kids books

I’m a mom of ten kids and a book addict. This means we do a lot of reading! I’ve gathered a list of some of our favorite books. These are perfect for summer reading.

Boys ages 6–12

Henry Huggins Series by Beverly Cleary

Book 1: Henry Huggins
Book 2: Henry and Beezus
Book 3: Henry and Ribsy

Beverly Cleary was one of my favorite authors growing up, and I still love reading her books to my kids. This series is about a young boy named Henry and the adventures with his family, friends, and dog, Ribsy. The first book was published in 1950, and the series led to the Ramona Quimby books. The adventures are fun and my kids loved the trouble Henry often found himself in (but also got out of!).

Hank the Cowdog series by John Erickson

The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog

A little bit of mystery, a little bit of fun, and a whole lot of humor is how I’d describe these books. Hank is a cowdog on a large range, and he’s clueless. It’s fun listening to these books on audio because I’ve found my kids shouting at the CD player as they try to clue-in Hank to what’s really going on.

Girls ages 6–12

The Betsy-Tacy Books

Book 1: Betsy-Tacy
Book 2: Betsy-Tacy and Tib
Book 3: Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown

I first heard about the Besty-Tacy books from two librarian friends. First published in the 1940s these books are the true-to-life stories of friends growing up at the turn of the 20th century. The books start when Betsy is 5 years old and meets Tacy, a new friend from across the street. The stories follow the girls from age 5 all the way to Betsy’s wedding! I’ve read these books to my daughters, ages 5 and 8, and my son, who is 5. They got wrapped up in the characters. We are currently finishing up the last book, and the girls have asked to start again! These books are delightful.

The Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Book 1: Little House in the Big Woods
Book 2: Little House on the Prairie
Book 3: Farmer Boy

These were my all-time favorite books growing up, and I’m still a huge fan! These books are different (even better!) than the television series that some of us watched as kids, and they are inspired by the Laura’s real life growing up on the American prairie.

Pre-Teen and Teen Girls

Katie Parker Productions by Jenny B. Jones

Book 1: In Between
Book 2: On the Loose
Book 3: The Big Picture

I read this series out loud to my preteen and teen girls, and we were all laughing hard! Memorable characters and strong Christian morals. The main character Katie is in foster care, and the books brought out a lot of wonderful conversations with my kids.

River of Time Series by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Book 1: Waterfall
Book 2: Cascade
Book 3: Torrent

My teen daughter seemed unimpressed by my collection of Christian fiction, yet when she scanned the shelves these books caught her eye. She’s not much of a reader, but she asked me to buy all the books on the series. Since then she’s moved on to other Lisa Tawn Bergren books!

Pre-Teen and Teen Boys

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Book 1: The Magician’s Nephew
Book 2: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Book 3: The Horse and His Boy

I can’t count the number of times John has read these books out loud to our kids. When each one gets around seven or eight we tell each other, “They’re old to start Narnia now!” They’re also wonderful chapter books for pre-teens and teens to read on their own.

Non-fiction

Prayers that Changed History by Tricia Goyer

As a homeschooling mom I loved coming across moments in history when something important was changed because of prayer. In 1999 I started collecting these stories. I added to the file through the years, and the book is finally published! InPrayers That Changed History, the stories of twenty-five notable people are presented along with how prayer changed their lives and changed history. Following each historical example is a biblical story that ties to that person’s life and actions, as well as ways children can use the power of prayer in their lives as well.

What about you? What’s on your summer reading list?

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