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Looking for a Summer Read? Lowell’s 6th Grade Has You Covered!

6/21/2023

Language Arts Teacher Yasmin challenged her students to read and review 150 books this year. Check out what 6th graders have to say about some of their favorite titles.

	Eye Spy by Lailah Clayborne and Kallie Harris “Harper Ellison is a mischief maker and a prankster at home, but she never thought that one prank could plop her into the principal’s office or lead her on an unexpected trip to Mexico to learn about her heritage. It started as a ordinary vacation until Harper’s mom goes missing, and she gets kidnapped by a spy agency that tells Harper the truth about her mom’s absence. Harper goes on an adventure to find her mom and meets new friends, enemies, and suspicious people on the way. Harper will have to go through dangerous and mysterious challenges to find her mom.”
	The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera “The Last Cuentista is a book about storytelling and tradition. A young girl, Petra, is very close with her grandmother. Her grandma is a cuentista, a teller of cuentos (stories). But when Halley’s Comet is going to smash into earth, Petra has to leave Earth and her grandmother and all of her history behind. Petra is scared; scared to leave Earth, scared to leave her grandmother, and scared that she is not a good enough cuentista. As she leaves Earth, she is worried about her future. How will she tell her and her family’s story?”
	Twins by Varian Johnson and Shanon Wright “This book is about two twins. One is popular and ready to go to the first day of school and the other is nervous and trying to remember her schedule. They both have the same friends that they both hang out with until one day when both of them get chosen to run for the school president. They have to run against each other, which results in them getting into huge fights.”
	Power and Thrones by Dan Jones “Power and Thrones is an intriguing perspective of western medieval history that takes the reader through many battles and important people. Dan Jones does a brilliant job of combining the triumphs of Atilla the Hun with the death of Emporer Justinian and the Nica Riots. The book begins with fascinating stories about the end of the great Roman Empire and ends with the fall of Constantinople in 1453. It tells brilliant stories about Otto the Great and Charlemagne. It glorifies Charles Martel’s defeat over the Ummayyads that kept them out of modern-day France. It tells stories about Salah al-Din, more commonly known as Saladin, and Richard the Lionheart’s epic battles during the crusades.”
	Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry “It is an amazing book of survival and realization. The main character Keira is 12 and her mother just died. She must find a way to live with Vandara after her. Not only that, but she must learn about her magical skill. This is an intriguing read and it really makes you think.”
	Legend by Marie Lu “Legend is about two people who live totally different lives. One is a low-life criminal who calls himself Day whose family thinks he is dead. He secretly gives them food and checks up on them to see if they have the dangerous plague that is going around. The other character is a high-society girl whose brother is in the military. She is incredibly smart and soon joins the military as a detective. Her first mission is to track down Day.”
	Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamara “Frizzy is about a girl named Marlene who is struggling in a family who won’t accept her for one thing: her hair. She gets bullied at school and even by her own cousins about how she has bad hair because it's curly. Everyone in her family compares her to her perfect cousin, Diana, who has blonde, silky straight hair. Marlene’s mom gets their hair straightened every Sunday so that they fit in and look “presentable and professional.” Marlene is starting to get tired of it, and she soon finds out why her mom is so strict about having straight hair after a weekend at her Tia Ruby’s place. There has been generational trauma passed on, which has deeply affected Marlene. As she gets closer with her mom, Marlene learns some of her past.”
	The Big Dark by Rodman Philbrick “What would happen if all the electricity went out? What if it happened in the middle of the winter? And how would it be for someone living in a distant town in New Hampshire? This is a story where a massive solar flare knocks out all electricity on Earth and temporarily destroys magnetic north. It’s the story of a child desperate to get his mom her medicine and a town in chaos with a crazy person taking over. 4 stars!”
	She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlin “She Drives Me Crazy is a sapphic fiction novel. It’s a more of an enemies to lovers/fake dating trope and is filled with raw emotion. I’ve read the book at least five times in the six months since I got it.”
	Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess by Rachel Renée Russell “Nikki Maxwell found out that her crush, Brandon, volunteers at a local animal shelter. Then Brandon tells her that the shelter is in danger of closing, and Nikki knows she can’t let that happen, especially when she discovers a shocking secret about Brandon that makes keeping that shelter open more important than ever. So Nikki and her friends Chloe and Zoey enter an ice skating competition to help raise money for the shelter. But MacKenzie is in it and will cause trouble. Nikki will have to get extra creative to win the show.”
	They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera “In this world, you get a call notifying you that you will die within the next 24 hours. This is a story where two people meet through an app, which lets you make a friend to spend your last day with. If you enjoy a story about friendship and living life to its fullest, I would suggest this book.”
	Front Desk by Kelly Yang “This book is one of my favorites of all time. It tells the story of a 5th grader who works the front desk at the Calivista, a motel that her parents manage. Front Desk shows her family’s first year managing the motel and contains messages about speaking out against racism and the importance of community. A big part of this story is friendship, which makes for many fun, exciting, and even hard moments. One thing is for sure, Front Desk is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat!”
	Last Gamer Standing by Katie Zhao “Reyna Cheng loves gaming and wants to partake in a gaming tournament. But taking place as a man would be safer, so her identity in the game is a man. She tries to win...as someone tries to uncover identity.”

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