Montana 6th grade reading list

The 708 books most commonly assigned to Montana 6th grade students in US schools — each with its reading level and a cited source.

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Books708Lexile410L–1120LSourceMontana Content 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 Montana 6th grade

These are the 30 titles named in Montana’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. New Kid

    Jerry Craft

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 4 national references, taught from grade 4 to 8. Covers race and identity, code-switching, middle school adjustment.

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  2. Bud, Not Buddy

    Christopher Paul Curtis

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers family, identity and perseverance. At 950L it falls inside the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  3. Holes

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers fate vs choice, friendship and justice. At 660L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  4. Maniac Magee

    Jerry Spinelli

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers race, homelessness and family. At 820L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  5. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

    Robert C. O'Brien

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 3 national references, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers family, courage, science and ethics. At 790L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  6. El Deafo

    Cece Bell

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 4 to 6. Covers disability, friendship and self-acceptance. At 420L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  7. King of the Wind

    Marguerite Henry

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 7.

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  8. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

    Mildred D. Taylor

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 6 to 8. Covers Jim Crow South, family and land, racial injustice. At 920L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  9. Shiloh

    Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers animal welfare, morality and family. At 890L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  10. The Giver

    Lois Lowry

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 6 to 8. Covers conformity vs individuality, memory, utopia and dystopia. At 760L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  11. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 2 national references, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers love, loss and journey.

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  12. The Tale of Despereaux

    Kate DiCamillo

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 2 national references, 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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  13. Wonder

    R.J. Palacio

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 2 national references, 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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  14. Blubber

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers bullying, friendship and school.

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  15. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, 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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  16. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

    Chris Grabenstein

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  17. Frindle

    Andrew Clements

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 7. Covers creativity, language and thought, intelligence. At 830L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  18. Old Yeller

    Fred Gipson

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers family, courage and survival.

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  19. Rascal

    Sterling North

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 8. Covers nature, animals and family.

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  20. Refugee

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers refugees, survival and family. At 800L it sits just under the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  21. Roller Girl

    Victoria Jamieson

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers friendship, perseverance and growing up. At 440L it reads well below the 925–1185L band for this grade.

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  22. Superfudge

    Judy Blume

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 6.

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  23. The Dollhouse Murders

    Betty Ren Wright

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers mystery, family and ghosts.

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  24. The Indian in the Cupboard

    Lynne Reid Banks

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 6. Covers friendship, responsibility and imagination.

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  25. The Lost Hero

    Rick Riordan

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers mythology, heroism and memory.

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  26. The Thief Lord

    Cornelia Funke

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  27. There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  28. Wait Till Helen Comes

    Mary Downing Hahn

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 7. Covers ghosts, family and jealousy.

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  29. Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger

    Louis Sachar

    Cited in 1 Montana curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 6.

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  30. When Stars Are Scattered

    Victoria Jamieson

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

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32 books cited for Montana 6th grade

Assignments tied directly to Montana’s Montana Content Standards with a Montana-specific citation.

Show all 32 titles

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676 grade-appropriate books for 6th grade readers

Extra titles whose grade range covers 6th grade, drawn from the broader canon. These don't have a Montana-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 676 titles

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

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

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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Other Montana 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 Montana 6th grade reading list

In Montana schools, 6th grade students are most often assigned books drawn from Montana Content Standardsalongside the national curricula that apply nationwide — Common Core State Standards Appendix B, AP English, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. ReadingList currently tracks 708 titles for 6th grade in Montana, of which 32 carry a direct Montana citation and 676 are grade-appropriate titles whose reading level overlaps 6th grade. 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 56 titles here with a Lexile score 8 are grade-level, 48 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.

Montana’s English Language Arts requirements are set by Montana Content Standards (opi.mt.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework, so the 6th grade list below blends Montana-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 Montana-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 Montana?
708 books appear on ReadingList for 6th grade students in Montana, sourced from Montana Content Standards and national curricula (Common Core, AP, IB) with applicable grade citations.
What's the Lexile range for 6th grade reading in Montana?
Lexile measures across the 6th grade Montana 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 Montana Content Standards (published at opi.mt.gov) plus national curricula that apply to Montana 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 opi.mt.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.