Five KidLit Books for Fun Summer Reading

As a mom of four school-aged children, I don’t usually say this, but:

I’m ready for summer vacation!!!

The year-end field trips, requests for cookies, and awards ceremonies have zapped my last gigabyte of energy.  My seven-year-old son cried four times before he left for school yesterday; we’re all sleep deprived.  I can’t wait to catch up on rest and enjoy my children, instead of herding them to the next picnic.

I’ve cut back on our obligations this summer.  No rec league swim team (and the three hours of practice each day.)  Fewer camps.  More simple goodness, like:

• Visits to the pool, where they will play and I will read
• Fewer high sodium/ high carb snacks and more healthy munching; my kids don’t know it yet, but next week I’m making hummus!
• Hikes and bike rides- we live in the mountains for Pete’s sake!
• Downloading audiobooks and that catchy new Ed Sheeran song, aptly titled “Sing”.
• Did I mention READING?

I’ve always toyed with the idea of a Mother-Daughter summer book club, but I never followed up on the notion, until this year.  A good friend who loves to read, but whose daughter doesn’t, asked if I’d be interested in meeting a few times over the summer with our girls to discuss books.

You know what I said, right?

Awesome idea!

So now I’m researching fun, light, and not too challenging books to offer to the girls.  Here’s what I’ve got so far:

• Holes by Louis Sachar:  Stanley Yelnats has always been plagued with bad luck, which  lands him at Camp Green Lake, which is neither a camp nor a lake.  At this detention center, Stanley meets a motley cast of characters, all doomed to dig holes in the hot sun every day and report any findings to the abrasive camp warden. But soon, Stanley figures out that the digging sessions are for more than building character.
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by AnnBrasheres   At the brink of summer vacation, Carmen discovers an old pair of jeans at a thrift shop.  They don’t look like anything special, so she eventually plans to throw them away.  But her friends Tibby, Lena, and Bridget think they’re fabulous, and surprisingly, the jeans make each girl look awesome.  The friends decide to take the “vow of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”  When they part for the summer, the pants begin a memorable summer journey.
• Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli  Jeffrey Lionel “Maniac” Magee has lived with his uptight aunt and uncle for eight years- and he’s had enough.  It’s time to run.  And not just away.  Maniac’s running causes mayhem in his small and racially divided town.
• I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter  Cammie Morgan attends the  Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women.  These girls aren’t just academically talented; they’re spies.  They learn advanced martial arts in PE and chemical warfare in science. Sure, Cammie can speak fourteen different languages and kill a man seven different ways, but can she date a normal boy who must never know her secret?

• Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen  In middle school, relationships, especially between boys and girls, are never simple.  Juli Baker flips for her neighbor, Bryce Loski, but he doesn’t share the sentiment.  Years later, just as Juli realizes that Bryce isn’t the guy of her dreams, Bryce falls for her.  Will these two learn to see beyond the surface and finally connect?

Surely, they will like some of these.

What are you looking forward to this summer?  Can you recommend some books for my list?

Thanks for stopping by!

Julia

Spread the word on Twitter: Five Fun #KidLit Books for Summer Reading via Word Nerd @juliatomiak 

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