The Association for Library Service to Children makes summer reading lists of kid recommended books every summer. See if your child agrees with kids across the country on the top rated summer books!
Check below for a K-2nd grade summer reading list and a 3rd – 5th grade summer reading list.
Kindergarten to 2nd Grade
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
In this book, animals and parts of animals are depicted life-size, from the smallest fish to the largest land animal. Foldout sections get readers up close and personal with someo f the world’s most amazing animals.
Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
What is a big sister to do when she has to take her little sister along to the very first birthday party she has been invited to in the United States?
Boot and Shoe by Marla Frazee
This is a charming and very funny story of two dogs who share their daily routine until a squirrel mixes things up.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert
An alphabet rhyme that relates what happens when the whole alphabet tries to climb a coconut tree.
Chirchir Is Singing by Kelly Cunnane, illustrated by Jude Daly
Chirchir, who lives in rural Kenya, wants to be helpful to her family, but nothing ever seems to go right!
Chu’s Day by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Adam Re
Chu goes on outings with his mother and father, who continually worry that he might sneeze.
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
Is it a duck or a rabbit? It depends on how you look at it!
The Eagles Are Back by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Wendell Minor
A young boy helps a ranger feed and watch over one of the last pairs of bald eagles in the Hudson Valley region, and many years later, he brings his son back to see the population thriving.
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
The little red chicken cannot help but interrupt her favorite bedtime stories.
It’s a Tiger! by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Jeremy Tankard
A young boy runs away from a tiger hiding in every scene.
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
A bear asks all of the animals he encounters if they have seen his hat.
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace Lin
Two identical twins share many traits, but each one is unique. Fun abounds as the sisters have silly mishaps.
Luke on the Loose by Harry Bliss
Pigeons don’t stand a chance when fast-moving Luke gets them in his sights. Beware, birdies!
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald no combina by Monica Brown, illustrated by Sara Palacios
Marisol is Peruvian, Scottish, and American. She has brown skin and red hair and loves peanut butter and jelly burritos in her lunch box!
More Bears! by Kenn Nesbitt, illustrated by Troy Cummings
The author of this book makes one thing clear: he wants absolutely NO BEARS in the story! But the reader may have a thing or two to say about that.
Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta; illustrated by Ed Young
A young ninja goes on a secret mission at night when everyone else is asleep.
Panda Kindergarten by Joanne Ryder, photographs by Katherine Feng
Meet the sixteen panda cubs who live at the Wolong Nature Reserve in China.
Penny and Her Song by Kevin Henkes
Penny is so excited to share her new song with her parents, but they are too busy with her baby twin siblings. Waiting is so difficult!
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean
Pete the Cat is a real cool feline who loves his brand- new shoes.
Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley, photographs by Nic Bishop
Follow the adventures of one rain forest frog as it escapes from dangerous predators, searches for food, and finally goes to sleep.
Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Wat
Scaredy Squirrel is afraid to leave his tree, but one day he leaps into the great unknown!
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton; illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
Two boys with two toys have a series of contests to see which toy is better.
Ugly Fish by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Scott Magoon
Ugly Fish is content to live by himself in his tank, no matter how many fish try to join him.
The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter
This picture-book biography tells the story of the famous zoologist Jane Goodall, whose gift of observation led to years of studying chimpanzees.
We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems
Elephant and Piggie find out that being a reader and being read are fun, but what happens when the book ends?
3rd to 5th Grade
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce
Supremely confident middle- school student Nate Wright manages to make getting detention from every one of his teachers in the same day seem like an achievement. First in a series.
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Omakayas, a young Ojibwa girl living near Lake Superior in the late 1800s, follows her family through the seasons, cares for her baby brother, and experiences the growing settlement of white people on her family’s land. First in a series.
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father—the renowned bandleader H. E. Calloway.
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee
While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old Clementine tries out several unusual hairstyles and helps her father shoo pigeons from the front of their apartment building. First in a series.
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée Russell
Maxwell writes in her diary of her struggle to be popular at her exclusive, new private school. First in a series.
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
Bollywood fan Dini is moving to India. Will she get a chance to meet her favorite movie star?
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling, illustrated by Mary GrandPré
Harry Potter, a young orphan living with his horrible aunt and uncle, discovers he is a wizard and is taken away to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. First in a series.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
In this highly illustrated novel, Hugo Cabret, a Parisian orphan, clockmaker, and thief, tries to fix the automaton that his father discovered.
Kampung Boy by Lat
In this funny graphic-novel memoir, Lat tells stories about his childhood in a Malaysian village.
Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories about Growing Up Scieszkby Jon Scieszka
Jon Scieszka tells hilarious true stories about growing up with five brothers.
The Maze of Bones (39 Clues, Book 1) by Rick Riordan
At the reading of their grandmother’s will, Amy and Dan are given a choice: take a million dollars and walk away, or take the first of thirty-nine clues and begin a quest to discover the source of their family’s power. First in a series.
Meanwhile by Jason Shiga
In this choose-your-own- adventure-style graphic novel, a boy’s choice of chocolate or vanilla ice cream leads to wild adventures.
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart; illustrated by Carson Ellis
After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy by Nathan Hale
Just before Nathan Hale is hung as a spy in the Revolutionary War, he tells a British soldier and the hangman some American history.
No Talking by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Mark Elliott
It’s the boys against the girls— who can win the no-talking bet? But as silence falls over the school, chaos ensues.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Patricia Castelao
When Ivan, a gorilla who lives in a down-and-out circus- themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant new to the menagerie, he decides that he must find her a better life.
100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet by Anna Claybourne
Describes one hundred of the most dangerous things on the planet and what to do if they happen to you.
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Considered by many to be intellectually disabled, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy is given her voice with a technological device, opening the door to a new life.
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
The Penderwick sisters enjoy a series of adventures as they vacation at the Arundel estate and make the acquaintance of Jeffrey, who lives next door.
Savvy by Ingrid Law
When Mibs turns thirteen and gets a savvy, a special power, she goes on a quest in hopes of saving her Poppa.
Sidekicks by Dan Santat
When Captain Amazing announces that he will hold tryouts for a new sidekick, his pets decide they want a chance to help save the world.
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future.
To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegel, illustrated by Mark Siegel
The true story of the author’s travels from her home in Puerto Rico to the stage of the New York City Ballet.
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
On Tuesdays Castle Glower takes on a life of its own, magically rearranging itself. When the castle is ambushed, it’s up to Princess Celie to save the day.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Minli and a dragon begin a quest to find the Old Man on the Moon, who has the answers to Minli’s family’s troubles.
