ClassTime’s Summer Reading List for Every Age Group

Summer Reading

So many students fall prey to the ‘summer slide’ and come back to school at the start of the year having regressed. A great way to help combat this is to make sure they read a lot. 

It is a common misconception that parents should stop reading to their children once their children are able to read themselves. As parents, the best way to encourage a love of reading is to model it. If your children are surrounded by books growing up and have parents who read for pleasure, this is a value they inherit. You can also encourage this by continuing to read to your child as they grow. For example, if your child is in Kindergarten or Year 1 and is able to read short picture books, this is a good time for you to start reading longer picture books to them. If your child can read chapter books, you should be reading novels to them. This helps stretch their reading skills, helps them make connections between texts, and encourages a love of reading. 

We have compiled a summer reading list for each age group to help you and your child stay on top of their literacy this summer. Some of these books are meant to teach your child values or techniques, while others are more contemporary reads we think will inspire a love of reading. 

Ages 4-6:

  1. Take a Hike Mike and Spike by Ethan Long and Travis Foster
  2. All are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
  3. Oh The Places You’ll go by Dr. Seuss (+ other Dr. Seuss books)
  4. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
  5. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
  6. Alexander’s Outing  by Pamela Allen (+ other Pamela Allen books)
  7. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson (+ other Julia Donaldson books)
  8. The Rabbit by Shaun Tan (+ other Shaun Tan books)
  9. Where the wild things are by Maurice Sendak
  10. Fox by Margaret Wild (+ other Margaret Wild books)

Ages 7-10:

  1. The Floods by Colin Thompson
  2. Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
  3. A Series of Unfortunate Events – Lemony Snicket
  4. The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett
  5. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
  6. Matilda (+ other Roald Dahl books)
  7. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  8. The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
  9. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
  10. The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris

Pre-teens:

  1. Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
  2. Holes by Louis Sachar
  3. The Phantom Tollbooth  by Norton Juster
  4. Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
  5. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
  6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
  7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
  8. To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee
  9. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  10. Wonder by RJ Palacio

Young Adults:

  1. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson (+ other Morgan Matson books)
  2. The Giver by Lois Lowry
  3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
  4. The Fault in our Stars by John Green
  5. Caraval Series by Stephanie Garber
  6. A Discovery of Witches By Deborah Harkness
  7. Animal Farm by George Orwell
  8. We Were Liars by E Lockhart
  9. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
  10. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (+ Other Shakespeare Plays – we know they are hard to read but familiarity with them will make High School English much easier for you)

We hope you enjoy these reads as much as we did. We also advise doing some maths revision and some journaling or writing over the summer to avoid any regression.

Need to find a tutor? You can book a tutor from our sister company TutorTime, www.tutortimetutors.com if your child needs some one on one support. We have face to face online tutoring mapped to the Australian curriculum. We also have group tutoring classes too! Call us today on 1300 788 867 to find out more.