Can you believe summer is just around the corner? Time sure does fly when we’re all on campus.

Why is Summer Reading Important?

While we’re on break from school, summer reading continues to improve your reading skills, memory, comprehension, vocabulary, and keeps your imagination active! No matter what age you are, reading keeps our mind fresh while we’re on vacation (this goes for adults too).

As we all start making plans for summer adventures, don’t forget to take a book or two with you!
Mrs. Natalie is going on a road trip and will take books to read along the way. I enjoy reading with my campers at Camp Falcon and reading at the beach. Maybe read a book with some friends and start a summer book club! Or you can pick a book to read as a family! Summer reading can be really fun and exciting, so think up some ways to make it engaging for the whole family.

We look forward to seeing you all in the fall and hearing about the wonderful adventures you had this summer, and the awesome books you read!

Looking for suggestions this summer? Then look no further, we’ve got you covered.

Picture Books Perfect for Reading Aloud

The Little Butterfly That Could by Ross Burach

Unicorns Are the Worst by Alex Willan

The Butt Book by Artie Bennett

Here Comes the Big Mean Dust Bunny by Jan Thomas

This Is a Moose by Richard T. Morris, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

The Bear Who Wasn’t There by LeUyen Pham

You Will Be My Friend by Peter Brown

King Hugo’s Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen

I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt

Z for Moose by Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zeliinsky

Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Books for Beginning Readers

My Toothbrush is Missing by Jan Thomas

What is Chasing Duck? by Jan Thomas

We Are in a Book by Mo Willems

The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow by Andy Griffiths

Who Is That, Cat the Cat? by Mo Willems

We Are Growing by Laurie Keller

Don’t Worry, BEE Happy by Ross Burach

Big Cat by Ethan Long

The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick & David Serlin

Lazy Bear, Crazy Bear by Kevin Bolger

Trucktown by Jon Scieszka

Starting to Read Chapter Books (recommended 1st and up)

Kitty and Dragon (Vol 1) by Meika Hashimoto, Illustrated by Gillian Reid
When Kitty looks for the perfect home, she makes an unlikely best friend—Dragon! From Epic! Originals, Kitty and Dragon is a lovable early reader series about finding true friendship when you least expect it.

Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot! by Cece Bell
From Newbery Honor winner Cece Bell comes an offbeat, pitch-perfect storybook for beginning readers that will have them in fits of giggles.

Moldylocks and the Three Beards by Noah Z. Jones
In the Land of Fake Believe, Princess meets a strange girl named Moldylocks. When Princess’s stomach grumbles, Moldylocks takes her to the home of the Three Beards. The girls sit in the Beards’ chairs, eat their chili, and jump on their beds. 

Mia Mayhem Is a Superhero! (Vol 1) by Kara West
Meet Mia Macarooney, an ordinary eight-year-old who finds out she has an extraordinary super-secret in this first chapter book in the brand-new Mia Mayhem series!

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale
Who says princesses don’t wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black!

Rise of the Balloon Goons: A Branches Book (The Notebook of Doom #1) by Troy Cummings
Alexander has just moved to a new town where he is about to uncover all sorts of monsters! He finds an old notebook with the word “DOOM” inscribed on the front cover. The Notebook of Doom, which Alexander now holds, contains top secret information about monsters!

Rise of the Earth Dragon: A Branches Book (Dragon Masters #1) by Tracey West
8-year old Drake is snatched up by King Roland’s soldiers and taken to the castle. He is to be trained as a Dragon Master. The Dragon Masters must learn how to connect with and train their dragons–and they must also uncover their dragons’ special powers. Does Drake have what it takes to be a Dragon Master?

Chapter Books Recommended to 3rd and Up

Dragged from Under #2: The Great White Shark by Joseph Monninger
DANGER FROM THE DEPTHS! In beautiful Cape Cod, a fatal Great White attack rocks the popular tourist destination. As the beaches are closed and locals grow angry, a recently arrived Barn Whimbril heads straight into the action. But with a group of local teens determined to surf no matter what or who gets in the way, can Barn safely investigate the attack or will he come face-to-face with the ocean’s most feared Apex predator?

Bark vs. Snark by Spencer Quinn
Arthur doesn’t always remember where he buried his bone, or what he was doing before he started scratching his ear, but he never forgets three important facts:1) Bacon is delicious 2) He loves his humans, twins Bro and Harmony, with all his heart 3) Queenie the cat is out to destroy him.

War Stories by Gordon Korman
There are two things Trevor loves more than anything else: playing war-based video games and his great-grandfather Jacob, who is a true-blue, bona fide war hero. At the height of the war, Jacob helped liberate a small French village, and was given a hero’s welcome upon his return to America. Trevor discovers there’s more to the story than what he’s heard his whole life, causing him to wonder about his great-grandfather’s heroism, the truth about the battle he fought, and the importance of genuine valor.

I Survived Graphic Novel #3: I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 by Lauren Tarshis  Illustrator Álvaro Sarraseca
In a Jewish ghetto, Max Rosen and his sister, Zena, struggle to live after their father is taken away by the Nazis. With barely enough food to survive, the siblings make a daring escape from German soldiers into the nearby forest and are brought to a safe camp by Jewish resistance fighters. 

Shoe Wars by Liz Pichon
Meet Ruby and Bear. Their dad has just invented the most amazing thing ever — flying shoes! But his horrible boss Wendy Wedge knows that entering flying shoes will guarantee the Golden Shoe Award, and she will do anything to win the trophy.

How Would You Survive as a Lion? by David Stewart, Illustrated by David Stewart
Its diet, reproduction and habitat are all covered. Through the quirky, humorous and irreverent approach of this book, kids will enjoy learning about the life of this fearsome feline.

Get Me Out of Here! by Andy McNab & Phil Earle, Illustrated by Robin Boyden
Danny Mack’s mates are brilliant, they’re the best mates a kid could ask for. When an epic school trip is announced, they’re all properly made up about it. Because school trips are just an excuse to have a big laugh with your mates, right?

Mañanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Maximiliano Córdoba loves stories, especially the fantastical tale Buelo tells him about a mystical gatekeeper who can guide brave travellers on a journey into tomorrow. 

Recommended 4th & 5th

Any Day with You by Mae Respicio
Kaia enters a filmmaking contest, drawing inspiration from the many Filipino tales her great grandfather tells. When Tatang decides to return to the Philippines, Kaia will do whatever it takes to keep him in California.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. 

Charlie Hernandez & The League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
Charlie was raised on his abuela’s stories, but soon he finds himself in the middle of an ancient battle between mythological beings sword to protect the living, and a cabal of evil spirits. 

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
A story about a homeless boy and his imaginary friend that proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary. 

Earthquake Terror by Peg Kehret
When an earthquake hits the isolated island in northern California where his family has been camping, 12-year-old Jonathan Palmer must find a way to keep himself, his partially paralyzed younger sister, and their dog alive until help arrives. 

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
Edie finds a box in the attic – full of letters- and a photo of a woman that looks like her. But her mother, who was adopted, refuses to explain further. So begins a quest to find the truth, full of difficult moments, tragedy and revelations. 

Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero
Now the man of the house, a boy finds passion in poetry after discovering his late father’s journal while struggling to hold his house together.

Just my Luck by Cammie McGovern
Benny isn’t enjoying school. He doesn’t have a friend, isn’t good at bike tricks and blames himself for things which have gone wrong at home. When he thinks things can’t get any worse, he slowly realizes his caring nature is all that he needs to survive. 

The Last Bear by Hannah Gold
April’s father has always told her that there are no more polar bears left on Bear Island. When April sees something that looks like a polar bear across the horizon, she is determined to save it.

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier
Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he’s armed to the teeth with weapons, video games, and an endless supply of Oreos. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of creatures, and especially not the monster known only as Blarg. So Jack builds a team to take them on! But can they do it?!

Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood
With Nazis bombing London every night, it’s time for thirteen-year-old Ken to escape. He suspects his stepmother is glad to see him go, but his dad says he’s one of the lucky ones – one of ninety boys and girls to ship out aboard the SS City of Benares to safety in Canada. Life aboard the luxury ship is grand until late one night an explosion hurls Ken from his bunk. They’ve been torpedoed! The Benares is sinking fast. Terrified, Ken scrambles aboard Lifeboat 12 with five other boys. Will they get away? Will they survive? 

The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin by Elinor Teele
John Coggin runs away from home with sister Page to avoid a life in the family coffin-making business. Soon they find themselves in great danger. 

No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen
Felix Knutsson has a knack for trivia. His favorite game show is Who What Where When; he even named his gerbil after the host. Felix’s mom, Astrid, is loving but can’t seem  to hold on to a job. So when they get evicted from their latest shabby apartment, they have to move into a van. Astrid swears him to secrecy; he can’t tell anyone about their living arrangement, not even Dylan and Winnie, his best friends at his new school. If he does, she warns him, he’ll be taken away from her and put in foster care. 

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp. 

Pepper Page Saves the Universe! by Landry Q. Walker, illustrated by Eric Jones
Twenty-fifth-century Pepper Page is obsessed with old comics, but when a high-school science experiment goes wrong and Pepper lands in the middle of a cosmic adventure of her own, Pepper’s reading may not be enough to save her.

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
In her small town in America’s heartland in 1880, all Hanna wants to do is go to school in the one-room schoolhouse, make a friend, and help out in her father’s dress goods shop. But because she is part Asian, she faces constant racism from her neighbors. Her simple desires prove to be difficult, even dangerous, and she has to find her own way to survive and thrive. 

The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
After her tribal village is attacked by militants, Amira, a young Sudanese girl, must flee to safety at a refugee camp, where she finds hope and the chance to pursue an education in the form of a single red pencil and the friendship and encouragement of a wise elder. 

The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner
Charlie wishes she could catch a fish so big it would pay for an amazing dress for the next dance competition. But when she hooks a magical speaking fish which can grant wishes, things don’t go to plan at all in this hilariously funny family story of resilience and independence. 

Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin
Before their father disappeared into the woods and their mother disappeared into sorrow, Snow White and Rose Red had the perfect life. This is the story of two sisters and the enchanted woods that have been waiting for them to break a set of terrible spells. 

Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. But she’s the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she’s not very smart. If you’ve ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be. When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Then she has an idea: she should invent a way to “sing” to him! But he’s three thousand miles away. How will she play her song for him? 

The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas
Nestor wants to keep his ability to talk to animals a secret, but that’s a challenge when animals go missing in Nestor’s new town and rumors fly about a creature who lives in the forest. 

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The original and timeless pirate adventure story, full of cliffhangers and plato turns. A thrilling read with unforgettable characters. 

The Water and the Wild by KE Ormsbee
Elliot is ill and gets more and more sick by the day. Lottie doesn’t know what to do until she discovers a route to another world through the roots of an old apple tree. Although there’s plenty of danger, she hopes to find a magic cure. 

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
Lily makes a deal with a magical tiger in an attempt to heal her sick halmoni (grandmother) in this tale celebrating Korean folklore, strong women, and the power of the imagination.

Recommended for Junior High

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
A ground-breaking YA thriller about a Native American teen who must root out the corruption in her community.

Unsolved Case Files: Escape at 10,000 Feet: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money by Tom Sullivan
A thrilling new graphic nonfiction series about real FBI cases, launching with a gripping, minute-by-minute account of the only unsolved airplane hijacking in the U.S.

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft
Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend―the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself.

Ground Zero by Alan Gratz
In time for the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, master storyteller Alan Gratz (Refugee) delivers a pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear — and the stunning links between the past and present. Brandon’s story begins 9/11/2001 and Reshmina’s story begins 9/11/2019. How do they connect? Can they find common ground?

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as Told to His Brother) by David Levithan
Aidan disappeared for six days. Six agonizing days of searches and police and questions and constant vigils. Then, just as suddenly as he vanished, Aidan reappears. Where has he been? The story he tells is simply…impossible. But it’s the story Aidan is sticking to.

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
It is 1940 and three orphaned siblings (William, 12, Edmund, 11, and Anna, 9) are evacuated from London during World War II to live in the countryside with the secret hope of finding a permanent family.

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia L. Smith
In a high school gym full of color and song, people dance, sell beadwork and books, celebrate friendship and heritage. Young protagonists will meet relatives from faraway, mysterious strangers, and sometimes one another (plus one scrappy rez dog).

Houdini and Me by Dan Gutman
Eleven-year-old Harry Mancini is not Harry Houdini – the famous escape artist who died in 1926. But Harry does live in Houdini’s old New York City home, and knows everything there is to know about Houdini’s life. When someone starts texting him claiming to be Houdini, communicating from beyond the grave…what is he supposed to do? Should he respond or try and take Houdini up on a death-defying offer?