Post-Winter Reading Lists, or Why Summer Can't Arrive Soon Enough

Typical Scarletta Employee Behavior

Winter has battered us all this year. Intense storms, bad road conditions, record lows... but I digress. This post is an ode to Summer, and the delicious books that we gobble up on our summer reading lists. This post is about why summer should already be here! Denzel has talked about book diets, the PW blog talked about vacation reading, and now as a publisher, it's time for us to start talking about summer reading.

Summer reading is important on so many levels. The majority of libraries create FANTASTIC reading programs designed to engage kids of all ages (we highly recommend you enroll your kids in one). Publishers come out with great lists for varying tastes (seriously, every publisher has summer recommendations). More people choose to read for fun - to engage themselves in books while on summer vacation (honestly, who doesn't enjoy a good book while getting a tan?).

So before you cover yourselves in books, here are our recommendations - a few books from the Scarletta catalog to add to the lists of our voracious readers...

Reading on the Snow Drift

If you're packing for vacation--and we hope that you are--you've probably managed to sneak a book or two into your carry-on or suitcase. It's the time of year, after all, for a little more sunshine and a lot more heat. Before you head off to some sunnier shores or the family timeshare, take a moment to consider what you're taking with ya.

Recently, Josie Leavitt over at Publisher's Weekly, noticed a double standing in vacation reading. Many parents are picking up "potato chip" reads for their own beach bags, but filling their kids' backpacks with books just outside their reach. Why are adults allowed a tough-reading break, but kids are driven to push themselves even further than school is? It's called a vacation. Doesn't everyone deserve one from every facet of the hustle and bustle of daily life?

So why not allow our younger readers some time to read excellent books with the daring and adventurous and likable characters? If you're feeling like the vacation reader in your home could use some exciting variation at a level that's right up their alley, we have some great choices right here at Scarletta!



The Mighty Quinn

Quinn Andrews-Lee feels anything but mighty, and faces a dismal school year. His little sister outshines him athletically and socially, and he yearns for a service award his peers disdain. Not to mention charismatic bigot Matt Barker's goal in life is to torment Quinn and lure his friends to the dark side. When Quinn reports an act of vandalism, he finds himself accused of injuring Matt. Neally Standwell, a free-spirited new kid in Quinn's class, helps Quinn deduce who hurt Matt, but Matt would probably die—and would definitely lie—before admitting the truth.
Through events both comical and poignant, Quinn and Neally solve the mystery just as everything seems to go wrong and manage to thwart a bully without becoming one in turn. And at the end of the day, the fabled ability to belch the entire alphabet might very possibly trump any award ever presented at Turner Creek School.

Summer Reading List for Kids and YA

Summer Reading List