I love everything about summer, even the heat, but especially the perfectly acceptable excuse to read. Here’s my last short list of goodies in case the previous lists have been depleted or didn’t suit anyone. That is the marvelous thing about books – there are so many kinds that something eventually does suit. Summer books I have read are forever linked in memory for me to the vacations or car rides or beaches where I read them. A rainy-day camping was not a disappointment because we might hole up in the tent and read the afternoon away. Yoto is great, but Mom or Dad’s voices are better.

You know my strategy to keep reluctant chapter book readers going, right? Put a marker in a couple of pages away and tell the child not to read past the marker. Keep moving it forward till they reach the end. You know success when they ask, “Do I have to stop at the marker?”

FAMILY READ ALOUDS

The Mitchells: Five for Victory by Hilda Van Stockum. I know I had one by this author last month, but, well, she’s just the best! This is about five wild (okay, naughty) children and the frazzled mother who cannot keep up with their continual antics. Father has been called to serve as a doctor in the war and the children concoct their own schemes to help the war effort. It’s hilarious and heartwarming and, best of all, there are sequels. (1945)

Rascal by Sterling North. This superb writer tells the story of a boy and his pet raccoon. Set in Wisconsin during World War I, it is partly autobiographical, full of humor and all the chaos you can imagine taking place when a raccoon moves in, but oh so wonderful for the boy missing his brother away at war. (1962) 

Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. This is a pioneer adventure during the time of the Oregon Trail days. The main character, who ran for the wild west years before, was mauled by a bear, and taken in by the Crow Indian tribe. When the story begins, his younger, now orphaned siblings are setting out for a new life in the west and hoping for their older brother’s help. But, Jim is more comfortable with Indian ways. All of them learn lessons of the frontier and what it means to be a family as the story unfolds. (1952) 

The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert Dejong. This is a breathless adventure of a little Chinese boy who must flee for his life when the Japanese bombing separates him from his parents and he runs to the countryside to survive. His fortuitous encounter with a downed U. S. airman whom he helps back to camp leads to more than a happy ending, but all along the way there is danger as well as comic relief as his courage and one misadventure after another leads him to safety. (1956)

CHAPTER BOOKS

Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins. Tastefully handled by this skillful contemporary author, this book describes the unlikely friendship of two kids who have experienced trauma and travel with their youth group to India to work with a mission rescuing girls caught in human trafficking. In serving others, they both find healing and learn to find hope for their own future. For mature teen girls. (2019) 

First Boy by Gary D. Schmidt. This is the comical and suspenseful story of an extremely independent and resourceful boy who discovers the secrets of his past. Is it possible he is the president’s son? High adventure for boys and girls 9-14. (2005) 

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Wiggin. A widowed mother with many children sends her spunky daughter to live with two old aunts. Then the fun begins. Rebecca is full of life, generosity, and delight in the world and she ends up changing more than just her aunts’ lives. Reading for 8-16. (1915) 

Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter. In spite of the mocking in the media, this is a worthwhile book about an orphaned  girl who must now live with a cranky relative. Throughout the book, misfortunes come Pollyanna’s way, but her joyful spirit and positive outlook not only helps her overcome, but affects the entire town. For girls 8-14. 

The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas by Thor Heyerdahl. This is the fascinating true tale of some adventurous men who build a raft in Peru and float all the way to the South Pacific islands on the Pacific current. Survival, storms, shark attacks and more challenge them all the way, but their hypothesis that South American tribes may have followed this same route hundreds of years ago is affirmed. If your kids liked Crusoe, they will enjoy this, and it is probably most appropriate for teens. (1948) 

Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge. This is often considered Goudge’s greatest story. If you’ve watched my “Vision for Children” video, you’ve had a long sample. The first page’s description of the Devonshire village was so picturesque I read it three times before turning the page. That was the first of many times I have read this beautiful story of an adopted girl on a farm, a runaway sailor and all the people who instrumentally affect their lives. It’s beautiful, this story of courage, endurance, and human love, and though it is about children growing up and perfectly fitting for such children to read, it is a blessing to anyone older who can read it. (1949)

FOR MOM

Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Dibbler Rose. A nail-biter story best not to read if you need to get anything done! It’s a true missionary tale of a young newlywed couple serving in Papua New Guinea when the Japanese invade, capture, and imprison them at the start of World War II. This is a humbling, inspiring faith and endurance story reminiscent of The Hiding Place, and great for older teens too. (1988) 

The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell. Based on true events of “America’s Joan of Arc, ” this is an enthralling novel about the hardship of life in a mining town in northern Michigan in 1913. The women’s lives are brutal, their men’s even more so, many of them regularly not returning home because of the deadly conditions underground. One courageous woman takes matters into her own hands and confronts the company owner, risking her own life to bring justice. (2020) 

The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton. This is a lesser known and lighter novel from this classic American authoress. It’s about two poor, but well connected  young people who decide to fool the rich and famous. Yes, it’s farcical and far-fetched, and far lighter than her serious novels, but the themes of social criticism are the same. She is a phenomenal writer, and this less serious novel is just fun. (1922) 

Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope. If you like the old English cathedral town drama and getting lost in a long story where the characters’ lives interest you for more than a minute, this classic novel will suit your fancy. The author, incidentally, was a postman by trade, but he knew a lot about people. Maybe those things go together. Remember Miss Mason said our novels are our greatest teachers. (1857)