2013 Lower School Summer Reading Recommendations
Listed below are suggested titles for summer reading for the ACS Lower School
students. Since our students tend to read above grade level, I have listed the titles all
together in one document. The indicated grade levels are intended to be used as a
guide only. As a reader matures, the content of the books becomes more intense and
mature. Usually by the third or fourth grade level book, the reader will encounter more serious family
problems, social interactions, mature language, and the death of a loved one or pet.
A simple guide to use when choosing a book for your student is the age of the main character. Usually
in children’s literature nothing will happen in a realistic fiction or mystery book that wouldn’t happen in
real life. Thus, an eight year old character will not be going on a date nor will a sixteen year old be
playing in a sandbox. If the main character is an animal (dog, cat or horse) check to see if there is a
sequel. If not you can probably guess the ending of the first book. Please be cognizant of your student’s
sensitivities and maturity level.
A very useful site to check on the maturity level of a book, movie, or television show is
www.commonsensemedia.org. This site includes a short summary, indicated age of a reader, as well as
information a parent may want to know about the levels of violence, sex, language, consumerism,
drinking, as well as the educational level and positive messages in each review. When using the “what
parents need to know” section, either click on or scroll over the indicators to see a more detailed
explanation of the rating.
LS By Group and genre
Group Genre
1
Adventure
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Humor
Humor
Humor
Humor
Humor
Humor
Mystery
Mystery
Mystery
Mystery
Non Fiction
Title
Jack Stalwart Special Agent series
Fairy Princess Series
Magic Puppies/Kittens/Ponies/Bunnies
Magic Tree House Series
Puppy Place
Secrets of Droon
Bailey School Kids series
Black Lagoon series
Little Wolf Series
Marvin Redpost
My Weird School
The Zach Files
A-Z Mysteries
Eek Stories To Make You Shriek
Jigsaw Jones
Meg MacIntosh mysteries
Baseball's Greatest Hitters
Author
Hunt
Meadows
Benton
Osborne
Miles
Abbbott
Dadey
Thaler
Whybrow
Sachar
Gutman
Greenberg
Roy
O'Connor
Klein
Landon
Kramer
Non Fiction
Non Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Group
2
Fantasy
Humor
Humor
Humor
Humor
Humor
Humor
Mystery
Mystery
Mystery
Mystery
Non Fiction
Non fiction
Non Fiction
Non Fiction
Non Fiction
Non Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Sports
Group
3
Adventure
Adventure
Adventure
Adventure
Comics
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Magic School Bus series
Pluto's Secret
Ivy and Bean
Judy Moody
Mallory series
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Farm
Ramona series
Stink
Cole
Weitekamp
Barrows
MacDonald
Friedman
MacDonald
Cleary
MacDonald
Toys Go Out
Jenkins
All Roald Dahl Books
Dahl
Atta Boy Sam series
Lowry
Geronimo Stilton Series
Stilton
Time Warp Trio
Scieska
Wayside School series
Sachar
Zack Files
Greenberg
Box Car Children Mysteries
Warner
Cam Jansen Mysteries
Alder
Chet Gecko Mysteries
Hale
Encyclopedia Brown Mysteries
Sobol
Nic Bishop Snakes
Bishop
Story of the Chicago Bulls
Caffrey
Unlikely Friendships
Holland
What was the Boston Tea Party? (Series) Krull
Where in the Wild
Schwartz
Who Was Steve Jobs? (series)
Pollack
Amber Brown series
Danzinger
Clementine
Pennypacker
Oggie Cooder
Weeks
The Penderwicks
Birdsall
Matt Christopher Sports Books
Christopher
Brian's Winter
Choose Your Own Adventure series
Evangeline Mudd
Tales From the Odyssey
Garfield the Cat books
All the Money in the World
Chronicles of Narnia
Dragon Slippers
Guardians of Ga'Hoole
Hank the Cowdog series
Invention of Hugo Cabret
Once Upon A Marigold
Poppy Series
Sisters Grimm series
The Familiars
Wonderstruck
Paulsen
Montgomery
Elliott
Yolen
Davis
Babbitt
Lewis
George
Laskey
Erickson
Selznick
Ferris
Avi
Buckley
Epstein
Selznick
Historical Fiction Al Capone Does My Shirts
Historical Fiction Dear America Diary series
Historical Fiction Little House on the Prairie
Historical Fiction Mr. Tucket Series
Historical Fiction Riding Freedom
Humor
21 Balloons
Humor
Dodger and Me
Humor
Dork Diaries
Mystery
Boxcar Children series
Mystery
Hardy Boys mysteries
Mystery
Nancy Drew mysteries
Mystery
Sammy Keyes mysteries
Mystery
Secret Zoo
Mystery
Time Stops for No Mouse
Non Fiction
Stephen Biesty's Cross Sections
Non Fiction
100 People Who Made History
Non Fiction
The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle
Non Fiction
Time For Kids: Kids in the Kitchen
Non-Fiction
Chew on This
Non-fiction
Pink Princess Cupcake Cookbook
Realistic Fiction Anything by Andrew Clements
Realistic Fiction Because of Winn Dixie
Realistic Fiction Esperanza Rising
Realistic Fiction No Talking
Realistic Fiction Tale of Despereaux
Realistic Fiction The Disasters series
Sci Fi
George's Secret Key to the Universe
Sci Fi
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM
Sci Fi
Star Wars Clone Wars
Sports
Honus and Me (Baseball Card Series)
Group
4
Adventure
Biography
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy
Mysterious Benedict Society
Small Steps
11 Birthdays
39 Clues
Dragon Slippers-trilogy
Ella Enchanted
Gregor the Overlander
Indian in the Cupboard series
Inkheart series
Peter and the Starcatchers
Prydian Series--The Book of Three
Red Pyramid
Savvy
School of the Insanely Gifted
Silverwing series
Tail of Emily Winsnap
The Boggart
Choldenko
Multiple
Wilder
Paulsen
Ryan
DuBois
Sonneblick
Russell
Warner
Dixon
Keene
Van Draanen
Chick
Hoeye
Biesty
Parker
Wolffson
Time Magazine
Schlosser
Berry
Clements
DiCamillo
Ryan
Clements
DiCamillo
Kehret
Hawkins
O'Brien
Multiple
Gutman
Stewart
Kehret
Mass
Various
George
Levine
Collins
Banks
Funke
Barry
Alexander
Riodan
Law
Elish
Oppel
Kessler
Cooper
Fantasy
Thief Lord
Fantasy
Warrior Series
Fantasy
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Graphic Novel Smile
Historical Fiction Bud Not Buddy
Historical Fiction Call Me Frances Tucker
Historical Fiction The Watsons Go To Birmingham
Humor
Cold Cereal
Humor
Genius Files
Humor
Planet Tad
Humor
Science Fair
Humor
Secret series
Humor
Strange Case of Origami Yoda
Humor
True Meaning of Smek Day
Mystery
Castle in the Attic
Mystery
Chasing Vermeer
Mystery
Johnny Dixon Mysteries
Mystery
No Time For Andrew
Mystery
Westing Game
Non Fiction
Baffling & Bizarre Inventions
Non Fiction
Cool Stuff and How It Works
Non Fiction
National Geographic Weird But True
Realistic Fiction Climb or Die
Realistic Fiction Disaster Series
Realistic Fiction Freak the Mighty
Realistic Fiction Holes
Realistic Fiction Hoot/Flush/Scat
Realistic Fiction Ida B
Realistic Fiction Maniac Magee
Realistic Fiction My Side of the Mountain
Realistic Fiction Shug
Realistic Fiction The View From Saturday
Realistic Fiction Walk Two Moons
Realistic Fiction Wonder
Sci Fi
City Of Ember series
Sci FI
Shadow Children series
Sports
Baseball Fever
Funke
Hunter
Lin
Telgemeier
Curtis
Paulsen
Curtis
Rex
Gutman
Carvel
Barry
Bosch
Angelberger
Rex
Winthrop
Balliet
Bellairs
Hahn
Raskin
Murphy
DK
National Geographic
Meyers
Kehret
Philbrick
Sachar
Hiassen
Hannigan
Spinelli
George
Han
Koenigsburg
Creech
Palacio
DePrau
Haddix
Green