Washington 6th grade reading list

Books with a Washington citation for 6th grade include New Kid; Bud, Not Buddy and Holes. This list has 730 total books, 63 of them with a Washington-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1120L.

Top Washington 6th grade pick: New Kid by Jerry Craft — on 1 Washington list

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Total books730Lexile410L–1120LSourceWA K-12 Learning 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 Washington 6th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Washington’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. New Kid

    Jerry Craft

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 4 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers race and identity, code-switching, middle school adjustment.

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  2. Bud, Not Buddy

    Christopher Paul Curtis

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document 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.

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  3. Holes

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  4. Maniac Magee

    Jerry Spinelli

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  5. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

    Robert C. O'Brien

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers family, courage, science and ethics. At 790L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  6. El Deafo

    Cece Bell

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  7. King of the Wind

    Marguerite Henry

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 7.

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  8. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

    Mildred D. Taylor

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 6 to 8. Covers Jim Crow South, family and land, racial injustice. At 920L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  9. Shiloh

    Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  10. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document 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.

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  11. The Bridge Home

    Padma Venkatraman

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 7.

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  12. The Giver

    Lois Lowry

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 6 to 8. Covers conformity vs individuality, memory, utopia and dystopia. At 760L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  14. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    Kate DiCamillo

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

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  15. The Tale of Despereaux

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  16. Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy

    Tui T. Sutherland

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers adventure, friendship and war. At 720L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  17. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  18. A Dog's Life

    Ann M. Martin

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

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  19. Artemis Fowl

    Eoin Colfer

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

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  20. Blubber

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers bullying, friendship and school.

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  21. City of Ghosts

    Victoria Schwab

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

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  22. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document 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.

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  23. Dragon Rider

    Cornelia Funke

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers animals, mythical.

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  24. Drama

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers theater, friendship and identity.

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  25. Eragon

    Christopher Paolini

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9. Covers dragons, destiny and courage.

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  26. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

    Chris Grabenstein

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

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  27. Frindle

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 Washington 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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  28. Ghost

    Jason Reynolds

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers running, family violence and mentorship. At 730L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  29. Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer (Book 1)

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9.

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  30. Mary, Bloody Mary

    Carolyn Meyer

    Cited in 1 Washington curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 6 to 9.

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63 books cited for Washington 6th grade

Assignments tied directly to Washington’s WA K-12 Learning Standards with a Washington-specific citation.

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667 additional grade-appropriate books for 6th grade readers

The 730-book total above includes 63 titles with direct Washington citation; these 667 additional titles cover 6th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Washington-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 667 titles

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Other Washington 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

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About the Washington 6th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in WA K-12 Learning 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 730 titles for 6th grade in Washington, of which 63 carry a direct Washington citation and 667 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.

Washington’s English Language Arts requirements are set by WA K-12 Learning Standards (k12.wa.us). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 6th grade list below blends Washington-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 Washington-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 Washington?
Books with a Washington-specific citation for 6th grade include New Kid; Bud, Not Buddy; Holes; Maniac Magee and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. 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 Washington?
This list has 730 books for 6th grade students in Washington. 63 of them have a Washington-specific citation; the other 667 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 6th grade reading in Washington?
Lexile measures across the 6th grade Washington 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?
Washington-specific entries reference WA K-12 Learning Standards (published at www.k12.wa.us). 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.k12.wa.us. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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