I’m counting down the days until it happens, 5 weeks from now, when it all comes to a head: public schools in New York City close for the summer and Summer Reading officially begins. Maybe you’re in a community that sees an early start to summer, or maybe you have a few more weeks to prepare yourself for what will inevitably be a summer of fun, friends, and great books.
My library system always has its own summer reading list, but a lot of kids like to read “off script” and pick titles that don’t coincide with the theme. Even so, they’re often looking for recommendations and an opportunity to swap some shop talk about interesting titles.
Luckily, ALSC has released its 2019 Summer Reading Lists, courtesy of the Quicklists Consulting Committee. You can find all of the PDFs on this page or use the links below to go directly to the lists:
- Birth-Preschool Reading List
- Kindergarten-2nd Grade Reading List
- Grades 3-5 Reading List
- Grades 6-8 Reading List
When you open these lists, you might notice that blank back panel and think, “Am I missing something? Is this list missing something?” And the answer is yes: your library’s hours and information! Each of these PDFs is able to be customized so you can input important information about your library, where to find more reading lists, or anything else you want to share.
Even more exciting, however, is how diverse and robust these lists are. While many library systems are exceptionally mindful of what titles they’re putting on summer reading lists, ALSC’s 2019 lists reflect diverse authors and illustrators as well as stories that showcase a wide variety of experiences, cultures, and stories. One of my favorite authors, Louise Erdrich, has a title featured on the Grade 3-5 Reading List. Be sure to check it out!
If you’re hungry for even more great lists, be sure to check out ALSC’s recently released 2019 Graphic Novel Reading Lists and the growing library of recommended books from ALSC.
This blog relates to ALSC Core Competency I: Commitment to Client Group and IV: Knowledge, Curation, and Management of Materials.
Alexandria Abenshon, Library Manager (and children’s librarian at heart) at the New York Public Library, is writing this post for the Public Awareness Committee. She can be reached at alexandrianabenshon@gmail.com.