Summer is in full swing, bringing sunny days and plenty of time to get lost in a good book! We’ve put together a vibrant selection of stories that will keep kids entertained and learning all season long. To make reading even more fun, we’ve included some Education.com worksheets that encourage creativity and help kids stay focused while keeping their skills sharp.
This summer reading list was created in partnership with our sister site Vocabulary.com, where you can find word lists that perfectly complement each book and support vocabulary growth.
Education.com reading resources
Have Fun Reading: Choice Board – PreK-2
From building blanket forts to acting out story moments, these reading activities make early literacy feel like playtime.
Complete the Table: Narrative Elements – Grade 2-5
Help kids build stronger reading comprehension skills by exploring key story elements like setting, characters, and plot through a fun and interactive matching activity.
Compare and Contrast Written vs. Audio/Visual Forms of a Text – Grade 6-7
Get middle schoolers thinking critically with a graphic organizer that guides them in comparing what they read to what they see and hear in an audio or visual version of the same text.
Analyzing an Adaptation: Book vs. Movie – Grade 8
Is the book always better? Let learners decide with this activity that helps them compare a story on the page to its big-screen adaptation.
Summer book list
Books for young readers
Amari and the Night Brothers: Amari Peters is thrust into a world of magic and mystery as she competes for a spot at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs while trying to uncover the truth behind her brother’s sudden disappearance.
Lawn Boy: On his 12th birthday, the narrator receives an old lawnmower and shares the story of an eventful summer spent mowing neighbors’ lawns and discovering the spirit of entrepreneurship.
Witchlings: Twelve-year-old Seven Salazar of Ravenskill must team up with the bully Valley Pepperhorn and the new girl Thorn Laroux to defeat the Nightbeast and protect their coven, preserve their magic, and avoid being turned into toads.
Books for advanced readers
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: Dive into the prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, where a young Coriolanus Snow mentors a tribute during the 10th Hunger Games.
Prairie Lotus: Set in 1880, this historical novel follows Hanna, a young girl of Chinese descent, as she navigates life in the Dakota Territory and faces the challenges of discrimination in her new town.
The Lost Year: While stuck at home in New Jersey during the Covid pandemic, thirteen-year-old Matthew helps his hundred-year-old great-grandmother sort through her belongings and discovers her story as a Young Pioneer in 1930s Ukraine.
Looking for more resources? Check out the Education.com Learning Library of more than 38,000 worksheets, lesson plans, and games!
