Summer Reading Suggestions From My 8 & 13 Year Old Kids

My girls as... Masterpiece Theater hosts? Not sure, but they're obviously ready to do some reading!

This summer we've been making weekly trips to the library, and my darling daughters have really racked up the frequent reader pages (so to speak). This is par for the course for my 13 year old, who has always been an avid reader, but it's the first time that my 8 year old seems to be getting as excited about reading!

I always let them roam the library and choose books on their own. (Although I'm not totally hands-off, I will make suggestions from time to time.) I've been pleased with what my 13 year old has been reading (which includes some old favorites she's re-reading as well as some new discoveries and challenges) and completely thrilled with what my 8 year old is reading--especially since her choices this summer have inspired her to stay up late reading in bed, and to check out more and more books by the same author or in the same series.

Here's what my girls have been enjoying this summer:


The 13 Year Old

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The Warriors series by Erin Hunter (one of her re-reads)
The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series by Kathryn Lasky
Hatching Magic by Ann Downer
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Marley & Me by John Grogan
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Dragon Slippers series by Jessica Day George
The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London

The 8 Year Old

The Ivy & Bean series by
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
The Bunnicula series by James Howe
The Ranma 1/2 series by Rumiko Takahashi (Anime)
The Waggit series by Peter Howe

The 13 year old obviously reads more voraciously than the 8 year old at this point, but that's fine with me. As long as I see both my girls enjoying their books, reading because they WANT to, and eager to talk about them with me, then I'm happy! Although the 8 year old's list is shorter, lately her face lights up around books in a way that it hasn't done before. It's an exciting thing for this book-loving mom to see!

If you (or your children) have any favorites to share with my girls, or if you're looking for more 8-13 year old suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment. I'll be happy to pass questions on to my little readers. As for us, we're always looking for more books to try!

Happy Reading!