Some of the Best Summer Books for Older Kids

Reading in summer? I can hear that rise in voices screaming, "No! Not that!" In the face of total boredom, you can suggest some books that are in the mode of summer that middle school and high school kids might just pick up and read....for fun! (NOTE: These books were read by my own kids and all received a 'thumb's up' have read all these.) Middle Readers: Grade 4-6

Rules by Cynthia Lord. A 12-year-old girl creates rules for her younger, autistic brother, David, in an attempt to normalize his life and her own. The books heroine, Catherine, learns to use words to forge connections with David, her workaholic father, and a paraplegic friend.

The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars This is a wonderful book for both middle and high school aged readers. The heroine is Sara who lives with her Aunt Willie, sister Wanda and mentally challenged brother Charlie. One day,Charlie and Sara see swans and Charlie wants to see them again. He gets lost in the forest and Sara has to rescue him

Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat. The humorous story of how a family lives happily with 2 owls, especially one named Wol who loves to share!

Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. This classic book was written back in 1964 and has endured through the ages. A film was even made of this book in 1996. Harriet is a rather precocious 11 years old who lives on the Upper East Side of New York City and wants to be a writer. What better training than to write down everything she thinks and encounters? Of course it does lead her into some adventures...

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. A bored boy named Milo comes home one day to find a strange purple tollbooth in his bedroom. He ends up in the Land of Wisdom and in an adventure that is somewhere between wordplay and a fairy tale. This is a classic that was written in 1961 and still holds up well today.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinielli

Free Baseball by Sue Corbett. Baseball in 11-year-old Felix Piloto's blood. His Cuban father is a professional player but Felix knows little else about his father. When Felix runs away to be a batboy for a professional team, he discovers his father's story as well as his love for his mother, a dog and the game of baseball.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry. An orphan boy named Peter and is friend Molly fight off thieves and pirates just to keep a secrete truck full of 'star stuff' from falling into the hand of the diabolical Black Stache and his evil partner, Mister Grin.

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall. Four sisters and their father spend their summer vacation in the Berkshire Mountains. They also share adventures with a local boy much to the dismay of their snobbish mother.Swear to Howdy by Van Draanen. Two 13-year-old boys shared adventures in their neighborhood, complaints about their older sisters, family secrets and guilt that bind them today in a special friendship.Older Readers: Grade 7 to 12

Eldest by Christopher Paolini. This is the sequel to Eragon. Our hero successfully thwarts an Urgals ambush and is adopted into the Ingeitum clan. He is then sent to finish his training so he can further help the Varden in their struggle against the Empire.

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke. This is the sequel to Inkheart. Our heroine, Meggie, finds herself drawn back into the world of the book Inkheart. She gets to go back when the fire-eater's apprentice, Faired, come to her with a request to read him into the story using the script written the mysterious Orpheus.

Crispin: At the Edge of the World by Avi. This is yet another sequel but an extremely good read. In fourteenth-century England, Crispin and his friend Bear face danger as they flee from their enemies to the coast in order to find freedom and safety.

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. If you have boys who are really into the Civil War, then this is a wonderful book for them. Henry Fleming, a young soldier, has to deal with the horrors of the Civil War and his own conscious.

The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy. Another favorite of older boys is about cadets in a southern military academy. They must face hazing, hatred and prejudice while they confront members of a secret society dedicated to preserving traditions. A good lesson in how it 'used to be' during the 1960's in the South.

Harry Potter, any Harry Potter books. These books have stirred a new generation of kids to read and regardless what your religious beliefs are, that is a good reason to read these fantasy books concerning wizards and witches and the adventures that befall our hero. These books teach that there is both good and evil in the world and that one must confront it or give in to it. The last in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be coming out in June.

Penny from Heaven by Jennifer Holm. In 1953,11-year-old Penny is thrilled about spending her summer vacation cheering for her Brooklyn Dodgers and playing with her cousin, Frankie. But, instead, she becomes a mediator between her two families and finds the reason for their estrangement.

Circle of Three (series) by Isobel Bird. If you don't have problems with your girls reading about witches then these small books (about 250 pages) are a great summer read. The books are about three teenage girls who are modern witches and the trials and tribulations that they go through. Each books has wonderful 'lessons' to be learned, such as dealing with a new friend that is homeless and not believing that you can get 'something for nothing'.

Dairy Queenby Catherine Gilbert Murdock Farm girl D.J. fights for a place on the football team as she deals with family pressures, her best friend's coming out, and her own feelings for the rival team's quarterback.

Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger. This is the book from which the film and now television series was taken from, but the book is far better than either! Both boys and girls will enjoy reading this one. There are several wonderful summer reading lists on the web, here are just a few:

www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/summerreading/recsummerreading/recommendedreading.htm

www.haisln.org/ReadingLists.htm

www.rif/org/readingplanet/bookzone/content/summer_reading_07_booklist.mspx#2

Reading shouldn't just be for school and children can learn that reading can be fun when it is something that 'they' choose. Happy summer reading!