Here

    Barbara Park

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers grief, family and safety.

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  16. Million-Dollar Throw

    Mike Lupica

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers football, pressure and friendship.

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  17. Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade

    Barthe DeClements

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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  18. Pink and Say

    Patricia Polacco

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers united states, united states civil war, 1861-1865 and friendship.

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  19. Stone Fox

    John Reynolds Gardiner

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers family, determination and sacrifice. At 550L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  20. Stuart Little

    E.B. White

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers family, adventure and friendship. At 920L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  21. The Boxcar Children

    Gertrude Chandler Warner

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 2 to 4. Covers family, independence and resourcefulness. At 490L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  22. The Glory Girl

    Betsy Byars

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  23. The Hobbit

    J.R.R. Tolkien

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  24. The Pigman and Me

    Paul Zindel

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  25. The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups

    David Wisniewski

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  26. The Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution

    Jonathan W. Stokes

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  27. The Walk-On

    John Feinstein

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  28. Tight

    Torrey Maldonado

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 8.

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  29. Wish You Were Here (And I Wasn't)

    Colin McNaughton

    Cited in 1 Alabama curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 6.

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29 books cited for Alabama 6th grade

Assignments tied directly to Alabama’s Alabama Course of Study with a Alabama-specific citation.

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716 additional grade-appropriate books for 6th grade readers

The 745-book total above includes 29 titles with direct Alabama citation; these 716 additional titles cover 6th grade in the broader canon. They don't have an Alabama-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 716 titles

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Other Alabama grades

5th grade · 7th grade · 4th grade · 8th grade

Reading lists by grade (all states)

5th grade · 7th grade · 4th grade · 8th grade

Same 6th grade in other states

California · Texas · Florida · New York · Pennsylvania · Illinois

Browse 6th grade reading by theme

About the Alabama 6th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Alabama Course of Study with books from national sources that list titles for 6th grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction, the Golden Kite Award and the Newbery Medal. ReadingList currently tracks 745 titles for 6th grade in Alabama, of which 29 carry a direct Alabama citation and 716 are grade-appropriate titles whose reading level overlaps 6th grade. Across the list, Lexile measures span 410L–1120L.

6th grade sits in the 6-8 grade band, where students are middle-grade readers. At this stage the emphasis is on analyzing theme, character, and author's craft across full-length novels and their first classics. Assigned reading skews toward full-length novels, plays, memoir, and frequently-challenged contemporary titles, with text complexity that, per Common Core’s Appendix A reading bands, typically falls around roughly 700L to 1010L. Measured against that 925–1185L range, of the 59 titles here with a Lexile score 8 are grade-level, 51 are more accessible (often assigned for theme over challenge), and 0 are stretch texts that may need scaffolding. Because readers in a single 6th grade classroom can span several hundred Lexile points, this list is best read as a starting point rather than a fixed requirement.

Alabama’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Alabama Course of Study (alabamaachieves.org). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 6th grade list below blends Alabama-specific assignments with widely taught national titles. Every title links to its primary source on the book’s detail page, so you can confirm exactly where and why it is assigned.

How to use this list:match a title to your child’s most recent Lexile or guided-reading level rather than to the grade alone. Teachers building a 6th grade unit can pair a Alabama-cited core text with a grade-appropriate companion novel; parents previewing summer or supplemental reading can check each book’s content notes and challenge history before assigning it.

Common questions

What books do 6th grade students read in Alabama?
Books with an Alabama-specific citation for 6th grade include Superfudge, The Dollhouse Murders, 11 Birthdays, 42 Miles and A Week in the Woods. Individual schools and districts choose their own titles, so check with your child's teacher for the exact list.
How many books are assigned to 6th grade students in Alabama?
This list has 745 books for 6th grade students in Alabama. 29 of them have an Alabama-specific citation; the other 716 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 6th grade reading in Alabama?
Lexile measures across the 6th grade Alabama reading list range from 410L to 1120L. Books without a published Lexile (poetry, drama, picture books) are not included in this range.
Where does this reading list come from?
Alabama-specific entries reference Alabama Course of Study (published at www.alabamaachieves.org). The other books come from national sources that list books for 6th grade: the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction, the Golden Kite Award and the Newbery Medal. Each book's page links the primary source for every listing.

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State-specific entries sourced from www.alabamaachieves.org. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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