Summer Reading Recommendations for Your Kids

Summer vacation was the most longed-for part of my childhood. It also seemed to be the longest part of each year.

It’s no surprise that the bus ride home on the last day of school was always out of control. And when I finally got off the bus for the last time until September, with my backpack stuffed with the odds and ends accumulated over the year, the possibilities seemed endless. After a few weeks had elapsed, the joy of a schedule-free life had become a burden. Boredom had set in. The summer days dragged by, and the routine of school started to seem attractive again.

A little boredom is a good thing, actually. It can spur creativity and push kids to do the work to entertain themselves by building a fort, inventing a game, or reading. These activities all do more than entertain; they can help kids learn to concentrate, solve problems, and negotiate minor conflicts on their own.

Kids need parental direction toward what is best. They may have free rein of the pantry during the summer, but it’s not great if they exist from June-August on only chips and soda. The same is true with their reading diet. Parents should want kids to read books that delight and instruct. As Kathryn Butler argues in Stories Woven in Silver, “Far beyond simple means of entertainment, well-told stories are instruments for the shaping of minds and hearts.”

Parents should want kids to read books that delight and instruct.

As a parent of voracious readers, I’ve regularly faced the challenge of helping my kids find good books. It’s often fine to read the latest popular series, even if the stories won’t stand the test of time. However, I also want my kids to read the sort of books they’ll want to share with their own kids.

Websites like Read-Aloud Revival, Redeemed Reader, and Good Book Mom can help parents find quality books, many of which are available from the local library. I also contacted several Christian authors to ask for a book recommendation for 8-to-13-year-olds to read this summer. These are the answers I received.

1. Kathryn Butler, author of The Dream Keeper Saga and The Lamplight Series

“I recommend Jack vs. the Tornado, the first book of the Tree Street Kids series. Amanda Cleary Eastep follows in the footsteps of Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume with Tree Street Kids, a heartwarming series featuring the antics and escapades of a group of school-age kids in the 1990s. Eastep creates highly relatable and endearing characters who face sticky challenges and who must rely on one another—and on their faith in God—to navigate the messiness of life.”

2. S. D. Smith, author of the Green Ember series

“My kids pestered me respectfully to give Gary D. Schmidt’s The Wednesday Wars a chance. I am grateful for their persistence because it is so good—in every aspect of that word. Good. It is excellently written and easy to read. It is humorous, sincere, and deeply moving. I believe Schmidt is the world’s best children’s novelist. The Wednesday Wars, and his work broadly, resounds with kingdom light.”

3. Ginger Blomberg, author of Charlie and the Preschool Prodigal

“Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is an ocean adventure for hot summer days. It includes the beaches, boats, quirky new acquaintances, and unexpected plan pivots that often accompany summer excursions even today, but hopefully your travel will include fewer murdering pirates. The image of a kid setting off over the horizon remains a powerful draw for young hearts, especially those who have a new middle or high school waiting as the summer days wane.”

4. Martin Williams, author of John Calvin’s Illustrated Institutes

“For curious readers around 8–13, I’d recommend C. J. Lovik’s edition of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. It reads like an adventure story: a man named Christian leaves everything familiar to follow the King’s path to the Celestial City, facing giants, dungeons, and dazzling temptations along the way. It’s a gripping way to help children feel the drama of following Christ.”

5. Champ Thornton, author of The Radical Books for Kids

“Award-winning author Laura Hillenbrand has brilliantly and beautifully adapted her best-selling book to appeal to younger readers. Unbroken: An Olympian’s Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive tells the remarkable life story of Louis Zamperini—who ran in the Olympics, fought in World War II, survived adrift in the Pacific Ocean for 47 days, and endured unspeakable atrocities in a prison camp until finally returning home, where he battled alcoholism before becoming a Christian and being transformed by the gospel. (Note: Some younger readers may find photographs of prisoners of war disturbing.).”

6. Amanda Cleary Eastep, author of the Tree Street Kids series

7. Leah Boden, author of Chronicles of Wonder: The Story-Formed Life of C. S. Lewis

“One of my childhood favorites is The Tanglewoods’ Secret by Patricia St. John. If you’ve ever struggled with big feelings, like Ruth, who describes herself as wild and contrary, you’ll recognize yourself in her story. Through hardship and a moment of deep need, she encounters the Good Shepherd and begins to understand forgiveness, healing, and hope. The characters feel real, the setting is adventurous, and the story stays with you.”

8. Marty Machowski, author of the Redemption Tales series

“The Radical Book for Kids and its sequel, The Really Radical Book for Kids, by Champ Thornton, are excellent summer reads for kids ages 8–13 growing up in a world of short-form videos. Champ’s books keep kids turning pages, while introducing them to church history, theology, and gospel living with brief chapters. Filled with fun activities, these books invite kids to explore and grow in their faith all summer long.”

9. Malcolm Guite, author of Galahad and the Grail

“If they haven’t already read it, I’d say The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, simply because I think it’s the best of all the Narnia stories. Additionally, if they’re interested in Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and don’t want to tackle the whole of my book, then Roger Lancelyn Green’s King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table is very good. He was a great friend and disciple of C. S. Lewis. Green was a great reteller of ancient stories. He’s really done his background work so he knows the stories well.”