Books for Kids
One of the questions I get asked most often by friends is “what books should I get for my kids to read?” or “what should we read aloud?” I love this question! And I have my book-loving friends I ask it of all the time too, swapping book recommendations for either myself or my kids is one of my favorite things to do and I have a running list in a note in my phone with titles to check out from the library next. I thought I’d create a post here with the best book recommendations my boys have loved this past year with the hopes that it’s helpful as you think about stockpiling some titles for the upcoming summer—with long hot days ahead of us it’s a great time to institute a standing reading time for everyone and you’d be amazed it how many books your kids can get through when they sit and read 30 minutes a day. Below are titles we’ve read aloud as a family and books they’ve read individually, if you click on each link it will take you to the amazon page for each book so you can read more about each one.
Books We’ve Read Aloud Lately
The entire Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Cleary. My mom read these books to my sister and I when we were kids and I adored them, I was thrilled when my kids loved them too and we have now read the entire series of 8 books plus one of the Henry Huggins books. They’ve loved them all.
The Adventures of Nanny Piggins by RA Spratt. We have only read book 1 in the series so far but book 2 is next on our list. When a pig named Nanny Piggins answers a call to be a nanny for a human family hilarity ensues. Especially because her favorite thing to do is eat chocolate and ignore all the rules the strict uptight father has set for his children.
Trumpet of the Swan by EB White. This is one I somehow never read as a child. I read Charlotte’s Web of course, but I never read Trumpet of the Swan. I picked it up to read to my kids unsure of what it was even about or if they’d like it and I could not believe what a delightful story this was. We were all captivated from the beginning and it’s one of my favorite kids books of all time now.
My Father’s Dragon series by Ruth Stiles Gannett. I’d been told by kids book experts that this is one of the best first chapter books to read aloud to your kids and even though I’d never read it myself I trusted them. They weren’t wrong. I’ve read this aloud now twice, once to each of the boys when they were 5 as one of their first chapter books and they both absolutely loved this story of Elmer and the dragon he’s trying to rescue.
The Fudge series by Judy Blume. I didn’t actually read this one aloud, I read them all to myself as a kid multiple times but Aidan has these on his audible account and has listened to them literally 20 times each over the past few years. He loves the Fudge books and never seems to get tired of them. They would be fantastic summer read alouds for all elementary aged kids and someday we’ll read them aloud as a family just because they are so delightful.
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. Kate DiCamillo is just a master storyteller, you can’t go wrong with any of her books, but we did Because of Winn Dixie on audible and we all loved it. The movie on Disney+ is also fantastic, so if you have a reluctant reader maybe promise them they can watch the film if they make it through the book!
Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. We’ve made it through 5 of the books with Aidan (Asher just isn’t interested yet) and they are wonderful to read aloud. He has them on audible as well and has re-listened to all 5 numerous times. We’ll start book 6 together this summer but he would highly recommend them!
Books the boys have read alone and loved
The Adventures of Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo was the first set of books both boys read alone and loved. There aren’t that many words on each page, and the full color illustrations are absolutely delightful making this series about the Watsons and their pet pig Mercy a fantastic set of books for younger readers trying to gain some confidence in reading alone. You know they’re good when mom is also laughing out loud at some of Mercy’s antics! Or if you have preschoolers these would be fantastic to read aloud!
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. These were some of my favorites from childhood and last summer Aidan started reading them and went through the first 9 or 10. He loves them and I’m hoping this summer to get him back into the series. Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny might be the most resourceful and delightful children around!
Zoey and Sassafrass series by Asia Citro. My niece loved these and my dear friend who has a voracious young reader adored them so much she raved about them, so I got Asher the boxed set for Valentine’s Day. He LOVES them! They are small chapter books about a little girl named Zoey who wants to be a scientist and in each book she encounters a magical animal that needs her help. So she employs the scientific method to figure out how to help each of them (like a baby dragon who is hungry or a monster who can’t get mold off his fur). They are illustrated and perfect first chapter books for that kindergarten-2nd grade set of readers!
Bear Grylls Adventure Series by Bear Grylls. I discovered these books for Aidan with the help of a friend who sells Usborne Books and he’s now read 5 of them and adores them. In each book a kid gets transported to where Bear Grylls is and has to learn how to survive—like the side of a volcano or in a cave or in the jungle. He loves them. You can get the boxed set on Amazon or if you have a friend who sells Usborne books they publish them.
I’d love to hear from you all what your kids are loving and reading these days, what should I add to our summer reading list for this year??
