Utah 6th grade reading list

Books with a Utah citation for 6th grade include El Deafo, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and Wonder. This list has 723 total books, 15 of them with a Utah-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1120L.

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

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Total books723Lexile410L–1120LSourceUtah Core Standards✓ 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 Utah 6th grade

These are the 15 titles named in Utah’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 Utah 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 Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers love, loss and journey.

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  3. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers facial difference, kindness and bullying. At 790L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  4. Frindle

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 Utah 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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  5. Matilda

    Roald Dahl

    Cited in 1 Utah 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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  6. Out of My Mind

    Sharon M. Draper

    Cited in 1 Utah 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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  7. Roller Girl

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers friendship, perseverance and growing up. At 440L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  8. Superfudge

    Judy Blume

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

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

    Louis Sachar

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

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  10. Wait Till Helen Comes

    Mary Downing Hahn

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

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  11. Booked

    Kwame Alexander

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers soccer, words and family.

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  12. Restart

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers identity, bullying and memory. At 730L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  13. The City of Ember

    Jeanne DuPrau

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

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  14. The Superteacher Project

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers humor, technology and friendship.

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  15. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

    Grace Lin

    Cited in 1 Utah curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers family, folklore and adventure. At 810L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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15 books cited for Utah 6th grade

Assignments tied directly to Utah’s Utah Core Standards with a Utah-specific citation.

708 additional grade-appropriate books for 6th grade readers

The 723-book total above includes 15 titles with direct Utah citation; these 708 additional titles cover 6th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Utah-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 708 titles

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Other Utah 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 Utah 6th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in Utah Core Standards 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 723 titles for 6th grade in Utah, of which 15 carry a direct Utah citation and 708 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 58 titles here with a Lexile score 8 are grade-level, 50 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.

Utah’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Utah Core Standards (schools.utah.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 6th grade list below blends Utah-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 Utah-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 Utah?
Books with a Utah-specific citation for 6th grade include El Deafo, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Wonder, Frindle and Matilda. 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 Utah?
This list has 723 books for 6th grade students in Utah. 15 of them have a Utah-specific citation; the other 708 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 6th grade reading in Utah?
Lexile measures across the 6th grade Utah 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?
Utah-specific entries reference Utah Core Standards (published at www.schools.utah.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.

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State-specific entries sourced from www.schools.utah.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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