LREI: Library/Resources

To help your child develop independent reading skills, we have created the following list of suggested titles. Daily reading during the summer months allows students to strengthen and solidify their reading skills. Many titles on this list are series, which help support the reader with familiar characters, fewer words per page, and controlled vocabulary. These titles and others by the same authors are readily available at the public library and at local and online bookstores.

Fiction
Blume, Judy. Iggie’s House
When an African American family moves into a white neighborhood, Winnie learns the importance of being a good friend.

Bredsdorff, Bodil. The Crow-Girl
Crow Girl lives with her grandmother on a lonely stretch of coast in Denmark. After her grandmother dies, Crow Girl must survive on her own, relying on her grandmother’s gentle advice. A poignant story of love, loss and survival.

Cameron, Ann. The Stories Julian Tells
Julian is great at telling stories. He can make people believe almost anything. But sometimes stories can get you into a heap of trouble.

Clements, Andrew. Frindle
Nick’s reputation for scheming comes to play over an assignment about how new words are added to the dictionary.

Creech, Sharon. Love That Dog
Jack is beginning to realize that writing in his journal is actually worth it. After reading a Walter Dean Myers poem, he finds his own voice to help express his feelings of loss.

Cushman, Karen. The Ballad of Lucy Whipple
California Morning Whipple has renamed herself Lucy. Her mother is actually moving her from Massachusetts to a rough California mining town with no school, no library and most definitely no riches.

Dahl, Roald. James and the Giant Peach
James experiences wonderful adventures after escaping his two mean aunties, by rolling away in a giant peach!

Delacre, Lulu. Salsa Stories
As Carmen Teresa celebrates New Year’s Day, a friend gives her a diary. She wonders what she should write in it. Her mother suggests “stories from our family and friends”. Each chapter tells the story of a family member

Denslow, Sharon Phillips. Georgie Lee
Georgie Lee is grandma’s cow, and she’s at the center of these vignettes that follow the good times that JD and his grandmother share.

Enright, Elizabeth. Gone Away Lake
Portia spends the summer with her cousins and discovers an old vacation spot that time has forgotten. Gone Away Lake is surrounded by dilapidated summer homes that beg exploring. Are they all empty?

Fleishman, Sid. The Whipping Boy
A bratty prince plans to run away and involves the whipping boy – a streetwise urchin. Together they face kidnapping, hunger and narrow escapes through rat infested sewers.

Fleming, Candace. The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School
A contemporary twist on the well-known fables. Be careful what you wish for, indeed!

Garden, Nancy. Holly’s Secret
When Holly moves from NYC to a small Massachusetts town, she decides to reinvent herself. “Yvette” is sophisticated, feminine, and most importantly, nobody knows she has two moms.

Geeslin, Campbell. Clara and Señor Frog
Clara discovers the magic of art and her own artistic abilities after seeing a famous painting that looks so real!

Hodges, Margaret. Merlin and the Making of the King
Streamlined retellings of “The Sword and the Stone”, “Excalibur”, and “The Lady of the Lake”. Beautifully illustrated by the late Trina Schart Hyman.

Ibbotson, Eva. The Star of Kazan
Eleven years have past since Ellie and Sigrid found baby Annika. Annika is happy in her life as the cook and housemaid’s assistant, until a glamorous stranger arrives. Is she Annika’s birth mother?

Jocelyn, Marthe. Mabel Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril and Romance
It is 1901 and Mabel has dreams of becoming a writer. She follows her schoolteacher sister to Goodham Farm and is disappointed to find a lack of excitement. Until she meets Mrs. Rattle, that is!

Juster, Norton. The Phantom Tollbooth
Milo is bored, bored, bored and can’t see the point in doing much of anything, until a tollbooth mysteriously apprears in his room. Thus begins a wondrous journey.

Kimmle-Smith, Robert. Chocolate Fever
After eating way too much chocolate, Henry breaks out in strange bumps. Will he learn a lesson about overindulgence?

King-Smith, Dick. The Terrible Trins
A story of cat versus mouse. Three mice brothers ignore their hierarchical community, befriend a “lower class” mouse and fight against cat rights\

Klise, Kate. Regarding the Sink
The sequel to the popular Regarding the Fountain. Sink designer Florence Waters has gone missing, and it becomes the focus of the sixth grade class to find her. Enjoy this wild story told through a series of letters, memos, faxes and newspaper articles.

Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Four English school children find their way into the back of a magical wardrobe and into the magical land of Narnia. Look for the rest of the series.

Lewis, Maggie. Morgy Makes His Move
When third grader Morgy MacDougal-MacDuff moves from California to Massachusetts, he has a lot of new things to get used to. Will he find his place?

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog
Grace stuggles to integrate her Tawainese self, and her American self during the Year of the Dog. Peppered with family stories, readers will laugh and cry as Grace finds her way.

Norton, Mary. The Borrowers (series)
The borrowers are old-fashioned folk who like to live in country houses and stay out of sight of humans. When a desire for excitement leads 3 of the borrowers to meet a human boy, the adventure begins!

Perez, Amada Irma. My Diary from Here to There / Mi Diario De Aqui Hasta Alla
While the rest of her family is excited about their move, Amada records her feelings of anxiousness in her diary. Amada’s father tells her not to worry, that she is stronger than she thinks.

Sleator, William. The Boy Who Reversed Himself
When Laura finds her homework with backward writing, she’s confused. Until she learns that her weird neighbor Omar has the ability to travel to the 4th dimension!

Soto, Gary. The Skirt
Miata Ramirez is devastated after losing her mother’s folklorico on the bus. She enlists the help of her friend Ana to try and find it before the upcoming folkorico dance.

Taylor, Mildred D. The Gold Cadillac
Lois and Wilma are proud of their father’s new car. As they travel from Ohio to Mississippi, the girls face suspicious glances instead of admiration. For the first time the girls feel scared because of their skin color.

Van Draanen, Wendelin. Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief
While spying through her binoculars, Sammy spots a man wearing gloves pawing through a woman’s purse. Sammy needs to investigate! Look for others in the series.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Coming on Home Soon
Set during WWII Ada Ruth waits for her mother’s return from her job search in Chicago. E.B. Lewis’ illustrations highlight the emotional feeling of the text.

Wright, Betty. A Ghost in the Family
Chad and Jennine go for a 2-week vacation to Aunt Rosebud’s house. As soon as they arrive, strange things start happening!

Non-Fiction
Arqueta, Jorge. Movie in My Pillow / Una pelicula en mi almohada
A boy collects images of his San Francisco neighborhood and connects them with memories of his life in El Salvador. A collection of poignant poetry.

Brown, Don. Odd Boy Out
An interesting look at Albert Einstein’s sometimes odd and fascinating childhood.

Campoy, F. Isabel and Alma Flor Ada. Tales Our Abuelitas Told
Along with a discussion about how tales change as they are told, 12 Hispanic folktales are sure to delight readers.

Gibbons, Gail. Marge’s Diner
Spend a day at the diner and find the inside and outside workings of the business.

Krull, Kathleen. Harvesting Hope
Follow Cesar Chavez on his 340 mile march to protest the working conditions of migrant farm-workers in California.

Kuklin, Susan. Families
Combining interviews and photos, here are what some families look like in America today.

Kurlansky, Mark. The Story of Salt
More than just something to sprinkle on your French fries! Take a look at the uses and power of salt through the ages.

Lasky, Kathryn. The Man Who Made Time Travel
The story of John Harrison. How did this clockmaker figure out the puzzle of longitude?

Macaulay, David. Mosque
Macaulay has done it again. An amazing look at the construction of a mosque.

McGovern, Ann. Shark Lady
Euginie started spending every Saturday at the aquarium while her mother went to work. As she grew older, her curiosity about marine life grew. Did she fulfill her dream to swim with sharks?

Mound, Laurence. Insects
A favorite in the Eyewitness series. Encyclopedic format with colorful photos to illustrate facts. From the parts of an insect to early entomology, Eyewitness tells you more than you thought possible about the world of bugs.

Philip, Neil. Horse Hooves and Chicken Feet
14 selected folktales from Mexico and the American Southwest. Beautiful acrylic illustrations.

Sansevere-Dreher, Diane. Explorers Who Got Lost
An interesting look at some of the unintentional discoveries of explorers like Columbus and Cabot.

Siegel, Siena Cherson. To Dance: A Memoir
This Cybil award winning graphic novel follows Siena’s dream to dance from Puerto Rico to New York City’s American School of Ballet.

Solheim, James. It’s Disgusting and We Ate It
Learn about amazing things that people all over the world have not only eaten, but enjoyed! Poetry, jokes and recipes are included.

Swan, Brian (ed.) Touching the Distance
A collection of 15 Native American riddle poems.

Terzian, Alexandra. The Kid’s Multicultural Art Book
Crafts from around the world that you will want to keep! Each chapter begins with a brief history and summary on the culture to be explored. Arranged by continent.

Winter, Jonah. Beisbol! Latino Baseball Pioneers and Legends
14 biographical entries of Latino baseball players in the game between 1900 and 1960.

Winter, Jonah. Dizzy
Dizzy Gillespie escapes an abusive childhood by finding the magic in his trumpet.

Yep, Laurence. The Rainbow People
A collection of twenty Chinese folktale, each with a thoughtful introduction telling of the original teller’s background.

Zaunders, Bo. Crocodiles, Camels and Dugout Canoes
Eight amazing explorers stories are put together from their own diaries and letters. An interesting combination of geography, history and biography.

Averill	Hamilton	Parish
Bulla	Havill	Pinkwater
Bunting	Hoban	Rylant
Burmingham	Hoff	Say
Capucilli	Hurd	Steig
Cleary	Lobel	\|Van Leeuwen
Cole	Marshall	Wilder
Ehlrich	McCauly	Zelinsky

Graves, R. (Ed).
The RIF Guide to Encouraging Young Readers.
A compilation of family reading activities designed to keep reading FUN!

Kaye, Peggy.
Games for Reading: Playful Ways to Help Your Child Read.
A great resource for parents, this book will help children learn to read by doing what they like to do best: play games. The games are easy to follow and easy to play, and designed for the beginning reader. However, even if your child is already reading, these games are fun and worth trying! A section at the end suggests creative ways to encourage your child to read independently on a daily basis.

Lipson, Eden Ross.
The New York Times Parents' Guide to the Best Books for Children
A revised an updated guide to some of the best American children's books of the twentieth century. Multiple indices group books by title, author, illustrator, age appropriateness, read-aloud potential and special interests.

Trelease, Jim.
The Read-Aloud Handbook
Trelease mixes scientific proof and anecdotal evidence about the life changing nature of reading aloud to children. The last section of this book lists literature appropriate for reading aloud to various ages.

All three library systems maintain web pages that include booklists which are categorized by grade level. Librarians annotate many of the lists.