Children's Books for Parents and Teachers - book reviews and suggestions for parents and teachers.
6th Grade (Age 11)

All books suitable for children in 6th grade.

Ella Enchanted

At her birth, a fairy blesses baby Eleanor with the gift of obedience. But for Ella this is a curse. She must spend her life doing literally everything that is asked of her, from sweeping the floor to handing over valued jewelry. When her mother dies, her father sends her away to boarding school with two cruel sisters. Ella’s spunk keeps her afloat until she meets her charming prince, breaks the wicked spell, and begins her “happily ever after” life.


Esperanza Rising

Esperanza’s life takes a turn when her father is killed on their ranch in Mexico. She has been used to fancy clothes and a lovely home with servants. Suddenly she finds herself living in Central California in a one-room shack with another family, working along with migrant farm workers. Esperanza learns about surviving and that family and community hold riches of their own.


Extra Credit

It isn’t that Abby Carson can’t do her schoolwork, it’s just that she doesn’t like doing it. And that means she’s pretty much failing sixth grade. When a warning letter is sent home, Abby realizes that all her slacking off could cause her to be held back — for real! Unless she wants to repeat the sixth grade, she’ll have to meet some specific conditions, including taking on an extra-credit project: find a pen pal in a foreign country. Simple enough (even for a girl who hates homework).

Abby’s first letter …


Ezra and Mr Bignall’s Disappearing Maths Class

On his first day at his new school Ezra is given an endless list of arithmetic problems to work out. The maths teacher, Mr. Bignall, is hopeless, dull and boring. But something’s not right. On day two Ezra and the class find out the truth. They experience adventures that catapult them across time and space.


Feathers

“Hope is the thing with feathers” starts the poem Frannie is reading inschool. Frannie hasn’t thought much about hope. There are so many other things to think about. Each day, her friend Samantha seems a bit more “holy.” There is a new boy in class everyone is calling the Jesus Boy. And although the new boy looks like a white kid, he says he’s not white. Who is he?

During a winter full of surprises, good and bad, Frannie starts seeing a lot of things in a new light—her brother Sean’s …


Felicity Boxed Set with Game- American Girl

Beautifully illustrated books, filled with her inspiring stories about growing up in 1774. This box set includes Meet Felicity; Felicity Learns a Lesson; Felicity’s Surprise; Happy Birthday, Felicity!; Felicity Saves the Day; and Changes for Felicity.


Firestar’s Quest

There is peace at last between the warrior Clans, and Firestar is proud of the strength and unity of the cats he leads in ThunderClan. All four forest Clans are thriving, training new warriors and keeping their boundaries without conflict. But Firestar’s dreams are haunted by wailing cats fleeing a terrible disaster. With unexpected help from an old kittypet friend, he discovers a shocking secret: StarClan, the warrior ancestors who guide his paw steps, have lied to him. Firestar is faced with the hardest decision of his life. Can he …


Fireworks, Picnics, and Flags: The Story of the Fourth of July Symbols

This spirited look at our national birthday explores the stories behind the familiar symbols of the Fourth of July and tells how they have come to be associated with the holiday. It will make the Fourth of July more meaningful for readers young and old.


Flying Solo

What happens to a class when the substitute teacher fails to show up? Mr. Fabian’s sixth-grade class goes solo for the day. They run the class themselves according to the routine established by their well-liked teacher. They do relatively well until a fight breaks out between two students over the death of a classmate, Tommy, who died six months earlier. Because of this fight, students start to deal with their guilt and sorrow over their classmate’s death. Fletcher balances a wide variety of emotions so the story is at times …


Freckle Juice

Nicky has freckles — they cover his face, his ears, and the whole back of his neck. Sitting behind him in class, Andrew once counted eighty-six of them, and that was just a start! If Andrew had freckles like Nicky, his mother would never know if his neck was dirty.

One day after school, Andrew works up enough courage to ask Nicky where he got his freckles. When know-it-all Sharon overhears, she offers Andrew her secret freckle juice recipe — for fifty cents. It’s a lot of money, but Andrew is …