This reading list provides a selection of good books that kids enjoy.
Reading levels are suggestions only as every student learns to read at his or her own speed. While some booksare perfect to read aloud, kids can read many of the books, especially books in a series, by themselves. Most authors included on these lists have written more than one good book, and many, such as Lois Lowry, WalterDean Myers, Cornelia Funke, and Kate DiCamillo, write for all ages. Some titles are also available as audio books so families can enjoy a good book together.
For extra summer fun, visit your local public library for reading programs, many of which offer activities and prizes. Science Fiction & Fantasy
Babbitt, Natalie. The Search for Delicious - The Prime Minister is compiling a dictionary and when no one can agree on the meaning of delicious, the King sends his messenger to poll the country.
Byng, Georgia. Molly Moon (series)- Molly Moon discovers a hidden talent for hypnotism and hypnotizes her way out of her dreary orphanage from one adventure to another.
Dyer, Heather. Ibby's Magic Weekend - While visiting her cousins, Ibby learns about the disappearance of her magician uncle and, with the help of an old box of magic tricks, tries to make him reappear.
Funke, Cornelia. Inkheart - One night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called "Inkheart," and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room.
Hulme, John. The Glitch in Sleep – When Becker Drane is recruited by the Seems, a parallel universe that runs everything in the World, he must fix a glitch in the Department of Sleep that threatens everyone’s ability to ever sleep again.
Jacques, Brian. Redwall (series)- When the evil rat Cluny shatters the peaceful life of ancient Redwall Abbey, Matthias, a young mouse, sets out to find a legendary sword.
Williams, Maya.The Golden Hour - Rowan and sister Nina experience an unusual adventure through time when they come to stay with their two eccentric great-aunts in a small town on the Maine coast.
Mystery & Adventure
Abbott, Tony. The Postcard-Thirteen-year-old Jason finds an old postcard at his recently-deceased grandmother's house that leads him on an adventure from an old, unfinished detective story with his family's past.
Avi. The End of the Beginning -Avon the snail and Edward, a take-charge ant, set off together on a journey to an undetermined destination in search of unspecified adventures.
DiCamillo, Kate. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane- Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him.
Hunter, Erin. Into the Wild (Warriors Original Series) - Rusty, a house kitten, is apprenticed by the ThunderClan and must struggle to fit in when the group of feral cats is threatened by ShadowClan, the enemy.
Korman, Gordon. Swindle - After unscrupulous collector S. Wendell Palamino cons him out of a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin Bing puts together a band of misfits to steal the card back.
Realistic
Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks - While vacationing with their father in the mountains, four sisters share adventures with a local boy.
Birney, Betty G. The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs - Eben McAllister searches his small town to see if he can find anything comparable to the real Seven Wonders of the World.
Clements, Andrew. A Week in the Woods- The fifth grade's annual camping trip in the woods tests Mark's survival skills and his ability to relate to a teacher who seems out to get him. Lin, Grace The Year of the Dog - Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young TaiwaneseAmerican girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog.
Lowry, Lois. Anastasia Krupnik (series) - Anastasia Krupnik is a young person on the brink of adolescence trying to make sense of her world and having fun doing so. See also, See You Around, Sam!
King-Smith, Dick. Lady Lollipop - A quick-witted swineherd and a pig named Lollipop are royally rewarded after they reform a spoiled princess.
Van Draanen, Wendelin.Secret Identity - Fifth-grader Nolan Byrd, tired of being called names by the class bully, has a secret identity—Shredderman!
Humor
Elliot, David. Evangeline Mudd (series) - Evangeline and Dr. Aphrodite Pikkaflee are called upon to rescue her scientist parents and save the jungle.
Gliori, Debi.Pure Dead… (series)– The Strega-Borgia family lives in a Scottish castle with unusual pets and visits from the Mafia and witches.
Gutman, Dan. My Weird School (series) - Really wacky school stories about reluctant learner A. J. and his friends!
Animal Stories
Creech, Sharon. Love that Dog - A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal understanding of what different famous poems mean to him, surprises himself by writing his own inspired poem.
Birney, Betty G.Humphrey (series) - When summer arrives, Humphrey, the pet hamster of Longfellow School's Room twenty-six, is surprised and pleased to learn that he will be going to Camp Happy
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Shiloh (series) - Marty finds a lost beagle and tries to hide it from the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man.
Historical Fiction
Fleischman, Sid. Bandit’s Moon - Annyrose, left behind when her brother joins the Gold Rush, escapes and sets out on a grand adventure with a band of outlaws.
Naidoo, Beverley. Journey to Jo'burg: A South African Story- Separated from their mother by the difficult conditions for blacks in South Africa, Naledi and her younger brother travel over 300 kilometers to find her in Johannesburg.
Yep, Laurence. The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 - Henry and Chin love to read about heroes in popular "penny dreadful" novels, until they both witness real courage in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Sports
Christopher, Matt. Catch that Pass! - Everyone knows Jim will be the star linebacker on the team if he can only conquer his fear of being tackled, but it takes a boy in a wheelchair to teach him that kind of courage.
Lupica, Mike. Safe at Home – Nick’s foster parents know nothing about sports, and his new teammates feel he is too young to play varsity baseball; but Nick is out to prove that he belongs to this team.
Myers, Walter Dean. Me, Mop, and the Moondance Kid - T.J. and his younger brother Moondance help their friend Mop to become adopted while trying to wreak revenge on their baseball rivals.
Nonfiction & Biography
Prelutsky, Jack. Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem - Explains to kids about how to write poems about everyday subjects, such as experiences with family, friends, and pets.
Sierra, Judy. The Gruesome Guide to World Monsters - Provides illustrations and brief descriptions of monsters found in different
parts of the world.
Rompella, Natalie. Famous Firsts: The Trendsetters, Groundbreakers & Risk-Takers Who Got America Moving - Profiles sport
innovators who imagined such activities as snowboarding, BMX, water skiing, and cheerleading.
