I've gotten into the habit of sending summer reading lists home in our end of school report cards. Often they're short lists geared specifically to each student. This year because I was out of town at the end of the year, I sent one longer book list to everyone. I'll share that list here. It's full of books that appeal to bright kids – a combination of classics, award winners, new books, kid pleasers and hidden gems.
Do you have suggestions? Share them in the comments.
Books for Seabury Kids:
Recommended by librarian Becky Young * **
Picture
Books (all ages)
On
a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein, by Jennifer Berne
Z
is for Moose, by Kelly Bingham
Extra
Yarn, by Mac Barnett
Mr.
Tiger Goes Wild, by Peter Brown
Rules
of Summer, by Shaun Tan
Building
our House, by Jonathan Bean
Open
this Little Book, by Jesse Klausmeier
Black
Dog, by Levi Pinfold
Learning
to read:
Tick Tock Clock: A
Phonics Reader, by Margery Cuyler The Loopy Coop Hens, by Janet Morgan Stoeke;
Elephant
& Piggie books, by Mo Willems
(Our Ladybugs adored these this year.)
Fly Guy books, by Tedd Arnold
Benny and Penny books, by Geoffrey Hayes
Mr. and Mrs.
Green books, by Keith Baker
Pip Squeak, by Sarah Weeks
Urgency Emergency: Big Bad
Wolf, by Dosh Archer
Have you Seen my New Blue
Socks?, by Eve Bunting
Penny and her Marble, by Kevin Henkes
The Shark
King : a Toon book, by R. Kikuo Johnson
Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover, by Cece Bell
Amanda Pig and her Big Brother Oliver, by Jane Van Leeuwen
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa books, by Erica Silverman
Henry and
Mudge series, by Cynthia Rylant
Early
chapter books
Mercy
Watson books, by Kate DiCamillo
My Father’s Dragon, by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Zelda and Ivy books, by Laura McGee Kvasnosky
Lulu and the Duck in the Park, by Hilary McKay
Joe and Sparky go to
school, by Jamie Michalak
Monkey & Robot, by Peter Catalanotto
The
Year of Billy Miller, by Kevin Henkes
Kenny
& the Dragon, by Tony DiTerlizzi
Winnie
the Pooh, by A.A. Milne
Time
Warp Trio series, by Jon Scieska
Gator
on the Loose and Hide and Seek, by Sue Stauffacher
Angus
and Sadie, by Cynthia Voigt
Alvin
Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters, by Lenore Look
The
Very Little Princess: Zoey’s Story,
by Marion Dane Bauer
Ivy
and Bean series, by Annie Barrows
The
Adventures of a South Pole Pig, by
Chris Kurtz
The
Curse of the Bologna Sandwich (Melvin Beederman - Superhero), by Jeff Trine
Lady
Lollipop, by Dick King-Smith
Wolf Pie, by Brenda Seabrooke
Ruby Lu Brave and True (and other Ruby Lu books), by Lenore Look
Heidi Heckelbeck books,
by Wanda Coven
Nonfiction
The
Elephant Scientist, by Caitlin O’Connell (and others in the Scientists in the Field series)
Dreaming
up: A Celebration of Building, by Christy Hale
Electric
Ben, The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, by Robert Byrd
The
animal book : a collection of the fastest, fiercest, toughest, cleverest,
shyest--and most surprising--animals on earth, by Steve Jenkins
PLUS anything else by Steve Jenkins, a
fantastic nonfiction author for children.
More advanced
chapter books (good for fluent first, second, third grade readers)
Half Magic (and other
magic series), by Edward Eager
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny--
detectives extraordinaire!, by Polly Horvath
Bo
at Ballard Creek, by Kirkpatrick Hill
Emmy
and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, by
Lynne Jonell
Young
Fredle, by Cynthia Voigt
The
Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters …, by Jeanne Birdsall Jonell
Tumtum & Nutmeg: Adventure beyond Nutmouse Hall, by Emily Bearn
Cinderella Smith, by Stephanie Barden
Young Fredle,
by Cynthia Voigt
The Familiars, by
Adam Jay Epstein
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NiMH, by Robert C. O’Brien
Junonia, by Kevin Henkes
What Happened on Fox Street, by Tricia Springstubb
Seaglass Summer, by
Anajali Banerjee
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella, by Paul Fleischman
The Secret Chicken Society, by Judy Cox
Advanced chapter books with high-level concepts
(skilled fourth grade and up, maybe some sophisticated
third graders)
The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle
When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
Liar & Spy,
by Rebecca Stead
The Children of the King, by Sonya Hartnett
Gregor the Overlander,
by Suzanne Collins
The Undrowned Child, by
Michelle Lovric
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux, by Geraldine McCaughrean
The Emerald Atlas, by
John Stephens
Heroes of the Valley, by
Jonathan Stroud
Breaking Stalin’s Nose,
by Eugene Yelchin
Danger Box, by
Blue Balliett
Alchemy and Meggy Swann,
by Karen Cushman
Small Persons With Wings,
by Ellen Booraem
The Doom Machine, by Mark Teague
Birchbark House series, by Louise Erdrich
The School for the
Insanely Gifted, by Dan Elish
The Flame of
Olympus, by Kate O’Hearn
Tom’s Midnight
Garden, by Phillipa Pearce
The Year of the Book, by Andrea Cheng
The Golden Compass (his Dark Materials trilogy), by Philip Pullman
Splendors and Glooms, by Laura
Amy Schlitz
Zebra Forest, by Adina
Rishe Gerwitz
Small as an Elephant, Jennifer
Jacobson
