Jun
12
Summer Reading
I’ve had a number of requests to write a post devoted to kids books, so today is the day! i figured with summer here, mommas everywhere might be on the lookout for great suggestions for Summer Reading for our kiddos, so hopefully the books i share in this post will help in your search.
the school that my kids attend places a HIGH value on reading, and each child is challenged to read around 30 minutes a day during the summer. its nice for me too, because it forces us to slow down and take 30 minutes of quiet time each day.
before i dig into specifics, i should tell you that we try to be pretty careful with the content in the books that my kiddos read, but since they are moving through books pretty quickly now, i cannot read every book with them or beforehand to preview it. my kids love book series, so we try to lock into a series, and i’ll read some of one book to make sure the content seems okay, and then i feel good about the rest of the series.
both kids are also at ages where they use what we call their “filter.” in other words, they are supposed to show us anytime something is mentioned in a book that we might not like…ie: a bad or unkind word, something that is too scary, kids being mean to each other, etc. that system is still really working for us, as both kids actually like to point out things to us that we might disagree with. i know that might not work forever, but for now, we are comfortable with them starting a book that we don’t personally know much about because they are still pretty trustworthy with their filter. and when they do come upon something that they need to “filter” out, we talk about it and depending on what it is, we then decide whether we are going to continue to let them read the book.
also…we don’t necessarily shy away from books that have adventure, or risk, or mystery, or even magic. we are careful to choose ones that are still innocent in those areas (no death, outright evil, etc.) but we are not opposed to our kids reading about those subjects, as long as its on a kid-friendly level.
so as i suggest these books, i’ll tell you what i know about them, but just know that although i haven’t read each one personally, they have either passed our preview test, or so far have flown through our “filter” with flying colors 
(if you click on the highlighted book title, it’ll take you to Amazon where you can read more details for yourself about the book.)
i’ll start off by showing you some of the books that Canaan has really enjoyed over the last few years. he just turned 9, so i would say depending on your child’s reading level, these books would be good starting at 7 years old or so.
this is a new book that was a hit at my kid’s school book fair this year. it was written by Jeff Probst (host of Survivor) and being the HUGE Survivor fans that Jake and I are, we were happy to indulge the kiddos request to purchase it. Canaan finished it in a 2 days, and Bella’s teacher read it to her class as well. both kids loved it.
Canaan LOVES this next series. its all about weather, and different natural disaster situations. i think there is definitely an element of adventure to these books (after all, they are about storm chasers) but as far as i know, they end well:
Storm Runners: Book 1
Storm Runners Book 2: The Surge
Storm Runners #3: Eruption
this is a FANTASTIC series, that Canaan read in 1st Grade, and that Bella is just starting. the main characters, Jack and Annie, are transported from their magic treehouse to different places around the world and in different times in history. its educational, as each book covers a different time or place, and you get to learn about that specific event or location, but the kids love it because each book is an adventure, or mystery, that Jack and Annie get to figure out. i highly recommend this series if you have a reader who is just starting chapter books.
Magic Tree House Boxed Set, Books 1-28
Roald Dahl is an oldie, but a goodie, and Canaan has really enjoyed his crazy books:
whenever i come across any classics at garage sales or books sales, i snag them up. Canaan has not read all of these yet, and some of them i’m holding off on until he’s a bit older, but these are always some good titles to have on hand:
Because of Winn-Dixie
The Adventures of Tintin: A Novel
Bridge to Terabithia
Holes
The Call of the Wild
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Trumpet of the Swan
(or really any EB White book: E. B. White Box Set
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Hatchet
Canaan has enjoyed reading Biographies of people that interest him, especially sports heros. the whole Boxed set: 11 Childhood of Famous Americans biographies
this has been one of his favorites:
Jackie Robinson (Childhood of Famous Americans Series)
this series made me a bit nervous at first, and i will probably have Bella hold off on them for awhile because she is very easily scared, but Canaan really loves to read about important events in history, and this series is written from a child’s perspective, which gives an age-appropriate perspective on hard and tragic historical events. these books allow kids to learn about the event, but in a kid-friendly way.
i remember reading this series as a kid and loving them. in fact, these were my old books that i kept and passed down to Canaan. any book in the Great Illustrated Classics Set
most of the books that i’ve mentioned so far are a bit too advanced for Bella, so here are some suggestions for your younger readers.
i should mention, if you have a beginning reader, or if your child is just starting to express an interest in reading, i cannot recommend Bob Books enough. we started using this series with Bella in Pre-School, and she had such a sense of accomplishment because she was able to actually “finish” a book by herself. they really helped her gain confidence and interest in reading on her own. i think its one of the best teaching tools on the market for beginning readers. we only used the first 3 sets, but you can advance through all of them as your child progresses:
Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers
Bob Books Set 2-Advancing Beginners
Bob Books Set 3- Word Families
Bella is currently reading a Clementine book. i got to read a couple of the books in the Clementine series to Canaan’s 2nd grade class, and they were so endearing and laugh out loud funny. the class LOVED them, so Bella has just recently begun reading them too. there are a number of books now in the series.
Clementine Series Four Book Set
(i have to point out my kids choice in summer clothes. since we don’t have to roll out of bed and get dressed for school anymore, they typically lounge around in the funniest, un-matching, too small get-ups. i just have to laugh sometimes at what they choose to wear around the house!)
Just Grace (The Just Grace Series)
Still Just Grace (The Just Grace Series)
Just Grace and the Double Surprise (The Just Grace Series)
Just Grace, Star on Stage (The Just Grace Series)
Just Grace and the Terrible Tutu (The Just Grace Series)
Just Grace and the Flower Girl Power (The Just Grace Series)
these Beverly Cleary books were all of my old books growing up, and my all-time favorite series when i was around 8 years old. Canaan hasn’t been too interested in them, but i think Bella will love them:
this is a new series that Bella discovered, and she’s read a bunch of them so far. there are many books in the series, and they are pretty quick reads. i think they are pretty cute. i will say that they deal with magic and fairies, and there is the presence of Goblins that try to interfere with the fairies, but from what i’ve read, the Goblins remind me much more of the Seven Dwarfs from Snow White then what you would think of when you hear the word Goblins. they are more along the lines of being silly and distracting, as opposed to evil. each books deals with a different fairy and a different adventure.
these next books aren’t chapter books, but just a few of our favorite girly books:
The Royal Tea Party (Gigi, God’s Little Princess)
The Pink Ballerina (Gigi, God’s Little Princess)
and this whole series has been a hit with Bella:
Pinkalicious
Goldilicious
Silverlicious
as i wrap up my book suggestions, i can’t not mention our two favorite kids devotionals. i know i’ve mentioned these before, but they are those kind of books that should be in every household!
Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing
Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions For Kids
and i’ll leave you with this book, that will serve as a little hint as to why Bella and I are flying up to Chicago for a little girls trip tomorrow!
the American Girl series is precious, and innocent, and sweet, and we are just beginning to dig into this series, starting with the book that came with her American Girl doll:
i could seriously write all day about books. our book shelves are overflowing, and this just scratches the surfaces of kids books that we have in our house. but i’ve tried to highlight our current favorites.
let me know if you have any suggestions for us too!
happy Summer Reading!
Follow
