Summer Reading Recommendations

  • June 2024

    Dear IMS Families,

    With the school year coming to a close, we wanted to continue our tradition of sharing a list of summer reading recommendations curated for our students. Whatever your summer plans may include, IMS invites all students to read joyously and voraciously in the coming months.

    We encourage families to explore the list of books recommended by IMS faculty members. As you review the list with your child, we encourage you to consider their interests, age, connections to staff members, and the value of exploring new authors and genres.  

    In addition to reading being a source of great joy, we also know as educators and parents that reading just 15 minutes per day exposes children to more than one million words per year, a sure way to expand vocabulary and content knowledge about a variety of subjects.  Research also shows that high school students’ ability to read complex texts is strongly predictive of their performance in college math and science courses.  Reading is an inextricable part of our preparation for children’s college and occupational careers.

    Parents often ask what they can do to support reading at home.  Here are six simple things parents and guardians can do to encourage lifelong reading.

    1. Provide the opportunity.   

    • Browse Sora, our online ebook and audiobook collection, with your child.

    • Whether reading a print book or on an e-reader, always have a back-up text lined up for when the current book is finished. 

    • Help your child maintain a list of interesting books to read.

    • Share book reviews and advertisements for books your child might enjoy.

    • Give books as gifts.

    • Encourage reluctant readers to find a series or author, which provides repeated opportunities.

    1. Set aside the time.  Dedicate specific time daily or weekly for silent reading.  Turn off phones, TVs, and computers.  If possible, read the same book as your child or read your own book during this time.

    2. Talk the Talk.  Ask your child about the books s/he is reading.  Who are the characters, and what are they like? What major conflicts and choices do the characters face? Is it realistic? What do they like or dislike about the writing style? What themes emerge?

    3. Walk the Walk.  Model mature reading behaviors by letting your children see you reading- books, newspapers, magazines, columns, and blogs.  Share your reading life with your child and talk to him about the text you read. 

    1. Help Kids Connect.  Reading can be individual or social.  Adolescents often read more frequently when they can relate to characters and circumstances.  In addition, they may read to learn about diverse characters and situations unlike their own experiences.  Whether kids connect to the characters in a book or to friends/parents sharing the same book, they are making significant connections outside their own lives.  

    2. Persist.  Reading is one of the most important things an adolescent can do.  Continue to provide opportunities and communicate about reading.   Keep trying! Adolescents may not always seem to appreciate parents’ book suggestions, but they will thank you later in life!

    Attached you will find a list of recommended readings for Irvington Middle School students.  We hope you and your children enjoy some wonderful books this summer! 

    Happy reading,

    IMS Staff