Summer Activities (Elementary)
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If you are looking for simple ideas to make learning a part of your child's summer, the FL Department of Education has compiled 5 weeks of activities just for you! You can visit the list here.
Summer Reading Lists
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We recommend checking your school's website for any school-specific directions or asssignments for summer reading. The lists below are general in nature and provided for families looking for appropriate books to read over the summer.
Ready for PreK
To Read Together:
Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band by Kwame Alexander
Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
Frog Trouble by Sandra Boyton
Rain, Rain, Go Away! by Caroline Church
Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin
I’ve Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison
The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by Surishtha Sehgal
If You’re Happy and You Know It: Jungle Edition by James Warhola
Happy by Pharrell Williams
Ready for Kindergarten
To Read Together
Philadelphia Chickens by Sandra Boyton
Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig
This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt
Punk Farm by Jarrett Krosoczka
Squeak, Rumble, Whomp!, Whomp! Whomp by Wynton Marsalis
What a Wonderful World by Bob Thiele
Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki
Oscar and the Bat: A Book About Sound by Geoff Waring
Hilda Must be Dancing by Karma Wilson
Monster Mash by David Catrow
Ready for 1st Grade
We’re Reading Together
A Rock is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston
Tito Puente, Mambo King by Monica Brown
Violet’s Music by Angela Johnson
If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don’t! by Elise Parsley
Max Found Two Sticks by Brian Pinkney
The Nosy Paint Box by Barba Rosenstock
I’m Learning to Read
Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold
Biscuit series by Alyssa Capucilli
Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems
Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon
Ready for 2nd Grade
To Read Together
Drum Dream Girl: How One Girls Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle
Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russel-Brown
I’m Learning to Read
You Can Read by Helaine Becker
We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
Splat the Cat and the Duck with no Quack by Rob Scotton
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series by Erica Silverman
I’m Reading on My Own
Triangle by Mac Barnett
Pete the Cat series by James Dean
Pony Scouts series by Cathy Hapka
Ready for 3rd Grade
To Read Together
Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews
Firebird by Misty Copeland
When the Beat was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick Hill
I’m Learning to Read
Bad Kitty: Camp Daze by Nick Bruel
Rappy series by Dan Gutman
I’m Reading on My Own
Music Everywhere by Maya Ajmera
Wallace and Grace and the Cupcake Caper by Heather Alexander 2.7
Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova 2.8
Babymouse series by Jennifer Holm 2.3
If You Ever Want to Bring a Circus to the Library, Don’t! by Elise Parsley 2.9
National Geographic Reader: Rocks and Minerals by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld 3.6
Ready for 4th Grade
To Read Together
We Rock! (Music Lab) by Jason Hanley
I’m Reading on My Own
Giants Beware by Jorge Aguirre
El Deafo by Cece Bell
Princess in Black by Sharon Creech
Owl Diaries series by Rebecca Elliott
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
I Can Read Anything
Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes
Captain Awesome series by Stan Kirby
Muddy : the story of blues legend Muddy Waters by Michael James Mahin
I am Jim Henson by Brad Meltzer
Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce
Ready for 5th Grade
To Read Together
Whoosh! : Lonnie Johnson's super-soaking stream of inventions by Chris Barton
I’m Reading on My Own
All About Sound by Angela Royston
Lighter than Air, Sophie Blanchard, the First Woman Pilot By Matthew Clark Smith
I Can Read Anything
Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson
Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
The Lizard War by Jack Patton
Small Steps by Louis Sachar
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Nikki & Deja series by Karen English
Ready for 6th Grade
Recommended Reading
The Underneath by Kate Appelt
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Hiding out in the Pancake Palace by Nan Marino
Dinosaur Boy by Cory Putman Oakes
What is Rock and Roll? By Jim O’Connor
First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood
Lulu and the Brontosaurusby Judith Viorst
Ready for 7-8th Grade
Recommended Reading
Solo by Kwame Alexander
Fever 1793 by Laurie Anderson
Life in Motion by Misty Copeland
See you in the Cosmos by Jack Chen
Better Nate than Ever by Tim Federle
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jon Sonnenblick
P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
Behind the Song edited by KM Walton
Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan O’Malley
9-12th Grade
Recommended Reading
The House on Mango Streetby Sandra Cisneros
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn
Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Kill the Boy Band by Gold by Modavsky
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Holes by Louis Sachar
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak