Happy summer! I finished up with school in mid-June, and have been filling our days with doctors appointments, swims in our local pool, and lots of reading. I’m happy to share a few good books for these blissful summer months!
Picture Books
A happy accident: all of the picture books here feature extended relatives caring for kids!
Gaga Mistake Day is pure bliss. On Gaga days, this feisty duo take wild walks to the park stepping only on the cracks in the sidewalk, eat marshmallows off of every finger for a snack, relax in a bath overflowing with bubbles, and read picture books backwards.
The Gardener is a Depression-era story told entirely in letters, with a lot of the storytelling coming from David Small’s illustrations. In these tough times, Lydia Grace is sent to stay with her extremely grumpy uncle who runs a bakery in the city. Gradually, Lydia leaves her mark both on the landscape and the people around her. I was familiar with The Library but hadn’t read this title until very recently — I’m so glad to have remedied that.
I searched through my own emails to make sure I haven’t shared The Raft before since it’s my absolute favorite to read with 3rd graders at the start of summer. Nicky is begrudgingly sent to stay with his eccentric grandmother on a river in rural Wisconsin. At first, he can’t catch any fish, doesn’t like the food he’s served, and there isn’t even a TV. But he discovers a raft one day that acts as a gateway to the natural world. By the end of summer, Nicky has become a river rat — just like Grandma.
Early Chapter Book
Starla Jean is surprised when she finds a chicken hiding in leaves at the park. Her dad is even more surprised when she catches it — and he immediately regrets telling her that if she caught it, she could keep it! This book is so funny and well-illustrated — ideal for new chapter book readers (or as a fun read aloud for preschool through early elementary). Book one of a wonderful series!
Middle Grade
Students’ appetites for graphic novels are so huge that I will purchase almost anything that’s appropriate. It’s a major bonus if the book is actually great, as is the case with Vera Brosgol’s Plain Jane and the Mermaid. This is an underwater folktale with selkies, mermaids, sea monsters, and one very plucky girl who is struggling to figure out how to maintain her independence following her parent’s death. Brosgol has a background in film animation, and that expertise comes across in her excellent pacing.
Before Malika and her friends were born, vampires wreaked havoc until a brave group of Vanquishers banished them. They’ve been gone for decades, but when one of her friends disappears in mysterious circumstances, her parents are on high alert for danger. Kalynn Bayron has created the kind of book so many kids crave — lots of excitement, mystery, and paranormal phenomena, and a great group of friends who help and support each other.
Olympic Excitement
We are heading into the brief but exciting time when it feels like everyone has an interest in swimming, track, and gymnastics!
She Persisted is a fantastic series of chapter book biographies that are ideal for 2nd-4th grade readers, with limited illustrations and about 50 pages in each book. Each one highlights a female scientist, government official, environmentalist, and many more. Who better to read about ahead of the Olympic Games than Simone Biles, Diana Taurasi, or Florence Griffith Joyner?
The First Olympic Games is sadly out of print, but hopefully you will have good luck with a library request since this is a great myth about a chariot race competition in Ancient Greece that inspired the Olympic games. Like most myths, it is truly gruesome in parts, but that makes it all the better, particularly for upper elementary readers.
The Boys in the Boat (young readers edition) is an action-packed story about nine boys who defy expectations to compete as rowers in the 1936 Olympics. This is gripping and inspiring enough for even the most reluctant of readers to devour. The print version has great photos, but the audiobook is also really well done, making it great one to listen to as a family if everyone’s 9+ or so.
Bits and Bobs
Piglet Dice: A colleague brought this palm sized game to an end-of-year party, and she was soon surrounded by a crowd of competitive elementary teachers trying desperately to roll a snout. The perfect thing to whip out on planes, at restaurants, etc.
Movie recs: American Symphony (watched in anticipation of seeing him at Tanglewood!), Hit Man, and Jim Henson: Idea Man.
The best kid googles have a click in the back! I just ordered a fresh set of these for the pool.
Grown-up books on my summer reading list: None of This is True, House of Eve, and North Woods. And my book club is doing its annual cookbook meeting in August where we’ll all cook something from this book!
I hope you all have a wonderful summer. I will see you back here in September!