Summer Reading

By Joan Kuersten and Derek Phillips

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Where to Find the Books that Will Turn Your Kids On to READING

Are you worried that your son or daughter will lose valuable reading skills during the summer? Are you curious about which books kids like to read?

The following organizations have published reading lists for children and teens, which may help you and your children choose some books for summertime reading.

• The International Reading A ssociation (IRA) annually publishes three lists of favorite books from among the hundreds of children's books published in North America each year. The lists include Children's Choices, Teachers' Choice, and Young Adults' Choices. Approximately 10,000 U.S. children, ages 5–13, select the top 100 titles for Children's Choices; about 4,500 U.S. young people in grades 7–12 select the 30 top picks as Young Adults' Choices, and as many as 200 reading professionals in each region of the country choose the 30 most popular books for the Teachers' Choices List. These three lists can be accessed from the IRA website, or can be purchased by sending a 9-inch by 12-inch self-addressed envelope with a $1 check or money order, made payable to International Reading Association, 800 Barksdale Road, P.O. Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139.
  

• The American Library Association (ALA) publishes the Nonfiction Series Round-Up, which is the on-line Series Roundup is the digital counterpart to Booklist's print coverage of nonfiction series.

• ALA offers several other book lists including:

  • The Coretta Scott King Award Books, which are distinguished books by African-American authors and illustrators that promote the understanding and appreciation of the "American Dream" as interpreted by Martin Luther King Jr. and carried on by his widow, Coretta Scott King.
    
  • Best Books for Young Adults, a list of 84 books recommended for young people ages 12–18 and selected by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of ALA.
    

  These and several other ALA book lists are available on the ALA website.

• The National Education Association (NEA) publishes the following book lists in conjunction with its Read Across America Project. They are available on NEA's website, or by writing Barbara Parker, c/o National Education Association, 1201 16th St. N.W., Washington, DC 20036.
• Children's Top 100 Book List, compiled from an NEA website survey of 1,800 students from 39 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Department of Defense schools
• Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children, compiled from another NEA website survey of teachers
• 50 Multicultural Books, compiled by the Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the NEA
• Books from All the 50 States, features books that take place in one of each of the 50 states.

*Originally published in Our Children magazine, Vol. 27, No. 6, p. 11.

Summer Reading

By Joan Kuersten and Derek Phillips

Where to Find the Books that Will Turn Your Kids On to READING

Are you worried that your son or daughter will lose valuable reading skills during the summer? Are you curious about which books kids like to read?

The following organizations have published reading lists for children and teens, which may help you and your children choose some books for summertime reading.

• The International Reading A ssociation (IRA) annually publishes three lists of favorite books from among the hundreds of children's books published in North America each year. The lists include Children's Choices, Teachers' Choice, and Young Adults' Choices. Approximately 10,000 U.S. children, ages 5–13, select the top 100 titles for Children's Choices; about 4,500 U.S. young people in grades 7–12 select the 30 top picks as Young Adults' Choices, and as many as 200 reading professionals in each region of the country choose the 30 most popular books for the Teachers' Choices List. These three lists can be accessed from the IRA website, or can be purchased by sending a 9-inch by 12-inch self-addressed envelope with a $1 check or money order, made payable to International Reading Association, 800 Barksdale Road, P.O. Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139.
  

• The American Library Association (ALA) publishes the Nonfiction Series Round-Up, which is the on-line Series Roundup is the digital counterpart to Booklist's print coverage of nonfiction series.

• ALA offers several other book lists including:

  • The Coretta Scott King Award Books, which are distinguished books by African-American authors and illustrators that promote the understanding and appreciation of the "American Dream" as interpreted by Martin Luther King Jr. and carried on by his widow, Coretta Scott King.
    
  • Best Books for Young Adults, a list of 84 books recommended for young people ages 12–18 and selected by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of ALA.
    

  These and several other ALA book lists are available on the ALA website.

• The National Education Association (NEA) publishes the following book lists in conjunction with its Read Across America Project. They are available on NEA's website, or by writing Barbara Parker, c/o National Education Association, 1201 16th St. N.W., Washington, DC 20036.
• Children's Top 100 Book List, compiled from an NEA website survey of 1,800 students from 39 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Department of Defense schools
• Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children, compiled from another NEA website survey of teachers
• 50 Multicultural Books, compiled by the Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the NEA
• Books from All the 50 States, features books that take place in one of each of the 50 states.

*Originally published in Our Children magazine, Vol. 27, No. 6, p. 11.