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The days are getting longer, the sun is shining warmly, and every day students (and teachers) cross off another school day on the calendar. A chorus of
"20 days left! 15 days left! 10 days left!" rises in the hallways and classrooms. It's almost summer, almost the end of school, almost time for summer
vacation. While everyone is anxiously awaiting the long days full of nothing but camp, cookouts, and carnivals, summer is also the perfect time for kids to
do that fun reading they never got to during the last ten months. According to researchers, having students read four or five books during the summer can
prevent the reading losses typically seen in the classroom at the beginning of the school year (Viadero, Education Week 5/5/2004). Children who
read during the summer fare better on reading comprehension tests in the fall than those who read no books over the summer. In other words, students who
read for pleasure, both during the summer and over the school year, achieve higher grades and better academic progress throughout the school year.
Many schools hand out a required reading list for their students at the end of the school year. Unfortunately, many schools ask students to choose
from a small list of two or three books, which all too often share the same genre, time period, or reading level. Those books might not appeal to
everyone, but anyone can find other books for pleasure reading that they will enjoy. Ensuring that kids read a few books of their own choosing (while also
finishing their required reading) can help them continue to enjoy books and reading.
The big question for most parents and teachers is, "What should my kids read?"
As a teacher, my answer is that they should read anything they want! Summer reading can develop the lifelong habit of reading for pleasure. In order to
enjoy what they are reading, kids have to take ownership of it. Take them to the library or the bookstore and let them browse. Encourage them to exchange
books with friends (for such a solitary activity, reading can be very social). Allow them to abandon a book if they realize it's not for them. But again,
make them take ownership of it. Have a conversation about why they decided to abandon it. Do they know someone else who might enjoy the book? Maybe they
have a friend they can pass it on to. What type of book do they want to try next?
The single most important thing you can do for kids is to read yourself. Seeing adults model reading as an enjoyable activity does more than any other
activity can. Talk to them about the books you are reading. Read a book with them and discuss it. Listen to audio books in the car. Don't moan and groan
about reading and don't avoid it. Kids will only model what they see. In the same vein, don't force them to read. Don't set mandatory time periods where
they have to read, don't make reading a punishment, and don't force them to read a particular title. Reading should be fun!
And don't forget audio books. Maybe that required reading will be more enjoyable if kids can listen to it on their iPod while at camp, on the airplane to
Florida, or in the car with Mom and Dad. Just remember, don't rely on a movie version of a book to be the same as the book. All too often kids come back
from summer vacation and start talking about their required reading, only to have the teacher realize they clearly watched the movie instead, because the
details are all wrong. Trust me! The book (or audio book) is always better.
If you are looking for some ideas, here are some titles that are tried and true in my classroom:
Middle Grade Fiction
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Found (The Missing) by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Airborn and Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
Maximum Ride by James Patterson
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
The Incredible Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson
Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata
The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages
A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
Young Adult Fiction
The Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings
The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Story of a Girl and Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Uglies, Pretties, and Specials by Scott Westerfeld
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
My Life, the Musical by Maryrose Wood
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Life As We Knew It and the dead & the gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Entertainer and the Dybbuk by Sid Fleischman
Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt
Peak by Roland Smith
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Graphic Novels
Bone by Jeff Smith
Amulet, Book One: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
Jellaby, Volume 1 by Kean Soo
Amelia Rules! Volume 1: The Whole World's Crazy by Jimmy Gownley
Little Vampire by Joann Sfar
Babymouse #1: Queen of the World! by Jennifer Holm
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
Magic Pickle: The Original Graphic Novel! by Scott Morse
Knights of the Lunch Table: The Dodgeball Chronicles by Frank Cammuso
Non-fiction (All Levels)
Independent Dames by Laurie Halse Anderson
See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the Race to the White House by Susan E. Goodman
The Periodic Table: Elements with Style! by Adrian Dingle
Albino Animals by Kelly Milner Halls
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City by Janet Schulman
Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammed Ali by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
We Are The Ship. The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
Who Was First? Discovering the Americas by Russell Freedman
How to Write Your Life Story by Ralph Fletcher
Let the kids take time this summer to relax and enjoy life. Sit out by the pool, enjoy the weather, and allow them to fall into a great book. We are living in the golden age of children's book publishing—there is something out there for every child to enjoy. You just have to let them find it. And summer is the perfect time for that exploration.
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