Massachusetts 6th grade reading list

Books with a Massachusetts citation for 6th grade include Holes, Maniac Magee and Shiloh. This list has 727 total books, 22 of them with a Massachusetts-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1120L.

Top Massachusetts 6th grade pick: Holes by Louis Sachar — on 1 Massachusetts list

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Total books727Lexile410L–1120LSourceMA Curriculum Framework✓ 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 Massachusetts 6th grade

These are the 22 titles named in Massachusetts’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. Holes

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers fate vs choice, friendship and justice. At 660L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  2. Maniac Magee

    Jerry Spinelli

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers race, homelessness and family. At 820L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  3. Shiloh

    Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers animal welfare, morality and family. At 890L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  4. The Crossover

    Kwame Alexander

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, brotherhood and basketball. At 750L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  5. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers Greek mythology, neurodivergence (dyslexia, ADHD) and friendship. At 740L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  6. The Tale of Despereaux

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers courage, forgiveness and light vs dark. At 670L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  7. Artemis Fowl

    Eoin Colfer

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  8. Frindle

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers creativity, language and thought, intelligence. At 830L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  9. Hatchet

    Gary Paulsen

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers survival, resilience and self-reliance. At 1020L it falls inside the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  10. Matilda

    Roald Dahl

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers intelligence, overcoming neglect and teacher-student bond. At 840L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  11. The Thief Lord

    Cornelia Funke

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  12. There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  13. Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  14. Alone

    Megan E. Freeman

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

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  15. Because of Winn-Dixie

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers loss, friendship and mother absence. At 610L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  16. Charlotte's Web

    E.B. White

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 5. Covers friendship, mortality and loyalty. At 680L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  17. Found

    Margaret Peterson Haddix

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

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  18. Jackie and Me

    Dan Gutman

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

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  19. The Great Gilly Hopkins

    Katherine Paterson

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

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  20. The Mysterious Benedict Society

    Trenton Lee Stewart

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

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  21. The Thief

    Megan Whalen Turner

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

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  22. Where the Red Fern Grows

    Wilson Rawls

    Cited in 1 Massachusetts curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers boy-and-dog bond, rural self-reliance and perseverance. At 700L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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22 books cited for Massachusetts 6th grade

Assignments tied directly to Massachusetts’s MA Curriculum Framework with a Massachusetts-specific citation.

705 additional grade-appropriate books for 6th grade readers

The 727-book total above includes 22 titles with direct Massachusetts citation; these 705 additional titles cover 6th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Massachusetts-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 705 titles

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Other Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 6th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in MA Curriculum Framework 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 727 titles for 6th grade in Massachusetts, of which 22 carry a direct Massachusetts citation and 705 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.

Massachusetts’s English Language Arts requirements are set by MA Curriculum Framework (doe.mass.edu). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 6th grade list below blends Massachusetts-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 Massachusetts-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 Massachusetts?
Books with a Massachusetts-specific citation for 6th grade include Holes; Maniac Magee; Shiloh; The Crossover and The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1). 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 Massachusetts?
This list has 727 books for 6th grade students in Massachusetts. 22 of them have a Massachusetts-specific citation; the other 705 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 6th grade reading in Massachusetts?
Lexile measures across the 6th grade Massachusetts 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?
Massachusetts-specific entries reference MA Curriculum Framework (published at www.doe.mass.edu). 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.doe.mass.edu. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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