Top 10 Summer Reading Recommendations

With all the uncertainty and disruption of the last school year, many families out there are looking for ways to catch their children up (or even get ahead!) for the upcoming term.

Summer reading lists are one of our favorite tips for keeping young minds sharp during the holiday. At Twinkl, they have great resources to encourage and inspire summer learning and reading comprehension, including areading log and the Great Twinkl Book List.

Here are our top 10 best reads to prepare your learners for the upcoming school year!

Primary

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Giver is a dystopian novel that follows the young Jonas as he unlearns the doctrine of his  society, The Community, which has taken up Sameness in an attempt to curb dissent.

2. Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley

As a work of historical fiction, Roots follows the ancestral tree of an African man who was captured and sold into slavery in the United States.

3. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Giving Tree is one of Silverstein’s most popular titles that explores emotion, intimacy and relationships with nature through prose and illustrations.

4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

This fantasy novel that tackles philosophy, spirituality, science and art features creative world-building, familial relationships and travel through time and space.

5. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Flowers for Algernon tells the story of a diversely abled man named Charlie who shares his stories, thoughts and experiences through diary entries.

6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

In the early years of World War II, a young girl named Liesel comes to age through novels and language. However, she finds that her foster parents are hiding a young Jewish boy in their basement.

7. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
This beloved classic is an excellent fable of friendship and perseverance, personifying the barn animals into lovable, tender characters.

8. Mathilda by Roald Dahl

In one of many of Roald Dahl’s vibrant worlds, Mathilda is a precocious and gifted young girl who struggles to navigate her school and family life.

9. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

The Jungle Book is a collection of stories that exist within the same world and feature the same cast of characters, each tale serving as a lesson of sorts about society, human nature and freedom of choice.

10. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Though a fantasy novel, The Lightning Thief features characters and themes from Greek mythology. Protagonist Percy Jackson must reckon with fantastical changes to the world he thought he knew as satyrs, Furies, and even the Olympic gods themselves appear on his journey.

Secondary

1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s novel is considered a major intervention into eras of the Gothic and Romantic and science fiction genre. It has many interpretations but largely warns against hubris, citing Dr Frankenstein as “the modern Prometheus.”

2. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein
The Lord of the Rings is an epic, high-fantasy tale from Tolkein’s famous series set in the world of Middle Earth, where hobbits, wizards and elves work together for the good of the land.

3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon

Christopher is a neurodivergent, intelligent young man who, after experiencing tragedy, branches out on his own to solve a mystery. This novel is a lesson in emotional intelligence, acceptance and complicated familial relationships.

4. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman’s Coraline is a fantasy novel of alternate universes where everything is not as it seems. After a treacherous journey into another world, Coraline learns to be kind, be brave and be grateful for her loved ones.

5. Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animal Farm is an important work of political satire of the Cold War and is one of the first works of the zeitgeist to meld artistic and political intentions.

6. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

As a dystopic allegory, Lord of the Flies warns against groupthink, dictatorships and power as a group of young boys stranded on a deserted island try desperately to survive and organise their new society.

7. Emily of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon

Stella Kon wrote Emily of Emerald Hill about her experiences growing up in Singapore and her strong cultural and familial background. This novelised play is widely renowned and reflective of a changing modern society in Singapore.

8. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men is not just a fable of freedom, friendship and dreams; it’s also a sociopolitical commentary about systemic and interpersonal oppressions.

9. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Doerr writes two separate wartime stories from either side of the conflict that eventually intersect, with the protagonists playing major roles in each other’s journey to survival. All the Light We Cannot See is a triumph of compassion, survival and intelligence.

10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee grapples with difficult topics like misogyny and racial injustice with warmth, intimacy, humor and strong familial ties. A classic of Southern literature, this novel deals with sexism and racism to encourage compassion and tolerance.

Do have any books which you wish to see in our list? Leave a comment below.