Summer Reading Ideas:

Looking for a good book? Here's a collection of reading lists for kids in grades 5 and up. Some of these are easier than others, but we've arranged them mostly by topic, so you should be able to find something interesting. Remember, some of the best books ever written aren't hard to read! We strongly suggest looking at these lists with your parents to find books that are appropriate for you.

General Interest Lists:

The TeachersFirst Lifetime List - This list is a mix of classic and contemporary. Some selections work for middle schoolers; others - especially the philosophy - are better suited to adult level readers. The list includes links to appropriate resources from the TeachersFirst collections.

Good Books for Fourth and Fifth Graders - From Atwater's Mr. Popper's Penguins to White's Charlotte's Web, this list provides some great reading ideas for the 4th and 5th grade set.

Good Books for Middle Schoolers - A concise and helpful list of books for the Middle School grades from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

St. Charles Public Library Best Books for Young Adults 2000 - This annual list of fiction and non-fiction complied by the Young Adult Library Services Association of the St. Charles Public Library provides annotated suggestions for young adults ages 12 to 18.

Top Rankings:

Literature's Top 100 - From James Joyce's Ulysses (No.1) to Booth Tarkinton's The Magnificent Ambersons, this list ranks the top 100. Compiled by ABC News. Some of these will be tough, even for high school students.

Madison's Top 100 List of Novels - Ever wonder what the people in Madison, Wisconsin (home of the University of Wisconsin) are reading? Here's a helpful list of 100 Top Books complied by the Madison Public Library.

Radciffe's 100 Best Novels - The 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century, as drawn up by the students of the Radcliffe Publishing Course.

The Best English-Language Fiction of the Twentieth Century - An interesting list of best-loved books collected by Brian Kunde at Stanford University. Includes publication date.

 

Specific Interest Lists

African American Reading List - The New York Public Library offers this extensive, annotated bibliography of books, poetry, and song by and about African Americans. Selections are grouped by readers' age, and there are dozens of selections. Well worth a look if you're in search of reading materials.

Baseball - From Jim Bouton's Strike Zone to Mark Winegardner's The Veracruz Blues, here's a helpful list of books on America's favorite past time to entice the baseball fans in your dugout.

Celtic Studies Reading Lists - Grades 9-12 - An interesting list of links to information on Celtic studies, with links and annotations.

Dog Classics - Even the most reluctant of readers will be forced to admit, "Yeah, I did like Where the Red Fern Grows." There's just something great about a good dog book... Here's a list--pages and pages-- of really great books about dogs!

How to Change the World - Middle and High School - What can you do to make the world better, safer, cleaner, kinder? Here's a list of books to help answer those questions.

It's a Conspiracy! - Find suggestions for great political thrillers in this list compiled by the Kansas City Public Library.

Financial Fiction - A list of books about money, money, money, money!

Holocaust Bibliographies and Books - A thorough listing of links to booklists on the Holocaust.

Books (and Videos) for Jewish Children and Teens - Links to books on Jewish history and heritage. Lists many divisions and categories.

Books by Survivors - An annotated list of books written by Holocaust survivors.

Of Quests and Kings - Here's a varied reading list of books related to the Arthurian legends.

Post Apocalypse - A great resource for end-of-the-world literature.

Star Cross'd Lovers - Here's a whole list of love from Gone with the Wind to The Bridges of Madison County. Hankies suggested.

Tearjerkers - Laugh and cry with the titles on this list!

True Adventure - Lots of stories here classified according to survival tales, out to sea, hiking, rapids, mountain climbing and up in the air adventures. Compiled by the Bloomfield Township Library, Bloomfield Hills, MI.

Vampires - A whole coffin-full of vampire tales.

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