Statistics show that reading less during the summer can result in significant learning setbacks. When kids get to choose and read books they love, reading doesn’t feel like practice—it feels like fun!
Great Summer Reads for Grades K-2
Dog Man Series by Dav Pilkey
Dog Man, the newest hero from the creator of Captain Underpants, is still learning a few tricks of the trade. Petey the cat is out of the bag, and his criminal curiosity is taking the city by storm. Something fishy is going on! Can Dog Man unleash justice on this ruffian in time to save the city, or will Petey get away with the purr-fect crime? |
Fly Guy Series by Tedd Arnold
Award-winning author/illustrator Tedd Arnold brings nonfiction to life with the help of his very popular main character, Fly Guy! Fly Guy and Buzz introduce young readers to nonfiction topics with straightforward fun facts, humorous asides, and photographs throughout. |
Elephant and Piggie Series by Mo Willems
Elephant and Piggie is a series for early readers by Mo Willems. The series, which debuted in 2007 with two books, is done in a comic book style, and features two friends: an elephant, Gerald, and a pig, Piggie. The books often address issues of friendship. |
Pete the Cat Series by James Dean
The Pete the Cat character was created by James Dean. The series, which now counts over 22 picture books, storybooks and songbooks, has reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list for Picture Books. |
Mercy Watson Series by Kate DiCamillo
Mercy Watson is a very lovable pig who enjoys the finer things in life, especially buttered toast and sugar cookies. Mr. and Mr. Watson indulge their portly porcine; in fact, they happily share their bed with their portly, good-natured friend. Unfortunately, even the sturdiest of beds can bear only so much pig weight. |
Bad Kitty Series by Nick Bruel
Bad Kitty is a series of American children's books by Nick Bruel, about a housecat named Kitty, who often wreaks havoc about her owner's home. |
Great Summer Reads for Grades 3-5
Danger is Everywhere by David O'Doherty
This fully illustrated, totally wacky handbook is about an everyman who is afraid of everything! Dr. Noel Zone, the greatest (and only) dangerologist in the world, is ready to teach readers how to avoid danger at all costs--from sneaky snakes posing as toothbrushes, to sharks hiding in toilets, to robots disguised as kindly grandmas. |
Slacker by Gordon Korman
Cameron Boxer is very happy to spend his life avoiding homework, hanging out with his friends, and gaming for hours in his basement. It's not too hard for him to get away with it, until he gets so caught up in one game that he almost lets his house burn down around him. Oops. It's time for some serious damage control, so Cameron and his friends invent a fake school club that will make it seem like they're doing good deeds instead of slacking off. |
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is--but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a fierce storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants. |
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter's dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild. At his grandfather's house, three hundred miles away from home, Peter knows he isn't where he should be—with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox. |
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm
Sunny Lewin has been packed off to Florida to live with her grandfather for the summer. At first she thought Florida might be fun -- it is the home of Disney World, after all. But the place where Gramps lives is no amusement park. It’s full of . . . old people. Really old people. |
One For The Murphy's by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
In the wake of heart-breaking betrayal, Carley Connors is thrust into foster care and left on the steps of the Murphys, a happy, bustling family. Carley has thick walls and isn’t rattled easily, but this is a world she just doesn’t understand. So, she resists this side of life she’d believed did not exist with dinners around a table and a “zip your jacket, here’s your lunch” kind of mom. However, with the help of her Broadway-obsessed and unpredictable friend, Toni, the Murphys do the impossible in showing Carley what it feels like to belong somewhere. But, when her mother wants her back, will she lose the only family that she has ever known? |
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. |
Great Websites that Encourage Summer Reading!
New York Public Library - Summer Reading Program 2017
Bville Public Library - Summer Reading Program: Build a Better World
Barnes & Noble Summer Reading List - Recommended Reads
Bville Public Library - Summer Reading Program: Build a Better World
Barnes & Noble Summer Reading List - Recommended Reads
Need more book suggestions? Email Mr. Ashworth