I recently surveyed the first through sixth grade students at my school about their favorite children's books, and I am presenting the results as a series of posts. This post will share the Top 10 Favorite Books among the sixth grade students. Other posts include Top 20 Favorite Children's Books, sharing the overall results across all grade levels and including interviewed parents, and the Top 10 Favorite Books of First Graders, Second Graders, Third Graders, and Fourth Graders.
#1 The Giver by Lois Lowry. This happens to be my favorite children's book of all time, and it is one that our students read in sixth grade. This incredibly thought-provoking dystopian book clearly made an impression on them as well! (I have very mixed feelings about the sequels and am terrified to see the movie as well.)
#2 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Adventure, word play, and a watch dog named Tock who goes "tick," what's not to love? Our students read this book in fourth grade, so it was interesting to see that it still made a big impression on them as sixth graders.
#3 Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. The Harry Potter series ranked highly across the reading lists of many grade levels, including sixth grade.
#4 Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The movies appear to have only increased enthusiasm for these titles among the sixth grade readers.
#5 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Though this is another book they read as fourth graders, it still figured very highly on many sixth graders' lists.
#7 Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Still a classic.
#8 The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. Another book likely getting a bump from the recent movies, The Hobbit received top billing over multiple mentions of books in the Lord of the Rings series as well.
#9 Holes by Louis Sachar. I love the complexity of plot as this book vacillates back-and-forth between the present day and the murky past of Camp Green Lake. This is a powerful story of the impact of history and our own need to find ourselves in the present.
#10 A Wrinkle in Time and series by Madeline L'Engle. Another classic that I was so glad to see make the top list. This is a book that the students read this year, and it clearly made a big impression on them. The line between science, science fiction, and science fantasy never reads so well!
Top 10 Favorite Children's Books of 6th Graders
#1 The Giver by Lois Lowry. This happens to be my favorite children's book of all time, and it is one that our students read in sixth grade. This incredibly thought-provoking dystopian book clearly made an impression on them as well! (I have very mixed feelings about the sequels and am terrified to see the movie as well.)
#2 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Adventure, word play, and a watch dog named Tock who goes "tick," what's not to love? Our students read this book in fourth grade, so it was interesting to see that it still made a big impression on them as sixth graders.
#3 Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. The Harry Potter series ranked highly across the reading lists of many grade levels, including sixth grade.
#4 Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The movies appear to have only increased enthusiasm for these titles among the sixth grade readers.
#5 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Though this is another book they read as fourth graders, it still figured very highly on many sixth graders' lists.
#6 This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen. The sixth graders were very involved in our school-wide mock Caldecott (read the ballot and the final results here), and we had started by discussing previous Caldecott winners, which is likely why this book made it on so many favorite lists.
#7 Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Still a classic.
#8 The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. Another book likely getting a bump from the recent movies, The Hobbit received top billing over multiple mentions of books in the Lord of the Rings series as well.
#9 Holes by Louis Sachar. I love the complexity of plot as this book vacillates back-and-forth between the present day and the murky past of Camp Green Lake. This is a powerful story of the impact of history and our own need to find ourselves in the present.
#10 A Wrinkle in Time and series by Madeline L'Engle. Another classic that I was so glad to see make the top list. This is a book that the students read this year, and it clearly made a big impression on them. The line between science, science fiction, and science fantasy never reads so well!
Yes, these are some real favorites. I remember when my Kiddo read most of them, and how much she loved them. I also felt the same way when I read them. Thanks for sharing these.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alex! I think these are all incredible books that will "last" as rec'd for many, many kids to come.
DeleteI love that you put Calvin and Hobbs in there! lol I believe I've read just about every book on that list. My daughter and I both read Number the Stars last year (5th grade) and we discussed the book as we were reading it. We both love Lois Lowry. Thanks for sharing in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. Pinning!
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