Oh, summer break. It always starts off exciting: vacations, pool time, ice cream, movies, the list goes on.
But come July is when the ‘magic’ often starts to fade and the dreaded phrase, “I’m bored” emerges. When that happens, head to your summer reading list! We’ve compiled a list of several books by each grade level, so you certainly won’t find yourself running out of things to read!
By the way, if you haven’t yet, go check out your local public library! Libraries in your county are free, and they’re not just for books! Many libraries have access to free audio books, DVDs to check out and even music or passes to places like the Phoenix Zoo.
Here’s Primavera’s Summer Reading List, broken down by grade level:
Kindergarten
- Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz
- Looking for a Jumbie by Tracey Baptiste
- The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
- The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Round by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
- Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
- The Bear’s Song by Benjamin Chaud
- It’s So Quiet: A Not-Quite-Going-to-Bed Book by Sherri Duskey Rinker
- Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
- Silly Sally by Audrey Woods
- Atticus Caticus by Sarah Maizes
- 100 Dogs: Playful Pups to Count by Michael Whaite
- Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
1st Grade
- My Toothbrush is Missing by Jan Thomas
- What is Chasing Duck? by Jan Thomas
- We Are in a Book by Mo Willems (all Elephant and Piggie books are fantastic!)
- The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow by Andy Griffiths
- Ed and Ted and Ted’s Dog Fred by Andy Griffiths
- Friends Do Not Eat Friends (Thunder and Cluck) by Jill Esbaum
- Hi, Jack! by Mac Barnett & Greg Pizzoli
- Let’s Make Cake (Bobo and Pup Pup) by Vikram Madan
- That Egg is Mine by Liz Goulet Dubois
2nd Grade
- Magic Tree House The Graphic Novel Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
- Super Detectives Simon and Chester by Cale Atkinson
- A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy
- Secret Spy Society The Case of the Missing Cheetah by Veronica Mang
- Mac Undercover (Kid Spy #1) by Mac Barnett
- Crime Biters: My Dog Is Better Than Your Dog by Tommy Greenwald
- Good Dog by Cam Higgins
- Too Small Tola by Atinuke
- Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon
- Baloney and Friends Going Up! by Greg Pizzoli
- Bark Park by Brandi Dougherty
- The Amazing Life of Azaleah Lane by Nikki Shannon Smith
- Planet Omar by Zanib Mian
3rd Grade
- Doodle Adventures: The Search for Slimy Space Slugs! (series) by Mike Lowery
- The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths
- Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers by John Dougherty
- Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey
- Hamster Princess Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon
- Real Pigeons Fight Crime by Ben Wood
- Monday into the Cave of Thieves (Total Mayhem #1) by Ralph Lazar
- I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake (series) by Lauren Tarshis
- Trapped in a Video Game by Dustin Brady
- Mac Undercover (Kid Spy #1) by Mac Barnett
- Secret Agent Jack Stalwart (series) by Elizabeth Singer Hunt
- The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg
- Word Travelers and the Taj Mahal Mystery by Raj Haldar
4th Grade
- Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis
- Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong
- Mellybean and the Giant Monster by Mike White
- The Land of Stories (series) by Chris Colfer
- The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Williams
- 5 Worlds: The Sand Warrior by Mark Siegel, Alexis Siegel, Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, and Boya Sun
- The Watson’s Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
- John Lincoln Clem Civil War Drummer Boy (series) by E.F. Abbott
- Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
- Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood (verse)
- Escape This Book Tombs of Egypt by Bill Doyle, illustrated by Sarah Sax & You
- Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
5th Grade
- Legacy and the Queen (series) by Annie Matthew, created by Kobe Bryant
- Amari and the Night Brothers (series) by B.B. Alston
- Area 51 Interns: Alien Summer by James S. Murray and Carsen Smith
- Masterminds (series) by Gordon Korman
- Escape from Atlantis by Kate O’Hearn
- Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori Lee
- Dungeoneer Adventures by Ben Costa and James Parks
- Legacy and the Queen (series) by Annie Matthew, created by Kobe Bryant
- Amari and the Night Brothers (series) by B.B. Alston
- Area 51 Interns: Alien Summer by James S. Murray and Carsen Smith
- Masterminds (series) by Gordon Korman
- Escape from Atlantis by Kate O’Hearn
- Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori Lee
- Dungeoneer Adventures by Ben Costa and James Parks
6th Grade
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
- Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl by Julie Kagawa
- Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
- Dungeoneer Adventures by Ben Costa and James Parks
- Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
- The Adventurers Guild by Zach Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos
- Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts by Erika Lewis
- Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
- Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist
- Starfish by Lisa Fipps
- From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
- Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
- Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
- Unsettled by Reem Faruqi
- Omar Rising by Aisha Saeed
7th Grade
- Pippa Park Raises Her Game by Erin Yun
- Gone to the Woods by Gary Paulsen
- Starfish by Lisa Fipps
- Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling
- Boy, Everywhere by A.M. Dassu
- The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz
- City Spies by James Ponti
- Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibb
- 96 Miles by J.L. Esplin
- Whale of the Wild by Rosanne Parry
- The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks
- Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart
- Beneath by Roland Smith
8th Grade through High School
- Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi
- The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
- Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalo
- Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gatz
- Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin
- A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
- Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
- Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
- Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend by Karen Blumenthal
- Recovery Road by Blake Nelson
- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
- The Maze Runner by James Dashner
- Fences by August Wilson
Happy reading!