2012
Summer Reading
Suggestions for
Grades K-4
BCEMS Library/Media
Center
Stephanie McMahan
PreK-8 Library/Media
Specialist
The following suggestions were
taken from lists of award winning
books and highly recommended
books for Grades K-4. Check out
BCEMS Library or the Aldrich
Public Library for these books.
Suggestions include books that
students can read themselves and
books that parents can read aloud.
RL = Reading Level
1. Claybourne, Anna. 100 Most
Awesome Things on the Planet.
This book includes highlights
from some of the world's greatest
things, including the Grand
Canyon, the Great Wall of China,
Angel Falls, the Amazon River,
the biggest supertanker, the
longest bridge, the smallest robot,
and ninety-three other manmade
and natural wonders. RL 6.2
2. Raschka, Chris. A Ball for
Daisy. Daisy the dog is heartbroken
when her favorite
toy ball is
destroyed while she
is playing with
another dog, but
she realizes she has
gained something,
too. RL PK
3. Rasmussen Halfdan. A Little
Bitty Man. This is a
collection of poems
for children,
including the title
selection about a
small man who rides
a snail and meets a
little woman. RL 2.7
4. Lamb, Albert. Abandoned
Lighthouse. A bear, followed by
a boy and his dog, use a rowboat
to float to an abandoned
lighthouse where they all spend
the day fishing, cooking their
catch, and then joining together to
make the lighthouse work again.
RL 3.6
5. Knox, Barbara. ABC Under
the Sea. This book introduces
ocean creatures through
photographs and brief text that
describe one animal for each
letter of the alphabet. RL 3.1
6. McKay, Sindy. About the
Ocean. This book explores many
aspects of the ocean environment
that will excite readers, both
young and old. Journey from
coral reefs to deep seas to sandy
shores to learn interesting facts
about life in the ocean including
dolphins, sharks, whales, etc. RL
3.0
7. Spratt, R.A. Adventure of
Nanny Piggins. Nanny Piggins
answers stingy Mr. Green's ad for
a nanny and takes on his three
children, filling their days with
fun, adventure, sweets, and love.
RL 6.2
8. Viorst, Judith. Alexander
and the Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day. On a day
when everything goes wrong for
him, Alexander is consoled by the
thought that other people have
bad days too. RL Grade 2
9. Deedy, Carmen Agra. The
Cheshire Cheese Cat: A
Dickens of a Tale. A community
of mice and a cheese-loving cat
form an unlikely alliance at
London's Cheshire Cheese, an inn
where Charles Dickens finds
inspiration and Queen Victoria
makes an unexpected appearance.
RL 5.1
10. Johnston, Tony. Amber on
the Mountain. Isolated on her
mountain, Amber meets and
befriends a girl from the city who
gives her the determination to
learn to read and write. RL 4.3
11. Kibuishi, Kazu. Amulet.
After moving to their ancestral
home, Emily and Navin's mother
is kidnapped by
a tentacled
creature in the
basement that
leads the
children on a
deadly chase
into the magical
world below their home. RL 3.9
12. Adler, David. Andy and
Tamika. Preoccupied with the
impending arrival of his new baby
brother or sister, fourth grader
Andy gets in lots of trouble at
home and at school. RL 4.0
13. O’Malley, Kevin. Animal
Crackers Fly the Coop. In this
humorous take-off of "The Bremen
Town Musicians," four animals that
aspire to make it big as comedians leave
their owners and seek their fortunes. RL
2.7
1
14. Jenkins, Steve. Animals in
Flight. Pictures and text describe
how animals fly and glide RL 3.2
the Chancellor, but even the
magic baseball may not help
while the players suspect there is
a mole on the team.. RL 5.0
15. Baratz-Logsted, Lauren.
Annie’s Adventures. On New
Year's Eve, the octuplets Huit-Annie, Durinda, Georgia, Jackie,
Marcia, Petal,
Rebecca, and
Zinnia--discover
that their parents
are missing, and
then uncover a
mysterious note
instructing them
that each must
find her power
and her gift if... RL 5.9
20. Lunis, Natalie. Blue Ringed
Octopus. An introduction to the
blue-ringed octopus, explaining
what they look like, where they
live, and the ways they are
dangerous; and also details what
to do if someone is bit by a blueringed octopus. RL 5.3
16. Bode, N.E. The Anybodies.
After learning that she is not the
biological daughter of boring Mr.
and Mrs. Drudger, Fern embarks
on magical adventures with her
real father and finally finds "a
place that feels like home.” RL
5.0
17. Sweet, Melissa. Balloons
Over Broadway. This book tells
the story of puppeteer Tony Sarg,
the man who first invented the
helium balloons that have become
the trademark of the annual
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
RL 5.2
18. Giff, Patricia Reilly. Beast
in Ms. Rooney’s Room. Held
back for a year in second grade,
Richard can't seem to help getting
into trouble, until he gets really
interested in reading and helps his
class in a special way. RL 3.2
19. Long, Loren. Blastin’ the
Blues. In 1899 New Orleans,
Louisiana, the Travelin' Nine
must try once again to outsmart
21. Adler, David. Bones and the
Math Test Mystery. Detective
Jeffrey Bones hates taking math
tests, especially one he has
forgotten to study for, so when his
test paper goes missing he must
make a choice--retake the test and
try to do better, or find the
missing paper. RL 2.4
22. Holm, Matthew & Jennifer
L. Brave New Pond. Starting a
new school year, Squish, a meek
amoeba who loves the comic
book exploits of
his favorite
hero, Super
Amoeba, is
determined to
get picked for
kickball and
hang out with the cool kids. RL
3.0
23 Arnold, Tedd. Buzz Boy and
Fly Guy. Buzz creates a comic
book that features Buzz Boy and
Fly Guy as the superheroes. RL
1.5
24. Goldish, Meish. California
Condors. This book details the
efforts made by scientists to save
the dwindling population of
California Condors left in the
wild; and includes additional facts
about California Condors, as well
as other endangered vultures. RL
5.4
25. Adler, David. Cam Jansen
and the Basketball Mystery.
When a special autographed
basketball is stolen from the
recently retired coach of a local
team, Cam Jansen uses her
photographic memory to identify
the thief. RL 3.6
26. McQuestion, Karen. Celia
and the Fairies. Celia Lovejoy is
thrilled when grandmother moves
in and enjoys hearing Grandma's
stories about the fairies that live
in the woods behind their home,
and when she begins seeing
strange flashes of light and
dreaming of a fairy in need of
help, Celia...RL 5.9
27. Shankman, Ed. Champ and
Me by the Maple Tree. Colorful
illustrations and rhyming text tell
the story of a young girl and her
friendship with Champ, the
monster who lives in Vermont's
Lake Champlain. RL 1.5
28. Gollub, Matthew. Cool
Melons Turn to Frogs. A
biography and introduction to the
work of the Japanese haiku poet
whose love for nature finds
expression in the more than thirty
poems included in this book. RL
4.7
29. Scheuneman, Pam. Cow
Said Meow. Introduces beginning
readers to four new words--cat,
cow, dog, and pig--in simple text
2
with photographs, and provides
vocabulary building exercises that
include rebus riddles, a story, a
glossary, and a list of sight words.
RL1.5
30. Sandler, Michael. Daring
BMXERS. Reviews the history
of BMX biking, looks at various
styles, tricks, and competitions,
and introduces some of thestars of
the sport.
RL 4.8
31. Angleberger, Tom. Darth
Paper Strikes Back. After several
Origami Yoda-related incidences,
Dwight is suspended for being a
troublemaker and Yoda asks Tommy
and Kellen to save Dwight by creating a
case file that proves Dwight is an asset
to Ralph McQuarrie Middle School. RL
4.7
32. Franco, Betsy. Dazzling
Display of Dogs. A collection of
visual poems by American writer
Betsy Franco, centered on the
strange behaviors of dogs,
including descriptions of
obedience school, backyard
escapes, and indiscriminate
appetites. RL 3.9
33. Donovan, Sandra. Does an
Apple a Day Keep
the Doctor Away?.
This book is a series
of questions and
answers about
health and the body
that provides facts
about various
myths. RL 5.5
34. Intriago, Patricia. Dot. Pairs
of circular shapes convey
opposite relationships in the arc
of a day. RL 0.7
35. McMullan, Kate. Double
Dragon Trouble. A ransom note
received at Dragon Slayers'
Academy sends Wiglaf and
Angus to the rescue of the
supposed victims, but upon
arriving at Keep Away Mountain
Cave, they discover that an
elaborate prank has put them in
danger. RL 3.4
36. Jones, Dianna Wynne.
Earwig and the Witch. Earwig
enjoys life at St. Morwald's,
where she manages to make
everyone do her bidding, until she
is taken in by foster parents--who
are actually a witch and a demon-and struggles to turn the situation
to her advantage.
RL 5.4
37. MacLachlan, Patricia.
Edward’s Eyes, Edward is one of
a large and close family that loves
baseball, music, books, and each
other, and when he unexpectedly
dies and his parents donate his
organs, his wonderful eyes go to a
perfect recipient. RL 3.1
38. Stevens, April. Edwin
Speaks Up. A family of ferrets
takes a trip to the grocery store
where mom has
trouble keeping
up with the
groceries, the
cart, and the kids,
but baby Edwin
could help if he could just get
someone to listen to his advice.
RL 2.8
39. Munson, Derek. Enemy Pie.
Hoping that the enemy pie which
his father makes will help him get
rid of his enemy, a little boy finds
that instead it helps make a new
friend. RL 2.9
40. Epstein, Adam Jay.
Familiars. Three young wizardsin-training are kidnapped by an
evil queen and their familiars-Aldwyn the alley cat, Skylar, a
know-it-all blue jay, and Gilbert a
tree frog who can see the future-set out on a dangerous journey to
rescue the boys. RL 5.0
41. Gourley, Robin. First
Garden. Describes how First
Lady Michelle Obama created the
White House Kitchen Garden as
part of her
campaign to
promote healthy
eating and
provides
information on
how the garden
is cultivated and
what plants are found in it. RL
3.5
42. Zobel, Derek. Fishing: My
First Sport. Simple text and fullcolor photographs introduce
beginning readers to the sport of
fishing. RL 3.7
43. Brown, Jeff. Flat Stanley in
Space. When the residents of a
far-distant planet send a message
to Earth asking for someone to
meet with them, the President of
the United States asks Stanley
Lambchop, an all-American boy,
to be his ambassador. RL 3.9
44. George, Kristine O’Connell.
Fold Me a Poem. This is a
collection of poems about origami
animals. RL 2.0
3
45. Ljungkvist, Laura. Follow
the Line. Invites the reader to
visit a wide variety of places and
count different objects found in
each, from fire hydrants in a big
city in the morning, through
starfish in the ocean during the
day, to babies sleeping in a
country village at night. RL 2.1
46. Wallace, Rich. Game-Day
Jitters. With help from his older
brother Larry, nine-year-old Ben
learns to cope with his
nervousness about the Kickers
League playoffs. This includes
"Ben's Top Ten Tips for Soccer
Players." RL 4.1
47. Bauer, Marion Dane.
Golden Ghost. On a bike outing
to the abandoned houses by the
old cement mill, Delsie and her
friend Todd discover one of the
houses is not empty--and a ghost
dog haunts the area. RL 2.5
48. Stout, Glenn. Good Sports.
Describe the athletic feats of
women who defied social norms
to pursue their dreams, including
Trude Ederle's efforts to swim the
English
Channel,
Olympic
runners
Louise Stokes
and Tidye
Pickett, and
Indy car racer
Danica
Patrick. RL 6.7
49. Hoffman, Mary. Great Big
Book of Families. Here is an
illustrated overview of families,
examining various aspects of
families from houses to holidays
to schools and pets, and
discussing feelings and family
trees. RL 3.6
gear, and other related topics. RL
4.7
50. Lunis, Natalie. Green
Iguanas. Provides photographs
and information about the history
and behaviors of green iguanas,
and looks at what iguanas need to
be happy, healthy pets. RL 4.9
55. Thomas, Keltie. How
Hockey Works. Provides a wide
variety of information about
hockey, explaining how the game
works, discussing ice, skates, the
puck, gear, techniques and skills,
rules and regulations, and other
topics, and featuring legends of
the sport from hockey
professionals. RL 5.3
51. Hapka, Cathy. Horse
Diaries: Elska. Around the year
1000, the
Icelandic horse
named Elska is
born and learns
about life and
her role in the
herd, as well as
love and
friendship, when she rescues the
girl to whom she originally
belonged. This includes facts
about Icelandic horses and
Iceland. RL 4.4
52. Duey, Kathleen. The
Unicorn’s Secret: The
Mountains for the Moon. Heart
hopes to unlock the secrets of her
dreams by interpreting mysterious
symbols on papers found in Lord
Dunraven's castle. RL 4.7
53. Jenkins, Steve. Hottest,
Coldest, Highest, Deepest. This
book describes some of the
remarkable places on earth,
including the hottest, coldest,
windiest, snowiest, highest, and
deepest. RL 5.5
54. Thomas, Keltie. How
Football Works. A guide to
football that
covers leagues,
rules, the
history of the
sport,
significant
players and moments, the field,
56. Klise, Kate. Imagine Harry.
After Little Rabbit starts school,
he sees less and less of his
invisible friend, Harry, and finally
tells his mother that Harry moved
away. RL 3.4
57. Munro, Roxie. Inside
Outside Dinosaurs. This is a
picture book featuring skeletons
and illustrations of eight
dinosaurs. RL K-3
58. Mead, Alice. Junebug. An
inquisitive young boy who lives
with his mother and younger
sister in a rough housing project
in New Haven, Connecticut,
approaches his tenth birthday
with a mixture of anticipation and
worry. RL 3.4
59. Hanna, Janice. Kate’s
Vermont Venture. Kate and
Sydney spend winter break in a
small Vermont town and
investigate the sabotage of a local
cheese factory which has been
overrun by rats. RL 3.8
60. Morpurgo, Michael.
Kensuke’s
Kingdom. When
Michael is swept
off his family's
yacht, he washes
4
up on a desert island, where he
struggles to survive--until he
finds he is not alone. RL 4.3
61. O’Hearn, Michael. Kid’s
Guide to Monster Trucks.
Describes a wide variety of
monster trucks, including history,
design, and competitions. RL 4.2
62. Oldfield, Karen Bluemel.
Killer Whale: Water Bullet. An
introduction to the killer whale
that provides
information on its
physical
characteristics,
speed, and
habitat… RL 3.7
63. Van Dusen, Chris. King
Hugo’s Huge Ego. When
haughty King Hugo tangles with a
sorceress, she causes him to see
himself in a more realistic light.
RL 2.5
64. Wilson, N.D. Leepike
Ridge. While his widowed
mother continues to search for
him, eleven-year-old Tom,
presumed dead after drifting away
down a river, finds himself
trapped in a series of underground
caves with another survivor and a
dog, and pursued by murderous
treasure-hunters. RL 5.2
65. Fox, Mem. Let’s Count
Goats. Encourages counting skills
with humorous illustrations of
goats. RL 2.4
66. Skye, Obert. Leven
Thumps and the Ruin of Alder.
Leven discovers that he must
travel to the island of Alder to
find the answer that will save the
realm of Foo from destruction.
RL 5.6
67. Lai, Thanhha. Inside Out
and Back Again. Through a
series of poems, a young girl
chronicles the life-changing year
of 1975, when she, her mother,
and her brothers leave Vietnam
and resettle in Alabama. RL 4.9
68. Griffin, Molly Geth. Loon
Baby. A baby loon, afraid that his
mother will not return, sets out on
his own to find his way across a
stormy lake to their home in the
great north woods. RL 1.8
69. Scieszka, Jon. Math Curse.
When the teacher tells her class
that they can think of almost
everything as a math problem,
one student acquires a math
anxiety which becomes a real
curse. RL 3.0
70. Katz, Jon. Meet the Dogs of
Bedlam Farm. Contains
photographs and the stories of
Rose, Izzy, Frieda, and Lenore,
four dogs that perform various
jobs on Bedlam Farm
RL 2.0
71. Parker, Jake. Missile
Mouse Rescue on TanKium 3.
The evil King Bognarsh hires the
Blazing Bat to
stop Agent
Missile Mouse,
who has been se
nt by the Galactic
Security Agency,
along with his
new robotic
partner Agent 44,
to free Tankium3, a planet that
Bognarsh is forcing into slavery.
RL 4.3
72. Marsh Carole. Mystery in
the Smoky Mountains.
Christina, Grant, Mimi, and Papa
travel to the Great Smoky
Mountains where they are pulled
into another mystery that
combines confusing clues and the
local folklore. RL 4.5
73. McMullen, Kate.
Mythomania: Say Cheese,
Medusa. In this modern version
of Greek mythology, Hades
explains how a jealous Athena
turned Medusa into a gorgon and
what really happened when
Perseus went hunting for
Medusa's head. RL 6.0
74. Bemis, John Claude. Nine
Pound Hammer. Drawn by the
lodestone his
father gave
him years
before, twelveyear-old
orphan Ray
travels south,
meeting along
the way
various characters from folklore
who are battling against an evil
ind ustry baron known as the
Gog. RL 5.2
75. Juster, Norton. Odious
Ogre. A really rotten, ugly,
angry, constantly hungry Ogre
who goes around terrorizing the
countryside meets his match in a
kind and friendly young lady. RL
6.8
76. Ibbotson, Eva. Ogre of
Oglefort. Ivo, an orphan boy,
teams up with the Hag of Dribble
and a troll called Ulf to rescue a
princess from the Ogre of
Oglefort, but things turn out
differently when they arrive at the
ogre's castle only to find a
contented princess and a
depressed ogre... RL 6.2
5
77. Herman,
R.A. Pal the
Pony. Pal the
pony is too
little to
participate in the
rodeo but
becomes the star
of the ranch in a
different way. RL 1.5
83. Borgenicht, David. Surviveo-pedia: Worst-Case
Scenerio. This book collects
seventy illustrated entries that
offer techniques, strategies, and
step-by-step instructions to
survive mudslides, volcanoes,
shark-infested waters, and other
potentially perilous situations.
RL 5.9
78. Rising, Janet. Pony
Whisperer. Pia finally starts to
feel like she belongs in her new
town after people begin to hear
that she can communicate with
horses, but her popularity is not
the only thing she has to worry
about when things start to go
wrong. RL 4.7
84. Russell, Rachel Renee.
Dork Diaries: Tales From a
Not-So-Talented Pop
Star. When scholarship student
Nikki Maxwell, whose father is
the school exterminator, decides
to enter the talent show at her
expensive private school, her
nemesis MacKenzie threatens to
reveal Nikki's status to the rest of
the school. RL 5.2
79. Meadows, Daisy. Rainbow
Magic Collection. This book
contains four Rainbow Magic
stories featuring the Rainbow
Fairies including Ruby the Red
Fairy, Amber the Orange Fairy,
Sunny the Yellow Fairy, and Fern
the Green Fairy. RL 2.6
80. Shubert, Leda. Reading to
Peanut. Lucy works hard to learn
to read and write before her dog's
birthday. RL 2.3
81. McClellan, Ray.
Skateboarding: My First
Sports. Simple text and full-color
photography introduce beginning
readers to the sport of
skateboarding. Developed by
literacy experts for students in
grades two through five"-Provided by publisher.
82. Prelutsky, Jack. Something
Big Has Been Here. Here is an
illustrated collection of humorous
poems on a variety of topics. RL
4.5
85. Martin Jr, Bill. Ten Little
Caterpillars. Illustrations and
rhyming text
follow ten
caterpillars as
one wriggles up
a flower stem,
another sails
across a garden
pool, and one rea ches an apple
leaf, where something amazing
happens. RL 2.9
88. Sierra, Judy. The Secret
Science Project that Almost Ate
My School. A girl sends off for
"Professor Swami's Super Slime"
to use as her science fair project
and then has to cope with the
funny disaster that follows. RL
3.3
89. Nix, Garth & Williams,
Sean. Troubletwisters. Twins
Jaide and Jack Shield discover
that their father and grandmother
are "wardens," tasked with
defending portals and humanity
from evil, but their lives change
forever when they learn that they
share the same powers.
Grades 3-6
90. Scieszka, Jon. The True
Story of the Three Little
Pigs. The wolf gives his own
outlandish version of what really
happened when he tangled with
the three little pigs. RL 2.5
91. Ethan, Eric. Turquoise.
Simple text and photographs
describe what turquoise looks
like, where it is found, how it is
used, what makes it valuable, and
other related topics.
RL 4.6
86. Silvey, Craig. Jasper
Jones. In small-town Australia,
teens Jasper and Charlie form an
unlikely friendship when one asks
the other to help him cover up a
murder until they can prove who
is responsible. RL YA
92. Disalvo-Ryan, Dyanne.
Uncle Willie and the Soup
Kitchen. A boy spends the day
with Uncle Willie in the soup
kitchen where he works preparing
and serving food for the hungry.
RL 4.1
87. Newman, Leslea. The Best
Cat in the World. A young boy
deals with the loss of his beloved
cat Charlie, eventually accepting
the arrival of another, very
different cat. RL 3.6
93. Hodge, Deborah. Up We
Grow. This book looks at the
activities that take place on small,
local farms in each season of the
year as farmers plow, plant,
harvest, and care for the soil,
animals, and each other. RL 3.3
6
94. West, David. Velociraptor.
Explores and examines the flying
dinosaur - Pteranodon. This book
uses graphic novel format to
enliven the facts. Grades 4-8
95. MacLachlan, Patricia.
Waiting for the Magic In
absence of their father, a brother
and sister adopt four dogs and a
cat in an attempt to save their
family. RL 3.3
96. Jennings, Patrick. Lucky
Cap. Enzo spends an exciting
summer touring with his father
and his new
boss, and at
the start of the
school year,
when the girls
start paying
more attention
to him and he
suddenly has
more friends than before, Enzo
thinks it is all happening because
of.... RL 4.8
97. Fox, Mem. Wilfrid Gordon
McDonald Partridge. A small
boy tries to discover the meaning
of "memory" so he can restore
that of an elderly friend. RL 2.5
98. Frazel, Ellen. Wrestling:
My First Sports. Simple text and
full-color photographs introduce
the sport of wrestling. RL 4.2
99. Adler, David. You Can
Toucan Math. This is a
collection of bird-themed number
riddles that may be solved using
addition, subtraction,
multiplication, or division. RL 3.3
100. Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots
& Leaves: Why, Commas
Really Do Make a Difference!
Putnam's, c2006. Humorous
comparative illustrations show
that the meaning of a sentence
can depend upon the placement of
a comma. RL 3.7
101. Winthrop, Elizabeth. The
Castle in the Attic. Holiday
House, c1985.A gift of a toy
castle, complete with silver
knight, introduces William to an
adventure involving magic and a
personal quest. RL 5.0
http://www.buildyourwildself.c
om/
107. New England Aquarium
Web page: Animals and
Exhibits
http://www.neaq.org/animals_a
nd_exhibits/index.php
108. The "OOPS" Virtual Field
Trip Page!
http://oops.bizland.com/vtours
.htm
E-Book/Water balloon by
Vernick, Audrey.
102. http://www.bcemsvt.org
Barre Elementary and Middle
School Web Page
Check out our e-books by
clicking: “Follett Shelf” on our
home page.
Log-in: guest
Password: guest
103. Google Lit Trips
http://www.googlelittrips.org/
Tour literature locations
through Google Lit Trips
104. Participate in the Scholastic
Summer Reading Program
http://www.scholastic.com/sum
mer/
105. Check out the Summer
Fun at the Aldrich Public
Library this summer.
http://www.aldrich.lib.vt.us/jev
ents.htm
109. Storynory:
Free Audio Stories for Kids
http://storynory.com/
110. PBS Kids
http://pbskids.org/
111. Red Clover
Books 2012-2013
http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/l
ibraries/files/cbec/RedCloverNom
inees12-13.pdf
***********************
112.New Dorothy Canfield
FisherBook List for 2012-2013
http://www.dcfaward.org/lists/DC
FMasterlist12-13.pdf
106. Great Web Site:
Build Your Wild Self
7
8