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Reading levels and needs

Top 20 books for a 6th grader who is behind or reluctant

For a sixth grader who reads below grade level or avoids books, the choice is high interest and low reading demand: graphic novels, verse novels, short chapters, and real kid voices. None of these look like baby books.

Chosen from award lists, school and library reading lists, and reviews, and each title and author checked against Open Library, Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.

  1. New Kid

    Jerry Craft · Ages 8-12

    Jordan, a Black seventh grader, is sent to a mostly white private school and keeps a sketchbook of what he sees. First graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal.

    Watch for: Microaggressions and racism, shown with humor.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  2. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier · Ages 8-12

    A graphic memoir of the author's dental disaster and middle school years. The book that made graphic novels a mainstay.

    Watch for: Mild bullying.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  3. Guts

    Raina Telgemeier · Ages 8-12

    Raina's graphic memoir about anxiety and stomach trouble in fourth grade. Useful for kids who worry.

    Watch for: Anxiety and mild bullying.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  4. Roller Girl

    Victoria Jamieson · Ages 9-13

    Astrid joins roller derby and her best friend drifts away. Graphic novel and a Newbery Honor.

    Watch for: Friendship breakup.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  5. Real Friends

    Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham · Ages 9-13

    Shannon's graphic memoir of fitting in with the popular group in fifth grade.

    Watch for: Bullying.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  6. Amulet: The Stonekeeper

    Kazu Kibuishi · Ages 8-13

    Emily and her brother follow their mother's kidnapper into a fantasy world in this graphic fantasy series.

    Watch for: Mild fantasy fighting.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  7. American Born Chinese

    Gene Luen Yang · Ages 12-16

    Three stories, including a Monkey King, that merge into one. First graphic novel to be a National Book Award finalist.

    Watch for: Racial stereotypes shown to be criticized.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  8. Hey, Kiddo

    Jarrett J. Krosoczka · Ages 12-16

    A graphic memoir of growing up with a mother addicted to heroin and loving grandparents.

    Watch for: Drug addiction and neglect.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  9. Brave

    Svetlana Chmakova · Ages 9-13

    Jensen, a day-dreamer, faces a bully in a graphic novel set at Berrybrook Middle School.

    Watch for: Bullying.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  10. The Crossover

    Kwame Alexander · Ages 10-14

    Twin basketball stars, a father with heart trouble, and a verse style like a rap. Newbery Medal winner.

    Watch for: A parent's death.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  11. Inside Out and Back Again

    Thanhha Lai · Ages 9-13

    A ten-year-old girl flees Saigon in 1975 and starts over in Alabama in free verse. Newbery Honor and National Book Award.

    Watch for: War and loss; some bullying.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  12. Other Words for Home

    Jasmine Warga · Ages 9-13

    Jude leaves Syria for Cincinnati in verse chapters, finding friends and a school play. Newbery Honor.

    Watch for: War and family separation.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  13. Booked

    Kwame Alexander · Ages 10-14

    A soccer-loving boy in verse, dealing with his parents' divorce and a bully. Companion to The Crossover.

    Watch for: Divorce and bullying.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  14. Ghost

    Jason Reynolds · Ages 10-14

    Castle runs fast, has a painful secret, and joins a track team. First of the Track series, with a voice that sounds like a real kid.

    Watch for: A father who shot a gun at him and his mother; mentions of shoplifting.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  15. Long Way Down

    Jason Reynolds · Ages 12-16

    Will rides an elevator down seven floors with a gun, deciding whether to avenge his brother. A novel in verse that takes under an hour to read.

    Watch for: Gun violence and death; stronger than most middle school books.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  16. Hatchet

    Gary Paulsen · Ages 10-14

    After a plane crash, 13-year-old Brian survives alone in the Canadian wilderness with only a hatchet. Short chapters and constant action.

    Watch for: The pilot dies of a heart attack; some survival violence with animals.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  17. Bud, Not Buddy

    Christopher Paul Curtis · Ages 9-13

    A ten-year-old orphan rides the rails in 1930s Michigan to find a jazz musician he thinks is his father. Funny, with a fine voice.

    Watch for: Orphaned boy; racism.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  18. Restart

    Gordon Korman · Ages 10-14

    Chase falls off a roof, loses his memory, and must find out what kind of kid he was. Quick, and a lesson on bullying.

    Watch for: Bullying from the old self.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  19. March: Book One

    John Lewis · Ages 12-16

    Congressman John Lewis's graphic memoir of the civil rights sit-ins. The first of three volumes.

    Watch for: Racist violence and slurs.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

  20. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney · Ages 8-12

    Greg Heffley's illustrated journal of middle school. The big gateway book for reluctant readers.

    Watch for: Mild crude humor.

    Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon

More lists

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