School might be out, but the reading never stops!

The end of the academic year is one of the busiest times for a school librarian: it’s a whirlwind of book returns, inventory, report generation, and chasing down that last copy of Dog Man that’s been AWOL for weeks. This year, we have some very special news: our PYP library is moving upstairs! 

Some of you may have already seen me with our bright yellow cart, ferrying our beloved collection upstairs to the new space. The school is going to look very different in the autumn, and the students are already buzzing with excitement every time they get a glimpse of the new library.

I’ll be spending the summer making sure that the library is back to its sparkling self, closer to the heart of the school, and ready to provide your children with oodles of books to dive into in the autumn! In the meantime, summer for families is a wonderful time to rest, recharge, reconnect with each other, and overall just relax outside of the busy term-time schedule. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, all that ‘rest’ usually comes accompanied with the age-old dilemma echoing through the ears of parents around the world: ‘I’m boreddddddddddd’. To assist, I’ve put together a curated list of free online resources to help your families combat the boredom, spark creativity, and stay inspired and reading all summer long!
 

 

Reading challenges & trackers

Nothing sparks motivation like a roadmap with checkboxes - bonus points if there are stickers. Below are some free resources, both online and printable, for those who prefer a more tactile experience:

The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge (UK) - a free online challenge in the UK, put together by a combination of public library partners, government, non-profit agencies, and reading/education-related organisations. Includes book recommendations, games, quizzes, and reading tips for families.

The TD Summer Reading Club (Canada) -  Canada’s public libraries present a free English and French bilingual online reading programme. Children can create an online notebook, vote for their favourite books, participate in trivia, print colouring sheets, and view author/illustrator readings and workshops, amongst other things.

 

Scholastic’s map-like Reading Adventure planner - a printable, colourable poster that turns books into map destinations.

Scholastic’s Summer Reading Challenge - a printable, badge-based challenge for kids who love collecting rewards.

You can also keep track of your family’s reading and find new reading recommendations using apps like Goodreads (for those social butterflies who like sharing book recs with friends) and The StoryGraph (for those who love data visualisations and are less concerned with the sharing aspect). If you want to leave this in your child’s hands, Biblionasium offers a safer, more child-friendly version that helps kids track their progress visually, create their own challenges, and collect online rewards.

 

Early years & elementary reading lists

• American Library Association summer reading lists (includes Birth - US Grade 8)
• Reading Rockets (US-based public media literacy initiative) summer reading lists
• Common Sense Media’s book lists - These are often grouped by genre or theme (perfect for those football and horse phases!), and are filterable by age range.
• UK BookTrust’s recommendation lists - Sortable by age range, genre, and British education level

A quick note on AI recommendations: AI can be a great source of book recommendations, especially if you’re looking for books similar to a previous read. But keep in mind that these responses aren’t vetted, so be sure to cross-check age ratings, content warnings, and reviews on sites like Common Sense Media, Storygraph, and Goodreads.

 

Further reading for parents

• Scholastic: Access matters, about the importance of helping your child find the right books
• Harvard Graduate School of Education: Keeping kids engaged with summer reading and other education-related articles
• The National Libraries of New Zealand: Research on the summer slide and summer reading

And finally, remember: summer reading should be fun, so make the most of it. Go out there, find some great stories, and have a wonderful time! If you have any questions in the meantime, I’ll be available at kmentzelopoulos@romeinternationalschool.it.

Ms. Katarina Mentzelopoulos, PYP Librarian