Summer Reading Lists -- For Kids!

[OceanAnnie]

Inspired by the adult summer reading list thread!

I enrolled the kids in the library summer reading program and would love some suggestions on books and/or authors! I'm looking for the age range of 5-9 but I read all sorts of things to the kids (higher and lower).

I recently read,

T'was the Night Before Summer- Cute!
Sand in My Shoes
The Summer Solstice

They liked the books and I enjoyed them too. What do you recommend for summer reading for kids?

 

[miceli20]

we like the katie kazoo switcharoo books. my dd's love the best/worst halloween ever and the best/worst christmas pagent ever. anything on the caldocott or newberry list will be great.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I hadn't heard about Katie Kazoo Switcheroo books! Thanks. There is so much out there.

 

[miceli20]

hey how did you get pickled oh and anything "From the mixed up files of mrs basil e frakenweiler (sp?) this was cool it was set in like the 40's and my girls had tons of questions and we discussed how different things were then and now. happy reading

 

[meway]

Great thread! I'll be interested to see what everyone's picks are.

At our house, these books are popular with our 2, 6, & 8 y.o.s:

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (by Mo Willems). My kids LOVE this book. Really pre-k level, but a good book is a good book.

Magic Tree House books (Mary Pope Osborn)
Bailey City Kids books like Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots, Ghosts Don't Eat Potato Chips, etc. It's a whole series--not scary. (Debbie Dadey)
Junie B. Jones series
American Girl books
My 8 yo ds is totally into any of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones chapter books.

We joined the local library summer reading program and also the Barnes & Noble one.

Happy summer!

 

[JNorris]

Don't mean to hijack...but maybe someone responding to you could help me too. My DD is 10 and reads at a pretty advanced reading level. She loves fantasy fiction, like the Narnia books. She has read all of them, as well as all of the Merlin books. She also loved the Peter and the Starcatchers series. Can anyone recommend any more books/series of books like these?

She wanted to read the Inkheart/Inkspell books next, but I read somewhere that they might be too violent.

 

[cheebiecat]

Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson is an absolutely fabulous book...and a must read for Dis Fans of all ages! It is set in Disney World and involves three pre-teen/teen kids saving Magic Kingdom from the Overtakers (Disney villains). The sequel is coming out in August, so if your kids haven't read the first one, this summer would be a great time for them to do so!

 

[cheebiecat]

Some oldies but goodies for all different age groups...

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Anything by Roald Doahl (especially The BFG and The Witches)

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series by Betty MacDonald

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (any Lois Lowry books, for that matter!)

Anything by Madeline L'Engle (especially Wrinkle in Time)

Lady Lollipop and Martin's Mice by Dick King-Smith

 

[Piper]

Here are some "oldies but goodies"

The Betsy-Tacy series from Maud Hart Lovelace (this starts when Betsy is 5 and goes until she gets married--I loved it at her age and when I read it to my classes, they love it too)
The Five Little Pepper Series by Margaret Sidney
Anything by Louisa Mae Alcott

 

[kat3668]

Some more oldies but I grew up reading anything by Beverly Cleary.. Ramona series, runaway Ralph etc.

I also really enjoyed The Littles series.

 

[KristiA]

Here are some we have enjoyed over the past few years...

These are what we have read in my daughter's bookclub- we started in 4th grade and will be entering 6th grade...

Everything on a Waffle
The Sister's Grimm
Number the Stars
Maniac Magee
The tale of Charlotte Doyle (not sure if this is the full title)
Each Little Bird that Sings
The Princess Academy
Esparanza Rising
Becoming Naomi Leon
The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane
Emily Windsnap
Fairest
Midsemester Nights Dream
The Report Card
The Thief Lord
The Sophie series- a Faithgirlz series. Not in bookclub, but these are some of her favorites.

My 8 yo DD has enjoyed....

Junie B. Jones
Clarice Bean books
Two Times the Fun

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

DD9 has really been enjoying the Moffatt series by Eleanor Estes. She has read the Moffatts, another one with Moffatt in the title that I can't remember (Middle Moffatt or something like that), Ginger Pye, Pinky Pye, and she is now reading Rufus M. Estes also has a Newberry book called the Hundred Dresses, but DD hasn't read that yet. She loves anything by Beverly Cleary but has read them all, loves Roald Dahl, loved the Harry Potter books (but might be too much for your younger one unless you skip some parts).

She also liked this year:

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech - she has read it twice and just bought the book with her birthday money to have one of her own

The Tale of Despereaux - about a mouse, and there is a movie coming out in November

The EB White books - Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, Trumpet of the Swan

Running out of Time by Margaret Haddix

The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warren

Call It Courage by Sperry

The Clementine Series by Sarah Pennypacker - Clementine, The Talented Clementine, Clementine's Letter - similar to Ramona or Junie B. Jones

Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson - it is a great trilogy of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell that takes place before the J.M. Barrie play

Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (but it is kind of depressing in parts)

Like a PP mentioned, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is great, whether for independent reading or reading aloud. DD9 also enjoyed All About Sam by Lois Lowry (and another Sam book that I can't remember the name of - maybe See you Around, Sam)?

 

[JNorris]

Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson is an absolutely fabulous book...and a must read for Dis Fans of all ages! It is set in Disney World and involves three pre-teen/teen kids saving Magic Kingdom from the Overtakers (Disney villains). The sequel is coming out in August, so if your kids haven't read the first one, this summer would be a great time for them to do so!

So funny you should mention this one. We found out about it after reading the Peter and the Starcatcher series, so we requested it at our library. We are getting it tomorrow!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Don't mean to hijack...but maybe someone responding to you could help me too. My DD is 10 and reads at a pretty advanced reading level. She loves fantasy fiction, like the Narnia books. She has read all of them, as well as all of the Merlin books. She also loved the Peter and the Starcatchers series. Can anyone recommend any more books/series of books like these?

She wanted to read the Inkheart/Inkspell books next, but I read somewhere that they might be too violent.

Has she read Harry Potter? Eragon? The Lord of the Rings? DD9 has not read Eragon, but she loved Harry Potter and the Hobbit. She hasn't read the LOTR trilogy yet. She did love the Peter and the Starcatchers trilogy.

Another fun series is The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. There are four books - Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Talking to Dragons and Calling on Dragons. They won't be particularly challenging to her (they are probably about a 5th-6th grade reading level?), but they are fun books about dragons, wizards and princesses. DD9 and I both enjoyed them!

How about the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan? It is the first in a series about a boy who is the son of Poseidon. I haven't read it yet, but it is on my summer reading list!

 

[ceecee]

Don't mean to hijack...but maybe someone responding to you could help me too. My DD is 10 and reads at a pretty advanced reading level. She loves fantasy fiction, like the Narnia books. She has read all of them, as well as all of the Merlin books. She also loved the Peter and the Starcatchers series. Can anyone recommend any more books/series of books like these?

She wanted to read the Inkheart/Inkspell books next, but I read somewhere that they might be too violent.

Has she read the Series of Unfortunate Events? DD loved them at 10, they are dark but okay. She also Harry Potter books at 10. Warriors series by Erin Hunter are fun too, they are about cats.
For the younger set...Magic Treehouse books are great and Junie B. Jones.

 

[mom2minniemouse]

Has she read the Series of Unfortunate Events? DD loved them at 10, they are dark but okay. She also Harry Potter books at 10. Warriors series by Erin Hunter are fun too, they are about cats.
For the younger set...Magic Treehouse books are great and Junie B. Jones.

How about "The Invention of Hugo Cabret??" DD is 9 but reads books for grades 5 and up w/no problems and she is loving this book! It's big, but has loads of wonderful illustrations. There are also the Septimus Heap books (Magyk, Flyte, Physik, etc.).

 

[wdwherewecome]

Don't mean to hijack...but maybe someone responding to you could help me too. My DD is 10 and reads at a pretty advanced reading level. She loves fantasy fiction, like the Narnia books. She has read all of them, as well as all of the Merlin books. She also loved the Peter and the Starcatchers series. Can anyone recommend any more books/series of books like these?

She wanted to read the Inkheart/Inkspell books next, but I read somewhere that they might be too violent.

What about Spiderwick Chronicles? I believe there are five books in the series.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Great thread! I'll be interested to see what everyone's picks are.

At our house, these books are popular with our 2, 6, & 8 y.o.s:

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (by Mo Willems). My kids LOVE this book. Really pre-k level, but a good book is a good book.

Magic Tree House books (Mary Pope Osborn)
Bailey City Kids books like Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots, Ghosts Don't Eat Potato Chips, etc. It's a whole series--not scary. (Debbie Dadey)
Junie B. Jones series
American Girl books
My 8 yo ds is totally into any of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones chapter books.

We joined the local library summer reading program and also the Barnes & Noble one.

Happy summer!

My kids think I am totally "gone" to put it in a nice way. I totally love "Don't Let the Pidgeon Drive the Bus". I have been seen laughing hysterically while sitting alone reading this book. I read it out-loud while at home alone. I read it to the kids when they are being impossible. I have been known to read it to DH when he is being a grump..... I love this book!!!

Okay back onto the thread....

 

[Mdoyle07]

What about the Jigsaw Jones and Cam Jansen series? They about child detectives. There's also the Geronimo Stilton series, Harry and Mudge and Judy Moody series.

 

[Dashzap]

DS8 just finished Eragon and Eldest. He loved them.

This winter he worked his way through all the Frank Baum books (Oz and others) and many of the Oz books by others.