LibGuides: Resources to Meet Standards: Grade 6

Kentucky Academic Standards

KAS RL 6.1

KAS RL 6.2

KAS RL 6.3

KAS RL 6.4

KAS RL 6.5

KAS RL 6.7

KAS RL 6.8

KAS RL 6.10

KAS RL 6.11

KAS RI.6.1

KAS RI.6.2

KAS RI.6.3

KAS RI.6.4

KAS RI.6.5

KAS RI. 6.6

KAS RI.6.7

KAS RI.6.8

KAS RI.6.9

KAS RI 6.10

KAS Standard RL 6.1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text..

AASL Standard:

IV.A.1. Learners act on an information need by: Determining the need to gather information.

The Last Rhee Witch by Jenna Lee-Yun
ISBN: 9781368099073

Publication Date: 2024-05-14

A 2025 Children's Book Council Favorites Award Winner in three categories: Middle-Grade, Teacher, & Librarian! For fans of The Last Fallen Star, Witchlings, and Ghost Squad, a heartfelt middle grade debut where Korean folklore is all too real and summer camp includes a gwishin haunting. You couldn't hold onto everything and everyone. You had to choose. And Ronnie only had two hands. Since her mother died when she was five years old, it's always just been Ronnie Miller and her dad. Two Korean Americans who, thanks to Ronnie's dad's adoption by white parents, have never felt all that Korean. But Ronnie is okay with that--as long as she has her dad and her best friend Jack, Ronnie is 99% certain she can get through anything. But as much as she wants everything to stay the same, the world--and her dad--has other plans. Now, Ronnie and Jack are headed away to sleepaway camp for the first time ever. Camp Foster promises all of the outdoorsy activities that Ronnie has so far managed to avoid: ropes courses, scavenger hunts, kayaking on the lake. Ugh. But she can do this. As long as she has Jack. As it turns out, an old manor in the woods is the kind of place that's crawling with secrets. Secrets like a mysterious gwishin haunting the grounds, a blood-red scarf wrapped too tightly around her ghostly neck. And a witch-hunting dokkaebi intent on finding and silencing the last Rhee witch. And the strange habit all the counselors have of rhyming when they speak . . . just like Ronnie has begun to do lately. For a girl who wants everything to stay the same, nothing is scarier than all the changes Camp Foster brings. New friends. New foes. Souls with unfinished business. And, possibly worst of all, revelations that disprove everything Ronnie knew to be true. Jenna Lee-Yun combines magic, mystery, suspense, and humor into a ghostly action-packed contemporary fantasy.

1. How does Ronnie deal with the feeling of "not being Korean enough"? How do you know that she feels this way?
2. Describe the ghost/gwishin. How does it compare/contrast to other "typical" ghosts in the horror genre?

KAS Standard RL 6.2.: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

AASL Standards:

I.B.1.: Learners engage with new knowledge by following a process that includes: Using evidence to investigate questions.

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
ISBN: 9781643750743

Publication Date: 2022-03-08

A National Book Award finalist and instant fantasy classic about the power of community, generosity, books, and baked goods, from the author of the beloved Newbery Medal winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon. The town of Stone in the Glen used to be lovely, but it hasn't been so in a very long time. Once a celebrated town with a vibrant town square, prosperous businesses and families, and educated, happy children, Stone in the Glen has fallen on hard times. Since the expansive and beloved Library burned with other buildings in a time of terrible fires, the town has been plagued by droughts, blight, and destruction. But the people have continued to put their faith in the Mayor, a dazzling fellow with a bright shock of golden hair and brilliant white teeth who promises that he alone can solve their problems. And he is a famous dragon slayer! At least, no one has ever seen a dragon in the Mayor's presence... But somebody is to blame for the town's problems, not only the fires and the decline that followed them, but the child who has gone missing from the local Orphan House. And with a little helpful suggestion from the Mayor, all eyes turn to the Ogress who has come to live at the far edge of town. Only the children of the Orphan House know the truth. Together, they must clear the Ogress's name and solve the mystery of the town's destruction before their home of Stone in the Glen is destroyed by its own people.

1. What details reinforce the novel's message of kindness to others?
2. Put yourself in the role of one of the orphans. Will you stand up to the pressures that are rising against the Ogress? How will you speak out?

KAS Standard RL 6.3: Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

AASL Standards:

III.A.2: Learners identify collaborative opportunities by : Developing new understandings through engagement in a learning group.

Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston
ISBN: 9781547608508

Publication Date: 2024-01-16

From National Book Award longlisted author Sherri Winston comes an important middle grade novel about a girl's tumultuous journey to keep her family together, even when she's falling apart. Schneider Family Book Award: Best Middle Grade Honor Book Kirkus Prize Finalist Lone Star Reading List Selection Named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal Sharkita "Kita" Hayes is always waiting. Waiting for her mama to mess up. Waiting for social services to be called again. Waiting for her and her siblings to be separated. Waiting for her worst fear to come true. But Mama promises things are different now. She's got a good job, she's stopped drinking, stopped going out every night-it's almost enough to make Kita believe her this time. But even as Kita's life is going good, she can't shake the feeling that everything could go up in flames at any moment. When her assistant principal and trusted dance coach starts asking questions about her home life, Kita is more determined than ever to keep up appearances and make sure her family stays together-even if it means falling apart herself. As the threat of her family being separated again circles like a shark in the water, the pressure starts to get to Kita. But could it be that Kita's worst fear is actually the best thing that could happen to her family . . . and to her?

1. How is public knowledge of her mother's alcoholism "the best thing that could happen to Kita's siblings and to her"?
2. What does the book say to you about the importance of support systems and supportive adults in one's life? What support systems and adults do you have available in your life?

KAS Standard RL6.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

AASL Standards:

IIA.3: Learners identify collaborative opportunities by: Deciding to solve problems informed by group interaction.

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
ISBN: 9781536231052

Publication Date: 2024-03-05

A New York Times bestseller! The beloved author of Because of Winn-Dixie has outdone herself with a hilarious and achingly real love story about a girl, a ghost, a grandmother, and growing up. It's the summer before fifth grade, and for Ferris Wilkey, it is a summer of sheer pandemonium: Her little sister, Pinky, has vowed to become an outlaw. Uncle Ted has left Aunt Shirley and, to Ferris's mother's chagrin, is holed up in the Wilkey basement to paint a history of the world. And Charisse, Ferris's grandmother, has started seeing a ghost at the threshold of her room, which seems like an alarming omen given that she is also feeling unwell. But the ghost is not there to usher Charisse to the Great Beyond. Rather, she has other plans--wild, impractical, illuminating plans. How can Ferris satisfy a specter with Pinky terrorizing the town, Uncle Ted sending Ferris to spy on her aunt, and her father battling an invasion of raccoons? As Charisse likes to say, "Every good story is a love story," and Kate DiCamillo has written one for the ages: emotionally resonant and healing, showing the two-time Newbery Medalist at her most playful, universal, and profound.

1. Ferris’s father’s saying “the dogs bark but the caravan passes by” (page 42) doesn’t have a clear meaning, but he
loves to say it. What do you think it means? Do any adults in your life have a saying that they use all the time? What is it and what does it mean?
2. Ferris’s father’s saying “the dogs bark but the caravan passes by” (page 42) doesn’t have a clear meaning, but he
loves to say it. What do you think it means? Do any adults in your life have a saying that they use all the time? What is it and what does it mean?

KAS Standard RL6.5: Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overal structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

AASL Standard:

II.A.3: Learns identify collaborative opportunities by: Deciding to solve problems informed by group interaction.

Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell
ISBN: 9780823454433

Publication Date: 2024-01-02

It's 1935, and tuberculosis is ravaging the nation. Everyone is afraid of this deadly respiratory illness. But what happens when you actually have it? When Halle and her mother both come down with TB, they are shunned--and then they are sent to the J.N. Adam Tuberculosis Hospital: far from home, far from family, far from the world. Tucked away in the woods of upstate New York, the hospital is a closed and quiet place. But it is not, Halle learns, a prison. Free of her worried and difficult father for the first time in her life, she slowly discovers joy, family, and the healing power of honey on the children's ward, where the girls on the floor become her confidantes and sisters. But when Mama suffers a lung hemorrhage, their entire future--and recovery--is thrown into question.... Light and Air deals tenderly and insightfully with isolation, quarantine, found family, and illness. Set in the fully realized world of a 1930s hospital, it offers a tender glimpse into a historical epidemic that has become more relatable than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Halle tries to warm her father's coldness and learn to trust the girls and women of the hospital, and as she and her mother battle a disease that once paralyzed the country, a profound message of strength, hope, and healing emerges. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

1. Explain what Halle means when she says,
“Some people could make you feel full of light and hope, while others flattened you right down and made you feel like nothing” (p. 32). Who are the people that make Halle feel “light and hope”? Name those who make her “feel like nothing.”
2. Why do you think the author chose to name the novel "Light and Air"? How are light and air important to the treatment of tuberculosis during the 1930s? How is Halle seeking light and air, not just in her physical treatment, but in her mental and emotional recovery?

KAS Standard RL6.6: Explain how an author develops the perspective of the narrator or speaker in a text.

AASL Standard:

I.B.1: Learners engage with new knowledge by following a process that includes: Using evidence to investigate questions.

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness; Tim Miller (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781536235937

Publication Date: 2024-09-03

From the best-selling author of A Monster Calls, this funny, wise middle-grade series explodes every stereotype--including what it means to be a hero--in a brilliant reptilian take on surviving school. When Principal Wombat makes monitor lizards Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia hall monitors, Zeke gives up on popularity at his new school. Brought in as part of a district blending program, the monitor lizards were mostly ignored before. Reptiles aren't bullied any more than other students, but they do stick out among zebras, ostriches, and elk. Why would Principal Wombat make them hall monitors? Alicia explains that it's because mammals are afraid of being yelled (hissed) at by reptiles. The principal's just a good general, deploying her resources. Zeke balks, until he gets on the wrong side of Pelicarnassus. More than a bully, the pelican is a famed international supervillain--at least when his mother isn't looking. Maybe the halls are a war zone, and the school needs a hero. Too bad it isn't . . . Zeke. Smart, relatable, and densely illustrated in black and white for graphic appeal, this middle-grade series debut by a revered author returns to his themes of grief, bullying, and negotiating differences--but with zeal and comic relief to spare.

1. Discuss the narrative voice, which asks questions like “What sort of kid was going to point this out?”
(page 1). Find other narrator questions and comments, such as “Do not worry, reader” (page 10) or “Now, you may have wondered what Zeke was doing during all of this” (page 146). How does this
narrative compare to that of other books? How does it affect you as a reader? Does it add humor or enhance the story in other ways?
2. Talk about Alicia’s statement “It doesn’t matter what mistake you make or what consequences you have to face from that mistake, it’s what you do afterward that’s important” (page 28). What mistakes does Zeke make during the story, and how does he deal with them?

KAS Standard RL 6.7: Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

AASL Standards:

IV.B.2: Learners gather information appropriate to the task by : Collecting information representing diverse perspectives.

The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys; Steve Sheinkin
ISBN: 9780593527542

Publication Date: 2024-10-08

A stunning collaboration between award-winning and bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin, this middle grade historical adventure follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother's disappearance. Remember, you are bound by the Official Secrets Act... Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister Lizzie share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they're living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amidst one of the greatest secrets of World War II--Britain's eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley's top minds to crack the Nazi's Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother. The Battle of Britain rages and Hitler's invasion creeps closer. And at the same time, baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep while a menacing inspector lurks outside the gates of the Bletchley mansion. Are the messages truly for them, or are they a trap? Could the riddles of Enigma and their mother's disappearance be somehow connected? Jakob and Lizzie must find a way to work together as they race to decipher clues which unravel a shocking puzzle that presents the ultimate challenge: How long must a secret be kept?

1. In chapter 2, we are introduced to Lizzie, who immediately declares, “Allow me to explain something. I’m lying.” How do you trust a narrator who tells you that she’s lying? In what ways does Lizzie lie to people in the story?
2. Presented with the same information, Jakob and Lizzie come to different conclusions about their
mother’s fate. In the beginning of the book, are they more alike or different? How is this a source of conflict for the two of them? Does the relationship between Jakob and Lizzie change during the course of the novel? Give examples.

KAS Standard RL 6.8: Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they "see" and "hear" when reading the text to what they perce

AASL Standard:

IIIB.1: Learners participate in personal, social, and intellectual networks by: Using a variety of communication tools and resources.

The Shape of Lost Things by Sarah Everett
ISBN: 9780063256613

Publication Date: 2024-10-22

From the award-winning author of The Probability of Everything, which has been called "one of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever)" (Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book Club) and "Powerful" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), comes a heartfelt exploration of family and change as twelve-year-old Skye reunites with her older brother, Finn, after he spent four years on the run with their father. Skye Nickson's world changed forever when her dad went on the run with her brother, Finn. It's been four years without Finn's jokes, four years without her father's old soul music, and four years of Skye filling in as Rent-a-Finn on his MIA birthdays for their mom. Finn's birthday is always difficult, but at least Skye has her best friends, Reece and Jax, to lean on, even if Reece has started acting too cool for them. But this year is different because after Finn's birthday, they get a call that he's finally been found. Tall, quiet, and secretive, this Finn is nothing like the brother she grew up with. He keeps taking late-night phone calls and losing his new expensive gifts, and he doesn't seem to remember any of their inside jokes or secrets. As Skye tries to make sense of it all through the lens of her old Polaroid camera, she starts to wonder: Could this Finn be someone else entirely And if everyone else has changed, does it mean that Skye has to change too.

1. What evidence do you find in the text to support the idea that the "new Finn" is not the "old Finn"?
2. Skye uses a Polaroid camera to capture significant memories. Use Gale or other resources to learn the history of the Polaroid camera and why it was a revolutionary piece of photography technology.

KAS Standard RL 6.10: Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

AASL Standards:

V.A.1. Learners develop and satisfy personal curiosity by: Reading widely and deeply in multiple formats and write and create for a variety of purposes.

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
ISBN: 9780062747808

Publication Date: 2019-05-28

New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor Book! A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in verse about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed. Jude never thought she'd be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives. At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven't quite prepared her for starting school in the US--and her new label of "Middle Eastern," an identity she's never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises--there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is. This lyrical, life-affirming story is about losing and finding home and, most importantly, finding yourself.

1.How does Jude’s friendship with Layla change Jude’s
feelings about belonging in America? What is Layla’s biggest struggle as a daughter of immigrants?
2. Discuss the titles given to the parts of the book: Changing, Arriving, Staying, Hoping, Growing, and Living. How do these words reflect Jude’s journey from the beginning to the end of the book? Does she change? Do you think her changes are positive?

KAS Standard RL 6.11: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

AASL Standard:

III.D.2: Learners demonstrate empathy and equity in knowledge building within the global learning community by: Demonstrating interest in other perspectives during learning activities.

Keeping Pace by Laurie Morrison
ISBN: 9781419768750

Publication Date: 2024-04-09

Laurie Morrison's Keeping Pace is a poignant middle-grade novel about friends-turned-rivals training for a half-marathon--and rethinking what it means to win and what they mean to each other. Grace has been working for years to beat her former friend Jonah Perkins's GPA so she can be named top scholar of the eighth grade. But when Jonah beats her for the title, it feels like none of Grace's academic accomplishments have really mattered. They weren't enough to win--or to impress her dad. And then the wide, empty summer looms. With nothing planned and no more goals or checklists, she doesn't know what she's supposed to be working toward. Eager for something to occupy her days, Grace signs up for a half-marathon race that she and Jonah used to talk about running together. Jonah's running it, too. Maybe if she can beat Jonah on race day, she'll feel OK again. But as she begins training with Jonah and checking off a new list of summer goals, she starts to question what--and who--really matters to her. Is winning at all costs really worth it? Engaging and heartfelt, Keeping Pace is about wanting to win at all costs--and having to learn how to fail.

1. . Throughout this book, Grace has to learn that doing her best is OK and that she can’t win at everything. Why do you think that’s an important lesson to learn? Have you ever felt or thought this? What happened that made you feel like you learned that?
2. Marathon running plays a large role in this novel and in many characters’ journeys. Why do you think marathon running can be such a metaphor for life? Are there other activities or sports that also reflect life lessons?

KAS Standard RI.6.2: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

AASL Standards:

II.B.2: Learners adjust their awareness of the global learning community by: Evaluating a variety of perspectives during learning activities.

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story by David Dorado Romo
ISBN: 9780593567760

Publication Date: 2024-08-20

Until now, you've only heard one side of the story, about migrants crossing borders, drawn to the promise of a better life. In reality, Mexicans were on this land long before any borders existed. Here's the true story of America, from the Mexican American perspective. A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL AND KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A National Council of Teachers of English Honor Book The Mexican American story is usually carefully presented as a story of immigrants: migrants crossing borders, drawn to the promise of a better life. In reality, Mexicans were on this land long before any borders existed. Their culture and practices shaped the Southwestern part of this country, in spite of relentless attempts by white colonizers and settlers to erase them. From missions and the Alamo to muralists, revolutionaries, and teen activists, this is the true story of the Mexican American experience.

1. What is the central idea of this book? What details do you find that support that central idea?
2. How did Mexican culture and practices shape the American Southwest? When developing your answer with your classmates, consider architecture, art, literature, and film.

KAS Standard RL 6.3: Analyze in detail how a key individual event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

AASL Standards:

II.D.2 Learners demonstrate empathy and equity in knowledge building within the global learning community by: Demonstrating interest in other perspectives during learning activities.

Stealing Little Moon: the Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools (Scholastic Focus) by Dan SaSuWeh Jones
ISBN: 9781338889475

Publication Date: 2024-09-03

"Stealing Little Moon is both a moving family saga and an expertly told true story that all Americans should know." --Steve Sheinkin, New York Times bestselling author of Bomb and Undefeated Scholastic Focus is the premier home of thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and thoughtfully designed works of narrative nonfiction aimed at middle grade and young adult readers. These books help readers learn about the world in which they live and develop their critical thinking skills so that they may become dynamic citizens who are able to analyze and understand our past, participate in essential discussions about our present, and work to grow and build our future. Little Moon There Are No Stars Tonight was four years old when armed federal agents showed up at her home and took her from her family. Under the authority of the government, she was sent away to a boarding school specifically created to strip her of her Ponca culture and teach her the ways of white society. Little Moon was one of thousands of Indigenous children forced to attend these schools across America and give up everything they'd ever known: family, friends, toys, clothing, food, customs, even their language. She would be the first of four generations of her family who would go to the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School. Dan SaSuWeh Jones chronicles his family's time at Chilocco--starting with his grandmother Little Moon's arrival when the school first opened and ending with him working on the maintenance crew when the school shut down nearly one hundred years later. Together with the voices of students from other schools, both those who died and those who survived, Dan brings to light the lasting legacy of the boarding school era. Part American history, part family history, Stealing Little Moon is a powerful look at the miseducation and the mistreatment of Indigenous kids, while celebrating their strength, resiliency, and courage--and the ultimate failure of the United States government to erase them.

1. What were the children's experiences at the boarding school? How did these impact them and their families, both positively and negatively?

2. Why is it important to learn about the history of
the Indigenous boarding schools? How does this
history have relevance today?

KAS Standard RI.6.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.

AASL Standards:

III.A.2: Learners identify collaborative opportunities by: Developing new understandings through engagement in a learning group.

Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
ISBN: 9780593699263

Publication Date: 2024-09-10

This award-winning, heartfelt coming-of-age novel in verse tells the powerful story of a seventh-grade Syrian American boy and his struggles, big and small, as he navigates middle school. Seventh grade begins, and Kareem's already fumbled it. His best friend moved away, he messed up his tryout for the football team, and because of his heritage, he was voluntold to show the new kid-a Syrian refugee with a thick and embarrassing accent-around school. Just when Kareem thinks his middle school life has imploded, the hotshot QB promises to get Kareem another tryout for the squad. There's a catch- to secure that chance, Kareem must do something he knows is wrong. Then, like a surprise blitz, Kareem's mom returns to Syria to help her family but can't make it back home. If Kareem could throw a penalty flag on the fouls of his school and home life, it would be for unnecessary roughness. Kareem is stuck between. Between countries. Between friends, between football, between parents-and between right and wrong. It's up to him to step up, find his confidence, and navigate the beauty and hope found somewhere in the middle. ** Winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Young People's Literature** Global Read Aloud Selection ** School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book ** Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Older Readers ** PEOPLE Magazine Best Kids Book ** Junior Library Guild Selection**
1. Name all of the "forces" that are squeezing Kareem so that he considers himself "Kareem Between." Can you identify with any of these, and if so, which ones?
2. What advice would you give Kareem as he struggles to adjust while remaining true to himself and his identity?

KAS Standard RI.6.5: Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.

AASL Standard:

IV.A.2: Learners act on an information need by: Identifying possible sources of information.

The Bard and the Book by Ann Bausum; Marta Sevilla (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781682634950

Publication Date: 2024-04-02

The unlikely true story of why we know the name William Shakespeare today, and the four-hundred-year-old book that made it possible. Four hundred years ago, no one bothered to write down the exact words of stage plays. Characters' lines were scribbled on small rolls of paper (as in, an actor's role) and passed around, but no master script was saved for the future. The main reason we've heard of Romeo, Juliet, Hamlet, and Shakespeare himself is that a group of people made the excellent choice to preserve the plays after the Bard died. If they hadn't created the book known as the First Folio, Shakespeare and his works would surely have been lost to history. Part literary scavenger hunt (the search for every existing First Folio continues today), part book trivia treasure trove, and part love letter to Shakespeare, this behind-the-scenes, sharply funny true story is an ideal introduction to the Bard and his famous plays. A Utah Beehive Award Nominee

KAS Standard RI.6.6: Determine hoan author's point or view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

AASL Standards:

I.D.3: Learners participate in an ongoing inquiry-based process by: Enacting new understanding through real-world connections.

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
ISBN: 9781626720794

Publication Date: 2020-03-17

In his latest graphic novel, Dragon Hoops, New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches. Gene understands stories--comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins. But Gene doesn't get sports. As a kid, his friends called him "Stick" and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men's varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that's been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships. Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he's seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn't know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons's lives, but his own life as well.

KAS Standard RI.6.7: Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

AASL Standard:

II.C.2: Learners exhibit empathy with and tolerance for diverse ideas by: Contributing to discussions in which multiple viewpoints on a topic are expressed.

The Wrong Way Home by Kate O'Shaughnessy
ISBN: 9780593650769

Publication Date: 2025-04-01

Twelve-year-old Fern believes she's living a noble life--but what if everything she's been told is a lie? This is a huge-hearted story about a girl learning to question everything--and to trust in herself. Fern's lived at the Ranch, an off-the-grid, sustainable community in upstate New York, since she was six. The work is hard, but Fern admires the Ranch's leader, Dr. Ben. So when Fern's mother sneaks them away in the middle of the night and says Dr. Ben is dangerous, Fern doesn't believe it. She wants desperately to go back, but her mom just keeps driving. Suddenly thrust into the treacherous, toxic, outside world, Fern can think only of how to get home. She has a plan, but it will take time. As that time goes by, though, Fern realizes there are things she will miss from this place--the library, a friend from school, the ocean--and there are things she learned at the Ranch that are just...not true. Now Fern will have to decide. How much is she willing to give up to return to the Ranch? Should she trust Dr. Ben's vision for her life? Or listen to the growing feeling that she can live by her own rules?

1. What are some of the new experiences Fern has a result of living in the "real world" away from the cult? How would you explain to her that this "real world" is better than her life as part of the cult?
2. Fern deals with issues of trust. Does she trust her mother, Dr. Ben, her new friend(s), or this strange new world? What factors cause you to trust other people and surroundings?
Audio version link: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Wrong-Way-Home-Audiobook/B0CB9D27CV

KAS Standard RI.6.8: Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

AASL Standards:

II.A.2: Learners contribute a balanced perspective when participating in a learning community by: Adopting a discerning stance toward points of view and opinions expressed in information resources and learning products.

Two Truths and a Lie: It's Alive! by Ammi-Joan Paquette; Lisa K. Weber (Illustrator); Laurie Ann Thompson
ISBN: 9780062418814

Publication Date: 2018-05-22

"Considering the fresh attention being paid to teaching a skeptical approach to information evaluation, this series opener couldn't be better timed. A brief but savvy guide to responsible research methods adds further luster to this crowd pleaser." --ALA Booklist (starred review) Two Truths and a Lie is the first book in a fascinating new series that presents some of the most crazy-but-true stories about the living world as well as a handful of stories that are too crazy to be true--and asks readers to separate facts from fakes! Did you know that there is a fungus that can control the mind of an ant and make it do its bidding? Would you believe there is such a thing as a corpse flower--a ten-foot-tall plant with a blossom that smells like a zombie? How about a species of octopus that doesn't live in water but rather lurks in trees in the Pacific Northwest? Every story in this book is strange and astounding. But not all of them are real. Just like the old game in this book's title, two out of every three stories are completely true and one is an outright lie. Can you guess which? It's not going to be easy. Some false stories are based on truth, and some of the true stories are just plain unbelievable. And they're all accompanied by dozens of photos, maps, and illustrations. Amaze yourself and trick your friends as you sort out the fakes from the facts! Acclaimed authors Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson have teamed up to create a series of sneaky stories about the natural world designed to amaze, disgust, and occasionally bamboozle you.

1. In every single chapter, two of the stories are true and one is a lie. Your job is to use your critical thinking and research skills to tell the difference.
2. What resources will you use to determine which are truths and which is the lie?

KAS Standard RI.6.9: Compare and contrast one author's presentation of events with that of another.

AASL Standards:

II.D.2: Learners demonstrate empathy and equity in knowledge building within the global learning community by: Demonstrating interest in other perspectives during learning activities.

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson (Illustrator); Omar Mohamed; Iman Geddy (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780525553908

Publication Date: 2020-04-14

A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day. Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.

1. What insight into the refugee experience did you gain from reading this book?
2. Why do you think a graphic novel is a good way to tell the main character's story and experiences?

KAS Standard RI.6.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

AASL Standard:

IV.B.2. Learners gather information appropriate to the task by: Collecting information representing diverse perspectives.

The Great Influenza by John M. Barry
ISBN: 9780593404690

Publication Date: 2024-04-16

The strongest weapon against pandemic is the truth. Read why in the definitive account of the 1918 Influenza Epidemic, adapted for young readers from the #1 New York Times bestseller. At the height of World War I, history's most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in Kansas, moved east with American troops, and then exploded worldwide, killing as many as 100 million people. It killed more in twenty-four months than AIDS killed in twenty-four years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. It killed many more people than COVID-19, especially those who were young and otherwise healthy. This book, adapted from the #1 New York Times bestseller first published in 2004, shows young readers how this global tragedy came to pass; how science, war, and public policy collided; and how we might be able to prevent it from happening again. Impeccably researched and engrossingly told, The Great Influenza provides young readers with historical and scientific context for epidemics that remains all too relevant today.

1. Compare and contrast the public health policy of The Great Influenza epidemic of 1918 with public health policy of the spread of CO-VID in 2020. Who was making policy? How was it implemented? What were its effects?
2. Epidemics can quickly spread world-wide, given the prevalence of international air travel. In your opinion, given what you've read in this book, what is a practical, commonsense approach to containing the spread of disease from one country or region to another?