Local experts and students reveal recommendations for great summer reading!

Penny Mangus and Carrie Harris,  Reading Recovery Teachers and literacy coaches at Victory Elementary School echoed the thoughts of teachers throughout the country, saying, “The summer slide is an ever pressing concern for teachers. When students lose ground over the summer it is compounded each year as they fall further and further behind. Each successive year is spent struggling to catch up. [This is] not an easy feat for teacher and student. This can be avoided by reading books that are at an independent reading level, easy, and of interest to each student over the summer.”

Victory E.S. school assists its students in several ways to keep them reading during the summer vacation. The librarian has posted a suggested reading list on the school’s library website and Mangus and Harris have listed books on the reading website at http://www.abookandahug .

Mangus said, “It provides specific searches to good-fit books. Both students and parents like this site.”

Harris explained, “We have developed this year a room called the Independent Reading Room. All books are leveled by guided reading level, Level A through Z, and students check books out based on their independent reading level. This means titles they choose are easy for them to read, which is key to reading growth. It is the choice provided that guarantees a high level of engagement for all students. We have over 2000 books, and students clamor to get new books. This summer the Independent Reading Room will be staffed by teacher volunteers to allow our students access to independent reading all summer long.”

Some of the authors the teachers recommend are Patricia Polacco, David Shannon, Mo Williams, Mary Pope Osborne, Jan Brett and Eric Carle, but their favorites include a long list. At VES, many of the students enjoy the graphic novels, and the chapter books series. Mangus and Harris recommend include A-Z and Capital Mysteries, the Lunch Lady series, Magic Treehouse, Dear Dumb Diary and Captain Underpants.

A second grade student shared the series he liked, saying, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid, these are the best books to read when you don’t want to read because they’re so funny.”

A fifth grader shared what she liked,  saying, “Disney’s Maleficent, they really twist up the story. They say perspective is the main part of the book. Perspective changes everything. The person you think is bad really isn’t, so they show you, perspective can change the whole story.”

Donna Kirby, Victory’s Principal, shared, “My favorite children’s books are those enjoyed by my daughter 20 years ago;  Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman, Silly Sally by Audrey Wood and Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise come to my mind right away. Recently after moving to Culpeper, we were cleaning out the piles of story books we had stored in the basement of our old house, it was fun for me to watch as she pulled out old favorites to put away for future use.  I didn’t say a word; just relished the memories of reading to her and crossed my fingers that there may one day be grandchildren [to read to].”

T. Clay Wood Elementary School will also have books available for its students during the summer.

Andrew Buchheit, the school’s principal, said, “This summer our school library will be open each Wednesday throughout the summer, except on July 30. The hours will be from 2 until 3:30 pm. Rising first graders thru rising fifth graders for the 2014-15 school year will be able to check books out. Each Week, there will be special staff members who will check out the books and read to students. In addition Mrs. Rapee [reading teacher] will have three sessions for rising kindergarten students who will be new to T. Clay Wood next year from 3:45 to 4:15 p.m. on July 2, July 16, Aug. 6.”

Buchheit, an avid reader and member of a book club, shared some of his favorite children’s books that he read as a child or has read to students and his own children. 

He shared, “I recommend Peter Rabbit, Charlotte’s Web, I loved this book when I was young.  Little Engine That Could, which I still like to share each year with our Kindergarten Kids, Oh, the Places you Go by Dr. Seuss, I share with fifth graders.” Other books he hopes children will read are Blueberries for Sal, Frindle, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Number the Stars, The Giver, Misty of Chincoteague, The Giving Tree and The Five Chinese Brothers.”

Tyler Elementary assists some of its students over the summer. Jen Perilla, the school’s principal, shared, “Students who receive additional reading support to build their literacy skills receive Summer Reading and Writing Fun Kits. In the kits are leveled readers, word work activities, a spelling dictionary and a story journal.  They really enjoy them.” 

She shared the names of favorite authors of children’s books she enjoyed as a child. including Beverly Cleary and Dr. Seuss. Perilla humorously shared, “Currently, my reading consists more of books like Sensible Mathematics and Total Participation Techniques.”

Mountain View Elementary doesn’t have a book room open this summer, but some of the office staff’s all time favorite book picks are The Box Car Children, Phantom Toll Booth, Hatchet, Shiloh and anything written by Beverly Cleary.

Marstellar Middle School does not have a required summer reading list for its students, but Heather Osial, a sixth grade language arts teacher, explained, “We do have a suggested list on our website that students can read, create a book summary and get a parent signature in order to earn two extra credit A’s at the start of the year.”

Books that are popular with her students include The Fault is in Our Stars, Wonder, Divergent, The False Prince,  and Matched.  Osial added titles of books she thought middle schoolers would enjoy. She said, “The Uglies” is a great series that anyone who likes Hunger Games or Divergent would love. The series starts a little odd, but quickly turns into something you can’t put down. For those sports fans out there, I would suggest trying the author Mike Lupica.”

Two of her students shared what they would recommend. 

Sydney liked Percy Jackson: The Lightening Thief. She explained why, saying, “Because of how much the author uses the descriptive language and wording makes it interesting.”

Classmate, Joseph, shared, “[I like] Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows because it was the wrap up conclusion of all the characters and where they are going to end from the series. Also, it was a fun book all together and kept me on my toes.”

So let the summer reading fun begin.