15 Best Kids’ Books to Make Summer Reading Fun
They’ll dive into these easy, breezy stories over break.
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As someone who has run a Kids' Book Award program for 15+ years, here's my hot take on summer reading lists: They should be more fun. And what's more fun than a beach read? I've curated 15 summertime stories for tots through pre-teens where the vibes are everything. Crack 'em open at the shore or in the backyard and you may find that this school break is the one that your child became a reader for life.
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This new graphic novel about friendship drama after the eighth-grade graduation ceremony is Judy Blume level. Classmates gather at a pool party and there’s all sorts of adolescent strife—an embarrassing video, bickering besties, pals who realize they’ve grown apart. Honest and heartfelt, the book’s dialogue nails the tween years. Ages 8-12
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This new picture book “is a juicy metaphor for the sensation of taking a cool bite of melon on a hot summer day,” says Liv Hanson, a youth librarian at the Chicago Public Library. Villagers split a large watermelon in half and dive in to beat the heat! Ages 4-8
Pop this board book with five touch-and-feel elements in your beach bag! Little ones will love running their fingers over the book’s scratchy sand and soft beach towel. Ages 1-3
In 1976, when the author was 8 years old, he took an epic seven-week road trip across 26 states with his family. Kids can follow along in this scrapbook-style graphic memoir that contains many actual photos from their travels. It’s a great way to get kids psyched for a car trip—or for America's upcoming 250th anniversary. Ages 6+
The perfect tale for the beginning or end of summer break highlights a bunch of beach toys who challenge a group of school supplies to a sandcastle-building contest. The vibe is competitive and so is the wordplay! Ages 3-7
Winner of a Good Housekeeping Kids’ Book Award in 2024, this lyrical story captures the small joys of summertime, from blowing bubbles to having a cookout. It’s a fantastic reminder that simple experiences can create core memories. Ages 3-7
One of the funniest books in this kid-fave series takes place at a beach house! In true Wimpy Kid fashion, hijinks like a cooler that gets swept away and restaurants gone wrong generate lots of laughs. But the most hilarious part of the book involves grandma’s meatballs. Consider reading a couple of chapters each night to the kids—you may laugh as hard as they do. Ages 7+
It’s a book! It’s a fire engine kids can sit in! After reading a story about a journey to put out a fire, you can transform the book into a two-seat fire engine, complete with a steering wheel. “My kids were obsessed,” said a Good Housekeeping tester. “The book was easy to convert into the truck, and we played firefighter all afternoon.” Since it easily folds back in a book, it’s basically road trip gold. Ages 2-5
Two girls on summer break become sock detectives, returning missing socks from a laundry business to their owners. Reunions take place all over New York City, giving the short illustrated chapter book such a cool atmosphere. After mini readers finish the story, which won a Kids’ Book Award in 2024, they’ll never look at a pair of socks in the same way! Ages 7-10
The plot is epic: A Hawaiian seventh-grader wants to win a surfing prize money for his mom before a family curse transforms him into a shark! Lots of action, suspense, and a mini mystery will keep kids turning the pages of this fantasy novel. Ages 8-12
Start a summer tradition by reading a poem a day. This keepsake treasury, which won a Kids’ Book Award in 2023, contains 365 poems and matching illustrations for every day of the year. A ribbon bookmark keeps your place. Ages 3+
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Perfect for a road trip, toddlers can navigate the sliders in this book to ride around town in different vehicles, including an ice cream truck! Ages 2-4
Plan to start a garden this summer? Or even visit a farm on vacation? This book, winner of a 2022 Good Housekeeping Kids’ Book Award, will get the kids psyched. Diary entries capture a young girl’s attempt to convince her parents that she’s mature enough to raise strawberries—and readers told us they could relate. Ages 6-10
This rhyming picture book takes wanna-be Ariels on an under-the-sea adventure to find a mermaid. With tens of thousands of positive reviews, it’s become a classic tail, er, tale! Ages 3-7
The classic story about a brother-sister lemonade stand has been turned into a graphic novel, and kids like it more than the OG. Comic panels help bring to life the calculations that the siblings make to see how much lemonade they need to earn the most money in their “winner takes all” contest. Ages 8-12
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