Don’t Let Summer Reading End with Summer

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don't let summer reading end with summer

If your family is anything like mine … summertime equals binge-reading time! In May my 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter always sign up for our library’s summer reading program and spend the next couple of months trying to meet their goals. Unfortunately, it’s too easy to let children’s recreational reading time slip once the pace of life picks up with school and homework. As you approach the busy school year, I want to share some of our favorite summer reads along with the books we plan to read this fall.

Favorite Summer Books to Add to Your List

Poppy by Avi

Cover

My daughter couldn’t put this book down! Poppy is the story about a mouse’s struggle against a tyrannical owl, Mr. Ocax. Fast-paced and at times terrifying, my daughter claimed that this was one of the best animal books she has read in a long time.

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Rich in historical detail, this is a powerful World War I story about a boy, Albert, and his beloved horse, Joey. After Albert’s father sells Joey to an army captain, the novel follows the horse’s relationships with various owners and other horses throughout the devastation of the War. Both heartbreaking and beautifully-written, War Horse was one of the most memorable books we read all summer.

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

The winner of the 1986 Newberry Medal, Sarah, Plain and Tall is about a grieving widower who advertises for a mail-order bride to help raise his children and manage the farm. One of my favorite books in elementary school, I had no objections when my children wanted to read it.

 The Gold-Threaded Dress by Carolyn Marsden

This is the story about a young girl from Thailand, Oy, trying to fit in at her new American school. When a popular girl wants Oy to bring her special Thai dancing dress to school, Oy must decide what she’s willing to do to be accepted. The novella provides a great springboard to discuss many childhood issues including bullying and the struggle to make friends at a new school.

What’s Next This Fall…

The Expeditioners by S.S. Taylor

My kids and I are halfway through this book, and we’re loving it! A steampunk adventure, The Expeditioners tells the story of group of orphaned siblings pursued by the government after the death of their explorer father, Alexander West. Following a map smuggled to them after their father’s death, the children make their way through hidden canyons in the American West with government agents always one step behind.

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

A Newberry Honor book and National Book Award finalist, this story follows the friendship between a dog and a cat and her kittens living under the house of a cruel owner, Gar Face.

   Baby by Patricia MacLachlan

A one-year-old baby is left for a family with a note explaining that her name is Sophie, she is good, and her mother will return for her one day. By the same author of Sarah, Plain and Tall, the premise of this book intrigues me, and I can’t wait to read it with the kids.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erkine

A National Book Award Winner, this story follows an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s after she loses her older brother in a school shooting.

Happy reading! What books were on your kids’ summer must-read list or are you planning to read this fall?

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amyreeves
Amy Carol Reeves is a mother, writer, and professor. The mother of 9-year-old, Atticus, 7-year-old, Amelia, and 3-month-old, Tennyson, Amy’s house is rarely clean or quiet. Occasionally, she can find matching pairs of socks. While earning a PhD in nineteenth-century British literature, Amy developed a morbid interest in the Jack the Ripper murders in Victorian London. Although it’s still a cold case for her, she has published a young adult trilogy based on the murders. The series includes: Ripper (Flux 2012), Renegade (Flux 2013), and Resurrection (Flux 2014). Apart from writing, she works as an Assistant Professor of English at Columbia College. When not teaching or writing, she spends time with her husband Shawn and three children. For fun, she likes to binge watch Dr. Who, jog with her lab Annie, practice yoga, and drink too much coffee. She maintains a personal website, www.amycarolreeves.com, and can be followed on Facebook (Amy Carol Reeves) and Twitter (@AmyCarolReeves ).

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