There’s a reason that schools assign summer reading to students (contrary to what your child might say, it’s not because the teachers are mean.) Reading strengthens the executive function, in other words, the parts of the brain that aid in memory retention and learning. In fact, it even helps build white matter which benefits the entire system by improving communication between parts of the brain.

Here are some of the books our staff is reading this summer:

Kids:

The Magic Treehouse Series by Mary Pope Osborne 

These enchanting stories have been charming readers aged six-ten for nearly 30 years. The books feature Jack and Annie, two siblings who are sent on magical missions to different eras by the powerful Morgan la Fay, by means of a treehouse that can travel through time. With simple engaging language that is reflected in the alliterative titles, such as “Dinosaurs Before Dark,” these books are the ideal first chapter book for any gender of a young reader.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

The heartwarming story of triumph in which a young boy is able to save his village from drought. He invents something that allows him to bring water to his family and the whole village. What we like about this book is that will give kids a more global perspective. This book may be slightly more challenging than the Magic Tree House series, but is an excellent candidate for reading together.

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

One of the first children’s picture books with an African American heroine. We love this book because we feel it’s a great book for beginning a discussion about diversity and inclusion.

Middle School:

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Warning: there is violence. A young man Jerome is shot and killed by the police. As a ghost, he meets another ghost Emmett Till. Emmett acts as a guide, helping him not only process his death but also understand why these acts of violence occur. Jerome struggles to process racism, violence, and all of the factors that impacted the police officer and his death.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

You may have heard about this New York Times bestselling book about a young man who leave his reservation to attend an All-white school. This is a great book on the BIPOC experience.

High School:

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

A NYT bestseller about a young woman struggling with living in two worlds. One world is the world of her poor neighborhood. The other is the world of her private high school. These tensions are then amplified and her delicate balance is ultimately shattered when the heroine witnesses a friend murdered.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Doerr is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, a New York Times Book Review Top Ten Book, and this book spent more than 2 and a half years on the New York Times bestseller list. A story about a blind French girl who befriends a young German boy.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X Kendi and Jason Reynolds.

Kendi won the book award for the adult version of this book which uncovers the history of racism in America. He constructs and deconstructs how these ideas germinated and with whom. This version is the Young Adult (YA) version of the novel which distills the major points for younger audiences without pandering.

Adults

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X Kendi

Ibram X Kendi won the Book Award for this book which uncovers the history of racism in America. He constructs and deconstructs how these ideas germinated and with whom.

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

DiAngelo’s book examines why white people get so uncomfortable with questions surrounding race. She examines why people get defensive and how these reactions become counterproductive to questions surrounding race.

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