10 Kids' Series Perfect for Summer

Good books are more than just a fun way to pass the long, lazy days of summer break. Reading over the summer helps young kids overcome the summer slide, the regression of skills that can happen during time off from school. We've found that getting young readers hooked on a good series helps keep them going strong during those active months of summer. Here are ten adventure-filled, seasonal recommendations for the kids in your lives.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

This fantasy series, soon to be a Disney+ TV show, follows a boy who discovers he is the demigod son of Poseidon. The books offer kids a great opportunity to learn about Greek mythology as they explore the adventures of modern-day characters. This five-book box set comes with a bonus poster.

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

Another franchise in the works for a Disney+ adaptation, this five-book series chronicles the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into the Spiderwick Estate and discover a world of fairies.

Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

This series, perfect for kids who are transitioning into chapter books, depicts the enduring friendship between Frog and Toad, demonstrating the pair solving problems together and working through difficulties. Already adapted into an animated series on Apple+, it would make a great read-then-watch activity.

The Vanderbeekers by Karina Yan Glaser

The stories of the warm, rowdy Vanderbeeker clan offer a delightful, modern version of the big-family novels of yesteryear like All-of–a-Kind Family and Caddie Woodlawn. In each installment the five siblings apply their collective charm and smarts to a formidable challenge.

Sunny by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

This funny and affecting graphic novel series centers on ten-year-old Sunny Lewin. Book one, Sunny Side Up, finds her being shipped off to spend the summer of 1976 with her grandfather at his Florida retirement community where she learns how to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Inspired by authors she loved as a kid like L. M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, and Noel Streatfield, Birdsall created this series about the adventures of four sisters—plus their father and pets—a family that believes in truth and honor, yet can't seem to stay out of trouble.

The Virginia Mysteries by Steven K. Smith

Magic Tree House meets The Hardy Boys in this series of mysteries about two brothers who move with their family to rural Virginia. As ten-year-old Derek and eight-year-old Sam explore their creaky old house and the deep woods surrounding it, they uncover plenty of intrigue.

Gaither Sisters by Rita Williams-Garcia

The first book in this moving, funny series won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction and the Coretta Scott King Award and was a National Book Award Finalist. We meet sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern as they travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them.

Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy

For fans of Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary, the Fletchers will have you laughing out loud! There's sporty Sam, twelve; ten-year-old Jax who thinks the new neighbor stinks; brainiac Eli, also ten (but younger than Jax); and imaginative Frog (not his real name), age six. Also Dad and Papa.

A Legendary Alston Boys Adventure by Lamar Giles

In the first installment of this fantasy-mystery series from an Edgar Award nominee, two adventurous cousins somehow manage to freeze time on the last day of summer, and the secrets hidden between the seconds, minutes, and hours aren't quite the endless fun they expected!

Pick up a few of these series to set your young readers up for a summer of entertainment (and brain-building). And please share your own recommendations in the comments.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon