The benefits of summer reading are numerous. Unfortunately, students can fall victim to the “summer slide”, the loss of knowledge and skills that occurs when school is out of session. Research reveals that by the time a struggling reader makes it to middle school, summer reading loss can accumulate up to an estimated two-year gap in reading performance. By reading over the summer, students are less likely to experience the “summer slide”.

Reading over summer break not only keeps students engaged in learning while school is out, but it also allows students to become familiar with a subject before it is discussed in the fall. Getting a jumpstart on fall texts can help students have a better opportunity to reflect on what they have read as they delve into fall course content. Promotion of summer reading is an important way to help students stay on track and prepare for fall discussions.

Summer Reading for Fall Discussion

When reading over the summer for the purpose of preparing for fall classroom discussion, books that have broad themes should be chosen. These themes can include, but are not limited to: freedom, overcoming tragedy, dealing with conflict, imprisonment, individuality, acceptance, relationships, and friendships. Choosing texts with broad themes allows the reader to increase their schema and be prepared for reading group discussion questions on such topics and the perspectives gained from reading these books. The following are just a few examples of good books to read this summer for middle and high school summer reading that will get students to begin to think critically about big topics.

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Martin Ganada

This book is a good read for students ages 12 and older. It is about a middle school aged child who writes to a penpal in Zimbabwe. The correspondence between the two progresses from small talk to a real understanding of poverty in Zimbabwe, resulting in the American middle schooler sending money to her new friend in an effort to make a difference in his life. This book carries a theme of friendship and empathy. In this book, an appreciation for having one’s needs met can be learned. Compassion and how the actions of one can impact another makes this book an inspiring summer read.

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Philip M. Hoose

The Boy Who Challenged Hitler is a historical fiction about classmates who start a secret club of political resisters in the year 1941. These teenage boys, the Churchill Club, went up against the Nazis by committing 25 acts of sabotage. The boys would steal Nazi weapons, disable Nazi vehicles, and much more. This book is a good mix of history, courage, and human rights. It is a book that will likely engage young readers ages 12 and up and will peak their historical interests.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

In this text, a young boy with Autism struggles with understanding human emotion. Although he is very bright, his daily interactions consist of rules, patterns, and a diagram that he keeps in his pocket. One day, his neighbor’s dog is killed and he sets out to solve the dog’s murder following in the footsteps of his favorite detective, Sherlock Holmes. The novel is funny, engaging, and gives the reader a look into the daily life of a young person with Autism. Reading this selection gives the reader a new perspective on what it means to have Autism and addresses the theme of acceptance.

Smile by Riana Telgemeier

This text is another good read for students in middle school. It is about a sixth grader who falls and injures her two front teeth, forcing her to undergo surgery, braces, and headgear. She also deals with typical teenage issues such as relationship drama and determining what real friendship looks like. It is a modern twist on the Graphic Novel Genre, which provides a fun spin on summer reading. A strong theme throughout the story is self-acceptance, which is a theme that most middle and high schoolers could benefit from exploring.

Faceless by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

This text is for high school students. It is about a girl who suffered from an electrical fire and has 3rd degree burns to her body and damage to her face. She is missing her nose, chin, and left cheek. She undergoes a facial transplant and deals with healing both physically, mentally, and emotionally. She struggles to find her way with her new face. The book is an amazing story of overcoming adversity and gives readers a look into the trials that others go through when they have been subject to tragedy such as this book’s main character.

The books listed here are just the tip of the summer reading iceberg. Students in upper grades have endless reading possibilities to prepare them for text discussion when fall rolls around! Diving into a great book is a perfect way to prepare for fall.

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Benefits of Summer Reading

Benefit #1: Expanded Vocabulary

The benefits of reading are undeniable. A student reading twenty minutes a day at home will hear on average 1.8 million words per year. Compare that to a child reading five minutes per day at home who hears roughly 282,000 words per year, or a student reading on average one minute per day at home being exposed to 8,000 words per year, and the numbers are clear. No one would argue that the child hearing 1.8 million words is going to have a far more robust vocabulary than the child hearing 8,000.

Research on language development claims it takes up to 17 exposures for a child to securely add a word to their personal vocabulary, and literacy research has proven that depth of vocabulary is directly linked to a learner’s literacy level and ability to read complex texts. Maintaining twenty minutes a day over the summer is critical to at least maintaining student literacy levels through the development of their vocabulary.

Benefit #2: Enhanced Emotional Intelligence & Empathy

Reading fiction is one of the very best ways for children (and adults!) to develop empathy. We may not personally experience every problem captured in the storyline of a fiction book, but by walking through it from the character’s point of view, we as readers develop empathy skills for others who are experiencing challenges, even those with which we are less familiar. In the same vein, students also develop stronger emotional intelligence as they hear the internal dialogue of a character navigating a challenge in the plot. Interested in learning more about developing empathy in your learning through literature and beyond? Check out the book Unselfie by Michelle Borba.

Benefit #3: Broadening Perspective

Similar to emotional intelligence, students can also expand their perspectives on the human experience through texts about people that are different from them. Reading books with characters who have different family structures, races, cultures, abilities, and interests can both develop a sense of inclusivity for your child while also opening the door to important conversations with your child about equality and respecting differences. In our diverse world, it is critical that we encourage students to select books and engage with text about people that are different from them, and ideally that are written by voices authentic to those identities. Doing so over the summer likely reinforces the work of your child’s school district and shows what moral pillars exist in your home as well.

Benefit #4: Background Knowledge

Further, with expanding vocabulary and emotions comes a much deeper background of people, places, concepts and things in the world around us. Students who can readily connect something they’ve already been exposed to with new content, like in a science or social studies lesson, are far more likely to both actively engage in the learning and also retain the information purposefully. While “experience is the best teacher”, minimally having had exposure to the Mayan ruins or Newton’s laws of motion from a plot in a book can trigger synapses to light up and connect in students’ brains when they are later mentioned in a lesson at school or more authentically in real life. Reading can build expansive and unusual background knowledge that’s value can’t be measured or predicted upon development.

Benefit #5: Escape on a Rainy Day!

Of course, one of the best benefits of reading over the summer is having a screen-free activity on a rainy day. As we all proceed with caution this summer and employ continued social distancing, reading provides an activity for children that is engaging and fun, without having to leave the comfort of home. 

Strategies for Engaging Students in Summer Reading

As the adult fostering a love of reading in your child at home, knowing and accessing available resources is critical! Check out your local public library for current summer reading programs and summer reading enhancements, and make visiting the library part of your summer routine. Utilize suggested activities like this game board or other motivating challenges to give your young reader some extrinsic motivation to keep up the habit.

Don’t forget the value of being read to, especially for children in elementary school. Often emergent readers may be reluctant to apply literacy skills independently as they fear it will replace the joyful experience of being read to by a beloved adult. Creating a balance, especially for young readers, of “who” reads is still highly beneficial for students to maintain and grow their literacy skills over the summer.

Make reading fun! Create special spaces for reading in your home, like a reading tent or corner with twinkle lights or a favorite stuffed animal audience. A “reading hideout” can be a very motivating factor in making reading a preferred summer activity! Allow your child as much choice as possible in the books being read, because truly the most important element of creating a reader is igniting a love for reading. If they are choosing books too far above their reading level, offer to read it with them, but also help them to find books of high-interest at their level. Before the school year ends, be sure to know your child’s reading level so that you can ask the librarian for help if needed with selecting “just-right books”.

Enjoy the special time with your reader at home this summer, and remember the million-word value of twenty minutes a day!

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