Themed Reading Lists Go Beyond
Once your kids have conquered their school-supplied list of books for the summer, keep them reading with books about subjects they love. But how do you do that?! One great way is to ask the librarian in your local library. Another way is to check out the variety of themed reading lists available on the web.
Does your 4-year old get a kick out of going to the petting zoo? There's a list for that! Is your 14-year old completely fascinated by World War Two? There's a list for that! Take a few minutes and browse the following lists available from such authoritative sources as the NCBLA, Reading Rockets, AdLit.org, The Horn Book, and The New York Times.
The "Parent & Guardian Handbook" on thencbla.org features not only a list of reliable articles to help you develop life-long readers, but also themed reading lists such as American Heroes, Baseball, and Fantasy Beyond Harry Potter.
The "Recommended Books for Kids" page on ReadingRockets.org includes DOZENS of themed lists created by expert children's librarian Maria Salvadore. Here you'll find lists of books about bugs, holidays, art, monsters, and even the tooth fairy.
The "Great Books for Teens" page on AdLit.org offers themed lists for adolescents, that include such topics as Air & Space, dragons, Poetry, World War, and Romance & Relationships.
The New York Times Children's Book column reviews groups of books for children through young adult by subject. Be sure to check out the "bookshelves" titled America, Farm, and Growing Up.
The Horn Book's "Recommend Books" page includes diverse lists, such as ghost stories, love stories, world religions, astronomy, and sports books.
If you could use a bit more help to get your kids to pick up a book, check out the following articles for helpful advice: "Hooking Struggling Readers: Using Books They Can and Want to Read" by Lori Rog and Paul Kropp and"Getting Your Teens and Tweens Reading This Summer!" by Mary Brigid Barrett.