Read to me! Those words are magic. Technology is wonderful and there are no shortages of choices to entertain, but one of the very best ways to foster a child’s imagination is to read a good book. Now that we’re into summer and the kids hopefully have some unstructured time, have you got any good summer reads?
Whether you frequent the library, the bookstore, or order online, in your search for good summer reads, here are a few recommendations:
Picture Books for littles
The Construction site books by Sherri Duskey Rinker (Published by Chronicle Books)-Road Crew Coming Through; Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site; and Three Cheers for Kid McGear are only three from the large construction site collection. There are two new ones being released in September. These books are both fun to read and to share with littles.
The Roto and Roy books, also by Sherri Rinker. Helicopter Roto and Pilot Roy work together as they come to the rescue in this fun series of picture books for young children.
Chapter Books for beginning readers
Kevin Henkes’ The Year of Billy Miller is a great first chapter book. Billy is starting second grade and he’s worried he won’t be smart enough for school this year. But with his family’s love and support, Billy not only makes it through the year, he proclaims it “The Year of Billy Miller.” If you enjoy this one, there are two more stand-alone companion books about the Miller family. I have not read the two new ones, but if they are anything like this one, they will be sweet and fun.
Middle Grade for 8 to 12-year-olds
Karina Yan Glaser’s The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (Clarion Books) series. The back cover copy reads, “Funny, heartfelt, and as lively as any street in Harlem, this cozy family novel is about the connections we make and the unexpected twists and turns life can take.” This series of seven novels about a contemporary biracial family of five children and their menagerie of pets growing up in a brownstone on a quiet street in Harlem, is one of my favorites. Their upstairs neighbors include a grumpy landlord and an elderly couple who all become unofficial members of the family. The seventh, and last, book released last year and, while it dealt with childhood cancer, it had a hopeful ending.
Another good offering from Ms. Glaser is A Duet for Home (Clarion Books). 12-year-old June must care for Mabel, her younger sister, by herself when they are forced to live in Huey House, a shelter for the homeless in New York City. The girls’ mother has become nonverbal after the death of their father, and while present, cannot help in the care of the girls. At the shelter, June meets Tyrell, a fellow resident, and finds in him a friend that shares her love of music. When June and Tyrell learn that shelter residents are being forced to leave before they are ready and being sent to neighborhoods that are unsafe, the friends decide to work together and bring attention to what is happening.
Middle Grade for 10 to 12-year-olds
Three novels by Lynda Mulaly Hunt are both compassionate and thought-provoking reads for tweens.
In Shouting at the Rain (Nancy Paulsen Books), Seventh-grader Delsie McHill struggles after being abandoned by her mother. She doesn’t even know her dad. When a friend asks her what it’s like to be an orphan, Delsie begins to think about it for the first time. This book about relationships between friends and family won the Massachusetts Center for the Book Award.
Fish in a Tree (Puffin Books) Ally can’t read. She’s managed to keep it a secret as she moves from school to school by being known as a troublemaker. When she finally lands in a class with a teacher who recognized the creative kid inside, Ally realizes she’s much more than she’s been labeled.
One For The Murphy’s (Puffin Books) Carley Connors finds herself in foster care with the Murphy family. For the first time in her life, she feels understood. Then, her mom comes back into her life. Ally learns love and family are more complicated than she realized and that growing up might mean learning to love her mom, faults and all.
James Hannibal’s Section 13 novels (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers). Jack Buckles has learned his true identity-he is a Tracker. Not only is he a Tracker, but he is the thirteenth generation in his family of Trackers, and therefore mandated to be exiled. In learning this, he has violated Section 13 of Tracker Regulations. When Ignatious Gall and the Ministry of Secrets and Guilds conspires to eliminate Jack and put the Ministry of Trackers away forever, Jack and his friends must expose Ignatious before he gains immortality. Filled with dragons, clockwork monsters, and thrilling chases through London, Austria, and Central China. School Library Journal calls this series “Harry Potter meets Dr. Who.”
Coop Knows the Scoop by Taryn Souders (Sourcebooks Young Readers) Coop lives in Windy Bottom, Georgia. Usually there aren’t any real problems in their small town and he spends his time hanging out with his grandpa and helping his mom out at her cafe and bookstore. Then one day a cold case mystery is brought to light in the form of a body underneath the playground. Coop and his friends, Liberty and Justice, work frantically to solve the mystery and clear his grandpa’s name.
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly (Delacorte Press). 12-year-old Iris is deaf. When she learns about Blue 55, a whale who is alone because he cannot be heard by other whales, she has an idea to help him. But first, she has to get to him. And he’s 3,000 miles away.
So, got any good summer reads? These are some of my favorites. I hope they give you at least a starting point to find some great summer reads of your own!
Blessings!
