2025 Summer Reading Guide: Books for the Whole Family
Summer is the best time for reading aloud. And when it comes to bedtime reading, no school wakeup means you can indulge requests for “just one more chapter.”
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
When Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin get together to co-write a book about WWII codebreakers, you know that’s a book you aren’t going to want to miss. This story takes place in the summer of 1940 with two siblings who love riddles and puzzles. And they live in the right place for that since they live at Britain’s top secret codebreaking factory, Bletchley Park, where the brightest minds work together to crack the Nazi’s infamous Enigma cipher. My 12 year old and I listened to this together on a trip and we were both gripped.
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
When eleven-year-old Hank’s mom doesn’t come home, he’s left caring for his toddler sister until hunger forces him to seek help – triggering a chain of events that could tear them apart. This heartfelt, high-stakes story had been on my radar for months, and once my book club and library raved about it, I finally listened…and couldn’t stop.
Pizza, Pigs and Poetry by Jack Prelutsky
I read this aloud to my elementary schoolers years ago when I worked as a school librarian and it was hugely popular. This year, as part of our poetry study in homeschool, I read it aloud to my girls and it was a delight to revisit it. It does such a great job not only introducing poetry in a fun and funny way, but also helping you understand WHY a poem works and how it is written with lots of encouragement to write your own!
Uprooted by Ruth Chan
I’ve really gotten into graphic novels in the past several years and this heartfelt graphic memoir had me laughing over ketchup chips one minute and tearing up over homesickness and family stories the next. When Ruth Chan moves to Hong Kong with her family, she finds herself on an awkward, emotional rollercoaster of starting over in a place that doesn’t feel like home – in Canada, she stood out but now in Hong Kong she feels like everyone sees her as “not Chinese enough.” This one’s perfect for middle grade readers (and grown-ups too), especially for anyone who has ever felt a little lost while finding where they belong.