August is here! The final weeks of the summer break go quickly and there’s so much to do and see before settling back into the classroom.
Hopefully, your kids have been reading and visiting the library throughout the summer. If not, it’s time to dust off those reading skills. Thanks to social media and technology, our kids are reading throughout the day, but this type of reading is different from the reading they will need to do for school. Textbooks and chapter books aren’t the same as reading a quick article or scrolling social media. Sending a text is different from writing a report or answering questions on a test.
Our instant society has many advantages, but the constant overload of information has changed how our kids are learning and what they are learning. Slowing down and decompressing while reading a good book is an important skill our kids need. You can help by establishing a special time for reading. Be a good example, mute your phone, and put it away during reading time. Read to your kids and with your kids. Talk to them about what they read. Make sure they learn context clues. Ask about the pictures they see in their imagination while they read. Give them a notebook or sheets of paper and encourage them to write a short review about each book they listen to or read. Encourage them to draw pictures, too. We remember what we commit to paper.
Here are our August 2026 reading recommendations for kids and YA:
Fish Upon a Star by Little Hippo Books – Little fish make wishes as they begin to get sleepy and your little one can, Too. A fun way to encourage your child to wish and dream for bedtime fun. For ages baby-6
The Worst Summer Book in the Whole Entire World by Joey Acker – Nameless the Rock doesn’t want summer or to do fun things. While Nameless is busy trying to be bored, a random camel invades his space and Nameless learns that being ridiculous can be fun. For ages 3-7
Cannonball by Sacha Cotter – A little boy learns to do the perfect cannonball by listening to his Nan’s advice, trust yourself. That’s a great lesson to learn anywhere. For ages 4-8
Summer Song by Kevin Henkes – Bees buzz, birds sing, kids roll in the grass and enjoy the warm sunshine. This rhythmic text brings summer to life. For ages 4-8
The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer by Benjamin Chaud and Davide Cali – Did a day at the beach really become a globe-spanning treasure hunt? A teacher wonders whether her student’s incredible summer adventure is fact or a product of a vivid imagination. What will your kids think? For ages 6-9
Halley Harper, Science Girl Extraordinaire: Summer Set in Motion by Tracy Borgmeyer – Halley is a klutz, but sometimes the mistakes/accidents can lead to wonderful discoveries, especial at summer camp. For ages 7-11
The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson – Ryanna usually spends the summer at home with her dad and stepmom. She hasn’t seen her maternal grandparents since her mom’s funeral, so when they call and invite her to spend the summer with them in the Poconos at an old summer camp, she’s excited, but surprised. What special things will she learn about this side of her family? For ages 9-12
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin – After Suzy’s best friend drowns, Suzy copes by creating a theory that her friend died from the sting of a rare jellyfish instead of drowning. Suzy dreams up ways to prove her theory before finally accepting that accidents do happen and sometimes no one is to blame. Set to become a feature film in the near future. For ages 10-12
You Have A Match by Emma Lord – Abby and her friend/secret crush decide to send DNA samples to a service to learn about their family traits and connections. She hopes the results will give them something in common. Perhaps their ancestors shared a love of sports, science, or exploration. Something to make him notice her and get her out of the friend zone. Abby learns she has a secret sister, surrendered for adoption at birth by their parents. Instead of worrying about romance, she spends the summer trying to get to know her sister and understand why her parents did what they did. For ages 12 and up
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther – While still grieving her sister Claire’s untimely death, Meredith must return to Martha’s Vineyard for a family wedding. She’s immediately thrown back into family traditions including Claire’s favorite game, Assassin. Meredith dreads playing without her sister, but things get interesting when she’s paired with a cute groomsman. For ages 14 and up