I've always had a love for children's literature. The beauty, aesthetic and messaging that can come through in picture books is so poignant. Likewise, the complexity of stories written today for older children, in series and chapter books, can draw the reader into worlds of fantasy and other realities. The characters are so rich, and the empathy you develop in these stories truly helps you step outside of your own world.
Childhood is the time when a love of reading has the greatest opportunity to flourish. Over the summer especially, with more flexibility in schedules, it's easier to promote habitual reading in a more relaxed environment. Even a simple beach read is good for the soul. It's a relaxation tool, and encourages children to take a pause in their lives and get lost in a story and in their own imagination.
Take Harry Potter, for example - the characters, the setting, the vocabulary. These books have a language of their own around a complex plot. Think of all the opportunities these books provide for readers to stretch their brains and imaginations to pull meaning around a whole new literary world. Books like these have the power to captivate young readers while simultaneously exercising parts of the brain to improve vocabulary, knowledge, imagination and problem solving.
How the 2018 Summer Reading List Was Created
When reading becomes more habitual and children actively choose books of interest, they are even more invested and excited about the process of reading – which is what makes summer reading such a prime opportunity for parents and children alike.
In creating this book list, we took into consideration what we know children love, what teachers deem relevant, and what's recommended by the experts. The books on this list are inspirational, engaging, relevant and challenging in their own right. As a starting point, we focused on "tried and true" favorites. Of course there is an abundance of books that could be added, but at the heart of this list are the titles that children come to the Library to check out over and over again. And if 10 kids love them, we know others will love them too, since they are really the best critics.
Summer Reading Means Reading Together!
Be sure to read aloud with your child! Books read by an adult with expression, intonation, and fluency models what good reading sounds like. Children learn to read words first, and when they hear an adult stringing those words together to create meaning, they become motivated to do the same. Children who are read to also build valuable attention and listening skills.
Even as children get older, it is beneficial to continue to read aloud to them. In addition to modeling fluency, it builds vocabulary, stretches the imagination, and the time spent together sharing a good book will become a precious memory. Reading together further promotes a love of literature. After all, who isn’t captivated by hearing a good story? In addition, reading aloud to older children can provide an opportunity to grapple with difficult issues. Discussing books with your child not only improves comprehension but can help to build empathy, understanding, and problem solving around life’s challenges.
Finally this guide is simply that – a guide – so don't be afraid to "read outside the lines." If you have a second grader, read something together from the 4th grade list! If you have a first grader that is an emergent reader, spend some time supporting that child reading a “just right” book while also reading aloud a story with a more complicated plot. The motivation to become a more proficient reader will quickly follow if the love of reading is promoted early on.
Summer reading provides the voice and choice children need to set them on the road for a lifetime of reading. We hope you enjoy - happy reading!
2018 Essential Summer Reading Guide
Our PreK through Grade 1 selection was purposefully organized by rhyming picture and alphabet books as each of these categories help lay the groundwork for children who are learning to read. Enjoying books together that emphasize the sounds in language develops a child’s letter knowledge and phonemic awareness (the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in spoken language). Both of these skills play a key role in reading development.
A Was Once an Apple Pie - Edward Lear
AlphaOops! The Day Z Went First - Alethea Kontis
Apple Pie ABC - Alison Murray
G is for Goat - Patricia Polacco
The Hidden Alphabet - Laura Vaccaro Seeger
LMNO Peas - Keith Baker
If Rocks Could Sing - Leslie McGuirk
The Sleepy Little Alphabet - Judy Sierra
I Stink! - Kate and Jim McMullan
Phonics Based Books (PreK–Grade 1)
Bob Books - Bobby Lynn Maslen
Now I'm Reading Books - Nora Gaydos
Flyleaf Books
My Very First I Can Read! Books - Dr. Julie Wood
Rhyming Picture Books (PreK–Grade 1)
Our PreK through Grade 1 selection was purposefully organized by rhyming picture and alphabet books as each of these categories help lay the groundwork for children who are learning to read. Enjoying books together that emphasize the sounds in language develops a child’s letter knowledge and phonemic awareness (the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in spoken language). Both of these skills play a key role in reading development.
Bear Snores On - Karma Wilson
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes - Eric Litwin
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault
Llama, Llama Red Pajama - Anna Dewdney
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site - Sherri Duskey Rinker
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More - Karen Beaumont
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? - Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
Room on the Broom - Julia Donaldson
The Big Red Barn - Margaret Wise Brown
Snowmen at Night - Caralyn Buehner
Baby Danced the Polka - Karen Beaumont
Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs - Eric Litwin
Jamberry - Bruce Degen
Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash - Sarah Weeks
Clap Your Hands - Lorinda Bryan Cauley
Mouse Mess - Linnea Asplind Riley
Ten Apples Up on Top - Theo LeSieg
Over on the Farm - Marianne Berkes
Favorite Picture Books (Grades 1–2)
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea - Ben Clanton
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble - William Stieg
Dear Dragon - Josh Funk
Crazy Hair Day - Barney Saltzberg
Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores - James Howe
Enemy Pie - Derek Munson
Should I Share My Ice Cream? - Mo Willems
The Name Jar - Yangsook Choi
A Beetle is Shy - Diana Hutts Aston
Daniel Finds a Poem - Micha Archer
Dragons Love Tacos - Adam Rubin
Each Kindness - Jacqueline Woodson and E.B. Lewis
The Night Gardener - Terry and Eric Fan
Easy Chapter Books (Grades 1–2)
Princess in Black - Shannon Hale
The Miniature World of Marvin and James - Elise Broach
The Year of Billy Miller - Kevin Henkes
Zero Grandparents - Michelle Edwards
Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt (graphic novel) - Ben Clanton
Favorite Series (Grades 1–2)
Elephant and Piggie - Mo Willems
Mercy Watson - Kate DiCamillo
Froggy - Jonathan London
Owl Diaries - Rebecca Elliott
Rainbow Fairies - Daisy Meadows
My Weird School - Dan Gutman
Horrid Henry - Francesca Simon
Amelia Bedelia - Peggy Parish
A-Z Mysteries - Ron Roy and John Steven Gurney
Magic Tree House - Mary Pope Osborne
Who Would Win? - Jerry Pallotta
Hi! Fly Guy! - Ted Arnold
Ivy and Bean - Annie Barrows
Teachers Recommend (Grades 3–4)
The Midnight Gang (& other books) - David Walliams
Family, Friends and Furry Creatures - Tom Gates
Flamingo Boy - Michael Morpurgo
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow - Jessica Townsend
The Adventure of Beekle - Dan Santat
Masterpiece - Elise Broach
Real Friends - Shannon Hale
The War That Saved My Life - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat - Gary Paulson
The Terrible Two - Mac Barnett
Poached - Stuart Gibbs
The Bicycle Spy - Yona Zeldis McDonaugh
Spaced Out - Stuart Gibbs
Robot Dreams (& other graphic novels) - Sara Varon
Pax - Sara Pennypacker
Favorite Series (Grades 3–4)
Treasure Hunters - James Patterson
I Survived (series) - Lauren Tarshis
Time Warp Trio - Jon Scieszka
Hilo (series) - Judd Winick
The Hazardous Tales (series) - Nathan Hale
My Life as a... (series) - Janet Tashjian
Who Was? Series
Classics by Favorite Authors (Grades 3–4)
Because of Winn-Dixie - Kate DiCamillo
Extra Credit (and other titles) - Andrew Clements
Van Gogh Café - Cynthia Rylant
The One and Only Ivan - Katherine Applegate
Teachers and Students Recommend (Grades 5–6)
The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Word of Mouse - James Patterson
Castle Hangnail - Ursula Vernon
All's Faire in Middle School - Victoria Jamieson
Real Friends - Shannon Hale
Big Bad Fox - Benjamin Renner
Greetings from Witness Protection! - Jake Burt
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus - Dusti Bowling
The List - Patricia Forde
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow - Jessica Townsend
Ambrose Deception - Emily Ecton
Winterhouse - Ben Guterson
The Wild Robot - Peter Brown
Dream On, Amber - Emma Shevah
Life As We Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer
Fish in a Tree - Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Favorite Series (Grades 5–6)
Princess Academy - Shannon Hale
Everest and Island - Gordan Korman
Treasure Hunters - James Patterson
Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger
Warriors - Erin Hunter
Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Upper School Summer Reading (Grades 5–8)
Freak the Mighty - Rodman Philbrick
Posted - John David Anderson
The Song From Somewhere Else - A.F. Harrold
Restart - Gordon Korman
Teachers and Students Recommend (Grades 7–8)
Greetings from Witness Protection - Jake Burt
23 Minutes - Vivian Vande Velde
The List - Patricia Forde
Long Way Down - Jason Reynolds
The Traitor's Game - Jennifer Nielsen
Wild Bird - Wendelin Van Draanen
Windfall - Jennifer Smith
Booked - Kwame Alexander
Beautiful Blue World - Suzanne LaFleur
Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
Ten - Gretchen McNeil
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli
His Dark Materials Trilogy - Philip Pullman
The Boy Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club - Phillip Hoose
Upper School Classics (Grades 7–8)
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry - Mildred Taylor
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi
Esperanza Rising - Pam Muñoz Ryan
Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech
Holes - Lois Sachar
2018 Award Winners
2018 Caldecott Award (Illustrations)
2018 Newberry Award (Children's Literature)
2018 Nutmeg Award (Grades 2-4)
2018 Nutmeg Award (Grades 4-6)
2018 Nutmeg Award (Grades 7-8)
Robert Sibert Award (nonfiction)
Perrot Library Young Critics (Grades 4-5)
Perrot Library Young Critics (Grades 6-8)
Books in Español (All ages)
Greenwich Library Spanish Collection
