Recommended Reading

Hi Friends,

School is out for summer.  The first few days are about getting into a new routine.  After a few days I start to hear the dreaded phrase…mom, I’m bored.  My first response is always, “find a book”.

It’s time to get into a summer reading program.  The Brookings Institute article by David Quinn states that, “on average, students’ achievement scores declined over summer vacation by one month’s worth of school-year learning.” This so called summer slide can be avoided by supporting your child in a summer reading program.   These programs are typically offered by the local library and may have incentives for reading goals accomplished. 

My approach to summer reading with my children is volume.  I like to encourage my children to read what they enjoy, and a lot of it, rather than pushing a lot of classics or challenging books.  My goal is to raise readers.  Children that love to read and spend time reading.  As readers get older they have a better understanding about the type of books they like to read.  Young readers need more volume and more options to find their reading preferences. 

This summer series reading blog focuses on early and transitional readers.  Readers that are just beginning to read longer on their own.  The suggestions in this blog are book series with repetitive characters and themes that make it easy for early and transitional readers to read successfully.  You may want to read the opening chapter of the book first so your child has a good idea of the character names and general story theme.  Then they can work on reading to you, or reading on their own.  I am looking forward to beating the heat with a summer full of good books!  

This post shares with you some great reading resources to get your early and transitional reader going this summer.   Book images in this post include amazon affiliate links and ads.  I may receive commission from clicks or purchases from the site links.  Clicking on the book image will open a new tab for shopping books from this list.  The book images also provide a reference for library or independent bookstore browsing. 

Here are 10 recommended reading summer series books to fill your summer.

• Katie Woo by Fran Manushkin (45 books in the series)

Katie Woo is a great early reader book series.  This is a great series for kids to start reading chapter books.  There are typically three to five chapters.  The books focus on the main character Katie and her friends as they experience life together.

• Fly Guy by Todd Arnold (19 books in the series) (13 books in the Fly Guy presents series)

When my son read his first chapter book, Hi, Fly Guy by Todd Arnold, his self-confidence went to 100. I told him once he learned how to read he could learn anything.   The fly guy series is a great series to start early readers reading on their own.  The chapters are short. There are generally about three chapters per book.  The Fly Guy presents series is a non-fiction series.  Fly guy is the narrator presenting information about general non-fiction topics like animals, dinosaurs, space, or trucks.

• Mercy Watson by Katie DiCamillo (6 books in the series)

Mercy Watson is a beginning chapter book about a pig living in the suburbs.  The books have between three and five chapters and are great for transitioning from early reader to reading on their own.  The stories feature the same characters, Mercy the pig, the parents, and the nosey neighbors.  The nosey neighbors also have a book series (Tales from Deckawoo Drive) if your reader enjoys these stories.

• The High Rise Private Eyes by Cynthia Rylant (8 books in the series)

If your reader enjoys a good mystery, The High Rise Private Eyes is a good series.  This is a great early chapter book series with books ranging from three to five chapters. Chapters are around ten pages with pictures.  This series is great for building reading stamina.

• Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmatt (29 books in the series)

The Nate the Great detective series is all about those pancakes.  Hard work takes a lot of energy. It’s good to remember to provide your readers a snack so they can build reading stamina.  The Nate the Great series follows detective Nate as he solves mysteries in his neighborhood and beyond.

• Narwhal and Jelly by Ben Clanton

The Narwhal and Jelly series by Ben Clanton is a graphic novel series that follows the adventures of a Narwhal and his jellyfish friend.  Graphic novels are for kids today what the comics were for kids of yesterday.  These short stories and pictures help build reading confidence.

• Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish and Herman Parish (12 books in this series)

Herman Parish continues the legacy of Amelia Bedelia first written by his aunt Peggy Parish in 1963.  Amelia Bedelia brings fun to figurative language.  It’s not easy getting a grip on idioms.  Amelia Bedelia is a great series that helps children understand this interesting way of telling a story.   

• Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne (37 books in the original series)

The Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne follows the time traveling adventures of Annie and Jack.  The sibling pair stumble upon a treehouse that transports them in time.  This series is great for kids that like action and adventure with some non-fiction elements of real life history.  This series is prolific with over 37 books in the original series and 29 books in the spin-off series.  Other options in the magic treehouse library are non-fiction supplement books and graphic novels. 

• A to Z Mystery Series by Ron Roy (26 books in the series)

The A to Z Mystery series follows a group of friends on several mystery adventures.  This series is great for early independent readers that are ready for chapter books.  These books typically have around ten chapters and have less pictures than some of the previous series mentioned.  

• Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (18 books in the series)

The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner first book was written in 1924.  These mysteries are good for children beginning to read chapter books.  This series might be considered a classic so if it doesn’t appeal to your child it might go into the read aloud pile.  Some of the references might need some explanation because of the date of the writing but overall a good summer reading series.