Top summer reading picks 2005
To help children get started reading, here are some popular picks from Volusia County library users:
- Holes by Louis Sachar: As further evidence of his family's bad fortune – which it attributes to a curse on a distant relative – Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself. Grades four-six.
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis: Four children from England discover the country of Narnia by traveling through a wardrobe and taking part in several adventures on their quest to rid the country of the White Witch. Grades three-four.
- A to Z Mysteries (series) by Ron Roy: Three older children are self-appointed sleuths. Despite their young age, they're pretty good at the job. Grades three-four.
- Boxcar Children (series): The series chronicles the adventures of four children who lived in a railroad car until moving in with their grandfather. Grades three-four.
- Star Wars (series): This science fiction series highlights adventures in outer space and other planets.
- Harry Potter (series): At the Hogswart School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, student Harry Potter and his classmates find themselves in a series of adventures, dark powers and danger. (In anticipation of demand, Volusia County Public Library has ordered 100 copies of the new book, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, due out in July). Grades four-six. Some younger children will enjoy having the books read to them if they can’t read at this level. Many adults also enjoy this series.
- A Series of “Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket: (series): Catastrophes and misfortunes beset the resourceful Baudelaire children, as they become wealthy orphans plagued by a life of misery. The series starts with The Bad Beginning. Grades three-nine.
- Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo: Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Fla., and all the good things that happen to her because of her big, ugly dog Winn-Dixie. Grades four-six.
- Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo: Follow the adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin. Grades four-six.
More top picks:
- Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne. Grades one-two.
- Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park. Grades one-three.
- Charlie Bone books by Jenny Nimmo. Grades four-six.
- Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda. Juvenile science fiction, fantasy, grades three-six.
- Hoofbeats, the Unicorn’s Secret and other historical fiction series by Kathleen Duey. Grades three-four.
Comments or questions?
E-mail the
