Are you looking for some great summer books? My family, like most homeschool families I know, switches into another gear for summer reading. Some of these books are old favorites that we have loved for decades, and others are books I stumbled across relatively recently while...well, let's be honest here!...while looking for MY great summer reads! :D 

I can be persnickety about selecting books - both those I want my kids to spend their precious time with, and those I want to spend MY precious time with! For our family, a summer read should be a luxurious romp. We want to have fun with our summer reads! Of course I love great literature, and of course the classics are never left off my "currently reading" bookshelf, but a summer read must be portable: I have to be able to put it down...to jump in the water...and pick it up when the kids drowse off to sleep. A summer read might not be the heaviest mental lifting I do all year; a summer read should speak adventure to my soul! I may not spend 90 days touring the globe ...physically!!  ... but my mind can be off on all sorts of grand adventures with a good book. 

Chapter Book - PreTeen Ideas!  (Note: if you encourage your children to use kindle, check this! I found the Wally McDoogle books on kindle this month - for a mere 99 cents.)  If your kids are going to be reading in the car...NOTHING will make them snort out loud with laughter like the Wally McDoogle books. There is always a lesson, a moral, a good deed...although how author Bill Myers manages to squish all that in between the non-stop hilarity is really beyond me.  These are Christian fiction, and I would put the reading level at 3rd grade. They are short, 120 to 140 pages each, and quick reads. Next up?  "The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic" is a much longer book, but still aimed at the 8-12 year old set generally.  Author Jennifer Trafton's debut novel, this amazing adventure will have your kids turning the pages till the very end! Highly recommended (also see read aloud recommendations for Trafton's amazing 2nd novel and a great opportunity for families to create together!).  "Phantom Tollbooth" is a kids' classic, so fun and full of the unexpected that it draws in even the most reluctant of readers...and finally "The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had" - a book about friendship, prejudice, history, and potential - really a book that is a deceptively quick read with heart-stirring themes (I almost put it in the read-aloud category, because I think there is so much to discuss here). 

What about teens? If you are like me, some of what is available for teens may dishearten you.  Now,  for clarity and the sake of helpfulness: I err on the side of imagination and adventure. I tend to not encourage romance-reading (sorry for those fans who made it thus far!) for any age - I find the genre unrealistic and unhelpful. Thus, you will find sci-fi, historical fiction, adventure, biography, and such weighted rather heavily amongst my bookshelves. Even a summer read can INSPIRE! :D (Or, I can hope it will at least!) First,  I debated whether to put Catherine Valiente's "Fairyland" books here...or in the "mom and dad" section. I have not, honestly, finished reading the series. I know some have said Fairyland is "Narnia meets Alice in Wonderland and goes to Neil Gaiman's Discworld" - but I honestly find them a unique nod to previous Sci-fi/Fantasy without really owing too much to anyone.  "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making" is the first in the series, and not my favorite...but start here. This series insists on big vocabulary, quick thinking, and makes big demands on its readers - but then rewards them wholeheartedly with fantastic wordplay, imagery that astounds, and a healthy serving of nonsense! Next, some classic James Herriot - we LOVED these books as a family. There is something so gentle, so real, so adventurous about this vet's ordinary life that it is plain inspiring. "Watership Down" is a YA classic, echoing with themes of loyalty, friendship, integrity and so much more. Next, a new entry in my recommendations...and I confess I hesitated:  "Wildwood" Chronicles. Wildwood is a long book, its vocabulary is daunting, and I confess that people either love it...or hate it. That said, those who love "Wildwood" REALLY love it, so give it a chance and see if you believe that this really is the "American Narnia," as its subtitle claims! (I wouldn't go THAT far, but did find it a great adventure...if a bit long!) My final suggestion for this section is "Peace Like a RIver."  Honestly, I think this book has a young narrator that rivals the classic Scout & Huck Finn. A secular book about strong faith, it does not shy away from themes of faith, family, and the twin possibilities of redemption and eternal loss. It is a book with strong themes, for older teens no doubt, but I encourage you to give it a look. Honestly, anything Lief Enger has written is worth that! He is on my shortlist of "most-likely-to-write-a-classic-I'll-be-teaching-some-day" authors. 

  Next...how about some family read alouds that will bring good discussion, some giggles, maybe an important discussion or two?  (PS - don't judge any of these books by a movie that may or may not have been made supposedly based on it! :O ) Take a look through this list and see if you don't find something that will set your summer nights rolling! If I could recommend ONLY ONE book for you - it would be "Henry and the Chalk Dragon," by Jennifer Trafton.   This sweet story of a boy's imagination SHOULD inspire us all to greater creative endeavors. In fact ( Homeschool Mom Alert!!) the author has a 4 lesson FREE creative course that readers of "Henry and the Chalk Dragon" are invited to take, a kind of creative journey the author will lead your family through. If it sounds about perfect for this summer? IT IS! Here is the link for the course...so you can preview that before buying the book, if you would like:  https://jennifertrafton.pathwright.com/library/henry-and-the-chalk-dragon/75702/about/    Check out the other recommendations as well - my family's favorite summer read aloud is "Summer of the Monkeys" - the kids all remember the time I laughed so hard, in gasps, that I could not finish reading the chapter and one of them had to take it over! Madeleine L'Engle's first in her Quintet,  "A Wrinkle in Time" was actually one of MY favorite books as a child, and my family loves it as a read-aloud series. I had so many potentials, but I had to cut it off somewhere...so the final recommendation in this section is "  :D "My Family and Other Animals" - by Gerald Durrell. This is but the first in a trilogy of Durrell family adventures, and it is a witty, quirky family indeed - sure to bring some laughter from their family to yours! (There is a British TV 6-part series based on these tales, if it sounds familiar!) 

Of course, mom (and dad!) certainly need some wonderful, thought-provoking, literary adventures all their own.  I make these recommendations as "places to begin" - knowing many of us hold different standards, and of course have differing literary tastes. With that caveat, here we go! First up is "The Outcasts of Time" by Ian Mortimer, which is the story of a man dying of bubonic plague during the 1300's, who is granted the gift of six days - with a leap of a century between them - to try to earn his place in life via a truly noble deed. Here is philosophy, wrapped so tightly in well-written plot that you will nearly not recognize it! Then, of course, JRR Tolkien's sweet nugget, "Leaf, by Niggle" is a deceptively light, short Tolkien. As with all Tolkien works, however, you will not live long enough to plumb its depths! Those who think too hard about such things suggest it is a retrospective on life as a writer, but all will enjoy it!   "The Book of Strange New Things" by Michel Faber was a World magazine Book of the Year several years ago. It took me this long to catch up. You will not want to miss this surprising, secular, sweet take on a futuristic missionary journey. It's stunning; I still can't stop thinking about it.  My 4th suggestion for this summer, "Return to Me" by Lynn Austin, is an historical fiction book based during the time of the Biblical books Ezra and Nehemiah. The nation of Israel is in exile in Babylon, and the yearning of the people to return and rebuild Jerusalem is in tension with the distractions and realities of every day life. I am not a "biblical fiction" fan AT ALL - but I will say this series has been an exception for me - perhaps it will be for you as well! I hope you enjoy it. Finally, "The Other Woman" by Daniel Silva, is #18 in his "Gabriel Allon" spy-espionage-adventure series.  It has won more awards than I could list here if I tried.  It is remarkably fun, fast-paced, and wryly intellectual, with the Israeli spy Allon just wanting to return to his art-restoration business and family life, but being dragged once again into an insolvable case. Expletive-free (unless my husband and I missed one?), there is one sexual situation in the first dozen pages. If you can skip over that one scene, the rest of the book is quite buttoned-up and a great deal of who-dunnit-it fun! I hope you find SOMETHING to make you smile this summer in this group! 

Finally - did you think I would have begun here? - some sweet picture books. I am particular about picture books, as you might imagine. Parents, I am well aware, must read these books hundreds, if not thousands, of times. I prefer gentle truths, tender words, and beautiful illustrations in my children's picture books. The illustrations are as important as the text, but not moreso. Here are some favorites I have read at least a hundred times, without tiring. I would gladly read them to your child today, this very moment! There is a great combination of SWEET, INSPIRATIONAL, FUN, and COMFORTING in this group - and I hope you have FUN with them! (PS - the first is a Claire Newberry. Frankly - you can just pick ANY Claire Newberry book and it will be a treasure forever!) 

Aw...summer. May it bring your family lots of laughter, joy, and memory-making! Maybe one of these books will contribute to some part of that - let me know if you find one amongst this group that becomes a particular family favorite. 

May your summer be long, your rest deep, the renewal real, and your joy limitless -

Most parents think their children are exceptional. And, as homeschooling parents, we carefully plan our curriculums to make sure they maximize their academic potential. We'd love them no matter what - but we plan for them to be brilliant, to attend the best colleges, to make a mark on the academic world in some way. 

We work pretty hard at finding the best curriculum and understanding the pros and cons of everything from phonics materials to SAT 2 testing. Sometimes, in the midst of all of that learning and educating, however, we lose sight of the fact that we are not just raising brilliant human beings to impact their world: We are raising human beings who need to interact with their world in order to impact it and to enjoy it. 

That said, an article in Time magazine caught my eye recently. Entitled "Reading Literature Makes Us Smarter and Nicer," by Anne Murray Paul, the article summarizes data from 2006-2010 studies revealing that reading literature actually increases our compassion and empahty for others. What the author calls "Deep Reading" - not simply reading the back of a cereal box or an online blurb, but actually immersing oneself in another time and place - causes us to identify with the people and places we meet in the literature we read. Of course, I suspect all true readers knew this instinctively, but it is pretty marvelous to have data to back it up! 

So, as parents, how can we use this now-proven fact to our kids' advantage? Probably by doing what you are already doing, although perhaps now more purposefully: selecting a variety of great literature to expose your kids to a heroes and heroines from all walks of life. 

Is it possible that by exposing our children to protagonists both male and female, of all cultural and racial backgrounds, in different socio-economic backgrounds than they experience, and from different historical perspectives than they will ever know - is it possible that this is a powerful took to make them better, more informed, more empathetic citizens of the world?  Yes. Ms. Paul also cites a 2010 study which shows that even young children form a better understanding of others' intentions when they have been read to. In fact, the more stories that had been read to them, the more precisely the children were able to understand others - the study called this their "theory of mind." 

So, how do we begin? Well, as you cuddle the littlest ones on your lap, make sure to read books that are not just "for boys" to boys, and not just books "for girls" to your girls. Look thoughtfully for books about other cultures, and times.  Purposefully find books about children who look different than your family looks. Look for diversity in protagonists, in setting, and in culture. We love the book "Same, Same, but Different" about two penpals, one from the US and one from India. The illustrations are realistic and charming, and the comparisons between life in India and life in the States is valuable for children.

To help your kids think about people in different situations, perhaps a good start is  "Beautiful Moon" -by Tonya Bolden- which shows a young boy praying for the homeless and hungry. It has lovely, achingly beautiful illustrations, and is perfect to help 4 -8 year olds think about people other than themselves! In addition, many of the books we consider "Classics" are also terrific.


I think the series that helped my children really get "in the skin" of kids with other experiences was the Lois Lenski series of books on children. Published over 50 years ago,  "Judy's Journey," "Strawberry Girl," "Shoo-Fly Girl," "Cotton in My Sack" and others of her America Regional Series show very different ways of living, right here in the United States. While most of them are out of print, many are available in used book stores and at library book sales! We found they were terrific to use during while studying American history. There are as many "American" experiences as there are people - and it is wonderful to explore and as many as possible. Another choice, more readily available, are the "Dear America" series, historical fiction that reads like an auto-biography, placing the protagonist at critical points in history. 

​As your students progress, make sure to keep up the process. Look for wonderful world literature, literature that expands their horizons beyond their own experience. Many of the classics in American and World Literature do just that. I think of Frederick Douglas' great auto-biography, "Narrative of the Life" and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," and on and on. I think of "The Diary of Anne Frank" as my own first shocking realization of what WWII was really about.  For upper elementary, "Across Five Aprils," and "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry," "Island of the Blue Dolphin," "Number the Stars," are moving tales with deeply indentifiable protagonists. Isn't it interesting that somehow, understanding the experiences of the past can so potently inform our futures?

Perhaps this seems a small step, or an obvious one, to you.  Of course, most of us who love literature have probably subconsciously understood this principle. Beginning today, let's take it out of our subconscious and begin to purposefully include compassion-building literature into our studies. We can all only be the richer for it!

Not all rigor is mortis!