Suggested Summer Reading List for Entering Kindergarten

Download the 2010 Burlingame Public Library K-1 list

Kindergarten teachers recommend that families go to libraries in the community and check out lots of books with your children. Children enter kindergarten with many levels of pre-reading skills. The following books are suggestions to read to and with your child:

• Books by Mo Willems, especially Elephant and Piggie
• Books by Cynthia Rylant
• Books by Kevin Henkes
• Books by Eric Carle
• Books by P.D. Eastman
• Books by Denise or Candace Fleming
• Books by Don Freeman
• Books by Pat Hutchins
• Books by Ezra Jack Keats
• Books by Rosemary Wells
• Books by Bill Martin such as Chicka Chica Boom Boom
• Books by Laura Numeroff
• Books by David Shannon
• Books by Ann Jonas
  

Children at this age also enjoy animal books, science books with beautiful illustrations, traditional fairy and folk tales.

Suggested Summer Reading List for Entering Third Grade

Download the 2010 Burlingame Public Library 2-3 list

Third Grade teachers recommend that children read daily for approximately 20 minutes. Children enter third grade at various reading levels, but most are now reading to learn rather than learning to read. The following books are suggestions that your child might enjoy:

• Tony Abbott - Secrets of Droon series
• Annie Barrows - Ivy and Bean series
• Georgia Byng - Molly Moon book series
• Ann Cameron - The Stories Julian Tells and other books by this author
• Matt Christopher - sports fiction books
• Beverly Cleary - Ramona books, Ralph S. Mouse, and other books by this author
• Kate DiCamillo - Tale of Desperaux and other books by the author
• Dan Gutman - Nightmare at the Book Fair, Jim & Me: a baseball card adventure, Weird School series books, and other books by this author
• Bruce Hale - Chet Gecko mystery series
• Betty Hicks - Gym Shorts series
• James Howe - Bunnicula and other books by this author
• Dick King-Smith - Babe: the Gallant Pig, and other books by this author
• Megan McDonald - Judy Moody and Stink books
• Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House series
• Sara Pennypacker - Clementine books
• Ron Roy - The A to Z Mystery series
• Angie Sage - Arminta Spookie series and the Septimus Heap (Magyk) series
• Louis Sachar - Marvin Repost books and the Wayside School books
• Laura Ingalls Wilder - Little House on the Pairie and other books in this series
• Books in the American Girls collection
• Diaries from the Dear America series

Fiction books by these authors:

Andrew Clements Bruce Coville Edward Eager Dick King-Smith Suzy Kline Lois Lowry Patricia McKissack Barbara Park

Patricia Polacco Ron Roy Cynthia Rylant Louis Sachar Jon Scieszka Geronimo Stilton Jean Van Leeuwen Jane Yolen

Nonfiction books by these authors:

David Adler Aliki Joanna Cole Gail Gibbons Eric Kimmel (folktales)

Kathleen Krull Robert San Souci (folktales) Jack Prelutsky (poetry) Seymour Simon Shel Silverstein (poetry)

Series books

A to Z Mysteries Amber Brown American Girls Andrew Lost Bailey School Kids Boxcar Children Encyclopedia Brown Franny K. Stein

Geronimo Stilton Invisible Inc. (Elizabeth Levy) Junie B. Jones Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo (Krulik) Magic Tree House Minnie and Moo Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle

My Weird School Paddington Ruby Lu Books Secrets of Droon Spiderwick Chronicles Time Warp Trio

Children this age also enjoy Aesop’s fables, fairy tales, folktales, poetry books, science books with beautiful illustrations, animal books, nonfiction books about flight, simple paper airplane books, simple origami books, cookbooks, graphic novels, and other nonfiction titles of age appropriate interest. They enjoy magazines too.

Suggested Summer Reading List for Entering Fourth Grade

Download the 2010 Burlingame Public Library 4-5 list

Fourth Grade teachers recommend that entering fourth graders read at least three books at their reading level over the summer, though they hope students read even more. They would like students to try books from different genres. The following list gives some of the recommended choices that other fourth graders have enjoyed.

Biography – story of a real person’s life written by another person:
•Bonnie Christensen -Woody Guthrie: Poet of the People
•Kathryn Lasky - John Muir: America's First Environmentalist
• William O. Douglass - Muir of the mountains
•Celeste Mannis - Julia Morgan Built a Castle
•Maryann Weidt - Mr. Blue Jeans: A Story about Levi Strauss
•Or another Californian’ s biography or autobiography

Historical Fiction – a fictional story that takes place in a particular time period in the past. Often the setting is real, but the characters are made up:
•Karen Cushman- Ballad of Lucy Whipple
•Gary Paulsen- Mr. Tucket series
•Rachel Laurgaard - Patty Reed's Doll
•Pam Munoz Ryan – Riding Freedom
•Or a historical fiction book about California

Realistic Fiction – story using made-up characters but that could happen in real life
•Jeanne Birdsall - The Penderwicks
•Sharon Creech-Walk Two Moons
•Phyllis R. Naylor – Shiloh series
•Mildred Taylor - Mississippi Bridge
•Or another realistic fiction of your choice

Mystery – suspenseful story about a puzzling event that is not solved until the end of the story
•Byars- The Herculeah Jones Mysteries
•Siobhan Dowd - The London Eye Mystery
•Horowitz- The Diamond Brothers Mysteries
•Naylor - Bernie McGruder books

•Or another mystery of your choice

Fantasy – story including elements that are impossible such as talking animals or magical powers
•Erin Hunter- The Warriors series
•George Selden- Cricket in Times Square
•Elizabeth Winthrop- The Castle in the Attic
•Angie Sage - Magyk and other Septimus Heap stories books
•Or another fantasy of your choice

Science Fiction – type of fantasy that uses science and technology (robots, time machines, etc.)
•Jim Benton-Franny K Stein books
•Madeline L’Engle- Wrinkle in Time
•Cynthia Rylant - The Van Gogh Café
•Jon Scieszka- Knights of the Kitchen Table
•Or another science fiction of your choice

Informational – texts that provide facts about a variety of topics (sports, animals, space, science, history, careers, travel, geography, etc.)
•Various choices at your reading level

Traditional Literature – stories that are passed down from one group to another in history. This includes folktales, legends, fairy tales, fables, tall tales, and myths from different cultures.
•Various choices at your reading level

Suggested Summer Reading List for Entering Fifth Grade

Download the 2010 Burlingame Public Library 4-5 list

The Fifth Grade teachers recommend that entering fifth graders read at least three books at their reading level over the summer, though they hope students read even more. They would like students to try books from different genres. The following list gives some of the recommended choices that other fifth graders have enjoyed.

Biography – story of a real person’s life written by another person
•Biographies by Russell Freedman
•Fleischman-Escape! The Story of the great Houdini
•Jiang- Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
•Ying Chang Compestine - Revolution is not a Dinner Party
•Memoir books by Gary Paulsen
•Or another biography or autobiography

Historical Fiction – a fictional story that takes place in a particular time period in the past. Often the setting is real, but the characters are made up.
•Books by Katherine Paterson
•Books by Sid Fleischman
•Boyne- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: a fable
•Taylor- Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
•Or another historical fiction book

Realistic Fiction – story using made-up characters but that could happen in real life
•Bauer- Peeled
•Books by Gordon Korman
•Books by Lisa Yee
•Schmidt- Lizzie Bright and That Buckminster Boy
•Or another realistic fiction of your choice

Mystery – suspenseful story about a puzzling event that is not solved until the end of the story
•Trenton Lee Stewart - The Mysterious Benedict Society books
•Siobhan Dowd- The London Eye Mystery
•Byars- The Dark Stairs mysteries
•Horowitz- The Diamond Brothers mysteries
•Anthony Horowitz -- Alex Rider series
•Or another mystery of your choice

Fantasy – story including elements that are impossible such as talking animals or magical powers
•Kathi Appelt- The Underneath
•Ingrid Law- Savvy
•Flanagan- Ranger’s Apprentice
•Rick Riordan- Percy Jackson and the Olympians series
•Or another fantasy of your choice

Science Fiction – type of fantasy that uses science and technology (robots, time machines, etc.)
•Books by Bruce Coville
•Books by William Sleator
•Margaret Peterson Haddix- Among the Hidden series
•Lois Lowry- The Giver
•Or another science fiction of your choice

Informational – texts that provide facts about a variety of topics (sports, animals, space, science, history, careers, travel, geography, etc.)
•Various choices at your reading level

Traditional Literature – stories that are passed down from one group to another in history. This includes folktales, legends, fairy tales, fables, tall tales, and myths from different cultures.
•Various choices at your reading level

Suggested Summer Reading List for Washington Graduate Students Entering Sixth Grade

Download the Burlingame Public Library 6-8 list