Kindergarten
- "Naughty Little Monkeys." by Jim Aylesworth. Twenty-six monkeys get into mischief when their parents go out for the evening in this rhyming alphabet book.
- "When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry..." by Molly Bang. Sophie expresses her anger when she must surrender a toy to her sister.
- "The Neighborhood Mother Goose." by Nina Crews. This collection of nursery rhymes features the familiar and unfamiliar, all set in the city.
First grade
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- "Stanley's Party." by Linda Bailey. When a dog's owners leave for the evening, he gets into a lot of mischief.
- "A Splendid Friend Indeed." by SuzanneBloom. A polar bear and a goose learn to get along and be friends.
- "Franklin in the Dark." by Paulette Bourgeois. A turtle afraid of small dark places, and therefore of crawling into his shell, asks a variety of animals for advice, only to find out that each has a fear of its own.
Second grade
- "Town Mouse, Country Mouse." by Jan Brett. After trading houses, the country mice and the town mice discover there's no place like home.
- "Crickwing," "Pinduli," "Stellaluna," "Verdi." by Janell Cannon. Picture books about unappreciated and fascinating creatures.
- "Sylvia Jean, Scout Supreme." by Lisa Campbell Ernst. Sylvia Jean disguises herself in order to assist a neighbor who does not want her enthusiastic help.
Third grade
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- "Ruby's Wish." by Shirin Yim Bridges. During the 1800s in China, when few girls learn to read and write, Ruby fervently desires to attend university with all the males in her family.
- "The Bat Boy and His Violin." by Gavin Curtis. Reginald loves to play his violin, but Papa wants him to be outdoors more and enlists him as the bat boy for the baseball team Papa manages. Reginald plays his violin in the dugout, and the team improves.
- "Bones." by David A. Adler. Everyone needs bones -- Detective Jeffrey Bones that is. With his bag of detective tools in hand, read how Jeffrey can solve any mystery.
Fourth grade
- "Secrets of Droon." by Tony Abbot. Tag along with a trio of best friends who stumble upon the magical world of Droon.
- "The World According to Humphrey." by Betty G. Birney. Humphrey, a classroom hamster, surveys his surroundings and finds ways to help the children in the class.
- "The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales."Adapted by James Bruchac and Joseph Bruchac Ph.D. A collection of illustrated Native American folktales.
Fifth grade
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- "How Tia Lola Learned to Teach." by Julia Alvarez. Juanita and Miguel's great aunt, Tía Lola, comes from the Dominican Republic to help take care of them after their parents divorce, and soon she is so involved in their small Vermont community that when her visa expires, the whole town turns out to support her.
- "We the Children." by Andrew Clements. Sixth-grader Ben Pratt's life is full of changes that he does not like, but when the school janitor gives him a tarnished coin with some old engravings and then dies, Ben is drawn into an effort to keep the school from being destroyed.
- "Gregor the Overlander." by Suzanne Collins. Gregor and his 2-year sister fall down a shaft in the basement and find a world of giant insects and rats. They become part of a huge battle.
Sixth grade
- "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda." by Tom Angelberger. Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future. Includes instructions for making Origami Yoda.
- "The Ballad of Lucy Whipple." by Karen Cushman. In 1849, 12-year-old California Morning, who renames herself Lucy, is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a rough California mining town.
- "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread." by Kate DiCamillo. The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
For more, go to About.com, and type in "summer reading list for kids"
