Summer Reading (and Videos!) for All Levels
Assigning enjoyable summer reading titles can help keep those literary gears turning over vacation — and hopefully introduce kids to new favorite books. We’ve assembled a summer reading list for all grade levels based on various recommended reading lists.
Give summer reading a multimedia twist by using Flocabulary videos to supplement! For each book, we handpicked a Flocabulary video that explores similar themes, so you can give your students a sneak peek and get them excited before they leave.
Pre-K/K
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
By Steve Jenkins
This 2004 Caldecott Honor Book takes us on a beautiful tour of different animals, from the mole to the platypus. We learn how different creatures use their ears, eyes, mouths, noses, feet and tails.
If you’re reading What Do You Do with a Tail…, you might also like Flocab’s K-2 story, “The Chipmunk,” which teaches exciting words like “enormous,” “magical” and “rumpus.” Listen now.
Elementary
Name That Dog! Puppy Poems from A to Z
by Peggy Archer
This silly and smart collection of poems about naming some special dogs helps early elementary students to review the alphabet and explore rhyme.
Check out our Word Up song about a dog named Manny and experience words like “blossom” and “tidy.” Watch now.
A Wizard From the Start: The Incredible Boyhood and Amazing Inventions of Thomas Edison
by Don Brown
This picture book introduces readers to the great accomplishments of Thomas Edison.
If you’re reading about Thomas Edison, include some additional context with our social studies song about the Industrial Revolution. Watch Now.
Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story
by Mark Kelly
Astronaut Mark Kelly really did fly alongside mice aboard the Endeavor shuttle in 2011. He honors those little mouse-tronauts in this story about Mike the mouse, who is determined to lend a helping hand on the space shuttle.
Complement Mike’s journey with our video about the solar system. Watch Now.
Walt Whitman: Words for America
by Barbara Kerley
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Honoree, this beautifully drawn biography introduces students to the fascinating life of Walt Whitman. Learn about his service as a Civil War nurse and how it inspired him to write.
Have your readers identify figurative language in Walt Whitman’s poems or incorporate wordplay into their own writing with our figurative language video. Watch Now.
Middle School
Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Pam Muñoz Ryan draws from her own grandmother’s experiences to bring this historical fiction novel to life. We follow 13-year-old Esperanza as her family embarks on a difficult journey from Mexico to the United States. This story chronicles the obstacles she and her family face as immigrants during the Great Depression.
Help lend context to this historical fiction by listening to a rapped excerpt of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous 1933 inaugural address. Listen Now.
Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli
At first, Stargirl’s uniqueness makes her popular. But soon her peers turn against her because she isn’t like them. Spinelli explores the challenges of conformity and being “normal” in this highly relevant teen novel.
Learn fifteen 7th grade vocabulary words in our Word Up song that explores similar themes, “Both Sides Now.” Watch Now.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Aristotle and Dante don’t think they have anything in common, but in time they become invaluable parts of each other’s lives. Join them on this realistic journey through adolescence as they discover their true identities.
Learn fifteen 8th grade vocabulary words in our Word Up song “Two Bad Cousins,” another tale of camaraderie. Watch Now.
High School
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
Ishmael Beah generously shares this true story of becoming a boy soldier in Sierra Leone. This powerful memoir gives readers a new perspective on the realities of violence in other parts of the world, and tells an inspiring story about rehabilitation and surviving tragedy.
Our World War I song is also written from the perspective of a soldier. Ask students to reflect how our perspective on a historical moment changes when we hear it in the first person. Listen Now.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Murial Barbery
Spend some time curled up in a hammock with this funny and whimsical novel, translated from the French. It tells the story of unlikely friends in a Parisian apartment building: a secretly intellectual concierge, a dramatic 12-year-old girl, and a Japanese businessman.
This vocab song tells stories about different kinds of friendships while incorporating SAT vocab like “magnanimous,” “conciliatory” and “camaraderie.” Listen Now.
Feed
by M.T. Anderson
This science fiction novel chronicles timeless teenage troubles in a futuristic setting. Feed deftly explores consumerism and our growing dependence on technology.
This SAT vocab song about a patient and his symptoms teaches great words for discussing Feed, including “hedonist,” “frenetic” and “ominous.” Listen Now.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
This beloved novel is written from the perspective of an autistic 15-year-old, Christopher, who excels in math but flounders socially. He sets out to solve a murder mystery in this sweet and poetic novel.
Take a trip into Christopher’s world by learning SAT math vocabulary, including “decagon,” “perpendicular” and “congruent.” Listen Now.
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
by Marjane Satrapi
A New York Times Notable Book, this absorbing graphic novel tells the true story of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Marjane Satrapi candidly shares her adolescence with us and lends an intimate perspective to discord in the Middle East.
Learn more about conflicts in the modern Middle East from 1948 to the present with our social studies song. Listen Now.
From everyone Flocab HQ to you: We hope you have a great summer filled with GREAT books!