Community Corner

Books and Books Summer Picks For Kids

Find a list of 15 children's books from Books and Books of Westhampton Beach.

Any teacher will say that keeping kids reading over the summer is a great way to keep their minds going and stay ahead. With a month still to go before school is back in session, there is still plenty of time to introduce your kids to some new, great books. 

The following is a list of 15 children's books that Books and Books of Westhampton Beach says kids will enjoy reading.

1. Rocket’s Mighty Words by Tad Hills

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Ages 2-5: Rocket, the beloved dog from the New York Times bestselling picture books How Rocket Learned to Read and Rocket Writes a Story, is back in a sturdy big board book for new readers. Preschoolers watch the little yellow bird teach Rocket simple words, like n-e-s-t and m-u-d. And beginning readers will love practicing their new literacy skills alongside another brand-new reader—Rocket!

2. If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano

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Ages 4 - 7: Spotting a whale is not an easy thing to do! It takes a lot of time and a lot of looking. But if you wait long enough you just might find what you're looking for. If you really do want to see a whale, then join acclaimed children's author Julie Fogliano on this beautifully illustrated journey to spot one of nature's most stunning, majestic, and elusive creatures. See why sometimes the wait is well worth the "whale."

3. Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus by James Dean

Ages 4-8: #1 New York Times bestselling artist James Dean makes Pete the Cat groovier than ever in this cool adaptation of "The Wheels on the Bus." Join Pete as he rides on the bus to school with his friends and hears all the different sounds a bus makes as it drives. Fans of Pete the Cat will sing along with Pete in this rendition of a classic favorite children's song.

4. Ladybug Girl at the Beach by David Soman

Ages 3-5: Lulu has never been to the beach but she knows she is going to love it…until she sees just how big and loud the ocean is. She and her dog Bingo decide that they will make sandcastles, fly kites, and get ice cream instead of swimming. But then the ocean waves snatch Lulu’s favorite pail. This is a job for Ladybug Girl! When Lulu is Ladybug Girl, she is brave and nothing can stop her from rescuing her pail – and suddenly she is in the ocean and it is fun!
 
5. How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long

Ages 4-8: Jeremy Jacob joins Captain Braid Beard and his crew in this witty look at the finer points of pirate life by the Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator David Shannon and storyteller Melinda Long. Jeremy learns how to say “scurvy dog,” sing sea chanteys, and throw food…but he also learns that there are no books or good night kisses on board. A swashbuckling adventure with fantastically silly, richly textured illustrations that suit the story to a T.

6. Junonia by Kevin Henkes

Ages 8 and up: Sometimes things don’t happen exactly as you want them to. Alice learns this during her family’s annual vacation to their beach cottage, which has always been a special occasion. Alice is certain that everything will be perfect. But this year, as she bridges the gap between childhood and adolescence, Alice learns that perfection is not only rare - but also unnecessary!

7. House of Secrets by Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini

Ages 8 and up: Life seems good for Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker, until an incident causes Dr. Walker to lose his job and the family must move. Things turn from mysterious to outright bizarre when they are banished to a primeval forest surrounded by medieval warriors, pirates, and a power-hungry queen. Will the siblings be able to save themselves and find their parents, or will this dangerous new world prove to be more than they can handle?

8. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Ages 8 and up: August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Wonder begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

9. The Bad Apple by T.R. Burns

Ages 8 and up: Twelve-year-old Seamus Hinkle is a good kid with a perfect school record—until the day of the unfortunate apple incident. Seamus is immediately shipped off to a detention facility—only to discover that Kilter Academy is actually a school to mold future Troublemakers, where demerits are awarded as a prize for bad behavior and each student is tasked to pull various pranks on their teachers in order to excel. Seamus emerges as a uniquely skilled troublemaker. Together with new friends Lemon and Elinor, he rises to the top of his class while discovering that Kilter Academy has some major secrets and surprises in store.

10. Doll Bones by Holly Black

Ages 10 and up: Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends forever. And for almost as long, they’ve been playing one continuous, ever-changing game of pirates and thieves, mermaids and warriors. Ruling over all is the Great Queen, a bone-china doll cursing those who displease her. One day Poppy declares she’s been having dreams about the Queen—and the ghost of a girl who will not rest until the bone-china doll is buried in her empty grave. The three set off to lay the Queen’s ghost to rest. But nothing goes according to plan, and as their adventure turns into an epic journey, creepy things begin to happen.

11. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Ages 12 and up: Freshman Melinda is friendless and outcast because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party. In this powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.

12. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Ages 12 and up: Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough. Enter Theo, a sophisticated New Yorker who thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby. Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks she should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. While she’s attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise, she also clings to the deep roots of her loving family and friends. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby? Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment.

13. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Ages 12 and up: After the 1st Wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. After the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. And after the 4th, only one rule remains: trust no one. Now the 5th Wave is here, and Cassie must navigate a perilous reality, running and hiding just to stay alive. When she finds Evan Walker, she realizes he may be her only real hope for saving her brother and herself. But she must choose between trust and despair, between life and death. This is the first book in a planned trilogy, and have no doubt that as soon as you finish this you'll be eager for the next one!

14. Looking for Alaska by John Green

Ages 12 and up: Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. And then…nothing is ever the same.

15. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Ages 12 and up: A mysterious island, an abandoned orphanage, and a strange collection of very curious photographs all wait to be discovered in this young adult gem. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, this novel is a delight for anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.



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