Summer Reading Countdown

Kids participating in our summer reading program have read more than 1,700 books.

But, we know there are a few students who might not have gotten started on their summer reading.

So, as a public service, we picked a few especially good summer reads.

KINDERGARTEN

• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems describes a wily bird’s efforts to get behind the wheel.
• George and Martha by James Marshall are funny, endearing tales about two great friends.
• How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight by Jane Yolen clears up that mystery.
• The Man Who Walked between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein is the true story of Philippe Petit, who walked between the World Trade Center towers.

FIRST AND SECOND GRADERS

This is a great time for series: Pick out one and, if you like it, read them all! We especially like:

• Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold
• Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
• Magic School Bus by Joanna Cole
• Poppleton by Cynthia Rylant and
• Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka.

THIRD AND FOURTH GRADERS

• Babymouse by Jennifer Holm is a sassy cartoon mouse who is impossible to resist.
• Poppy by Avi is a thrilling tale of a dormouse and her incredible adventures.
• The BFG by Roald Dahl will have you sounding ridunculous in no time
• The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater gives whole new meaning to the term: madcap adventure.

FIFTH GRADERS

• Satch and Me by Dan Gutman is a baseball card adventure featuring Satchel Paige.
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo details the rise and fall and rise of a china rabbit.
• Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen tells the story from two different points of view.
• A Dog’s Life by Ann Martin is the autobiography of Squirrel, a stray dog.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson, the story of the 12-day hunt for John Wilkes Booth, reads like fiction but is based on original sources.
• Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams is a mystery that revolves around small-town life, community theatre and Alice in Wonderland.
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a horrifying, must-read introduction to a crazy, dangerous world.
• The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is the first book of the fabulous Percy Jackson series.

HIGH SCHOOL

• Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut provides that bit of absurdity needed at the end of summer,
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel tells the tale of an incredible journey that may be more – or less -- real than it seems.
• March by Geraldine Brooks is the father’s side of the Little Women story.
• Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith is a gentle tale of southern Africa.

We have all the summer reading lists and will be glad to help you find these and other selections!