Titles for Summer Readers From Librarians Across the U.S.

The Summer Reading List Committee at the Parkway School District in Chesterfield, Missouri, deserves a pat on the back. They've compiled an amazing roster of good summer books for students entering kindergarten through sixth grade, broken down by year. It's vast, it's detailed, and it's immensely helpful. Here is the rundown of books for young readers entering third grade in the fall.

Read Alouds
Bridges: Ruby’s Wish 2002 historical fiction, ethnic diversity
During the 1800s in China, when few girls learn to read and write, Ruby fervently desires to attend university with all the males in her family.
Curtis: The Bat Boy and His Violin 1998 sports, music, ethnic diversity
Reginald loves to play his violin, but Papa wants him to be outdoors more and enlists him as the bat boy for the baseball team Papa manages. Reginald plays his violin in the dugout, and the team improves.

Independent Reading  
Adler: Bones series mystery
Everyone needs bones — Detective Jeffrey Bones that is. With his bag of detective tools in hand, read how Jeffrey can solve any mystery.

Bourke: Christian the Lion: Based on the True Story of Anthony (Ace) Bourke, John Rendall and Christian the Lion 2009 nonfiction
Details the experiences of Anthony Bourke and John Rendall, who bought a lion cub from a department store, raised him as a pet, reintroduced him to the wild in Kenya and years later received a warm welcome from the grown lion.
Bunting: One Green Apple 2006 historical fiction, ethnic diversity
Farah is new to the U.S. and her class. She feels alone until she goes on a field trip and realizes things are alike everywhere.
Cleary: Math is CATegorical series stores in rhyme, mathematics
Mathematical functions are explained in rhyming text and simple, silly cartoons.
Cronin: Diary of a Fly 2007 animal fiction
A young fly discovers, day by day, that there is a lot to learn about being an insect, including the dangers of flyswatters and that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
Dadey: Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series schools, fiction
There are some pretty weird grown-ups living in Bailey City.
DeFelice: One Potato, Two Potato 2006 fairy tale
A very poor, humble couple live so simple a life they share everything, until the husband discovers a pot with magical powers buried under the very last potato in the garden.
DiCamillo: Mercy Watson series animal, fantasy, humor
Welcome to the wry and endearing world of Mercy Watson, the beloved "pig wonder" of the Watson household.
Foxworthy: Dirt On My Shirt 2008 poetry
Comedian Jeff Foxworthy presents more than 30 illustrated poems for children on such topics as friends, bugs, family members and pretending.
Holm: Babymouse series 2005 graphic fiction, friendship, imagination
An imaginative mouse learns life lessons while living her life.
Hopkinson: Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale (Introducing His Forgotten Frontier Friend) 2008 historical fiction
In Knob Creek, Kentucky, in 1816, seven-year-old Abe Lincoln falls into a creek and is rescued by his best friend.
Johnson: Just Like Josh Gibson 2007 sports fiction, historical fiction
A grandmother recounts the story of the day she was allowed to play in a baseball game, even though she was a girl.
Kerrin: Martin Bridge: Ready for Takeoff! 2005 fiction
Martin means well, but his ideas don’t always turn out as expected. In three stand-alone chapters, Martin deals with issues at home and school.
Pinkney: The Ugly Duckling 1999 fairy tale
This adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen classic portrays an unhappy year for an ugly duckling who eventually grows up and transforms into a beautiful swan.
Sachar: Marvin Redpost series fiction
Marvin Redpost encounters hilarious problems with school, family and friends.
Stilton: The Geronimo Stilton series mice, fantasy, mystery
Geronimo Stilton is a mouse newspaper editor and journalist who travels the world to chase important interviews but winds up in the middle of adventures that involve solving intriguing mysteries.
Tunnell: Mailing May 1997 historical fiction
Five-year-old May wishes to visit her grandmother, but the train is too expensive. May's father and cousin concoct a clever means of sending the child after all.
Warner: Only Emma 2005 fiction
Emma’s mother loses her job, so Emma becomes the new kid in the school and neighborhood. An only child, Emma’s life changes when a four year old comes for a visit.

The librarians at View Ridge Elementary in Seattle, Washington, offer this quick list of funny reads for those hankering for some humor:

Bake Sale by Sara Varon
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Gooney Bird Green by Lois Lowry
Magic Pickle by Scott Morse
The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin
Punished! by David Lubar
Scaredy Squirrel series by Melanie Watt
Spot the Plot by Patrick Lewis
Sweet Tooth by Margie Palatini
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? by Marla Frazee et al.

School Librarians Know Best: More Great Summer Reads

The list sharing continues! Here are a few links to more compilations of great summer reads, this time from the big city librarians of the Boston Public Schools as well as a smaller town's selections, from Carver Middle School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is little in the way of description of these titles, so you have to trust that these librarians know what they are doing! And judging by the many talented authors they've included, I think we're in good hands.

The way I take advantage of these lists is to open another window on my laptop and log into my Chicago Public Library account. Then I reserve as many books as I can, and the library notifies me when they come in. So we have a steady feed of good books all summer.

Below is the summer reading list from the Boston Public Schools, specifically the best legends and myths to read this summer:

The Coming of the Dragon, Barnhouse
Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection, Dembicki, ed.
Odd and the Frost Giants, Gaiman
Princess of the Midnight Ball, George
A Tale Dark and Grimm, Gidwitz
The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel, Hinds
Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood, Lee
Gilgamesh the Hero, McCaughrean
Cinder, Meyer
Ain't Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry, Nelson
The Illustrated Book of Myths, Philip
The Kane Chronicles (series), Riordan
The Beautiful Stories of Life: Six Greek Myths, Retold, Rylant

Here is the list of novels Carver Middle School sixth-graders are encouraged to read this summer when they're escaping the Oklahoma heat. (The * means first book in a series or book has a sequel.):

Abduction by Peg Kehret
*Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Airball: My Life in Briefs by Lisa Harkrader
Arilla Sun Down by Virginia Hamilton
*Bone, Vol. 1: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith
*Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Read Hunger Games first)
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
*The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Cracker by Cynthia Kadohata
Curse of the Blue Figurine by John Bellairs
*Eragon by Christopher Paolini

*The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
Games: A Tale of Two Bullies by Carol Gorman
*Gregor the Overlander by Collins, Suzanne
Heads or Tails by Jack Gantos (1st book in the Jack Henry series)
Heat by Mike Lupica
Hoops by Walter Dean Myers
*Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts
*Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
*Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
*Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
*Into the Wild by Erin Hunter
The Island by Gary Paulsen
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
*Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos (1st book in the Joey Pigza series)
Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos (#2 in Joey Pigza series)
Last Shot by John Feinstein
*The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron
The Man Who Was Poe by Avi
Million Dollar Shot by Don Gutman
Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson
*Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (3rd book in Hunger Games trilogy – Read the other two first.)
Monkey Island by Paula Fox
The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
*The Mistmantle Chronicles Urchin of the Riding Stars by M.I. McAllister
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine by Diane Stanley
Naked Mole-Rat Letters by Mary Amato
Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman
Or Give Me Death by Ann Rinaldi
*Out of Sight, Out of Mind by Marilyn Kaye
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
*The Princess Diaries by Cabot, Meg
*Quid Pro Quo by Vicki Grant
*Redwall by Brian Jacques
*Sammy Keys and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin VanDraanen
Shackleton’s Stowaway by Victoria McKernan
*Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
*Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm
The River by Gary Paulsen
The School Story by Andrew Clements
The Scream Museum by Paul Zindel
The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
*Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Way Down Deep by Ruth White
*A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

School Librarians Do the Heavy Lifting for Summer Reads

Sometimes it feels like a tall order to find titles that excite my three kids. The just-finished-second-grade reader still judges a book's merit based on the cover and how many weapons are on it. The newly minted middle-schooler flips to the back of the book to see how many pages, then decides whether he's up for tackling it. And the 13-year-old holds out for exclusively dystopian YA, turning her nose up at the classics or other titles that do not threaten global annihilation.

So when I come across recommended reading lists, I'm grateful. Some wonderful librarian somewhere has taken the time to compile a list of books that have pleased her readers, thus saving me having to slog through stacks of titles to find the right covers, the right number of pages, and the right end-of-the-world scenarios!

Over the next few weeks, I'll share a few lists that feature fun titles for these lazy days of summer reading. Happy hunting!

First up from the fabulous librarians at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools comes a vast list of titles for fiction and non-fiction, picture books and more. Here is a partial rundown of their middle-grade novel recommendations:

Books marked with an * are easier; those with a # are more challenging.

Baker, Dierdre. Becca at Sea
This lovely book chronicles three separate visits by Becca to her Gran’s house on a remote Canadian island. Becca fears being lonely with no one her age on the island, but various adventures and a multitude of quirky relatives and neighbors keep life interesting.

#Corder, Zizou. Lion Boy (first book in a trilogy)
His ability to speak to cats in their own language proves very useful when Charlie Ashanti’s parents are kidnapped. Helped by cats of all kinds, Charlie manages to escape the unpleasant Rafi who is sent out to capture him. When he ends up on a circus boat, Charlie and the circus lions make a pact to help each other.

#Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton
The first freeborn child in a Canadian town populated by runaway slaves, Elijah is in many ways an ordinary kid. He is helpful to his neighbors, throws rocks with amazing accuracy, and is often confounded by the adults around him. Things take a dramatic turn when he embarks on a dangerous journey to the United States, where runaway slaves are hunted down.

Dyer, Heather. The Fish in Room 11
An orphan of mysterious parentage (Toby), good guys, bad guys, unexpected changes of heart, mermaids and treasure all in one book!

*Grimes, Nikki. Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel (first book in a series)
Dyamonde just moved to a new neighborhood with her mom after her parents’ divorce. She’s funny, smart, speaks her mind, and loves math. She doesn’t have a best friend yet but, as she’ll tell you, she’s a gem waiting to be discovered!

#Horvath, Polly. My One Hundred Adventures
Twelve-year-old Jane, who lives in a house on the beach with her three younger siblings and her dreamy single mother, longs for something different to happen this summer and prays for a hundred adventures. Like Horvath’s other fine books (Everything on a Waffle, The Trolls), this is quirky, sad, funny, and wise.

King-Smith, Dick. Three Terrible Trins
Three mice brothers, ignoring the class system of rodents in their farmhouse, befriend a lower class mouse and form a team to fight cats. King-Smith has written many wonderful books for animal lovers.

*Mills, Claudia. 7 X 9=Trouble
Third grader Wilson is having a hard time learning the times tables, and it definitely doesn’t help when his 5-year old brother learns them without even trying.

*Osborne, Mary Pope. Tales From the Odyssey. Book 1: The One-Eyed Giant
The first in a series of short, accessible chapter books relating the adventures and misadventures of Odysseus trying to find his way home to Ithaca following the Trojan War. Begins with the brief explanation of the war and the story of the Trojan horse. Includes a map of his journey.

Pinkwater, Daniel Manus. Fat Men From Space
William is able to receive radio signals on his tooth, a useless annoyance until he starts receiving bulletins from outer space. Now he is the only one who knows that thousands of fat spacemen in plaid sport jackets, knitted neckties and two toned shoes are confiscating and eating all the junk food on Earth.

Robinson, Barbara. The Best School Year Ever
School has started, and that means the six Herdman kids are back and creating their inimitable brand of destruction and mayhem. This classic series begins with The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and continues with The Best Halloween Ever.

*Segal, Lore. More Mole Stories, and Little Gopher, Too
Warm, funny stories about the adventures of Mole and his grandmother, who are perfectly happy together–most of the time. If you like it, try their first book, Why Mole Shouted.


From Town School for Boys in San Francisco comes another list, this one more focused on dystopian middle-grade. And please note that as this is a BOYS school, the titles are geared toward getting the young fellas reading.

Unwind, by Neil Shustermann

Gone, by Michael Grant

The Other Side of the Island, by Allegra Goodman

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner

The Sky Inside, by Clare B. Dunkle

The Dead and the Gone, by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau

Winter's End, by Jean-Claude Mourlevat

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace, by Alexander Gordon Smith

Truancy, by Isamu Fukui

The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary Pearson

The Carbon Diaries 2015, by Saci Lloyd

The Compound, by S.A. Bodeen

Candor, by Pam Bachorz

Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083, by Andrea White

The Roar, by Emma Clayton