Wisconsin 6th grade reading list

Books with a Wisconsin citation for 6th grade include Holes, Maniac Magee and Shiloh. This list has 771 total books, 69 of them with a Wisconsin-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 410L to 1120L.

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

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Total books771Lexile410L–1120LSourceWI Academic 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 Wisconsin 6th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Wisconsin’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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Giver

    Lois Lowry

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin 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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  5. The Tale of Despereaux

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin 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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  6. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin 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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  7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin 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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  8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

    Jeff Kinney

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

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  9. Eragon

    Christopher Paolini

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

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  10. Hatchet

    Gary Paulsen

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin 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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  11. Mockingjay (Deluxe Edition) (Hunger Games, Book Three)

    Suzanne Collins

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 12.

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  12. Number the Stars

    Lois Lowry

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document 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.

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  13. Refugee

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin 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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  14. The Hunger Games

    Suzanne Collins

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document 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.

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  15. The Whipping Boy

    Sid Fleischman

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers friendship, adventure and courage.

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  16. Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger

    Louis Sachar

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

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  17. Allies

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers war, courage and sacrifice.

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  18. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers puberty, menarche and christians.

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  19. Booked

    Kwame Alexander

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

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  20. Brian's Winter

    Gary Paulsen

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  21. Catching Fire

    Suzanne Collins

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  22. Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul

    Jack Canfield

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  23. Crash

    Jerry Spinelli

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 8. Covers conduct of life, family life and friendship.

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  24. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  25. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  26. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  27. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  28. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  29. Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild

    Dav Pilkey

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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  30. Dog Man: Grime and Punishment

    Dav Pilkey

    Cited in 1 Wisconsin curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7.

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69 books cited for Wisconsin 6th grade

Assignments tied directly to Wisconsin’s WI Academic Standards with a Wisconsin-specific citation.

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702 additional grade-appropriate books for 6th grade readers

The 771-book total above includes 69 titles with direct Wisconsin citation; these 702 additional titles cover 6th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a Wisconsin-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 702 titles

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Other Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 6th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in WI Academic 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 771 titles for 6th grade in Wisconsin, of which 69 carry a direct Wisconsin citation and 702 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 61 titles here with a Lexile score 8 are grade-level, 53 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.

Wisconsin’s English Language Arts requirements are set by WI Academic Standards (dpi.wi.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 6th grade list below blends Wisconsin-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 Wisconsin-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 Wisconsin?
Books with a Wisconsin-specific citation for 6th grade include Holes, Maniac Magee, Shiloh, The Giver and The Tale of Despereaux. 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 Wisconsin?
This list has 771 books for 6th grade students in Wisconsin. 69 of them have a Wisconsin-specific citation; the other 702 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 6th grade reading in Wisconsin?
Lexile measures across the 6th grade Wisconsin 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?
Wisconsin-specific entries reference WI Academic Standards (published at dpi.wi.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 dpi.wi.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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