Summertime is the perfect time to get little boys reading. Of course, they should do it throughout the year, but with the extra time that summer has to offer, there is no reason that an eight-year-old boy should not complete at least a few books before the start of the next school year. That being said, summer is still a time of fun and summer reading should reflect that. During the lazy summer months, your child should be allowed to read whatever he/she enjoys reading. Here are a few fun suggestions for eight-year-old boys to read during the summer. Girls of this age will probably enjoy them too.
The 39 Clues Series by Rick Riordan
These books follows two children, Amy and Dan Cahill as they attempt to find 39 clues that are scattered all over the world. They are set in pursuit of the 39 clues when their grandmother leaves them a challenge to find them in her will. However, they are not the only people searching for these clues. Each book follows Amy and Dan on a quest for one clue, so 39 books are to be expected.
There are nine books in this series, thusfar. This ought to keep your eight-year-old boy reading for some time. Mine has been reading these off and on throughout the third grade. Unfortunately, he has finished the published ones, so I will have to come up with something else for the summer. For a list of books and release dates for The 39 clues, go to www.the39clues.com
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
Okay, this series is gross, it is bogus and it is a heck of a lot of fun for eight-year-old boys. It is the diary (he would call it his journal) of a middle school age boy named Jeff. Jeff longs to be cool and take his best friend Rowley along with him. However, he makes some mistakes and risks his friendship and the ire of his parents along the way. Did I mention that this series is gross? Think boogers and moldy cheese.
There are currently four books and a movie diary in this series. A fifth is set to come out this year. For more information go to www.wimpykid.com. These books are also available in the form of diary entries on www.funbrain.com.
Harry Potterseries by J.K. Rowling
I will skip the description of these because I think everyone and their grandmother knows about “The Boy Who Lived” and his adventures at Hogwarts. I know that some of these books may be a little advanced for an eight-year-old boy. However, they start easy and get harder as they go, so your boy can advance his reading skills as he goes. My eight-year-old son finished the series last year. Needless to say, I was extremely impressed. He got through the first few okay and when it got harder, I gave him a hi-liter and a dictionary. He would go through, highlight the words he did not know and either consult me or the dictionary on the meanings of the words he did not know. He is now reading at a fifth grade level and he is in the third grade. I think that Harry Potter is so intriguing for young children that it can help any child advance.
So, there you have it, three books series containing numerous books that are great for an eight-year-old boy’s summer reading. In fact, they were suggested by an eight-year-old. Do not worry; they were also approved by a doting stepmother.
