[Tea] Summer reading: Books for every age!

Welcome to "Tea with Julie," a weekly missive by me, Julie Bogart. My wish is to give you food for thought over a cup of tea to enhance your life as an educator, parent, and awesome adult. Glad you're here. Pinkies up!
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Cincinnati, June 20, 2020

Hi Friend,

We LOVE a good book list here at Brave Writer! Check these fun books out from your local library, or head to the bookstore, and get your kiddos in the summery spirit.

Summer Books for Kids

Caveat: We are familiar with a number of these titles but have not vetted them all (relying on trusted sources like Here Wee Read and others for some of the suggestions). So please remember that you’re the parent. Certain titles, especially for teens, contain mature themes and strong language. If you have doubts about the content of a particular book, check the reviews of it or read it for yourself first.

Littles

Hide and Seek Harry at the Beach by Kenny Harrison
Maisy Goes Camping: A Maisy First Experience Book by Lucy Cousins
The Boy Who Didn't Believe in Spring by Lucille Clifton
All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle
Llama Llama Sand and Sun by Anna Dewdney
Come on, Rain! by Karen Hesse
Stormy Night by Salina Yoon
Just Me and My Dad (Little Critter) by Mercer Mayer
OLIVIA Goes Camping by Alex Harvey
Yo Soy Muslim: A Father's Letter to His Daughter by Mark Gonzales
Beautiful by Stacy McAnulty
Goodnight, Firefly by Gabriel Alborozo
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
If Your Monster Won't Go To Bed by Denise Vega
The Night Before Summer Vacation by Natasha Wing
Welcome to the Neighborwood by Shawn Sheehy
Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Bringing Asha Home by Uma Krishnaswami
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
Write! Write! Write! by Amy Ludwig Vanderwater

Middlers

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (Arrow)
Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
Rise of the Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper (Arrow)
Confessions of a Dork Lord by Mike Johnston
Summer of the Woods by Steven K. Smith
Finn and the Intergalactic Lunchbox by Michael Buckley
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Arrow)
Once Upon a Space-Time! by Jeffrey Brown
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall
The Mystery of the Moon Tower by Francesco Sedita
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (Arrow)
Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh by Uma Krishnaswami
Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia

Teens

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (Boomerang)
I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Boomerang)
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (Boomerang)
Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnston
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (Boomerang)
Geekerella: A Fangirl Fairy Tale by Ashley Poston
The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu
We are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
March by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin (Boomerang)
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Advantages of Reading Aloud

Homeschoolers rightly think reading to our children is about getting them to hear quality language or to learn about history in a story-format or to become familiar with great literature. It is those.

But it’s also this: When you read aloud, your children discover your values and your humanity. They see tears form in the corners of your eyes. They notice the catch in your throat as you describe a tender scene of connection between two estranged characters. They hear you roar with laughter over an inside joke or a cultural touchstone and they want “in” and expect you to help them “get it.”

And then you talk. About the book! About that awesome story and your surprise at the ending or how glad you are that it did end well. Forget that odious word “narration” for a moment (it has been used to drub tedious recounting out of children when a Big Juicy Conversation will do so much more).

You talk about who you liked and who you believed and who you rooted for to get what he or she wanted. You talk about the evil stoat or the wicked prince or the confusion that goes with a troubled character who has both admirable qualities and also real flaws. You compare today to then, and here to there. But you do it, filled with emotion and connection, and the sense of your own place in history and on the planet, all in front of your children—showing them a way to interact with each other, with their neighbors, with their fellow country-persons, and even with how they perceive other times and places.

Reading aloud is the chief way in the homeschool you show who you are to your children—and they show themselves to you. It’s the core of education.

I can’t think of any more important practice in the homeschool than the sacred read aloud time.

Warmly,

P.S. Catch up on all the “Tea with Julie” emails here!