Summer reading lists

I've decided to do something we've never done before for our summer reading. Make specific lists. I'm hoping this helps us be more successful at making sure we read this summer. Often the summers get fun and busy and reading is sometimes the last thing on our minds. Especially the kids'. I have no problem keeping a book open, but they do.

We've also had to be more intentional about getting books in our hands. Our library is still not fully open, so just going and browsing the shelves is not an option. We have to use the internet/Pinterest more to find book lists and go from there. I also utilized a list from the boys' Timberdoodle curriculum handbook to help us pick books. Each curriculum handbook that came with their curriculum kit has a reading challenge. There are 4 levels in the reading challenges. I challenged the boys to reach the first reading level which is called "The Light Reader" and totals 13 books with specific catergories. Some of the catergories include an inspirational book, a biography, a book 100 years old, etc. They also list several ideas in each category with specific titles to choose from if they want. My boys picked from their suggestions for most of them. We also checked on Amazon and various lists other people had shared. I really appreciate lists that people share!

Aric's Summer Reading List (6th grade)

1. Chicken Soup for the pre-teen Soul By Jack Canfield
2. US Borne Encyclopedia of Planet Earth by Anna Claybourne
3. Who Was Neil Armstrong by Roberta Edwards
4. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
5.  Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
6. The Trojan War by Olivia Coolidge
7. Tales of an 8 Bit Kitten (Book 2): A Unofficial Minecraft Adventure by Cube Kid
8. Bomb: The Race to Build--and--steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
9. Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith
10 The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
11. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
12. General Butterfingers by John Reynolds Gardiner

13. You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen by Carole Boston Weatherford

Alex's Summer Reading List (3th grade)

1. Chicken Soup for the Kids' soul by Jack Canfield
2. A Ticket Around the World by Natalia Diaz
3. Who Was George Washington by Roberta Edwards
4.Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
5. An American Girl book (Sister's favorite book at his age) Alex's choice
6. Five True Dog Stories by Margaret Davidson
7. Geronimo Stilton (any from the series)
8. Dolphins at Daybreak (Magic Tree House #9) by Mary Pope Osborne
9. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
10. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
11. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
12. Friendship According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney

13. Max and the tag-along Moon by Floyd Cooper

Aaron's Summer Reading List (8th grade)

1. Random Acts of Kindness by The Editors of Conari Press

2. Around the world in 80 days by Jules Verne

3.  Alexander Graham Bell by Elizabeth Macleod

4. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

5. The Great Wheel by Robert Lawson

6. The Story of the World: Ancient times by Susan Wise Bauer

7. Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks

8. Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard

9. Refugee by Alan Gratz

10. Shakespeare's Hamlet by William Shakespeare

11. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

12. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

13. Ghost Boys by Jewel Parker Rhodes

General summer reading list (Read-aloud, or listening on audio)

~Fablehaven 2 by Brandon Mull
~Carry on Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
~Who Was Series: American History box
~Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
~Green Ember by S.D. Smith
~Gone Fishing by Tamera Will Wissinger
~Gone Camping by Tamera Will Wissinger

~Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

~Jem's Frog Fiasco by Susan K. Marlow

~The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz

~The Boxcar Children Beginning by Patricia MacLachlan

~The River by Gary Paulsen

~The Puppy Place book series by Ellen Miles

So, this is a start for our summer reading lists. I'm sure some of these will change and some will not even happen. This is a very hopeful list for my non-reading boys. A lot will be listened to through read-alouds or CD's. My goal is to get them exposed to more different books and topics. We will also sign up for the library summer reading programs as they become available. Here's to a fun summer of reading!

I am linking this up to the Homeschool Review Crew's summer reading list and link-up.