Summer Reading List

I learned to read at an early age, but I was a reluctant reader in school. I don't know why, I resisted reading a chapter book and I always used the book jackets to write book reports. In elementary school I scored in the upper percentiles on achievement tests, but my grades did not reflect that. Teachers would write comments on my report card, "must work harder". I didn't know how to work at schoolwork. I remember how much my Mom helped me study geography when I had chicken pox, missed a week of school and got behind. Now I love geography, but in 3rd grade, it was hard.

My sixth grade teacher brought me adventure comic books to encourage me to read. I read the adventures of Robinson Crusoe and "Last of the Mohicans". But I didn't pursue other opportunities. The first summer, I actually was engrossed in a long book was the summer I was 12 or 13. I remember laying on  a pallet under the big oak tree in our back yard, reading and crying as I read. The book was "Gone With the Wind". It seemed to be the perfect timing between my age and the sweet summer to read a conflicted love story. Now I have shelves filled with books I love and have read most of them. There is still an occasional book that I start, but don't finish.

So you can understand why I was successful working with reluctant readers and writers. I know their frustrations of starting and reluctance to finish a task. Whenever I have the opportunity, I encourage teachers to include writing tasks with lessons. Project Learning Tree compiled a short list of books to encourage kids to read during the summer. I would like to share the link in hopes that the reader is challenged to encourage kids to use some of their time this summer to fall in love with reading in a way that I finally did.

https://www.plt.org/summer-reading-list

Here is the first book: