The Best Seven and ½ Summer Books

May 12, 2010

I drove by a speed limit sign last week that said 17 ½ .  Was there a heated argument with the construction crew and the city between 20 and 15 in which they settled on 17 ½?

So, in honor of my new favorite speed limit sign, I’ve organized my summer book recommendations into the top seven and a half best books  for ages three and above.  Most are books in a series so if you find one you LOVE, you’ll be able to read more in the series.

Also, age recommendations are very general – In fact, I’m in the ten and above category but I still love all the books on the other lists.  Really.

Summer’s Best Seven and a Half Books (in a series):

(or eight if you actually count how many I’ve listed)

Best Books for Age Three

1. Gallop! by Rufus Bulter Seder
2. The Napping House by Audrey Wood
3. Sandra Boynton Board Books
4. Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle
5. Froggy book series by Jonathan London
6. Go, Dog. Go! By P.D. Eastman
7. Bear’s New Friend by Karma Wilson
   ½. Corduroy by Don Freeman

Best Books for Age Four

1. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
2. Rotten Ralph by Jeff Gantos
3. Elephant and Piggie Series by Mo Willems
4. Llama Llama Series by Anna Dewdney
5. Yoko by Rosemary Wells
6. David Books by David Shannon
7. Little Critter Books by Mercer Mayer
   ½. How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? By Jane Yolen

Best Books for Age Five

1. Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
2. Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Conner
3. Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton
4. Amanda Pig by Jean Van Leeuwen
5. Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin
6. Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
7. Strega Nona by Tommy De Paolo
   ½. Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant

Best Books for Age Six

1. Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamello
2. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schacher
3. Truck Town books inspired by Jon Sciezka
4. Any Book by Robert Munsch
5. Tacky the Penguin by H. Lester
6. Rainbow Magic easy (and predictable) chapter books by Daisy Meadows
7. Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
   ½. Young Cam Jansen by David Adler

Best Books Age Seven

1. Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne
2. Capital Mysteries Series by Ron Roy
3. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey
4. Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker
5. Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume
6. Franny K. Stein series by  Jim Benton
7. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
   ½ . Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
   by Roald Dahl

Best Books Age Eight

1. American Girl Series
2. Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
3. Secrets of Droon by Tony Abbot
4. Pippi Longstockings by Astrid Lindgren
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
6. The Misadventures of Inspector Moustachio by Wayne Madsen
7. Time Warp Trio by Jon Sciezka
   ½.  My Weird School series by Dan Gutman

Best Books for Age Nine

1. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
2. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
3. Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
4. Warriors series by Erin Hunter
5. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
6. Peter and the Star Catchers by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson
7. 39 Clues by various authors
   ½. The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley

Best Books for Age Ten and up

1. Sabriel by Garth Nix
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
4. The Merlin series by T.A. Barron
5. The Giver by Lois Lowry
6. Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
7. Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
   ½. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

____________________________

Melissa, you rock!  THANK YOU.

These books are all hyper-linked and available on Amazon.  In honor of Armed Forces Day this Saturday, when you click through The Good Stuff Guide to purchase any item from Amazon, ALL proceeds from Amazon for the month of May will be donated to the USO, which provides morale, welfare and recreation-type services to service members and their families.  It is not only book titles recommended here – if you start your Amazon search from the box on the right side of the page, the same is true.

So remember to start your Amazon searches here, and let’s give back to all the men and women and their families who give their lives to keep us safe.  And, yes, I’m thinking of making this a permanent thing, perhaps with different charities every month. I’ll keep you posted…

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Category: Books
Tags: Best books for summer, Children's Literature |