Celebrating Black History Month is a vital time to recognize African Americans’ contributions, talents, and skills. It’s essential that we pause and reflect with our students on the accomplishments that others have made over the years. In this blog post, I will talk about some 6th grade chapter books by black authors.

In my 6th-grade ELA classroom, I strive to provide book choices for my 6th-grade students that represent them. And portray other cultures that may not be present in our classroom. I want my 6th-grade students to respect all cultures!

In celebrating Black History Month, I am writing this blog post about some 6th-grade chapter books by black authors. I have used these chapter books as book choices in my classroom. I’ve used them throughout the school year and wanted to highlight the books here!

1. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

I personally enjoyed reading One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. This book has also been a favorite of one of my nieces when she was in middle school. I hope you have read it but if you haven’t read it. It’s a book about three sisters who live with their dad and grandmother in New York. Their mother abandoned them when the youngest was a baby. She went to California to live a life of her own. The oldest barely remembers their mother and the other two girls have no memory of her.

The story takes place in 1968. It gives students a glimpse into that time period, with a key focus on racial tension. When the girls arrive in California to visit their mother, she is very distant. She isn’t afraid to show the girls that she really doesn’t want them there. The oldest girl Delphine takes the lead. She takes care of herself and her sisters while their mother tolerates them during their visit.

Throughout reading this book students will learn more about each character’s personality. Students will also see the character’s interactions with the book’s supporting characters. During their time with their mother, the girls attend a summer camp. There they get first-hand knowledge about The Black Panther Party. As the story goes on the girls begin to understand their mother. Ultimately, the girls are somewhat at peace with their mother as they head back to their home in New York.

2. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper is an awesome book that tells about the life of Melody. Melody is an eleven-year-old girl with a photographic memory that loves to learn and is a wealth of knowledge. However, Melody is not given the opportunities to learn to her best abilities. This is due to the ignorance of many of her teachers at school.

Melody has cerebral palsy and is limited in her movement as well as she is unable to walk or talk. Because of this, she struggles to communicate with others. She has to endure being treated like a baby or being ignored. 

This is a great book to see life from the perspective of another person. There are many heartbreaking moments for Melody. This is brought on by the way she is treated by doctors, teachers, and other classmates. While Melody just wants to enjoy life being an eleven-year-old girl. She is reminded daily by classmates that she doesn’t “fit in”. This is due to students negatively judging her on her outward appearance. Instead of focusing on who she truly is on the inside, sigh. 

I enjoyed reading Out of My Mind! I couldn’t wait to read the sequel Out of My Heart once it came out! Reading about Melody with my students allowed us to have a greater understanding of what Melody and students similar to Melody experience. It helped my students to become better friends with students in our school that have special needs.

Out of My Mind was pivotal in helping us to understand the different ways nonverbal students can communicate. Although there are many types of communication devices like Melody’s Medi-Talker. Reading how Melody used her Medi-Talker was especially eye-opening. It helped my students and I to make the connection with the communication devices we see at our school. Out of My Mind is a must-read for upper elementary/ middle school students! It will help to drive the point across that all people are different. Everyone learns in their own ways and everyone has feelings.

3. Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russel Freedman

Okay, okay, this is technically not a chapter book! But it definitely belongs in this blog post about 6th grade chapter books by black authors! It’s an informational text that I like to use during Black History Month with my students. It is a great follow-up to any research done about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the classroom. If you are looking for ideas on how to research Dr. King. Read my blog post How to Use a Reading Response Journal To Research Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott talks about pivotal moments during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. When using this text I also like to guide students in writing an informational report. The wealth of information in this book is all I need to help my students research. From this research, they can write an informational report. I also appreciate the photos that were included in this text. It helps to capture the moment. It allows those of us who were not born during that time period to get a glimpse of what life was like then.

One key fact about the boycott that was most surprising to my students was the length of the boycott. Many students were surprised to learn that it lasted longer than a year (381 days long).

This text starts off by explaining why the bus boycott was started. It shows a detailed map of Montgomery Alabama during 1955-1956 pointing out key locations. I appreciate how the author explains in words and in photos Jim Crow laws. And the ongoing struggles of black people during the time period. When I first read this book, it was the first time that I read in detail about the lives of Jo Ann Robinson and Claudette Colvin. I was able to learn about their struggles with the bus system. I respect how the author highlighted these women along with Rosa Parks. The describes how Martin Luther King Jr. became involved in and a leader of the bus boycott. Throughout the book, the author includes notable people who had significant involvement in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It also talks about pivotal race-related incidents that took place during that time.

This is an in-depth text of what happened during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. When using it with your students you will need to guide them through the text. I recommend using this book with middle school students or higher. Depending on how much class time you have to devote, I recommend walking your students through the book first. Have your students do a picture walk and a text feature walk. Then you and your students can discuss the time period and timeline of the boycott. After this, I suggest going back through the book and picking out excerpts to read. Then have a class discussion and use the information for students’ informational reports.

4. Ghost by Jason Reynolds

I began this school year reading Ghost by Jason Reynolds. It was used as a whole class read-aloud novel. I chose this book to read aloud to students because of the length of the text and the engaging storyline. It is the first book in a four-part series (The Track Series). I am always trying to get my students to read more. Reading books from a series is a great way to help do this!

Ghost is about a middle school boy who often gets into trouble at school. He is frequently teased because of his shoes, clothes, and where he lives. Ghost doesn’t really feel like he belongs anywhere until he stumbles onto a track team. Ghost knows he knows how to run, he knew this before he got on the track team. He feels like he has been running all his life. This is due to childhood trauma, so for him, it wasn’t a question of whether he could run. But he finds himself proving himself on the track, especially to Lu!

While on the track team, Ghost learns the fundamentals of running and finds a place to belong. He forms a bond with his teammates “the newbies”, Patina (Patty), Sunny, and Lu. His coach plays an influential role in helping Ghost turn his life around. Throughout the story, Ghost goes through personal conflicts that ultimately make him a better person. 

My students really enjoyed this book! It took me weeks to read it out loud to them. A couple of my students found the book at the library and read along. Many of my students could relate to the choices Ghost made and understood why he made those choices. We were able to have good discussions surrounding the events of the novel. This is an excellent book to help keep students interested in reading due to the length, relatability, and engaging content.

5. Patina by Jason Reynolds

Patina is the second book in the Track Series. The book Patina starts right off where Ghost left off. In fact to really know the ending of Ghost you need to read Patina. I like how the author connects all of the books in the series this way.

Patina is about Patty Jones (Patty Jones ain’t no junk!). Patina is a middle schooler just like Ghost. And just like any other middle schooler, Patty is trying to be uniquely herself. Patty has difficulties doing this now that she has to attend a private school. She is no longer in school with the classmates she grew up with from her old neighborhood. 

Throughout the book, Patty feels like she doesn’t fit in at the wealthy private school she now attends. This change plus many more happened as a result of traumatic events that involve her parents. So now she and her little sister are adopted. They are adopted by their aunt and uncle. They live on a different side of town, hence the reason she goes to a new school. Patty is also on the track team and is one of “the newbies”. Patty is a dynamite runner, no question about it! But she has to learn throughout the book how to be there for her teammates. 
I read this to my students also as a read-aloud right after I read Ghost. My students enjoyed how the books were connected. They liked that the focus was now on Patina while still hearing about Ghost. This helped them to understand seeing things from different people’s perspectives.

Conclusion

These are just a few 6th-grade chapter books by black authors. I have these books as choices for my students to read throughout the year. In my classroom, I like to have a variety of books for students to read. I especially like to have books that reflect the cultural backgrounds of the kids in my classroom.

Fiction and Nonfiction Discussion Cards work well with the books mentioned in this post. You can find Fiction Discussion Cards and Nonfiction Discussion Cards in my TPT store.