Summer Reading for Kids 2018: Book Lists plus Printables

Summer reading for kids is important. Not only does it keep their mind active, but it’s important to keep their reading skills up through the whole summer. The summer slump for literary comprehension and speed is real! When my kids go back to school in the fall, their first reading test looks more like a tiny dip than a crash and burn. Because of their scores, teachers often ask me how my kids kept their reading going through the summer. Now I’m passing this tip onto you: let kids read for leisure. This means letting them read their favorite genre as well as books that are “easy”.

Here’s our 2018 summer reading list for kids! Plus some fun ideas for gamification, including free printables, below:

Books with illustrations:

Do you ever see a child flip through a book? Many of them are looking for something specific: a map, the page length, how big the words are, or illustrations. For kids who are drawn to books with illustrations, here are some of our favorites >>

Within the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, consider The Long Haul because it takes place in the summer, or The Getaway because it’s the newest addition to the series.

For animal lovers, pick up one of the many Puppy Place books!

There are several great options for middle grade (aka: chapter books for kids 10+) with a smattering of pictures. The Afterlife Academy is a spooky, suspenseful story without getting gory or too scary. Another great option is Wild Robot. This book is not only a fun read, but it landed on some “battle of the books” lists as well. I’m hoping Peter Brown always has illustrations in his books, being the award-winning illustrator he is.

Also, when looking for summer reading for kids, don’t discount picture books. Check out the Caldecott honors and winners from this year and last year. That’s a great place to start. (Note: Caldecott is for illustration and will include YA books. Though unusual for Caldecott books to target 13+ year old kids, it does happen. So scan picture books for “teenage” content before handing it off to your child.)

Fun Books for kids without illustrations:

Fantasy books are great for summer escapism. This middle grade book is my kids’ top recommendation for early elementary schoolers who need to rack up the word-count (aka: no pictures). Almost Super is perfect for children who like fantasy and humor, but might be intimidated by densely filled pages.

 

Bonus! If your kiddo likes fantasy, be sure to check out our long list of fantasy favorites for kids under 13 {here}.

 

Graphic Novels Mash-ups for Elementary School Kids:

More and more, we’re seeing a mash-up of graphic novel elements with blocks of text. If your child likes this style, point it out to your local librarian and find out what other books they have in this layout style (there’s more and more all the time!). You might be wondering if this type of story format is good for reluctant readers. YES! I cannot emphasize enough that this is a fantastic writing style for reluctant readers — all. year. long.

Here’s more information on the pictured books (above).

Frankie Pickle is a series of books where the main character gets lost in his imagination. Some of the books in the series address “being a good team player” or even math.

Big Nate is a humorous book featuring fictional children, often in school or social settings. This is printed in black and white.

Dragon Breath is a series of eleven books (so far). These books feature a lizard and a dragon, and include light, simple colors on many spreads.

Graphic Novels for Early Elementary Readers:

Graphic novels are more popular than ever. They’ve come a long way since the early comic book days and now have oodles of options for all ages. Here are a few your kids might enjoy >>

Mermin (first in the series) is a story about friendship. Find out what happens to the mysterious Mermin when he emerges from the Ocean! This graphic novel has bright, full-color on all pages.

Chi’s Sweet Home is one of my niece’s favorite graphic novel series. Told with sparse text, simple graphics, and muted colors, these novels are perfect for the youngest readers. While the author/illustrator is a respected Japanese manga artist, she’s also sensitive to her young audience and creates appropriate content accordingly.

Dog Man (#3 in the series of 4) is the latest in this very popular series. This book features bold, jewel-tone colors on every spread.

Graphic Novels (dark, for more mature readers):

Nnewts is a dark, adventure fantasy. In this graphic novel, the Nnewts are attacked by their long-time nemesis’, the Lizzarks. The story follows several characters [who mostly die], but the primary protagonist is a young Nnewt (who escapes!). Amulet is another dark, graphic novel fantasy, however these graphic novels differ in that Nnewts has imaginary creatures, while Amulet features human characters. I’ve selected two page spreads in the video below so you can see if it might be too scary for your kids. (My kids thought Amulet was too scary, but for some reason Nnewts didn’t frighten them.)

Fun Non-Fiction

For a non-fiction book with top-notch graphics and interesting facts, here are our two recommendations:

The 50 States consists of a two-page spread on every state, including an artistic map, historical facts, famous people born in the state, and major cities.

If your kiddo loves facts about the earth, water, and how humans interact with both, the book Under Water, Under Earth, is a worthy investment. The level-of-awesome cannot be shared with the mere cover. So I’ll just say that all my kids fought over this book, wanting to explore all the fantastic graphics and facts on the over-sized pages. Did I mention how fabulous this book is?!

Chapter books for kids 12+:

Among the many wonderful middle grade chapter books. Here are three we recommend >>

Dead End is a humorous, historical fiction novel based on one childhood summer of the Newbery Award winning author. When my dad visited, he read this to my kids a few nights and was cry-laughing!

We’re currently reading (and loving) Wizard for Hire. This middle grade is perfect for kids 9 – 14, or a family read-out-loud. As you would expect from Skye, this contemporary fantasy is highly imaginative.

Rithamatist is an upper middle grade (aka: all the way through high school) fantasy. Brandon Sanderson was contracted to write a completely different book, but came up with this book he liked better instead!

 

Bonus books for older teens: Check out this list of “teen must reads” list {here}. With a wide range of genres, you’re sure to find something your adolescent will love.

Gamification for Summer Reading Fun

Did you know How Does She has a summer reading chart? It’s perfect for motivating your kids to read over the school break. Find instructions on how to use and download {here}. If you’re already on our newsletter, but you’re like me and have NO idea where your chart is, there’s instructions for you, too (scroll toward the bottom of the article).

And if you want the adorable s’mores printable created by my awesome illustrator friend, Keith Frawley, then click {here}.

Put together an awesome “welcome to summer” bin with books, games, art work, or other items. When your kids walk in the door after their last day of school, have your activity bin all ready to go. For tons of ideas for filling a “summer box” see this super popular article on “non digital” activities.

 

Summer Reading for Kids:

Do you have the perfect summer read to share? We’d love to hear from you! Type a favorite kid’s book in the comments below. Give us a snippet about the book or why you recommend it! Or if you have great way to motivate kids to get their reading minutes, share that, too. Sharing ideas is what we’re all about!

More Summer Fun:

Nicolette shares her tips on keeping sane during the summer months. I also do a schedule. However, Nicolette has a different spin that I like by having a daily “fun activity” as a reward for doing the less-fun stuff each day. My kids are required to do reading minutes and school worksheets every day in the summer, but Nicolette’s kids practice piano and other things. So slot in whatever activity you want your kids to accomplish into the schedule and away you go!

One of our most popular articles shares over 30 non-digital activities for kids. Rotate these into your summer schedule to keep your kids entertained and off their electronic devices. Plus this article lists more books perfect for summer!

 

The post Summer Reading for Kids 2018: Book Lists plus Printables appeared first on How Does She.

by Kristin Ammerman via Home And Garden