I love summer.

I love reading.

I love reading in the summer…on porches, nestled on the couch with a fan blowing on me, in a hammock, on the beach…you name it.

But I don’t always love Summer Reading. You know, kids often say it like it’s just one word…summerreading. As in, “UGH. I have to do my stupid summerreading.”

While I get the benefits of library reading contests and prizes and all the rest, it can suck the fun out of something pretty awesome.

So what’s the best way to read in the summer?

Well, if you ask me, the best way is to go to the library with a very patient (and ideally fairly strong) adult, tell them to find a seat and get comfortable, and then…start to browse. Pick up a book, read a few pages, see if you like it. Look for covers that seem cool. See if an author you used to like has anything new — or an older book you never knew about!

Be brave.

Take risks.

Library books are FREE! You get to take them home and read them and bring them back and get more!

Take out as many books as your library will allow (and your strong grown-up will carry).Then, see what you think.

Read them all.

Read one three times in a row then go back to the library to get the sequel. (You might have to return a few at this point).

Take a month to read one book because you don’t want it to end. Don’t worry about whether that giant Foxtrot cartoon book you took out “counts” for summer reading — just read it and laugh out loud. (Poor Paige!)

Keep a list of what you read, or don’t. Set yourself a challenge of reading 15 books. Or don’t. Take out a book that looks too scary. Maybe you’ll never get past the first chapter. Maybe you’ll read the whole thing with a flashlight under the covers and then sleep with the lights on. (I recommend The Jumbies!)

Have. Fun.

Below are some books that I love to read (and reread) in the summer. Maybe take a look for them next time you’re at the library…even if you decide they don’t look that good, there might be another one on the shelf, right nearby that looks just…perfect.

Happy reading!

xoxoxo Dana

P.S. I love summer books so much that two of my own books are love letters to summer! The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island and This Would Make a Good Story Someday both take place in the summer. And although they’re quite different, they both involve families, shenanigans, and summer plans that go completely wrong. Maybe your library has them!

SUMMER TALES:

The Penderwicks, and the rest of the series, may be one of the more perfect summer reading choices. The sisters, their friends, their dogs, their cat, their father, their adventures, their secrets…these books have it all. If you haven’t read them yet, this might be the summer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long before there were the Penderwicks, there were the Melendys, and the Four Story Mistake. These books were old even when I was a kid, but they still stand up. Once again the sisters and brothers and pets and shenanigans all come alive. My kids and I still quote from these books and crack ourselves up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Half Magic is another book that goes way back, but still holds strong as a perfectly hilarious summer story. The cat who gets half-magicked…and I’m not saying any more!…is awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Crazy Summer is possibly the perfect summer book. Hilarious, fascinating, poignant, and full of information about a time in history that a lot of people don’t know much about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Parker Inheritance is a new book, and I literally read the whole thing in one sitting because it’s so good. It’s a puzzle, a mystery, a book about friendship and family and race and history, and it AMAZING. (Also, it’s a big old love letter to The Westing Game, and if you haven’t read that one…get on it!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dumpling Days is a different kind of summer adventure, with travel and adventure and an exploration of different cultures, languages, and of course…food!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there are a few to get you started, but feel free to share some favorites in the comments. And maybe this will be the year of loving reading in the summer. Because it’s so much better than summerreading.