Vermont 6th grade reading list

Books with a Vermont citation for 6th grade include Bud, Not Buddy; Holes and Maniac Magee. This list has 744 total books, 46 of them with a Vermont-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1120L.

Top Vermont 6th grade pick: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis — on 2 Vermont lists

Get it on Amazon →

Affiliate link: as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Total books744Lexile410L–1120LSourceVT Education Quality 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 Vermont 6th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Vermont’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. Bud, Not Buddy

    Christopher Paul Curtis

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers family, identity and perseverance. At 950L it falls inside the 925–1185L band for this grade.

    Get it on Amazon

  2. Holes

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents 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.

    Get it on Amazon

  3. Maniac Magee

    Jerry Spinelli

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents 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.

    Get it on Amazon

  4. El Deafo

    Cece Bell

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents 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.

    Get it on Amazon

  5. Shiloh

    Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents 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.

    Get it on Amazon

  6. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers growing up, friendship and self-acceptance. At 410L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

    Get it on Amazon

  7. The Tale of Despereaux

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents 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.

    Get it on Amazon

  8. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents 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.

    Get it on Amazon

  9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers school, friendship and family. At 950L it falls inside the 925–1185L band for this grade.

    Get it on Amazon

  10. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

    Chris Grabenstein

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

    Get it on Amazon

  11. Hatchet

    Gary Paulsen

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents 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.

    Get it on Amazon

  12. Number the Stars

    Lois Lowry

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers courage, friendship and Holocaust. At 670L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

    Get it on Amazon

  13. Refugee

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents 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.

    Get it on Amazon

  14. The Hunger Games

    Suzanne Collins

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9. Covers authoritarianism, survival, media and spectacle. At 810L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

    Get it on Amazon

  15. Wait Till Helen Comes

    Mary Downing Hahn

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers ghosts, family and jealousy.

    Get it on Amazon

  16. Bunnicula

    Deborah Howe

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents, taught from grade 3 to 6.

    Get it on Amazon

  17. Ella Enchanted

    Gail Carson Levine

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers courage, fairy-tale and independence.

    Get it on Amazon

  18. Mick Harte Was Here

    Barbara Park

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers grief, family and safety.

    Get it on Amazon

  19. Rules

    Cynthia Lord

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers disability, friendship and acceptance.

    Get it on Amazon

  20. The Old Willis Place

    Mary Downing Hahn

    Cited in 2 Vermont curriculum documents, taught from grade 3 to 6.

    Get it on Amazon

  21. Dear Mr. Henshaw

    Beverly Cleary

    Cited in 1 Vermont curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers family, identity and growing up.

    Get it on Amazon

  22. Rascal

    Sterling North

    Cited in 1 Vermont curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers nature, animals and family.

    Get it on Amazon

  23. Small Steps

    Peg Kehret

    Cited in 1 Vermont curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 10.

    Get it on Amazon

  24. The Incredible Journey

    Burnford Sheila

    Cited in 1 Vermont curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7.

    Get it on Amazon

  25. The War with Grandpa

    Robert Kimmel Smith

    Cited in 1 Vermont curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7.

    Get it on Amazon

  26. A Bundle of Sticks

    Pat Mauser McCord

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

    Get it on Amazon

  27. A Smart Kid Like You

    Stella Pevsner

    Cited in 1 Vermont curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8.

    Get it on Amazon

  28. Bones on Black Spruce Mountain

    David Budbill

    Cited in 1 Vermont curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8.

    Get it on Amazon

  29. Catch a Killer

    George A. Woods

    Cited in 1 Vermont curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8.

    Get it on Amazon

  30. Fifteen

    Beverly Cleary

    Cited in 1 Vermont curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8.

    Get it on Amazon

46 books cited for Vermont 6th grade

Assignments tied directly to Vermont’s VT Education Quality Standards with a Vermont-specific citation.

Show all 46 titles

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

698 additional grade-appropriate books for 6th grade readers

The 744-book total above includes 46 titles with direct Vermont citation; these 698 additional titles cover 6th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Vermont-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 698 titles

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Know a parent or teacher who needs this? Share it:FacebookPinterest

Teacher or librarian? Print this list as a checklist — free to photocopy for your class or library (details).

Other Vermont 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 Vermont 6th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in VT Education Quality 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 744 titles for 6th grade in Vermont, of which 46 carry a direct Vermont citation and 698 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.

Vermont’s English Language Arts requirements are set by VT Education Quality Standards (education.vermont.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 6th grade list below blends Vermont-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 Vermont-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 Vermont?
Books with a Vermont-specific citation for 6th grade include Bud, Not Buddy; Holes; Maniac Magee; El Deafo and Shiloh. 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 Vermont?
This list has 744 books for 6th grade students in Vermont. 46 of them have a Vermont-specific citation; the other 698 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 6th grade reading in Vermont?
Lexile measures across the 6th grade Vermont 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?
Vermont-specific entries reference VT Education Quality Standards (published at education.vermont.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

▸Embed this list on your site

Copy + paste this snippet into any school newsletter, classroom blog, library site, or homeschool resource page. The embed shows the top 12 titles and links back to the full list. Updates automatically when ReadingList’s data changes.

<iframe src="https://readinglist.school/embed/grade/6" width="100%" height="540" style="border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);border-radius:6px;max-width:640px" loading="lazy" title="6th grade reading list — ReadingList.school"></iframe>

Preview: /embed/grade/6 · License: CC BY 4.0 (please credit “ReadingList.school”).

Was this page helpful?

Browse by another angle

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

Find ReadingList in your Google results more often: