The Ultimate Summer Reading List for Kids Ages 6 – 8
by Naima Jasmine Russell
They have the time for summer reading; are the books stacked and ready to go?
Summer vacation is just around the corner, and you want to encourage your new reader to spend more than the recommended 20 minutes a day reading during the break. There’s no after-school soccer practice or packets of homework to distract them. How do we keep them reading all summer long?
Any Google search will give you several book trackers, tips, and tricks, but kids will read far beyond the recommended time if they’re invested in the story. When you find a book or character that interests your reader, one they won’t stop talking about or can’t wait to discover what happens next, get the series. Reading through a series cuts down on decision fatigue, and the repetition of names, characters, and sentence structures will make readers more confident.
Finishing a book is fantastic, but reading an entire series will be a huge accomplishment for your reader. Here are 21 series to get your child’s summer reading journey started.
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Words Are Magic!
Available from:If you have a newly independent reader, you couldn’t pick a better series than Step into Reading. This irresistible leveled reading program has simple text, colorful illustrations, and familiar characters. Words Are Magic! by Scripps National Spelling Bee winner Zaila Avant-garde celebrates the magic of words. Mix them, match them, rap them — words are fun to play with. Other titles in the Step into Reading series include fan favorites, Grumpy Monkey Too Many Bugs, and Uni's First Recital.
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What’s Inside a Bird’s Nest?
Available from:This book is the newest title in Rachel Ignotofsky’s beautiful nonfiction What’s Inside series. What’s Inside a Bird’s Nest? gives readers a snapshot of our winged friends from the moment they hatch until they take to the sky. Engaging information, concise text, and detailed illustrations answer curious readers’ questions. Take this book along with What’s Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon? and What’s Inside a Flower? outside on a warm summer day, and enjoy exploring nature.
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Super Mario: Mario Time (Nintendo®)
Available from:Entice readers away from screens with books about their favorite on-screen characters. This Super Mario activity book has games, puzzles, and stickers and will have young fans ready to power down their electronics and power up their reading. Although this book is not a series, it’s easily paired with other fun Mario adventure books like A Hero Like No Other and Mario’s Big Adventure.
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The Best Worst Camp Out Ever
Available from:Join a father and son duo as they embark on a journey filled with unexpected mishaps and endless laughs. From a crowded camping ground to rainy nights and failed fishing attempts, nothing seems to go according to plan. But don't be fooled by the surface level chaos, as this delightful early comic teaches us that sometimes, the biggest adventures are the ones that don't go as expected.
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The Underdogs Catch a Cat Burglar
Available from:In this hilarious mystery, The Underdog Detective Agency investigates a string of burglaries by a sly cat burglar. To catch the burglar, they do the unthinkable and bring on a brand new detective — a cat! This first title in The Underdogs chapter book series will keep young readers laughing as they try to crack the case. It’s excellent for cat and dog lovers and may inspire little readers to hunt for their own mysteries to solve.
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The Kids of Cattywampus Street
In the spirit of Louis Sachar and Roald Dahl, this title tells the stories of a special group of friends living on Cattywampus Street. While not part of a series, each of the eleven chapters tells a different child’s account, making it perfect as a bedtime read-aloud. Wacky, mysterious, sad, scary, and joyful, each story offers something unique, but they’re all connected to the neighborhood’s local toy shop.
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Happiness According to Humphrey
Available from:Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Humphrey series with this new chapter book adventure. In room 26, Humphrey is everyone’s favorite classroom pet. This loveable hamster likes to make friends, but dogs make him nervous. When a dog at Longfellow School goes missing, can Humphrey put his fears aside and use his mystery-solving skills?
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Who Is Taylor Swift?
Available from:If your readers can’t get enough of Taylor Swift, maybe they will pause watching the Eras Tour on Disney+ long enough to read this latest edition to the Who Was? series. Swift is one of the most celebrated artists of the 21st century. She writes her own songs and plays multiple instruments, but did you know she grew up on a Christmas tree farm? Find out these fun facts and more in one of my favorite chapter book series for history lovers.
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Dory Fantasmagory: Tiny Tough
Available from:Lovers of little rascals like Ivy + Bean and Junie B. will fall for Dory Fantasmagory and her fantastic imagination. In her fifth adventure, Dory tries to help her big sister Violet find her missing treasure (a friendship bracelet) but runs into real pirates instead. This wildly popular series filled with friendship and fun will keep kids reading all summer long.
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Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple
Available from:Need another precious 8-year-old to love? Make a new friend with the lovable and clever Bibsy Cross. Bibsy has an easy-peasy, regular-pegular life. She loves her friends, her family, and going to school until she gets a new teacher named Mrs. Stumper, who thinks Bibsy talks too much. When Mrs. Stumper punishes Bibsy, how can Bibsy make a great science project when she feels so rotten? Grab this title and its sequel, Bibsy Cross and the Bike-a-Thon, both releasing in June.
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Newbie Fairy
Available from:Fairy facts, magic underwear, and pink illustrations — need I say more? Oona, a newbie fairy, wants to do big things, like impress her idol, the tooth fairy. The only problem is that Oona’s magic always goes a little sideways. This new series about friendship and fitting in is on my rising third grader’s summer reading list.
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Puggleton Park #1
Available from:It’s the Regency era in London, and an adorable pug named Penelope goes chasing after an annoying squirrel and loses her lady in the park. The kind Lady Diggleton takes her in while she tries to find Penelope’s former owner. How can Penelope let Lady Diggleton know she would rather stay with her? Not to mention that the squirrel is still a nuisance. This is the perfect series to give your young reader while you’re trying to squeeze in an episode or two of Bridgerton.
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The Boxcar Children Mysteries Boxed Set 1-4
Available from:Gertrude Chandler Warner’s classic series has over 160 titles, making it excellent for fast readers or those with varied interests. With this box set, you can start from the beginning as you follow the four orphaned Alden children, Benny, Jessie, Violet, and Henry, as they search for a home and begin their new life of mystery and adventure.
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Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon: The Graphic Novel
Available from:The Amber Brown series is about a funny and relatable third grader navigating the complications of her parents’ divorce and shared custody. Not only is there an episodic on Apple+ TV, but the first title in the series is now in graphic novel form. In Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon, best friends Amber and Justin begin arguing as his moving-away date draws closer. Can they resolve things before it’s too late?
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Dragons in a Bag
Available from:Jaxon spends the day with an elderly lady his mom calls “Ma.” Jax quickly learns Ma isn’t his grandmother — she is a witch. And she needs Jax’s help delivering baby dragons to safety in a magical world. This young urban fantasy series is an absolute page-turner and the perfect summertime adventure for reluctant readers.
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Mystery at Mermaid Lagoon (Disney The Never Girls: Graphic Novel #1)
Available from:For Disney lovers, you can’t go wrong with The Never Girls series. There are 13 books in the original chapter book series and three graphic novel adaptations. Readers follow Kate, Mia, Lainey, and Gabby as they travel to Neverland for magical adventures with their friend Tinkerbell and the fairies of Pixie Hollow.
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Surfin' Sharks
Available from:Aspiring marine biologists will have a blast with this early graphic novel series featuring two shark princesses having adventures under the sea. The series is packed with puns and different types of sharks – most of which I’ve never heard of! This third installment in the series offers the opportunity for social-emotional learning with its lesson on self-love and friendship.
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J.D. and the Hair Show Showdown
Available from:J.D., an 8-year-old kid with awesome barber skills, wins an all-expenses paid trip to Atlanta for the Beauty Brothers Hair Show. He’s the youngest barber invited to the hair conference and gets the V.I.P. treatment. But will he get a chance to take a picture with his favorite person? J.D.’s voice as narrator, African-American cultural references, and graphic illustrations make the third installment in this chapter book series a win. Check out books one and two in the J.D. the Kid Barber series to see how it all started.
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A to Z Mysteries Super Edition: Leopards on the Loose
Available from:This classic mystery series is perfect for a summer reading challenge. Kids will help Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose solve mysteries from A to Z. Cases like The Runaway Racehorse, The Panda Puzzle, or The Quicksand Question will hook young readers. In this book, there's trouble at the San Diego Zoo when a rare leopard goes missing. Can the kids figure out how it got out?
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Fun with National Parks
Available from:Even if kids can’t visit any National Parks in person this summer, they CAN explore them in the pages of this book! Featuring all 63 National Parks, this travel activity book offers fun facts and games galore. Pair with Fun with Oceans and Seas and Fun with 50 States for an epic way to keep kids learning throughout the summer!
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The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination
Available from:Kids have a lot of time to kill during the summer. Imagination and creativity can go a long way in keeping kids entertained! In The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination, we meet a little creature or “figment” who works with the mail at the bureau: Sparky. With a dragon named Brenda, Sparky saves The Cave of Untold Stories, encouraging the world to get out there and express themselves. After reading, encourage kids to write stories and design their own figments inspired by the book.
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Looking for summer reading ideas for younger or older kids? Check out our 2024 lists for Kids Ages 3 – 5, Ages 9 – 12, and Teens.