Grades 5-6
Books to Read
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple 
by
Karen Cushman. A New England girl and her widowed mother try their luck in
Gold Rush California. http://www.pbs.org/goldrush/funfacts.html#anchor246090
The Book of Three
by Lloyd Alexander. Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, sets out on a hazardous mission
to save Prydain from evil. http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-alexander-lloyd.asp
Child of the Owl
by
Laurence Yep. Casey discovers her Chinese heritage when she lives with her
grandmother in San Francisco. http://www.kenny-internationa.com/S.F./Pictures/Chinatown/PhotoEssay.html
The Dark Is Rising
by Susan Cooper. Will learns that he is the last of the Old Ones who can triumph
over the evil forces of the Dark in England. http://missy.shef.ac.uk/~emp94ms/
The Endless Steppe
by Esther Hautzig. A real-life story of exile to Siberia during World War
II.
Fast Sam, Cool Clyde & Stuff
by Walter Dean Myers. A young man remembers the year he lived on 116th
Street in Harlem. http://teacher.scholastic.com/authorsandbooks/authors/myers/bio.htm
Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule
by Harriett Gillem Robinet. Pascal joins other former slaves in search of
a farm and freedom after the Civil War.
The Incredible Journey
by Sheila Burnford. Two dogs and a cat travel across Canada to reach home.
The Incredible Journey of Lewis & Clark by Rhoda Blumberg. Explore western America at the beginning of the 19th century.
Journey to Jo'Burg: A South African Story
by Beverley Naidoo. Naledi and her younger brother walk in search of their
mother during the times of Apartheid.
Letters from Rifka
by Karen Hesse. A young girl chronicles her family's flight from Russia to
America in 1919.
A Long Way from Chicago
by Richard Peck. Joey recounts annual summer trips with his sister to visit
Grandma Dowdel. http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/authors/peck.html
The Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster. Milo enters a strange land filled with adventures
P.S. Longer Letter Later
by
Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin. Elizabeth and Tara* Starr keep up their
close friendship. http://hosted.ukoln.ac.uk/stories/stories/danziger/interview.htm
Save Queen of Sheba
by Louise Moeri. A brother and sister are separated from their family's wagon
train on the way to Oregon.
The Secret of Platform 13
by Eva Ibbotson. A young hag, an old wizard, a gentle fey, and a giant ogre
travel through a magical tunnel to London. http://teacher.scholastic.com/bookclubs/getquizzy/secrplat_quiz_print.asp
Shadow Spinner
by Susan Fletcher. Marjan joins the Sultan's harem in ancient Persia where
she gathers stories for Shahrazad.
The Shimmershine Queens
by Camille Yarbrough. Angie and her friend gain pride in their African-American
heritage.
Soft Rain
by Cornelia Cornelissen. A young girl and her family travel the Cherokee Trail
of Tears. http://rosecity.net/tears/trail/map.html
Sword of the Samurai
by Eric A. Kimmel. Eleven tales of Japanese warriors male and female.
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
by Avi. Charlotte voyages across the Atlantic with a murderous captain and
a rebellious crew. http://www.avi-writer.com
The Year of Impossible Goodbyes
by Sook Nyul Choi. A young Korean girl escapes to freedom in South Korea after
World War II. http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/special/kay/choi.html