Summer Reading Lists
With no homework or school to worry about, summer can be the perfect time for kids and teens to crack open a great book. And while beach reads can be a fun escape, sometimes they're more style than substance. That's why we've compiled this list of books frequently featured on teachers' summer reading lists.
Whether they're in elementary or high school or just getting started on chapter books, kids, tweens, and teens can use this list to get a jump start on the year ahead. Reading–lots and lots of reading–is the only way to keep kids growing as readers. But kids need lots of good books. That’s why I’ve made these book lists.
Grades K-2
Lulu and the Duck (series) – Hillary McKay
Biscuit and the Lost Teddy – Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Mr. Putter & Tabby Clear the Decks – Cynthia Rylant
Touchdown! – Alyson Heller
Tell Me the Day Backwards – Albert Lamb
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site – Sherri Duskey Rinker
Starry, Starry Night – Wade Cooper
Cake Soup – Erica Farber
The Big Fat Cow that Goes Kapow – Andy Griffiths
Bad Kitty Meets the Baby – Nick Bruel
Prudence Wants a Pet – Cathleen Daly
Madeleine – Ludwig Bemelmans
Arthur (series) – Marc Brown
Junie B. Jones (series) – Barbara Park
The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein
Grades 3-5
The Nancy Drew Series – Carolyn G. Keene
Chocolate Fever – Robert Kimmel Smith
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
Goosebumps (series) – R.L. Stine
Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing – Judy Blume
Big Red – Jim Kjelgaard
Ramona (Series) – Beverly Cleary
Judy Moody (series), Megan McDonald
No Ordinary Day – Deborah Ellis
Because of Winn Dixie – Kate DiCamillo
Frindle – Andrew Clements
The Secret of Platform 13 – Eva Ibbotson
The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
Abel’s Island – William Steig
James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl
Nose Pickers from Outer Space – Gordan Korman
The Time Warp Trio – Jon Scieszka
Carrot Holes and Frisbee Trees – N. Bodecker
Grades 6-8
Wonder – R.J. Palacio
The Crossover – Kwame Alexander
Full Cicada Moon – Marilyn Hilton
Little Women – Louise May Alcott
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit – Paula Danziger
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – Ann Brashares
A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L. Engle
The Maze – Will Hobbs
The Princess Bride – William Goldman
Holes – Louis Sachar
The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Elizabeth George Speare
Eragon – Christopher Paolini
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
Tuck Everlasting – Natalie Babbitt
Across Five Aprils – Irene Hunt
Bull Run – Paul Fleischman
Ella Enchanted – Gail Carson Levine
Grades 9-12
The Hate You Give – Angie Thomas
The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
Piecing Me Together – Renee Watson § Ashfall – Mike Mullin
Flawless – Lara Chapman
Perfect – Ellen Hopkins
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
The Joy Luck Club –Amy Tan
A Separate Peace – John Knowles
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
Death Be Not Proud – John Gunther
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
A Lesson Before Dying – Ernest Gaines
The Jungle – Upton Sinclair
Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keyes
The Dark Materials Trilogy – Phillip Pullman
The Playmaker – J.B. Cheaney
Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
1984 – George Orwell
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Watership Down – Richard Adams
Profiles in Courage – John F. Kennedy
Death of a Salesmen – Arthur Miller
Twelve Angry Men – Reginald Rose
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The Outsiders – S.E. Hinton
Support Your Local Book Stores:
Our List of the Areas Top Locally Owned Book Stores
Pick up a new book from a bookstore near you. Enjoy visiting some or all of the bookstores near your home. You will love the wide selection of genres to choose from at all of these Central Florida bookstore locations. Some of these bookstores hold author events, book signings, and other fun events throughout the summer that you can check out.
Writer’s Block Bookstore:
Another bookstore located in Winter Park is Writer’s Block Bookstore. Writer’s Block Bookstore is the perfect spot to buy books for yourself or gifts for the writer or book lover in your life. Browse the shelves filled with fiction, nonfiction, local authors, and many more. Attend any of the fun and exciting events that the Writer’s Block Bookstore hosts for Central Florida residents.
BrightLight Books:
Check out another bookstore in Casselberry Florida called BrightLight Books. Spend hours looking for your favorite books and browsing to find a new book that you will love. BrightLight Books has a cozy area for customers to hang out and relax in. This area has plenty of comfortable seating including a chair and a couch. Luckily, this bookstore also has a location available in the Fern Park area. This amazing bookstore has endless possibilities to choose from.
A Novel Idea Bookshop:
Head over to another local bookstore, A Novel Idea Bookshop located in Casselberry Florida. This bookstore is combined with new and used books of all genres. This bookshop doesn’t only sell new and used books, but also sells other items like apparel and other accessories that are book-related. You can purchase these items for yourself or buy them as great gifts. You will love being able to explore A Novel Idea Bookshop anytime with friends, family, and anyone in the Casselberry community.
Best Used Books:
Located in the Longwood area is the bookstore known as the Best Used Books bookstore. Something that many customers appreciate about the Best Used Books bookstore in Longwood is the number of inexpensive books to choose from. Find some already loved and well taken care of books at this incredible bookstore location. If you are unable to find a book that you’re looking for, you can feel free to ask a staff member that will be happy to help you look. This location also has curbside pick up and ship to home available for those who can’t make it to the store in person.
Muse Book Shop:
Mondays through Wednesdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. or Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Customers have the opportunity to visit the local bookstore in DeLand Florida, the Muse Book Shop. You will enjoy getting books from the Muse Book Shop and not only will you love finding books at this location, but you will also be supporting a local bookshop in your community.
Maya Books and Music:
The historic town of Downtown Sanford is home to the wonderful Maya Books and Music store. This location has been in the city of Sanford for sixteen years. This book and records store is great for people that love books as well as music. Maya Books and Music store has an upstairs loft filled with records with over eight thousand to choose from! You can even search for other items like DVD’S and CD’S. The bottom section of this location is filled with a variety of books. There are so many genres that everyone can choose from. For instance, purchase a book from the thrillers section, the fantasy section, or any other popular genre. Pick out a book for your kids in the children’s section. Many love the atmosphere of Maya Books and Music!
The New Leaf Bookstore at the Winter Park Public Library, staffed by volunteers since its opening in 1995, is sustained by the donations of generous neighbors. Proceeds from the sale of books and other items support the general fund for acquisition of library holdings.
Mon-Sat: 11:00am-5:00pm
For a safe shopping experience masks are required and a limited number of shoppers are allowed in the store at a time. Additionally, visits are limited to 30 minutes.
