Kids Picks
School will be out this month and there’s no time like the present to get started on your summer reading list. Sometimes the teachers will give you books to read, but it’s also fun when you can pick out your own. Here are some great titles that you can enjoy while sitting on the beach or under the warm summer skies.
Ages 3-5
“My Name Is Elizabeth!” by Annika Dunklee
Elizabeth loves her name and doesn’t want to be called anything else. Not Lizzy, not Beth, just Elizabeth! She thinks her name is awesome. After all, she has a queen named after her! The
nicknames really bother her, but she doesn’t say anything until one fall day when she realizes that she has the power to change it all. There is nothing wrong with speaking up for yourself and, as Elizabeth realizes this, she learns about communication and respect in the process.
“I’m Not Scared, YOU’RE Scared!” by Seth Meyers
If you love to laugh, this book is for you! Late-night TV host Seth Meyers delivers plenty of chuckles as you read the pages of this story about a fearless rabbit and a not-so-fearless bear. It’s hard to have friends when you are a bear who is scared all the time. Bear’s one friend is Rabbit, who is never afraid of anything. Rabbit helps Bear face his fears and the two head out on an adventure together. When things don’t go exactly as planned, the friends learn what it really means to be brave.
Ages 6-8
“Eyes That Speak to the Stars” by Joanna Ho
Kids can be really mean. When a “friend” at school draws a hurtful picture, a young boy turns to his family for advice and comfort. He soon learns that his eyes rise to the skies and speak to the stars, shine like sunlit rays, and glimpse trails of light from those who came before — in fact, his eyes are like his father’s, his grandfather’s, and his little brother’s. Inspired by the men who came before him and the boys who came after, the young boy realizes his own power and strength comes from inside of him.
“Luna Muna” by Kellie Gerardi
Luna Muna is a little girl who loves outer space. She knows that one day she will be an astronaut. One night, Luna wishes on a shooting star. Afterwards, she discovers she has a secret power! Whenever she wears her special sparkly space helmet, she can float just like the astronauts do in space. Every night at bedtime, Luna blasts off on a new adventure. While space is incredibly exciting, Luna realizes that her home and the people on Earth are pretty amazing, too.
Ages 9-12
“We Dream of Space” by Erin Entrada Kelly
Cash and his siblings Fitch and Bird, who are twins, are in seventh grade together in 1986. While the country waits for the space shuttle Challenger to take off, the three siblings each have their own issues making them anxious. Cash loves basketball but he just broke his wrist and now is in danger of failing seventh grade again. Fitch spends every day at the arcade, trying to control his temper that he can’t understand. Bird dreams of being NASA’s first female shuttle commander but feels like she’s invisible. The children exist in their own little worlds with not much in common except for their science teacher, Ms. Salonga. Ms. Salonga assigns her students a space project. They are separated into groups where they must create and complete a mission. When the day of the space shuttle launch finally comes, it changes their lives and brings them together.
“Where the Red Fern Grows” by Wilson Rawls
Billy doesn’t just want one dog; he has always dreamed of having two. When he finally saves enough money to buy Old Dan and Little Ann, he’s so excited! He doesn’t care that they are tough, he knows they will rule the hills of the Ozarks. Billy and the hounds soon become the best hunting team in the valley. This trio seems unbeatable, until tragedy strikes. Billy has to learn to find hope again and realize that sometimes the scars of the past set the seeds for the future. “Where the Red Fern Grows” is a classic you’ll want to read over and over again.
