Cool Summer Reads…

For Kids!

We’ve got a summery theme going on at the library (Book Beach) right now… “Catch the Reading Wave!” and “Dive Into Reading!”

I spend my days under a giant multicolored beach umbrella, watching kids ‘laying out’ on beach towels amid beach balls and sand pails…. reading.

I could create a long list of great books for each grade level, but these are my current picks:

Kindergarten
The Rainbow Fish

Shining from Rainbow Fish's multicolored body are several shimmering silver scales. All the other fish in the ocean admire him and want to play, but Rainbow Fish is too proud to play with them; nor will he share his sparkling scales. Alone and friendless, Rainbow Fish soon learns that generosity is far more rewarding than vanity.

1st and 2nd grades
Magic Tree House

These fantastic books revolve around eight-year-old Jack and his sister Annie, who stumble upon a magic tree house filled with books that transports them back in time to the places described in the books. First graders love listening and following along to these stories, and they’re perfect for independent second grade readers.


3rd grade
Weslandia

School is over and Wesley needs a summer project. Having learned that every civilization has a staple food crop, he decides to plant a garden and start his own—civilization, that is. He turns over a plot of earth in his yard, and plants begin to grow. Soon they tower above him and bear a curious-looking fruit. As Wesley experiments, he discovers that the plant will provide food, clothing, shelter, and even recreation. It isn't long before neighbors and classmates have developed more than an idle curiosity about Wesley and exactly how he is spending his summer vacation.

4th grade
Skinnybones

For the smallest kid on the baseball team, Alex “Skinnybones” Frankovitch has a major-league big mouth! But when he brags his way into a pitching contest, this might be one mess that not even Alex can talk his way out of. I read this aloud to a fourth grade class, and they loved it. It’s hysterical!


5th and 6th grades
Swindle

After a mean collector named Swindle cons him out of his most valuable baseball card, Griffin Bing must put together a band of misfits to break into Swindle's compound and recapture the card. There are many things standing in their way -- a menacing guard dog, a high-tech security system, a very secret hiding place, and their inability to drive -- but Griffin and his team are going to get back what's rightfully his . . . even if hijinks ensue. I can’t keep this on the library shelves. It’s a favorite of both boys and girls.