Summer Reading 2012 - Middle Grade Edition

School is out and it's time to talk about Summer Reading!

First, a few ground rules:

1.  FUN!  Children's pleasure reading should be at or one level below their academic level.

2.  Quality, not quantity.  Keep track of how much time your children spend reading, not how many books they go through.  Everyone reads at a different pace!

3.  Carve out "reading time" at home.  Shut off all the electronics at a certain time each day (late afternoon before dinner works well in my house!)

4.  Visit the library!  Many libraries have summer reading programs, but kids also have access to rows and rows of books!  My kids like to bring home 4-5 books with each visit, and we don't feel guilty if one isn't a good fit, we just bring it back for another one!  Insider's Tip:  Check out the "to-be-shelved" racks, this is where all the hot books are hiding!

5.  Speaking of Summer Reading Programs, sign up for the Scholastic Summer Challenge.  It's free!  It's fun!  Encourage their friends and classmates to sign up too! You can search for your school and log their hours. (There are several long book lists there too!)
6.  Incentive?  Books before the movies!  There is a long list of Middle Grade books that have been made into movies.  Read the books and then rent the movie! (List below)



My recommendations for Middle Grade (Ages 9 - 12) Readers:
(Please keep in mind that my list is full of great books for boys!)

The Bad Apple (Merits of Mischief #1) by T.R. Burns (Aladdin; April 24, 2012)
Wonder by R.J. Palacio (Knopf; February 14, 2012)
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier (Amulet; August 2011)
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy (Putnam; October 2011)
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (Aladdin; July 2011)



Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman (Atheneum; May 2012)
The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman (HarperCollins)
Big Nate Goes for Broke by Lincoln Pierce (HarperCollins)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Ages 10+)
Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald (Square Fish; May 2012)



Aliens on Vacation by Clete Smith (Hyperion; May 2012)
The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (HarperCollins; June 2011)
Darth Paper Strikes Back: An Origami Yoda Book by Tom Angleberger (ABRAMS; August 2011)
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf: March 2012)
The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy (Walden Pond Press; May 2012)





The False Prince: Book 1 of the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Scholastic; April 2012)
The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander (Walden Pond Press; February 2011)
Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson (Little,Brown; June 2011)
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (Scholastic; September 2011)
Holes by Louis Sachar
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Bone, Vol. 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith (Scholastic; series)
The Stonekeeper (Amulet, Book 1) (GRAPHIX; series)
The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull (Shadow Mountain)
The Journal of Curious Letters (13th Reality) by James Dashner (Aladdin)


For the girls (according to my son!):





Breadcrumbs by Anna Ursu (Walden Pond Press; September 2011)
When You Reach Me (Yearling Newbery)
A Wrinkle in Time: 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition by Madeline L'Engle
Savvy by Ingrid Law (Puffin; March 2010)
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (Dial; May 2012)


Books Before Movies: