by Katie Sanborn, Office Manager
Summer is here! Whether you or your gifted child are taking summer school courses, attending camp, traveling or enjoying activities with family and friends, summertime is a great opportunity to enjoy some extra reading. Do you have a long road trip coming up? Listen to an audiobook. Will you have time to kill at the airport? Reading a book will help pass the time. Are you and your friends on the hunt for a new endeavor? Start a book club to read and discuss novels together. In case you need some convincing to read beyond your assigned summer reading for school, here are you should be reading more:
- Reading reduces stress.
- Reading, especially books, may add years to your life.
- Reading improves your language skills and knowledge of the world.
- Reading enhances empathy.
- Reading boosts creativity and flexibility.
- Reading can help you transform as a person.
I personally enjoy reading because it鈥檚 a gratifying and necessary way for me to unplug. I love the moment when I discover I鈥檝e been reading for hours on end because I鈥檝e been so enveloped in a story and lost track of time. Sometimes there鈥檚 nothing better than devouring a good book!
Here are a few summer reads I鈥檝e compiled to help inspire your and your gifted child鈥檚 summer reading list:
- Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers (Gr K鈥�3): A moving and conversational description of the history of the Statue of Liberty and how some of the smallest details contribute to her symbolism as a welcoming beacon to the world.
- Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (Gr 3鈥�7): Told from four intertwining points of view鈥攖wo boys and two girls鈥攖he novel celebrates bravery, being different and finding your inner bayani (hero).
- The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty (Gr 4鈥�6): Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning. She doesn’t remember it, but it changed her life forever. The zap gave her genius-level math skills and, ever since, Lucy has been homeschooled. Now, at 12-years-old, she’s technically ready for college. She just has to pass one more test鈥攎iddle school!
- Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Gr 5鈥�6): Ally struggles to hide her dyslexia by continually getting in trouble, until a substitute teacher discovers what she is really hiding.
- Boying Up: How to Be Brave, Bold and Brilliant by Mayim Bialik (Gr 7鈥�9): Mayim Bialik, star of The Big Bang Theory and author of the #1 bestseller Girling Up, puts her Ph.D. to work to talk to teen boys about the science and pressures of growing up male in today’s world.
Happy reading!
Do you have a favorite novel or book you are looking forward to reading this summer? Share it with us in the comments below!
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