6th Grade (Age 11)

The highly anticipated third book in the critically acclaimed and bestselling series takes the art of being wimpy to a whole new level. Let’s face it: Greg Heffley will never change his wimpy ways. Somebody just needs to explain that to Greg’s father. You see, Frank Heffley actually thinks he can get his son to toughen up, and he enlists Greg in organized sports and other “manly” endeavors. Of course, Greg is able to easily sidestep his father’s efforts to change him. But when Greg’s dad threatens to send him to military academy, Greg realizes he has to shape up …

One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa’s old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about “the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth.” “Wealth?” I said. “It’s groovy, man,” said Arnold. If I’d known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew …

Here’s a unique combination of alphabet book and poetry introduction. Harley provides readers with 26 poems and illustrations about tiny creatures, from ants to zebra butterflies. Each poem illustrates a different poetic form or technique, from alliteration to zejel, with forms defined at the bottom of each page. Additional poetic forms can be found in Harley’s companion book, Fly With Poetry (Boyds Mills, 2000).

Pinkney tells the stories of ten African American women — from Soujourner Truth to Rosa Parks — who faced prejudice and oppression with amazing courage and grace. In the end, all ten women paved the way for changes in the lives of future generations.

Today, Lincoln is considered one of the greatest leaders in American history. Yet, as Russell Freedman writes in his Newbery Medal-winning history, during the Civil War, Lincoln “was the most unpopular president the nation had ever known.” Through quotes, photographs, and excerpts from speeches, students will learn about Lincoln’s boyhood, marriage, professional life, and presidency. And they’ll also discover what it takes to be a true leader.

Krull’s book makes it clear that men are not always the ones in charge. In this colorfully illustrated book, she introduces 20 women that have been queens, warriors, prime ministers, revolutionary leaders, and Indian chiefs. She also features first ladies who refused to stand by while others ran the show.

This playful look at the presidents examines their hairstyles, diets, fears, sleep patterns, and attitudes from the perspective of their families and neighbors.

Written as a series of free-verse poetic journal entries, this book features an encouraging teacher, a child’s blossoming love of poetry, and the loss of a dear pet. At first, Jack is reluctant to write poetry, “because boys don’t write poetry. Girls do.” As his teacher introduces works by various poets, including William Carlos Williams, Robert Frost, and Walter Dean Myers, Jack wonders about what the poems mean. Why does so much depend upon a red wheelbarrow and some white chickens? If the guy is in the snowy wood, why doesn’t he just keep going if he has so many …