The Insiders Guide to Education

A RITES blog by Learning Specialist and Education Advocate Saskia Nilsen, MSE

Summer is a great time to catch up on “read together” time and this is one of my daughter’s favorite activities. She enjoys books with strong female main characters who march to their own beat. So we have included some of her favorite modernized “Ramonas” and a few classics below for you to consider enjoying this summer.  

We experience the summer reading books several ways:

Read aloud is the classic curl up together on the bed and read to your child. Read aloud is an important part of our summer routine and still applies to students of any age.

Read along is when we listen to the audio version and follow the words in the book with our fingers. This is a great strategy when your child really wants to read a book that is clearly above her reading level.

Round Robin reading at my house means I read a page, you read a page (or chapter).

Book first, then movie reading means after we read the book, we will watch the movie and make comparisons on how our mental movies differed from the film and what changes were made to the plot.

Over the summer, kids often do not read aloud enough, which is a key practice for developing reading fluency. We often do this in the car on longer commutes or trips.

Silent reading means my daughter takes a pile of books – picture or chapter or even magazines – and has some quiet time reading to herself. My favorite strategy to foster this time is a book bucket. Each of my children have a book bucket in their room, which has the newest and latest rotation of books and periodicals from the library or a bookshelf that might interest them. Just putting it on their beds each night, entices them to pick up books that will engage them and be at the right level because I’ve pre-screened the offerings.

Happy Summer Reading Adventures!

Girls Rock Book List: My Daughter’s Summer Reading Recommendations

(progressing from early elementary to middle school)

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Olivia by Ian Falconer

Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Grace for President by Kelly S. DiPucchio

Eloise by Kay Thompson

Lady Bug Girl by David Soman

Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Zita, The Space Girl Series by Ben Hatke

Ivy and Bean Series by Annie Barrows

Jody Moody by Megan McDonald

Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker

Ramona Series by Beverly Cleary

Bink and Gollie by Kate Di Camillo and Alison McGhee

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Mrs Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

The BFG by Roald Dahl

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan

Rules by Cynthia Lord

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill

Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles

Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams- Garcia

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

 (Click here for my son’s recommendations for summer reading for boys!)