Kentucky 6th grade reading list

The 612 books most commonly assigned to Kentucky 6th grade students in US schools — each with its reading level and a cited source.

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Books612Lexile410L–1120LSourceKentucky Academic Standards✓ sources cited per book

Most-assigned nationally: across every US state’s official reading and award lists, the Middle (6–8) titles appearing in the most states are The Giver (20 states), The Hunger Games (14 states), and Ground Zero (8 states). From our 2026 study of 13,258 source-cited assignments (as of 2026-07-13).

Start here — most-cited for Kentucky 6th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Kentucky’s own curriculum documents for this grade — everything below is the wider national list. Read against the Common Core Appendix A complexity band; reading level is not thematic maturity, and several sit below the band because they are assigned for discussion.

  1. The Crossover

    Kwame Alexander

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, brotherhood and basketball. At 750L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  2. The Graveyard Book

    Neil Gaiman

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers found family, the supernatural and the living, coming of age. At 820L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  3. Ghost

    Jason Reynolds

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers running, family violence and mentorship. At 730L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  4. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers growing up, friendship and self-acceptance. At 410L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  5. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

    Brian Selznick

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7.

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  6. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers love, loss and journey.

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  7. The Tale of Despereaux

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers courage, forgiveness and light vs dark. At 670L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  8. When Stars Are Scattered

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers refugees, family and hope.

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  9. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers facial difference, kindness and bullying. At 790L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  10. A Corner of the Universe

    Ann M. Martin

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, mental illness and growing up.

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  11. A Tale Dark and Grimm

    Adam Gidwitz

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers fairy tales, courage and siblings.

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  12. Allergic

    Megan Wagner Lloyd

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers new york times reviewed and comic books, strips, etc..

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  13. Alone

    Megan E. Freeman

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  14. Big Nate: In a Class by Himself

    Lincoln Peirce

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers humor, school and friendship. At 500L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  15. Black Brother, Black Brother

    Jewell Parker Rhodes

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers racism, identity and justice.

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  16. City of Ghosts

    Victoria Schwab

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers ghosts, friendship and family.

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  17. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers school, friendship and family. At 950L it falls inside the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  18. Game Changer

    Tommy Greenwald

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers football, injury and truth.

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  19. Legend

    Marie Lu

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 6 to 9. Covers dystopia, justice and loyalty.

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  20. Max and the Midknights

    Lincoln Peirce

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers adventure, humor and identity.

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  21. Million-Dollar Throw

    Mike Lupica

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers football, pressure and friendship.

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  22. Rules

    Cynthia Lord

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers disability, friendship and acceptance.

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  23. So B. It

    Sarah Weeks

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, identity and journey.

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  24. Surviving the Applewhites

    Stephanie S. Tolan

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, art and growth.

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  25. Swindle

    Gordon Korman

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers friendship, justice and heist.

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  26. The Ghost of Graylock

    Dan Poblocki

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers ghosts, mystery and fear.

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  27. The Honest Truth

    Dan Gemeinhart

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers illness, adventure and hope.

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  28. The Lost Library

    Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers mystery, books and secrets.

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  29. The Thing About Leftovers

    C.C. Payne

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers divorce, family and belonging.

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  30. Two Degrees

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 Kentucky curriculum document, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers climate, survival and courage.

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612 books cited for Kentucky 6th grade

Assignments tied directly to Kentucky’s Kentucky Academic Standards or national curricula with a Kentucky-specific citation.

Show all 612 titles

Reading the whole Kentucky 6th grade reading list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

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Teacher or librarian? Print this list as a checklist — free to photocopy for your class or library (details).

Other Kentucky grades

5th grade · 7th grade · 4th grade · 8th grade

Reading lists by grade (all states)

5th grade · 7th grade · 4th grade · 8th grade

Same 6th grade in other states

California · Texas · Florida · New York · Pennsylvania · Illinois

Browse 6th grade reading by theme

About the Kentucky 6th grade reading list

In Kentucky schools, 6th grade students are most often assigned books drawn from Kentucky Academic Standardsalongside the national curricula that apply nationwide — Common Core State Standards Appendix B, AP English, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. ReadingList currently tracks 612 titles for 6th grade in Kentucky, each tied to a Kentucky-specific curriculum citation. Across the list, Lexile measures span 410L–1120L.

6th grade sits in the 6-8 grade band, where students are middle-grade readers. At this stage the emphasis is on analyzing theme, character, and author's craft across full-length novels and their first classics. Assigned reading skews toward full-length novels, plays, memoir, and frequently-challenged contemporary titles, with text complexity that, per Common Core’s Appendix A reading bands, typically falls around roughly 700L to 1010L. Measured against that 925–1185L range, of the 53 titles here with a Lexile score 8 are grade-level, 45 are more accessible (often assigned for theme over challenge), and 0 are stretch texts that may need scaffolding. Because readers in a single 6th grade classroom can span several hundred Lexile points, this list is best read as a starting point rather than a fixed requirement.

Kentucky’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Kentucky Academic Standards (education.ky.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework, so the 6th grade list below blends Kentucky-specific assignments with the widely-taught national canon. Every title links to its primary source on the book’s detail page, so you can confirm exactly where and why it is assigned.

How to use this list:match a title to your child’s most recent Lexile or guided-reading level rather than to the grade alone. Teachers building a 6th grade unit can pair a Kentucky-cited core text with a grade-appropriate companion novel; parents previewing summer or supplemental reading can check each book’s content notes and challenge history before assigning it.

Common questions

How many books are assigned to 6th grade students in Kentucky?
612 books appear on ReadingList for 6th grade students in Kentucky, sourced from Kentucky Academic Standards and national curricula (Common Core, AP, IB) with applicable grade citations.
What's the Lexile range for 6th grade reading in Kentucky?
Lexile measures across the 6th grade Kentucky reading list range from 410L to 1120L. Books without a published Lexile (poetry, drama, picture books) are not included in this range.
Where does this reading list come from?
Entries reference Kentucky Academic Standards (published at www.education.ky.gov) plus national curricula that apply to Kentucky schools: Common Core State Standards Appendix B, AP English Literature and Language, IB Diploma Programme, and Cambridge Assessment International. Every assignment row on each book's detail page links its primary source.

Reading guides for parents

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State-specific entries sourced from www.education.ky.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.