These unputdownable books will help your family beat the heat!

The dog days of summer are here.   These long, hot summer days provide recreational reading time for families like no other time of year!  Our schedules are more flexible. Bedtimes are extended. We may be traveling or simply seeking engaging indoor activities for the hottest part of the day.  Have a stack of riveting reads at the ready - and carve out a daily D.E.A.R time, make a nightly family read-aloud (by flashlight!) part of your kids’ bedtime routine or select a variety of audio books for your family’s next trip. Even your little ones will enjoy family read-alouds. Family reading time is ideal for building strong vocabularies and advanced comprehension skills even in the youngest of students!

While many kids need little prompting to pick up the latest Jedi Academy, Geronimo Stilton or Wimpy Kid, summertime is an opportunity to introduce stories with deeper themes, with a more complex narrative, with richer vocabulary.  The time-tested classics of children’s lit stand ready to engage and enchant a new generation of fans... and there are a host of contemporary authors whose stories have a depth and timeless quality that harks back to books from a bygone era.  Here are some recommendations of delightful contemporary literature paired with a selection of long and well-loved children’s books.

1.  The Penderwicks Series
Jeanne Birdsall
National Book Award Winner
2005 - 2018
Ages 8 and Up

The Penderwick books are contemporary children’s family life stories in the vein of The Moffats series or Louisa May Alcott’s books. The highly anticipated fifth book of this lovely quintet was published in May: The Penderwicks at Last, a delightful and satisfying conclusion to this wonderful series! Begin with the first book, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, a quintessential summer read. While the titular Rabbits and Boy are indeed interesting, it is the Penderwick sisters themselves who fascinate in each of the five books - their ordinary lives and everyday adventures, their clever and witty conversation, their interests, talents, passions and their relationships, with friends and extended family, with eventual romantic interests, but most particularly with one another. Fans often compare the Penderwick sisters to:

2.  Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
1868-1869
Ages 8 and Up

The lives of the March sisters in Civil War era New England, their joys and trials, triumphs and tragedies, continue to secure the loyal affection of young girls the world over. Their story continues in Little Men (1871) and Jo’s Boys (1886). After enjoying the novel, try viewing the recent PBS mini-series and discuss how it compares!

3.  Airman
Eion Colfer
2008
Ages 10 and Up

The fantastic Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series, wrote a standalone adventure story that harks back to classic adventure stories like The Man in the Iron Mask or The Count of Monte Cristo as well as the science fiction of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. An exciting blend of swashbuckling adventure, Victorian era history and science based fiction, this book will keep your kids on the edge of their seats.

4.  Around the World in Eighty Days
Jules Verne
1873
Ages 10 and Up

Phileas Fogg has wagered his entire fortune that he can successfully circumnavigate the earth in no more than eighty days. Your family will thrill to the escapades of the reserved, precise but intrepid Fogg and his comical, loyal manservant Passepartout.

5.  When Mischief Came to Town
Katrina Nannestad
2015
Ages 6 and Up

A lovely, warm and often laugh-out-loud story of an imaginative young girl who comes to live with her grandmother on a tiny island in 1911 Denmark. Perfect read-aloud for families. Enjoy it with other beloved “outsider tales” such as:

6.  Heidi
Johanna Spyri
1881
Ages 6 and Up

Bright, lively little Heidi is left to the care of her hermit grandfather in the Swiss Alps. A gentle yet joyous celebration of love, friendship and the power and beauty of creation.

7.  Anne of Green Gables
Lucy Maud Montgomery
1908
Ages 8 and Up

Kindred spirits unite! Introduce the whole family to the most dramatic, spirited and imaginative orphan to grace the pages of children’s literature. There’s scope for the imagination!

8.  Pollyanna
Eleanor H. Porter
1913
Ages 8 and Up

The grieving but determinedly brave and hopeful Pollyanna Whittier comes to live with her strict and rigid aunt. The story of Pollyanna, Aunt Polly, and the healing effects of the Glad Game on the denizens of Beldingsville will charm your family.

9.  The Abominables
Eva Ibbotson
2013
Ages 8 and Up

Exciting, humorous and gently satirical, this final (and posthumously published) novel of Eva Ibbotson’s about a brave quest to establish a safe, permanent home for a family of lovable Himalayan yetis (not-so abominable snowmen) is guaranteed to captivate, amuse and possibly inspire some interesting discussion regarding Biblical stewardship and the inherent value of all living things. Try reading it alongside:

10.  The BFG
Roald Dahl
1982
6 and Up

Beloved author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory delights with this weirdly wonderful little tale of a Big Friendly Giant and a gallant little girl, of the power of kindness and courage, of the utter vileness of snozzcumbers and the joys of whizzpopping. Check out the audiobook version by the marvelous British actor David Walliams.

11.  Princess Academy
Shannon Hale
2005
Ages 8 and Up

Shannon Hale’s novels have an old world, fairytale quality, and Princess Academy, her 3rd novel (and a Newbery Honor) is an engaging and thoughtful read. The first in a trilogy, it tells the story of a young working class village girl who is compelled to attend a school established to train prospective princesses. Slightly older readers (ages 12 and up) will also enjoy Hale’s Books of Bayern series, beginning with The Goose Girl.

12.  A Little Princess
Frances Hodgson Burnett
1905
Ages 8 and Up

The classic tale of a “little princess” at her English boarding school for girls is perhaps one of the first to present the (riches to) rags to riches trope, and from the first page, is just as exciting and appealing to young readers now as it was when it was first published over 100 years ago. Read it aloud with your kids, then enjoy one of the many film adaptations.

13.  Gregor the Overlander
Suzanne Collins
2003
Ages 8 and Up

The Underland Chronicles are a quintet of fantasy novels published between 2003 and 2007 by Suzanne Collins (who would go on to write the wildly popular Hunger Games series). The first of the Underland books, Gregor the Overlander, is a cleverly written, fast-paced, fantastical tale of a boy and his baby sister who, in fulfillment of an ancient prophesy, fall headlong, Alice-in-Wonderland style, down into an underworld teaming with giant, intelligent (and strangely appealing) bats, spiders, cockroaches and underground human dwellers engaged in a battle of survival against a race of malevolent, man-sized rats. By turns funny, frightening and moving, Gregor leaves readers eager for the next Underland adventure.

14.  The Book of Three
Lloyd Alexander
1964
Ages 8 and Up

The first in the series The Chronicles of Prydain, The Book of Three follows Taran, humble assistant pig keeper, and a company of truly magnificent and unforgettable characters on an epic quest that will bring them face-to-face with the force of evil that threatens the land of Prydain. The story continues in The Black Cauldron, a Newbery honor, and three other books, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer and The High King (a Newbery medal winner).


15.  Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
Kate DiCamillo
2014 Newbery Winner
Ages 8 and Up

Kate DiCamillo, beloved author of Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux, charms with this odd, hilarious and quite lovely little (illuminated!) story of a lonely, cynical girl who thrillingly becomes the sidekick of the unlikeliest of (super)heroes.

16.  Ben and Me: A New and Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin As Written by His Good Mouse, Amos, Lately Discovered
Robert Lawson
1939
Ages 8 and Up

The Story of Ferdinand and Newbery winning Rabbit Hill author Robert Lawson penned a delight of a historical fiction book in this “biography” of founding father Benjamin Franklin as seen through the eyes of his mouse friend, Amos.

17.  Echo
Pam Muñoz Ryan
Ages 10 and up
2016 Newbery Honor Book

This gorgeous and thrilling work of historical fiction by Esperanza Rising author Pam Muñoz Ryan weaves music, fairy tale and the pre & World War II era experiences of three vastly different children: a young disfigured German during the rise of Hitler in Germany, an Irish orphan and his young brother in a depression era children’s home in Pennsylvania, and a Mexican-American girl in California during the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. A gripping, inspiring read.

18.  Snow Treasure
Maria McSwigan
1942
Ages 8 and Up

Written during World War II and based on a true story, this work of historical fiction by American journalist and author Maria McSwigan tells the fascinating story of a Norwegian village’s courageous and clever plan to defend their liberty and preserve their lives, fortunes and futures from the rapacious clutches of the Nazi regime. When Nazi troops invade and occupy Norway in the spring of 1940, four brave schoolchildren and their classmates slowly sneak 13 tons of gold bullion past Nazi garrison and guards on toboggans in the snow. Icy thrills to nicely chill on a blazing summers day!


19.  The Secret Keepers
Trenton Lee Stewart
2016
Ages 8 and Up

Trenton Lee Stewart, author of the marvelous Mysterious Benedict Society books has crafted a great standalone story of mysteries, puzzles, traps, villains and unlikely heroes in The Secret Keepers. An ordinary boy discovers a mysterious object, embarks on a dangerous journey and is lead to a family charged with a long-held secret. Adventure, magic, intrigue, villainy and pirate lore, lighthouses and lighthouse history make this an exciting summer read.

20.  Five on a Treasure Island
Enid Blyton
1942

The first book in the “Famous Five” series, this is a classic kid’s mystery/adventure story set in Dorset on the English coast. A mysterious island, an ancient shipwreck, a ruined castle, a lost map, hidden gold, nefarious treasure thieves and five intrepid young British adventurers (four human and one canine) all combine for a rollicking good read. (I say! Rather!) Be sure to look up and show your family photographs of Corfe Castle and the Isle of Purbeck – the real-life settings for the imaginary Kirrin Island/Castle.

Happy Summer Reading!