The Benefits of Summer Reading
Did you know that 21 minutes of reading outside of school each day = over 1.8 millionwords read per year? Exposure to information, ideas, and vocabulary are the obvious benefits to developing a reading routine outside of school, and especially this summer. In the summer, routines and structure may be lacking, but carving out a specific time every day for reading should be one constant!
Other benefits of reading consistently this summer include improved stamina (concentration and focus for increasingly longer periods of time), stress reduction, brain exercise, access to new knowledge and information, and increased ability to empathize with others. If students do not read over the summer, they can experience the "summer slide" (read about this at the link below).
Reading recommendations Grade 5-6
The amazing Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones
Edie has cerebral palsy, but she's used to it because she's spent her
whole life being a bit wobbly. She can't wait to start secondary school
with her best friend Oscar and share sausage rolls with him at
breaktime. A laugh out loud novel.
Child of the dream : a memoir of 1963 by Sharon Robinson
Child of the dream : a memoir of 1963 by Sharon Robinson
The African American author, daughter of the famous baseball player,
Jackie Robinson, shares her experience growing up during 1963, an
important year of the civil rights movement.
Diary of a 5th grade outlaw by Gina Loveless
Fifth grade has just started, and the school bully, Nadia, already rules
recess with an unfair Playground Tax. Robin refuses to be pushed
around, but all she can think about is winning back her best friend, Mary
Ann, after a disastrous fallout over the summer. To do so, she will have
to stand up to Nadia and become a legendary outlaw at Nottingham
Elementary.
Freewater by Amina Luqman Dawson
After fleeing the plantation where they were enslaved, siblings Ada and
Homer discover the secret community of Freewater, and work with
freeborn Sanzi to protect their new home from the encroaching dangers
of the outside world. A fascinating look at a fictional Black resistance
settlement. Winner of the John Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott
King Author Award.
Girl who speaks bear by Sophie Anderson
Found abandoned in a bear cave as a baby, and cursed with unusual size
and strength, twelve-year-old Yanka the Bear has never felt she belonged
in the small village where she grew up; the Snow Forest seems to call to
her and when she wakes up one day with her legs transformed into bear
legs she flees the village, and embarks on a dangerous journey to
uncover clues to her mysterious origin and identity.
Odder by Katherine Applegate
Inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium program that
pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers, this poignant and
humorous tale told in free verse examines bravery and healing through
the eyes of one of nature's most beloved and charming animals.
Rise of the School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Two brothers--one good, one evil--choose the students for the School
for Good and Evil where they train, teach and prepare them for their
fate until something unexpected and powerful happens that changes
everything.
School trip by Jerry Craft
Graphic novel. Eighth grader Drew Ellis recognizes that he isn't afforded
the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale
Academy Day School take for granted no matter how hard he works.
Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those
privileged kids.
Spy camp by Stuart Gibb
Top-secret training continues into summer for aspiring spy Ben
Ripley--and so does the danger.
When the sky falls by Phil Earle
Even though the city faces nightly air raids, in 1941 Joseph is sent to
London to live with the gruff Mrs F, who teaches the angry boy how to
care for the remaining animals in the city zoo, including a mighty
silverback gorilla named Adonis. Action adventure World War II story
inspired by true events.
Which way to anywhere by Cressida Cowell
K2 is a seemingly ordinary boy - after all, he and his twin sister Izzabird
have been sworn to keep their family's magical history a secret. He
draws maps of worlds that are beyond the wildest of imaginations.
Worlds with six hundred moons. But what K2 doesn't know is that the
maps he draws are real.
Reading recommendations Grade 7-8
Acceleration by Graham McNamee
Stuck working in the lost and found department of the Toronto Transit
Authority for the summer, seventeen-year-old Duncan finds the diary of
a serial killer and sets out to stop him. It examines themes of guilt,
forgiveness, mental health and poverty. A fast paced novel full of tension
and suspense. Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery
Children of the stone city by Beverley Naidoo
Set in a world where Adam and Leila and their friend Zak live as Nons
under the Permitted ruling class. Then, when Adam and Leila's father
dies unexpectedly, their mother faces losing her permit to live in the
Stone City with deportation to where she was born. A thrilling,
resonant and inspiring novel about discrimination, justice, privilege and
the power of the young to strive for change.
Every line of you by Naomi Gibson
Lydia has been creating her AI, Henry, for years--since before her little
brother died in the accident that haunts her nightmares; since before
her dad walked out, leaving her and Mum painfully alone; since before
her best friend turned into her worst enemy. Now, Henry is strong,
clever, loving and scarily capable: Lydia's built herself the perfect
boyfriend in a hard-drive filled with lines of code. A Young Adult thriller.
Gilded by Marissa Meyer
A haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. When one of Serilda's outlandish
tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters,
she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and
phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every
move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of
spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods.
The Last Dogs. Dark waters by Christopher Holt
Canine heroes Max, Rocky, and Gizmo meet a friendly new community
of dogs-and these new dogs have seen humans, who Max, Rocky, and
Gizmo thought had disappeared without a trace. A dystopian novel.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
A graphic novel adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth," in which
a nobleman and his lady plot to assassinate the King of Scotland.
The middler by Kirsty Applebaum
A dystopian novel. Eleven-year-old Maggie, a middle-born child where
only the eldest are valued, has her world turned upside-down by
forbidden friendship with Una, a wanderer girl from outside the
boundaries of Fennis Wick. Suspenseful dystopian novel with a fast
moving plot.
The sound of everything by Rebecca Henry
Betrayal, rejection, Kadie has known it all. She's tough and prepared for
everything. Everything except love. A story about daring to be yourself.
Troublemaker by John Cho
On the first night of rioting in the wake of the Rodney King verdict,
Jordan's father leaves to check on the family store, spurring
twelve-year-old Jordan and his friends to embark on a dangerous journey
through South Central and Koreatown to come to his aid, encountering
the racism within their community as they go. Asian American award for
literature winner.
While the storm rages by Phil Earle
September 1939. Britain is on the brink of war. As Noah Price's dad
marches off to fight, he asks his son to honour one vital promise: that he
will keep their dog, Winn, safe. No matter what. Noah agrees, but his
best intentions are crushed when the government advises people to
have their pets put to sleep as part of the war preparations. But Noah is
a resourceful child. He won't just do what he is told.
