“Reading gives me something to do over the summer while I’m at home during the day with dad. Dad likes to read in the mornings so I’ll get a book, too, and read with him.”
— 8-year-old boy, IN
Summer vacation is here! Trips to the beach and the local park are planned. Family vacations are booked. Play dates are organized. But did you remember to include reading time as a fun activity for kids this summer?
In order to avoid the effects of the summer slide, the learning loss that occurs when kids are out of school during the summer months, we want to remind families to visit the public library and to add books to your home library, to keep kids "reading ready" for back to school.
But what do you do with a reluctant reader? What books and series will help kids discover the power and joy of reading for fun without it feeling like a chore?
We asked kids nationwide what their favorite books and series were when reading fun in the latest Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report: 6th Edition. Check out their top picks below! Hopefully, this will inspire kids with varied interests to find the right book this summer.
In addition, we asked parents which children's books or series they believe every child should read. The top five include: Harry Potter, books by Dr. Seuss, Diary of Wimpy Kid, The Magic Tree House series, and The Chronicles of Narnia.
Need more top children's book picks? Be sure to check out our free summer reading booklists from this year's Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge - our free, online and mobile summer reading program that helps kids take the "summer leap" into great books (visit scholastic.com/summer).
To learn more about the state of kids and summer reading in the U.S., visit scholastic.com/readingreport on the latest findings from our nationally representative survey of parents and kids.
