Minnesota 6th grade reading list

Books with a Minnesota citation for 6th grade include El Deafo; The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) and The War That Saved My Life. This list has 728 total books, 16 of them with a Minnesota-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1120L.

Top Minnesota 6th grade pick: El Deafo by Cece Bell — on 1 Minnesota list

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Total books728Lexile410L–1120LSourceMN Academic Standards in ELA✓ 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 Minnesota 6th grade

These are the 16 titles named in Minnesota’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. El Deafo

    Cece Bell

    Cited in 1 Minnesota curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers disability, friendship and self-acceptance. At 420L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Minnesota 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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  3. The War That Saved My Life

    Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

    Cited in 1 Minnesota curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers war, resilience and disability. At 580L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  4. Out of My Mind

    Sharon M. Draper

    Cited in 1 Minnesota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers disability, inclusion and intelligence. At 700L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  5. Refugee

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 Minnesota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers refugees, survival and family. At 800L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  6. When Stars Are Scattered

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Minnesota curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers refugees, family and hope.

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  7. A Night Divided

    Jennifer A. Nielsen

    Cited in 1 Minnesota curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers courage, freedom and family.

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  8. Breathing Room

    Marsha Hayles

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

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  9. Deep and Dark and Dangerous

    Mary Downing Hahn

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

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  10. Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

    Jordan Sonnenblick

    Cited in 1 Minnesota curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 9. Covers family, illness and music.

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  11. Matched

    Ally Condie

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

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  12. One for the Murphys

    Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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

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  13. Resistance

    Jennifer A. Nielsen

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

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  14. Stolen Children

    Peg Kehret

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

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  15. Things Not Seen

    Andrew Clements

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

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  16. White Bird

    R.J. Palacio

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

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16 books cited for Minnesota 6th grade

Assignments tied directly to Minnesota’s MN Academic Standards in ELA with a Minnesota-specific citation.

712 additional grade-appropriate books for 6th grade readers

The 728-book total above includes 16 titles with direct Minnesota citation; these 712 additional titles cover 6th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Minnesota-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 712 titles

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Other Minnesota 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 Minnesota 6th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in MN Academic Standards in ELA 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 728 titles for 6th grade in Minnesota, of which 16 carry a direct Minnesota citation and 712 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 56 titles here with a Lexile score 8 are grade-level, 48 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.

Minnesota’s English Language Arts requirements are set by MN Academic Standards in ELA (education.mn.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 6th grade list below blends Minnesota-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 Minnesota-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 Minnesota?
Books with a Minnesota-specific citation for 6th grade include El Deafo; The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1); The War That Saved My Life; Out of My Mind and Refugee. 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 Minnesota?
This list has 728 books for 6th grade students in Minnesota. 16 of them have a Minnesota-specific citation; the other 712 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 6th grade reading in Minnesota?
Lexile measures across the 6th grade Minnesota 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?
Minnesota-specific entries reference MN Academic Standards in ELA (published at education.mn.gov). 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.

Reading guides for parents

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State-specific entries sourced from education.mn.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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