The Bookshelf
33 books in total — four quarter anchors plus the supplementary library (picture books, primary sources, reference, myth) used in the daily lessons. Free online editions are linked where available.
Quarter 1
Mesopotamia · Egypt · Indus Valley · Shang China
Eloise Jarvis McGraw · 1961
Ranofer, an orphaned apprentice in ancient Thebes, uncovers a goldsmith's crime and chases his dream of becoming a master craftsman.
Why it's here: Carries the ELA arc all quarter — anchors RL.6.1–6.3 work and the Q1 informative essay on daily life in Egypt.
Geraldine McCaughrean (retelling) · 2002
The oldest surviving epic — Gilgamesh and Enkidu's friendship, the flood, and the quest for immortality.
Why it's here: Bridges social studies (Sumer) and ELA (epic structure, theme). Read aloud the flood tablet to compare with Genesis.
Elizabeth Payne (Landmark Books) · 1981
Readable narrative history of the pharaohs from Narmer through Cleopatra.
Why it's here: Spine text for the Egypt unit — assign 1 chapter per week.
Judy Donnelly
Step-Into-Reading account of Howard Carter's 1922 discovery.
Why it's here: Short, vivid, perfect for the burial-practices read-aloud day.
Mike Corbishley
Photo-rich survey of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.
Why it's here: Use the ziggurat and cuneiform spreads as primary-source warmups.
King Hammurabi of Babylon · c. 1754 BCE
The world's earliest preserved law code, in 282 numbered laws.
Why it's here: Anchors the Wk 2 mock-trial and the Q1 informative essay on law and order.
James Rumford
Picture-book biography of Jean-François Champollion and the Rosetta Stone.
Why it's here: Builds the bridge between Egypt and the Q4 House of Wisdom arc on translation.
Steve Parker (DK)
Visual reference covering every body system with cross-sections and labeled diagrams.
Why it's here: Use as the spine for the MS-LS1 cells-to-organism arc; assign one system per week.
Suzanne Slade
Plain-English tour of cell parts and what they do.
Why it's here: Pre-lab reading for the microscope investigation.
Quarter 2
Foundations of Western Thought & the Mediterranean
Rosemary Sutcliff · 1993
Sutcliff's prose retelling of the Iliad from the Judgment of Paris to the fall of Troy.
Why it's here: Powers the Q2 theme-analysis essay (RL.6.2) and the Athens-vs-Sparta argument essay.
Gillian Cross (adaptation) · 2012
Accessible illustrated adaptation of Homer's Odyssey.
Why it's here: Use after Black Ships to compare hero archetypes (kleos vs. nostos).
Anton Powell & Philip Steele (Candlewick)
Newspaper-style survey of Greek life, politics, and culture.
Why it's here: Each spread doubles as a reading-comprehension passage and a primary-source mini lesson.
Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire · 1962
The classic illustrated compendium of Greek myth.
Why it's here: Read-aloud spine for the mythology week and L.6.4 root work (mono-, poly-, demo-).
Henry Winterfeld · 1956
Seven schoolboys in early Rome solve a mystery involving a forged scroll.
Why it's here: Bridge text into Q3 — students step into Roman daily life before the empire unit.
Herodotus · c. 430 BCE
Excerpts from the 'Father of History' on the Persian Wars and Egyptian customs.
Why it's here: Pair the Thermopylae passage with the Sparta-vs-Athens debate.
Kathryn Lasky
Picture biography of Eratosthenes calculating Earth's circumference.
Why it's here: Triple-pair: Greek learning + Earth-science geometry + 6.RP ratio reasoning.
H. A. Rey
Friendly star-chart guide from the author of Curious George.
Why it's here: Use during the MS-ESS1 moon-phases unit for night-sky homework.
Quarter 3
Rome · Han China · Silk Road · Buddhism · Christianity
Rosemary Sutcliff · 1954
Marcus Aquila travels north of Hadrian's Wall to recover the lost eagle standard of his father's legion.
Why it's here: Anchors the Q3 historical-fiction arc and the Romanization argument essay.
Andrew Langley & Philip de Souza (Candlewick)
Newspaper-style tour of the Roman world.
Why it's here: Spine reference for the empire unit; each section is a self-contained passage.
David Macaulay · 1974
Macaulay's iconic black-and-white drawings of how a Roman city was built.
Why it's here: Anchors the engineering build week (aqueducts, arches, roads); also supports 6.G.A geometry.
Edith Kunhardt
Step-Into-Reading version of the eruption of Vesuvius.
Why it's here: Read aloud the morning of the MS-ESS2 volcano lab.
Elizabeth George Speare · 1961
Newbery winner set in Roman-occupied Judea, exploring resistance, friendship, and conviction.
Why it's here: Optional supplement to Eagle of the Ninth for students who finish early; supports the Christianity unit.
Marco Polo · c. 1300
Excerpts describing the Silk Road, Yuan court, and the cities of the East.
Why it's here: Primary-source pairing for the Silk Road research project.
Russell Freedman
Freedman's accessible biography of Confucius.
Why it's here: Spine for the Han China lessons and the comparative-religions essay.
Anita Ganeri
Daily-life questions answered with photos and short paragraphs.
Why it's here: Bridges the gap between empire politics and ordinary lives.
Quarter 4
Byzantium · Islamic Golden Age · Medieval Europe · T'ang/Song · African Kingdoms
Florence Parry Heide & Judith Heide Gilliland · 1999
Picture-book biography of Ishaq, a young translator in 9th-century Baghdad's Bayt al-Hikma.
Why it's here: Short anchor — leaves room for the Q4 research capstone (W.6.7).
Scott O'Dell · 1966
Newbery Honor adventure tracking Coronado's conquistadors and the cost of gold.
Why it's here: Alternate anchor for advanced readers; pairs with Mansa Musa economics lessons.
Lizann Flatt
Algebra, optics, medicine, and astronomy in the Islamic Golden Age.
Why it's here: Spine for the Islamic Golden Age inventions exhibit (Q4 milestone).
Ibn Battuta · 1355
Excerpts from the 14th-century traveler who visited more of the medieval world than anyone else.
Why it's here: Primary source for both the Islamic world and West Africa (Mali, Timbuktu).
Khephra Burns
Illustrated retelling of the Mali emperor's 1324 pilgrimage to Mecca.
Why it's here: Anchors the Mansa Musa economic-impact research project (Q4 milestone).
David Macaulay · 1977
Macaulay's blueprint-style account of how a Welsh castle was designed and built.
Why it's here: Pairs with 6.G surface-area work and the medieval Europe unit.
Elizabeth Janet Gray · 1942
Newbery winner about a minstrel's son traveling 13th-century England.
Why it's here: Optional read-aloud for the medieval Europe weeks.
Susan Whitfield
Short narrative biographies from the British Library's Silk Road project.
Why it's here: Use individual chapters as one-period reads during the T'ang/Song week.
Part of the K–6 Homeschool Curriculum series · Grade 6 · Eastern Hemisphere & Ancient Civilizations