Summer Reading for Every Age Group

By Hannah Holbrook

Hey parents, 

As you know, summer started early this year! Your kids have been out of school an extended amount of time, all the places they would normally go to spend time out of the house are closed, and you can’t take them to camp or put them in a summer school program. Feeling crazy yet?  Be kind to yourself and know that you aren’t a bad parent just because your kids are driving you nuts. Introducing a Summer Reading Plan might be the perfect thing to help grow your child’s mind, while giving you some peace and quiet around the house! 

Ages 6 – 8

• Junie B. Jones Series by Barbara Park
• Dog Man Series by Dav Pilkey
• Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne 
• The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
• Kung Pow Chicken Series by Cyndi Marko
• Dragon Slayer’s Academy Series by Kate McMullan
• Zapato Power Series by Jacqueline Jules

• The Boxcar Children Series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
• Stuart Little by E. B. White
• Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
• Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein 
• Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein 
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

 

 

Ages 9 – 12

• Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
• The Tale of Despareaux by Kate DiCamillo 
• Anne of Green Gables Series by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• A Series of Unfortunate Events Series by Daniel Handler
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan (Texas Author)
• The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien 
• Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan 
• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 

• Wonder by R. J. Palacio
• Holes by Louis Sachar 
• Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
• Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Perry and Ridley Pearson
• Stargirl Series by Jerry Spinelli 
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

 

Teens 

• The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins 
• The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton 
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros 
• The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien 
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 
• The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger 
• The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini 

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 
• The Giver Series by Lois Lowry 
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding 
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• A Wrinkle in Time Series by Madeleine L’Engle 
• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman
• I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
• The Union of Cities Chronicles by A. E. Barnes (Texas Author)

A kid’s brain longs to learn. It needs stimulation, play, and time to use its critical thinking muscles. Reading can help improve a child’s concentration and is one of the best ways to help develop his/her imagination. Reading also helps to improve vocabulary, communication, and grammar skills, and in doing so ultimately improves writing skills as well!

If your kids are going a little stir crazy this summer, try picking a few books from these lists and implementing your own Summer Reading Plan!