5 Motivating YA Books Kids Will Want to Read This Summer

As a reading specialist working for the Glendale Unified School District, I noticed a serious decline in reading skills of many of my students after a long hot summer break. According to researchers at the National Education Association (NEA), “Children can lose up to three months of reading progress over the summer months, and that loss has a cumulative, long-term effect.”

Some of my colleagues assign their students a required reading list that looks more like a chore than a pleasure. I believe in giving kids a choice, and so do researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They discovered that allowing low-income children to choose their own books helped close the summer gap.

Below you’ll find five books that should motivate reluctant readers to read this summer:

Anni’s Attic by Anne Loader McGee 

Ages: 10-Adult

Though there are a plethora of books on the market about the Civil War, Anni’s Attic, by Anne Loader McGee is one of the best. Written in the first person perspective about life on a Georgia plantation from 1861-1865, it shows the day-to-day experiences of Jennine Parkington and her cousin Annise Bouvoir.

Jenn is an 11-year-old southern belle who recently lost her mother. In October 1861 her dad, Phillip Parkington, a Northern sympathizer, moves Jenn from their New Orleans home to live with his sister near Savannah, Georgia. Phillip then leaves to fight for President Lincoln. Meanwhile, Jenn must live with her “ill-mannered” 12-year-old cousin, Annise Bouvoir, “who could not even speak French like a proper lady.”

When Jenn’s carriage pulled up in front of White Magnolias on that late October 1861 day, angry eyes watched her from a secret attic tucked away inside the plantation home. Anni wasn’t very happy about having to play hostess to her know-it-all snobby first cousin.

Anne McGee’s historical novel, Anni’s Attic, provides a heart-wrenching look at the atrocities of the Civil War and its affects on the lives of the people living in the Savannah countryside. The YA book is a marvelous character study of Anni and Jenn. During the course of the war the cousins encounter spies, racial hatred, the Underground Railroad, and Sherman’s March to the Sea. Through it all they take time alone in the confines of a secret attic in White Magnolias. There the cousins develop trust as they mature and learn to love and respect each other. Anni’s Attic is a novel all secondary school students must read to advance their understanding of the Civil War era.

Koolura and the Mayans by Michael Thal

Ages: 9-15

Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers’ Favorite

Koolura and the Mayans by Michael Thal is the third book in the Koolura series, an exciting story that will take readers on a historic ride back into the old Maya civilization. Koolura and her friend, Leila, are just two young teens visiting Mexico. They stumble on a device that allows them to travel back in time. They are thrust into an early Maya civilization, whose people are enslaved by the Aquari. The people hope for a goddess who could set them free. Could Koolura be this goddess?

Although Koolura and the Mayans is written for a pre-teen audience, it was fun to read as an adult. Michael Thal’s characters are awesome and I enjoyed Koolura and Leila, two girls who are smart and very ingenious. They make a great team. Readers will enjoy watching them evolve through the story. The author seems to create a whole new culture around the Maya and the story feels so real, reading about the people and the challenges they face. At the level of style, this book is beautifully accomplished. First off, the reader will notice the gorgeous accessible writing, composed of short and easy-to-understand sentences. The writing also features great descriptions of characters and setting. The descriptive prose creates powerful images in the minds of readers. I enjoyed the well-crafted dialogues which make the characters come to life. Readers will love the adventure, the drama, the conflict, and the entertaining nature of this story. I enjoyed it!

There are two other books in this series: The Legend of Koolura and Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback. So after your child reads this award winning novel, perhaps she will be interested in the other books in this series.

The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams by Rhonda Hayter

Ages: 8-13

Abbie Adams has all the problems of most 5^thgraders—a strict teacher, a lot of homework, and a pesky little brother, Munch (short for Munchkin). Since she’s a witch, she also has other tribulations. Take the time she notices Munch sprout hair and large teeth. He was about to chomp down on his first grade teacher when Abbie rushed from her classroom, froze time, and saved Mr. Merkelson from a horrible fate.

Rhonda Hayter’s The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adamsis a fun book with plenty of fascinating characters and magical scenes. Abbie’s dad is a witch doctor and her powerful witch mother is studying to become a real estate agent. Her successful and famous actress Aunt Sophie motivates Abbie to try out for the school play, and Abbie gets the lead role. Her biggest problem seems to be lying to best friend Callie because she has to hide her witchy identity.

Problems really start festering after Abbie’s dad gives her a surprise kitten named Benjamin. Then her father’s mentor, Dr. March Hall (Abbie calls him March Hare) begins to come by for dinner every night boring Abbie to death over the kitchen table.

With the magical power to turn teachers to toads, to stop time, and even travel into the past, Abbie’s life sure is fascinating. With Hyter’s fluid writing style and cinematographic action, elementary and middle grade students will fall under Abbie’s spell for 34 fun-filled chapters.

My Wizard Buddy by Scott Spotson and Brian Wu

Ages: 9-13

Eleven-year-old Tyler Dunsmore notices a “puffy, marshmallow-like cumulus cloud” floating above his suburban neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island as he’s wishing for a best friend. Then, out of nowhere appears a boy with black hair and an impish grin. Tyler and Dirk immediately hit it off as if they’ve known each other since kindergarten.

Thus begins My Wizard Buddy by the writing team of Brian Wu and Scott Spotson. The 123-page fantasy novel is a perfect match for pre-teen boys looking for a thrill ride as Tyler soon discovers Dirk is a wizard from a distant star offering Tyler an adventure he’ll never forget.

Since Tyler is shy and doesn’t have many friends, Dirk, under the cloak of invisibility, gets Ryan, the most popular boy in sixth grade, to actually visit Tyler’s home. Other adventures include threatening crocodile men, a paintball war, and an actual real life adventure with the amazing Spider-man.

Warning: Just keep a watch on your kid while he’s reading this book so he comes up for air. He won’t be able to put this book down.

Other books in the My Wizard Buddy series include My Wizard Buddy: Wizard Planet and My Wizard Buddy: Target Earth.

Times Bound by Rysa Walker

Ages: 14- Adult

Kate Pierce-Keller finally meets her grandmother after a decade of estrangement from Kate’s mother. Now Grandma Katherine wants Kate to move into her new home close to her high school at Briar Hill.

Sixteen-year-old Kate soon learns that Katherine is dying from cancer and has about a year to live. Katherine also shows her a weird glowing medallion and whispers about time travel. And there’s more. The strange sensations she had recently experienced weren’t panic attacks like the shrink told her, but Kate’s reaction to temporal shifts. Someone is affecting the timeline, and if no one fixes it soon, Kate and everyone she loves will blink out of existence.

Rysa Walker’s Time Bound won the grand prize in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, and deservedly so. Just imagine yourself as a teenager and you discover your long lost grandma is a time-traveling historian from the 23^rdCentury. Since you have inherited a time-traveling gene, all you need is the Chronos medallion to send yourself to any time you choose.

Kate chooses the 1893 Chicago Exposition to prevent a religious cult, the Cyrists, from creating an alternative time line that will destroy her family. As Kate tries to stop the temporal shifts, she meets Trey, a boy from an alternate time line, and the couple fall in love.

Time Bound has a strong plot, well-developed characters, and scenic descriptions that make readers feel right there at the Chicago Exposition. The novel is non-stop excitement as Kate tries to restore her reality, but will that also destroy Trey’s knowledge of ever knowing her?

This sci-fi time travel novel will keep readers spell-bound from first to last page. Once readers finish reading Time Bound,there’s always Time’s Edgeand Time’s Divide to satisfy their enthusiasm for this epic time travel adventure—The Chronos Files.

Books two, three, and four of the Chronos Files include Times Edge, Times Mirror, and Times Divide.

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Here’s what a parent can do: Have your child click on the provided links, read an excerpt from the book, the blurb, and perhaps a review or two. If your reluctant reader likes what he sees, purchase the book. If the books don’t excite, do some research together with your child to find out what she likes. When you hit pay dirt, buy two copies and read the book together.

Strong literacy skills will help students survive easily in the 21^stCentury, assist them in finding lucrative jobs, and of course develop their minds. Don’t let your kids’ brains fizzle over the long hot summer months. Encourage them to read so by the fall their minds will sizzle.