Summer Reading middle School

We know, summer is supposed to be fun and your kids really don’t feel like reading a book. However, if you’re looking for some great books for your kid that they will actually enjoy, then we’ve got you covered. For those who want a good fiction book, we’ve reviewed two fictional novels intended for the tween crowd. And for the kid who really wants to understand what life is like now that he or she is getting older, we’ve got two great books for you. One intended just for girls and the other intended for both boys and girls. All four of these summer reading books are sure to please!

If you’ve ever read books like the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew or Encyclopedia Brown, then you’re likely to understand the genre that the 100 Year OId Secret is designed to follow. Here, we meet 12 year old Xena Holmes, the great great geat granddaughter of Sherlock Holmes and her brother, Xander. Just like their namesake, Xena and Xander are kids who uses a keen sense of things to solve mysteries that others would have a tough time figuring out. We won’t give away the ending of the book for you, but suffice to say, it’s a real crowd pleaser!

From Sherlock Holmes to William Shakespeare, here’s a chance for kids to actually get Shakespeare without trying to figure out what the heck he was talking about when he said things like, “for what is in a name? A rose by any other would smell just as sweet.” And for the kids reading this, in case you’re wondering, it means that names don’t matter. What matters is the love that Romeo and Juliet felt for each other.

Anyway, this book tells the story of a 15 year old American girl spending the summer in Ireland and experiencing the same things that Shakespeare’s characters experienced. Just without the flowery language and set in the modern world.

For every parent who has ever cringed at having that talk with their daughter, this is the book for you. Puberty Girl follows the same style as “Ready Set Grow” but allows girls to understand what is or is about to happen to their bodies in a fun, illustrated way. The book can get a bit silly at times since it has jokes which will make most girls roll their eyes, but over-all, it’s definitely something worth picking up for the 6^th grade girl in your life. Hey, it’s better she learn this way than from her friends, right?

Let’s face it, being a kid is tough these days. Being a tween (i.e. that not quite a kid, not quite a teenager age between about 10-14 or so) is even harder. Your body is going through all kinds of crazy changes and you’re dealing with kids in a brand new school and getting classes with a variety of teachers for the first time in your life. This book explains it all in an easy to understand way that kids will love to read this summer.