Then there are the suggested Summer reading lists from our library filled with titles in popular best-seller literature. While the titles aren't necessarily objectionable, they're not exactly great reading, either. Yes, reading can be frivolous fun and you can occasionally enjoy pop-culture paperbacks. Books aren't bad because they're new, the classics were modern once, after all. But a nod to greater minds, a debt of gratitude to greater writers, and a reverence for greater literature aren't bad ideals to foster in youth.
By no means exhaustive, here's a little list of classic books (most are in the library) I put together for my nieces to pick and choose from this Summer. The grades are loose suggestions, you might consider some too simple or too advanced for the specified level (I may have goofed on a few of the links if they go to an abridged version). And if you choose to use any of these, parental discretion is, of course, paramount.
3rd-5th Grade
Chanticleer and the Fox by Barbara Cooney
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. WhiteCricket in Times Square
by George SeldenOx-Cart Man
by Barbara CooneyHomer Price
by Robert McCloskeyJust So Stories
by Rudyard KiplingThe Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice DalglieshPippi Longstocking
and others by Astrid Lindgren
The Happy Prince and Other Stories
by Oscar WildeLittle House in the Big Woods
and others by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Mary Poppins
and others by Pamela L. TraversMisty of Chincoteague
and Brighty of the Grand Canyon 
by Marguerite HenryMr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard AtwaterThe Pied Piper of Hamelin
by Robert Browning 3rd-6th Grade Transitional/Lighter Reading
Black Beauty: the Autobiography of a Horse
by Anna SewellCheaper by the Dozen
by Frank GilbrethChitty Chitty Bang Bang
by Ian FlemingChronicles of Narnia
by C. S. LewisHouse at Pooh Corner
by A. A. MilneJustin Morgan Had a Horse
by Marguerite HenryLittle Lord Fauntleroy
by Frances Hodgson BurnettLittle Princess
by Frances Hodgson BurnettNational Velvet
by Enid BegnoldPhantom Tollbooth
by Norton JusterPinocchio
by Carlo CollodiPollyanna
by Eleanor PorterSarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlanSecret Garden
by Frances Hodgson BurnettSinging Tree
by Kate Seredy Stuart Little
by E. B. WhiteTales of the Arabian Nights
by Andrew LangWind in the Willows
by Kenneth GrahameWinnie the Pooh
by A. A. MilneWonderful Wizard of Oz
and others by Frank Baum6th-7th Grade
Kind of Easy:
Blue Willow
by Doris GatesCaddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie BrinkCricket on the Hearth
by Charles DickensEvangeline
by Henry LongfellowStrawberry Girl
and Judy's Journey 
by Lois LenskyThe Gift of the Magi
by O'HenryThe Jungle Book
by Rudyard KiplingThe Story of Dr. DooLittle
by Hugh LoftingA Little More Advanced:
A Journey to the Center of the Earth
by Jules VerneAround the World in 80 Days
by Jules VerneAdam of the Road
by Elizabeth Janet GrayAlice in Wonderland
and Through the Looking Glass 
by Lewis CarrollAll Creatures Great and Small
by James HerriotThe Hobbit
by J.R.R. TolkienLittle Men
by Louisa May AlcottOliver Twist
by Charles DickensSwiss Family Robinson
by Johann WyssThe Door in the Wall
by Marguerite de AngeliThe White Company
by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleTreasure Island
by Robert Louis StevensonMore Advanced:
Anne of Green Gables
and others by Lucy Maud MontgomeryChristy
by Catherine MarshallGoodbye, Mr. Chips
by James HiltonHound of the Baskervilles
& others by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleIsland of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'DellMama's Bank Account
by Kathryn ForbesO! Pioneers
by Willa CatherRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
by Kate Douglas WiggenRed Badge of Courage
by Stephen CraneScarlet Pimpernel
by Baroness OrczySpace Trilogy
by C. S. LewisTevye the Dairyman
by Sholom AleichemTime Machine
and others by H. G. WellsWhite Fang
by Jack LondonVery Advanced Literature:
Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexander DumasGreat Expectations
by Charles DickensIvanhoe
by Sir Walter ScottMiddlemarch
by George EliotMoonstone
and others by Wilkie CollinsNicholas Nickleby
by Charles DickensOld Curiosity Shop
by Charles DickensPilgrim's Progress
and others by John BunyanSilas Marner
and others by George EliotStrange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
by Robert Louis StevensonTale of Two Cities
by Charles DickensWhat are you and/or your kids reading this Summer?
I love book lists! We're reading or have read several of these. I wanted to add that "Boxcar Children" was a summer favorite for us last year. We also enjoy the "Happy Little Family" series and "Betsy-Tacy" series. Clara's book club read "The Hundred Dresses" and "Kitchen Madonna" this past year. I LOVED both of these books (and cried through the last several pages of "Kitchen Madonna").
ReplyDeleteCan I just say Thank You for this list?! I love lists. And my kids love to read, so we will be hopefully checking some of these out this year. My 8 year old just picked up the Narnia series this month; my 10 year old vacillates between Nancy Drew and American girls mysteries. My 12 yr old son seems to stick with non-fiction about the various wars, and other historical books. But this list will help me poke some other books in front of their faces this summer.
ReplyDeleteI definitely read Boxcar children (actually it was read aloud by my teacher) in elementary school :).
ReplyDeleteKitchen Madonna? Isn't that published by Bethlehem Books? I love their stuff, I'll have to check it out! Thanks for the recommendation!
What--no "P&P" by Jane Austen in 7th grade--even if advanced? ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the "suggested booklists." Luckily we have a good one from Seton Home Study School, and I have a running tab at Amazon for great works I've discovered from perusing other homeschool mom blogs--and we're only starting 1st grade!
My teacher also read "Boxcar Children" to us in elementary school. It was so odd because I remembered a very random detail of the story (that the children cleaned the dishes using sand) and for years and years I wondered if I had remembered it correctly. When I picked up the book with the kids last year and came to the part where the children washed the rusty dishes with sand, I was so excited! :) Yes, "Kitchen Madonna" was written by Rumer Godden and it's a delight!
ReplyDeleteWe do family reading (almost) every night. My kids are slightly younger than your nieces, but for reading aloud we have enjoyed Beverly Cleary's Mouse and the Motorcycle trilogy, and are now well into the Henry Huggins and Ramona series. (My husband never had these read to him by his teacher and is thoroughly enjoying the experience now!) We will eventually get around to the Boxcar Children and the Little House books as well. For reading on his own, my son (7 years old but with a very advanced reading level) really loves the original Hardy Boys series. (The new ones are not nearly as good; they even make really crappy "edgy" graphic novels now - definitely not recommended.) Encyclopedia Brown is a good choice for a child interested in logic and problem solving, with Cam Jansen for younger kids.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! I think your 5th grade list should also include "The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew" and "The All of a Kind Family," though. Both books are classic and just plain fun. What's more, I think they both have sequels, so if your nieces enjoy them they'll easily be able to find five or six more wonderful books to follow up!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, "Hattie, Her First Hundred Years" is also an interesting read. I would say 4th grade just off the top of my head but I haven't looked at the book in awhile so you will probably want to check it over and make your own assessment. Unique story-line follows the "life" of a wooden (?) doll.
Ok..so, I have a bunch of boys who dont like to read much...Any ideas on how to get them reading? I might just need to print this list and get them to the library..Thanks for taking the time to do this!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! :)
ReplyDeleteAh yes, Nancy Drew and American Girl are very popular around here..
LOL... P&P was no oversight -- my niece read it last Summer and this list was for her ;). She wanted to read a lot more Austen this Summer but I want to save it until we can analyze it together during the school year :-D.
ReplyDeleteStarting 1st grade? How fun!!
That's awesome :).
ReplyDeleteI have a similar memory from Encyclopedia Brown. It was the only one I ever figured out -- something about how he ate an ice cube before downing spicy mustard and somehow that kept him from reacting to the spice...? I always hoped I could revisit the books to find out if that was the real story :-D.
Good to know about the new Hardy Boys books.
ReplyDeleteRead-alouds are so great, and you never outgrow them. My husband still reads to me most evenings :). So much more enriching and entertaining than the magical box (tv).
Will suggest 'em to the nieces :). Thanks for the recommendations!
ReplyDelete#1. I'm not a mother. #2. I'm no great educator. #3. My current pupils are girls who love to read. As such, I feel utterly unqualified to offer advice :).
ReplyDeleteAnybody else want to weigh in here?
Taking a stab in the dark, paraphrasing Aristotle: virtue is only its own reward if you're an adult, but as a kid you need to have virtue rewarded (and vice punished). So while reading is its own reward for a lot of kids, others might need to be (dare I say it?) bribed with incentives.
Are your boys competitive? Playing off of that with reading list competitions might help.
Are they good readers? Sometimes an aversion to reading has nothing to do with not liking books and everything to do with difficulty reading the words on the page.
Utterly unhelpful, I know, but maybe somebody else can offer sage advice :).
Your reading lists are awesome! Your nieces might already have read these, but I know that in these age ranges also I read and loved the following:
ReplyDeleteA Wrinkle in Time and the rest of the time quintet, by Madeleine L'Engle
The Rascals from Haskells Gym (about a gymnast), by Frank Bonham
All of the Trixie Belden mystery novels, which I think is much better than Nancy Drew
Happy summer reading!
Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott is one of my favorites :)
ReplyDeleteHave you tried Stephen Bly's children's books? Nathan T. Riggins series is an old west series that my son and daughter both enjoyed (and I did too ;) ) He has also written a series called The Lewis and Clark Squad that they both liked.
ReplyDeleteI'll take a shot at it...but you didn't mention ages, so this may or may not be of any help. My son hated reading when he first started out, but he loved nature, so that is what I focused on. He would read non-fiction nature/animal books, and read Kjelgaard (sp?) Big Red, and the rest of his. These other titles come to mind, but I don't remember what level each are: Call of the Wild, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Yearling, Frosty, My Friend Flicka.
ReplyDeleteOther books not animal stories: Robin Hood (Howard Pyle version), Otto of the Silver Hand (Pyle), and here is a real favorite of mine...The Tom Playfair series by Fr Francis Finn, the story of a young boy at a Catholic boarding school that follows his spiritual growth and social adventures through the year. Very very good. My son really liked it as well. I'm thinking 6th grade on those. He also likes Tom Sawyer (he's 9th grade now), Louie Lamour, and Redwall (but these get redundant, so I wouldn't recommend the whole series. I would have more if I actually checked my bookshelf, but that's it off the top of my head.
Hi! I must chime in with a few more recommendations.
ReplyDeleteKing of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
The Black Stallion and the ensuing series, by Walter Farley
The Bantry Bay trilogy by Hilda von Stockham
The Mitchells trilogy by Hilda von Stockham
The Winged Watchman and The Borrowed House by Hilda von Stockham
The Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald (truly hilarious!)
Encyclopedia Brown series
the ORIGINAL Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. The new ones are crap.
IMHO, Lewis' Space Trilogy is a bit too much until at least high school, since the third book has a lot of adult content. Nothing bad...just adult.
Cheaper by the Dozen has an equally enjoyable sequel few know about called Belles on their Toes.
The Robe by Lloyd Douglas
The Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp
Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse
Just a few more books I remember reading over my summer vacations:
ReplyDelete* The Black Stallion - by Walter Farley (+ any of the Black Stallion Series, for that matter!)
* Where the Red Fern Grows- Wilson Rawls
* The Giver - Lois Lowry
* Flowers for Algernon (not sure who wrote this..)
OOOh! We love so many of these books! Another great series is the Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. I second the "Happy Little Family" series as well as the " Betsy- Tacy" books...I am a Minnesota native, after all. The Mitchells Series, and "Baby Island" are some our all time favorite books as well!
ReplyDeleteExcellent! I did my undergraduate thesis on Jane Austen, and I imagine I might just have to have a class on her for my kids as they get (a lot) older. My thesis director told me that Real Men love Jane Austen, so the boys might get it too. Mwa-ha-ha ;)
ReplyDeleteOne of my nieces does gymnastics -- she'd probably enjoy the second title :). Thanks for the recommendations!
ReplyDeleteExcellent -- I added it to MY summer reading list :-D.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm actually woefully under-read in the children's books genre, and I don't know what my nieces read outside of school hours. But they sound fun. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAll good ones :). Too bad there are so few days in a Summer!
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd read the Black Stallion books as a kid. I kinda feel too old to read them now but I get the feeling I missed out.
ReplyDeleteVery good :-D. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun subject for a thesis!
ReplyDeleteMy husband (the manliest man I know) is an Austen fan. Real Men Love Austen for sure! :-D
It's never too late! They are fun. No one describes horse races like Walter Farley.
ReplyDeleteHatchet is a great book for boys. They might enjoy that.
ReplyDeleteOh, I second the Swallows and Amazons series recommendation, and the Betsy-Tacy series. (I always think of B-T as the US version of Anne of GG.)
ReplyDeleteWhat are we reading this summer?
I'm reading Agatha Christie. My boys are currently reading Don Quixote (age 16), The Two Towers (LOTR) (age 12), and The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (age 8).
I'm reading LOTR this summer myself :-D.
ReplyDeleteMarie~
ReplyDeleteI have three boys. One is a voracious reader, the other two like to read too, but often like their Game Boys more. Sometimes I just declare "No more screens!" and if they say they're bored, they get a job to do - so then they tend to read more.
I have a few ideas for you:
Sign up for the summer reading program at your public library. I don't understand how the trinkets offered as prizes can be so motivating, but my kids love them, not to mention earning t-shirts, free books, and swim passes. The prizes for the older kids are actually pretty cool, too.
Find a good series. Listen to the first one in audio book form, then if they like the stories they might be willing to read the others. We often listen to books in the car or during meals, where the kids are a captive audience. Getting the language into their brains through their ears can be as good as through their eyes.
Find stories that have been made into movies. Read the book, then have a special movie night to watch the show. Talk about the differences afterward.
Find books that are part novel, part graphic like The Invention of Hugo Cabret and/or let them read witty comic books, like Calvin and Hobbes.
Good luck!
Aww, so many awesome books!! This makes me want to visit the library. :)
ReplyDeleteJust as a note of caution, the unabridged version of "Christy" has a scene in which the people go upstairs after a wedding to watch the marriage being consummated. (Apparently a form of entertainment in the hills.) I don't remember it being particularly detailed, and it may go over a younger reader's head, but it may be a little too much for a 6th-8th grader, even one with strong reading skills. Anyway, just wanted to mention it! :)
Eek! I had no idea! Good to know -- thank you!
ReplyDelete