SUMMER READING LIST

Preschool/Kindergarten

• Corduroy
by Don Freeman
A lonely teddy bear searches his department store home for a button and a friend. A classic and one of my all-time favorites.

• Rabbits and Raindrops
by Jim Arnosky
A mother rabbit must find a place to protect her baby rabbits from the rain. See what animals join them and what happens when it’s all over!

• Swimmy
by Leo Lionni
Swimmy stands out from the crowd, but he uses his differences and a little bit of ingenuity to protect his school of fish from danger.

• Max’s Dragon Shirt
by Rosemary Wells
Max needs a new pair of pants, so his big sister Ruby takes him to the store. While at the store, however, the two get a little distracted.

• Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza
by Philemon Sturges
An innovative twist on an old favorite, this story teaches children about cooking, helping, and forgiveness. Readers, expect a delicious surprise!
Elementary School

• The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
Set in 1687, this story follows Kit Tyler from her home in Barbados to a Puritan Community in Connecticut. Kit soon discovers how she differs from the colonists, as they drag her into the witch hunts of the time.

• The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E.L. Konigsburg
Claudia and Jamie Kincaid live out a childhood fantasy by running away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The story fills in little details about how the children survive on their own, and bigger details concerning a mystery the siblings discover within the museum.

• Sideways Stories from Wayside School
by Louis Sachar
Precocious and amusing, the children of Wayside School know how to turn things upside down. In a thirty-story school with no 19th floor, anything could happen.

• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
by Avi
In 1832, 13-year old Charlotte Doyle must leave her finishing school in England to join her family in Rhode Island. On her long journey across the Atlantic, Charlotte transforms from a prim and proper young lady of esteem into a brave sailor who summons the courage to stand against injustice.

• My Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead George
Sam Gribley leaves his noisy apartment in New York City for a quieter life in the Catskill mountains. During his year in isolation, he learns to live off the land and makes friends with the animals and the few people he comes across.

Middle School

• Redwall
by Brian Jacques
In this first book of the series, the peaceful animals of Redwall Abbey must defend their home from Cluny the Scourge and his evil band of rats. Filled with an array of amusing characters and exciting adventures, the world of Redwall will enthrall readers of all ages.

• Anne of Green Gables
by Lucy Maude Montgomery
An elderly brother and sister mean to adopt a boy to help with their farm, but instead they find Anne Shirley on their doorstep. The story follows Anne as she struggles for acceptance, shakes up Green Gables, and tries to overcome her bright red hair.

• Percy Jackson & the Olympians
by Ricky Riordan
Parodizing Harry Potter and Greek mythology, the Percy Jackson series unleashes an entirely new world where the past and present coexist. Percy and his demigod friends must fight off all kinds of mythological creatures, from harpies to the Cyclops. The series serves as a porthole to mythology as well as an entertaining read for anyone with a sense of humor.

• Johnny Tremain
by Esther Forbes
Set in pre-revolutionary Boston, this story follows the transformation of Johnny Tremain from an arrogant young apprentice to a mature patriot. The book depicts numerous historical events (the Boston Tea Party, the battles of Lexington and Concord, etc.) with accurate and intriguing detail.

• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
by C.S. Lewis
The first book of the Chronicles of Narnia as written by C.S. Lewis, this story introduces the main characters of Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edward in their very first adventure in Narnia. Once they stumble into the wardrobe, they unleash an entire fantasy world where talking animals and mythical creatures come to life.