EMS & WMS Reading Guide | Summer 2021: 6th Grade eBook Recommendations

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.

Henry Khoo's family treats him like a baby. He’s not allowed to go anywhere without his sister/chaperone/bodyguard. And he definitely CAN’T take a journey halfway around the world all by himself!
But that’s exactly his plan. After his family’s trip to visit his father in Singapore is cancelled, Henry decides he doesn’t want to be cooped up at home with his overprotective family. Plus, he’s hiding a secret: he’s the creator of an anonymous gossip cartoon, and he's on the verge of getting caught.

Secrets, spies, or maybe even a monster . . . what lies in the heart of the woods? Charlie Noon and Dizzy Heron are determined to find out. When their nemesis, Johnny Baines, plays a prank on them and night falls without warning, all three end up lost in the woods, trapped in a nightmare. Unforeseen dangers and impossible puzzles lurk in the shadows. Like it or not, Charlie and Dizzy must work with Johnny if they are to find a way out.

Before he was a household name, Cassius Clay was a kid with struggles like any other. Kwame Alexander and James Patterson join forces to vividly depict his life up to age seventeen in both prose and verse, including his childhood friends, struggles in school, the racism he faced, and his discovery of boxing.

Jett Baranov has always gotten what he wanted. So when his father’s private jet drops him in the middle of the Arkansas wilderness, at a place called the Oasis, Jett can’t believe it. He’s forced to hand over his cell phone, eat grainy veggie patties, and participate in wholesome activities with the other kids. Jett starts to get used to the unplugged life but he can’t help noticing that the adults at the Oasis are acting really strange and he's determined to get to the bottom of things.

Otto and Sheed are the local sleuths in their, masters of unraveling mischief using their powers of deduction. And as the summer winds down and school draws near, the boys are craving just a little bit more time for fun. That is, until a mysterious man appears with a camera that literally freezes time. Now, with the help of some very strange people and even stranger creatures, Otto and Sheed will have to put aside their differences to save their town—and each other—before time stops for good.

Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good. So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton--—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, and aliens being real.

Illustrated collection of twenty-four poems from three writers that expound on the theme of "woke"--being engaged in one's community and working towards greater equality and justice.

Vivy Cohen is determined. She's had enough of playing catch in the park. She's ready to pitch for a real baseball team.But Vivy's mom is worried about Vivy being the only girl on the team, and the only autistic kid. When her social skills teacher makes her write a letter to someone, Vivy knows exactly who to choose: her hero, Major League pitcher VJ Capello. Then two amazing things happen: A coach sees Vivy's amazing knuckleball and invites her to join his team.

Danny Constantino's childhood friend was Natalie Flores Griffen. Now in high school, Danny has the school dance and Halloween parade to worry about--like who he is going to take as his date--when he accidentally invites Natalie to go with him and she, beyond all surprise, says yes. Now, Danny's small home town is buzzing with excitement for the return of their hometown hero, and every one wants to take advantage of it for their own ends--it is beginning to look like Danny's first date will be his last.

Margarita Engle, the first Latina to receive a Newbery Honor, presents the story of her childhood in Cuba and Los Angeles during the Cold War. The daughter of an American father and a Cuban mother, Engle often felt pulled between the two worlds as the family shuttled between her mother's island homeland and L.A. In time, she learned to embrace her Cuban heritage while navigating her American identity as well.

Bell has spent his whole life - all eleven years of it - on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid - he loves cats, any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help.