Booklist for Riffington's Summer Reading Contest

• To participate in the contest, you may choose to read and review any of the books on this list.
• Click here for official contest rules.

The following books are grouped by age level. However, you are not limited to reading books in one age range: submitting a review for any of the books listed on this page makes you eligible for prizes. If you want to read a book that is listed in an age group that is younger or older than you are, you should check with a parent or adult to determine if a book is right for you. These books are grouped by those that would appeal to kids your age, but an adult can help you find which of these books are just right for you.

Choose your age range below to browse the booklist.

Ages 5-6                   |                  Ages 7-11                 |                    Ages 12+   

Age 5-6:

Ackerman, Karen
Song and Dance Man
Grandpa performs his vaudeville songs, dances, and jokes.

Barrett, Judith
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
In the town of Chewandswallow, the food is delicious and arrives with the Weather until the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Carle, Eric
The Mixed-Up Chameleon
Chameleon's life is not very exciting until the day he discovers he can change not only his colors, but his size and shape.

dePaola, Tomie 
The Art Lesson
A little boy in school wants to draw his own way.

Fleming, Denise
In the Tall, Tall Grass
Rhyming text tells of the creatures to be found in the grass.

Guarnio, Deborah
Is Your Mama a Llama?
Rhyming story that allows all of friends of Lloyd, the llama, to describe their mamas.

Lionni, Leo
Frederick
While the other mice are gathering food for the winter, Frederick daydreams the summer away. But when dreary winter comes, it is Frederick, the poet, who warms the hearts of his friends with his words.

London, Jonathan
Froggy Gets Dressed
Froggy discovers snow! He wants to go out and play but his sleepy mother tells him that frogs are suppose to sleep all winter. But Froggy insists and off he goes, but only after his mother has dressed him properly for the cold weather.

McCloskey, Robert
Blueberries for Sal
Sal and her mother set off in search of blueberries before winter comes. At the same time a cub and mother bear are searching for food for the winter. A comedy of errors ensues when the young ones wander off and trail the wrong mothers.

Rohmann, Eric 
My Friend Rabbit
In this 2003 Caldecott Medal winner, Mouse shares his brand-new toy airplane with his friend Rabbit, and no one can predict the disastrous—but hilarious—results.

Sendak, Maurice
Where the Wild Things Are
A naughty little boy, who is sent to bed without his supper, sails to the land of wild things where he becomes their king.

Williams, Vera
More, More, More Said the Baby: Three Love Stories
Williams' award-winning style captures the warmth and humor of three different babies and the adults that adore them.

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Ages 7-11:

Adler, David
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones
Cam (short for "Camera") Jansen has a photographic memory--which comes in handy when she notices something wrong at a museum exhibit.

Butterworth, Oliver
The Enormous Egg
Nate discovers a gigantic egg laid by one of the family's hens. However, Nate is unprepared for what hatches out. A triceratops?!!

Christelow, Eileen
What Do Authors Do?
The journey of two books from original idea to autograph session.

Creech, Sharon
Love That Dog
Jack's class gets a visit from author Walter Dean Myers

Dahl, Roald
James and the Giant Peach
An old man gives James a bag of dark green crystals with a promise. Unfortunately, James accidentally drops them near the peach tree, which grows to the size of a house. When he crawls inside, a magical adventure begins to take place changing his life forever.

Dahl, Roald
Matilda
Matilda overcomes the woes of idiot parents and a menacing school headmistress to help her wonderful teacher, Miss Honey.

Erickson, John R.
The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
Hank is a scruffy, smart-alecky super sleuth with a nose for danger and an eye for the ladies.

Fitzhugh, Louise
Harriet the Spy
A story about an intensely curious and intelligent girl, named Harriet, who loves to spy on people, keeping her observations in a secret notebook. When Harriet's classmates discover it and begin reading her candid comments about them, she soon finds her world turned upside down.

Gardiner, John Reynolds
Stone Fox
A 10-year-old boy is pitted against an Indian with a formidable reputation in a Rocky Mountain dogsled race. An emotional and exciting book.

Heide, Florence Parry
The Day of Ahmed's Secret
Young Ahmed goes through his day in the crowded city of Cairo, all the while treasuring a special secret that he will share with his family that night.

Henkes, Kevin
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum hates her long, unusual name--until her teacher makes her see how special it is.

Howe, Deborah
Bunnicula
When a baby rabbit comes into the family, Chester the cat decides it is a vampire and tries to warn his family.

Howe, James
Pinky & Rex
Best friends, Pinky and Rex, visit the museum with Pinky's pesky little sister, Amanda.

Hurwitz, Johanna
Aldo Applesauce
Aldo moves to a new school and learns how to make new friends.

Lowry, Lois
Anastasia Krupnik
Anastasia experiences an eventful 10th year.

Marshall, James
Fox in Love
Fox falls in love (several times) and enters a dance contest.

MacLachlan, Patricia
Sarah, Plain and Tall
A warm and beautiful pioneer story.

Lawson, Robert 
Ben and Me
Ben Franklin's pet mouse takes all the credit.

Lobel, Arnold
Frog and Toad are Friends
Frog and Toad share adventures of stories, lost buttons, and letters.

O'Brien, Robert C.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four young children, is faced with a monumental decision -- how to move her children safely from their summer quarters immediately or be faced with certain death. Her youngest son is ill and must not be moved. She consults the Rats of NIMH, who devise a brilliant plan of action.

Palatini, Margie
Piggie Pie
A romp through Old MacDonald's farm as Greedy Witch tries to capture some piggies to make Piggie Pie, her favorite dish. Outrageously disguised as other farm animals, the pigs outwit her. Greedy Witch and the wolf leave together to console each other; each imagining the other as a nice delectable sandwich.

Parish, Peggy
Amelia Bedelia
The results are hilarious when Amelia Bedelia follows directions and takes literal-minded action.

Polacco, Patricia
Just Plain Fancy
The Amish live a plain life and do not hold with anything fancy. When Naomi's chickens hatch a "fancy" chick from an abandoned egg, she is concerned that the chick is "too fancy" to be Amish.

Pilkey, Dav
The Adventures of Captain Underpants
Humorous fast paced adventure featuring an unusual super hero.

Ringgold, Faith
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
In a blend of fantasy and fact, a young girl follows Harriet Tubman and an escaping band of slaves on a remarkable journey along the Underground Railroad.

Rylant, Cynthia
Henry and Mudge: the First Book of Their Adventures
Part of an easy-to-read series, Henry, feleling lonely on a street without any other children, finds companionship and love in a big lovable 180 pound dog named Mudge.

White, E.B.
Charlotte's Web
Wilbur the pig is saved because of Charlotte's care in this heart-warming fantasy.

Scieszka, Jon
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs as told by A. Wolf
The story of the three little pigs told from the wolf's viewpoint.

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Ages 12+:

Avi
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
This 2003 Newbery Medal winner is an action-filled page-turner set in 14th-century England.

Armstrong, William N.
Sounder
The story of a dog, who tries to save his master a black sharecropper, who has been driven to steal for his family's survival, from arrest, and a boy who loves them both.

Babbit, Natalie
Tuck Everlasting
Ten-year-old Winfred Foster and a malicious stranger both accidentally discover the Tuck family and their secret, a hidden spring whose water prevents one from ever growing older.

Catling, Patrick
The Chocolate Touch
A boy acquires a magical gift: everything he touch turns to chocolate!

Cooper, Susan
The Boggart
After returning from a trip to Scotland, two school children find out they've brought something extra home with them.

Fleischman, Paul
Bull Run
Northerners, Southerners, generals, couriers, dreaming boys, and worried sisters describe the glory, the horror, the thrill, and the disillusionment of the first battle of the Civil War.

George, Jean Craighead
Julie of the Wolves
Julie must find a way to survive in the harsh Alaskan tundra and the nearby wolf pack may be her only hope.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Running Out of Time
When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840s village, thirteen-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1995 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientist, and it's up to Jessie to escape the village and save the lives of the dying children.

Hamilton, Virginia
The House of Dies Drear
Thomas Small discovers a secret in his family's home, which was once a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Henry, Marguerite
Misty of Chincoteague
A brother and sister are determined to own one of the ponies their father helps to round up on Chincoteague Island.

Hesse, Karen
Sable
Tate has always wanted a dog, and when Sable shows up, her dream comes true. Will problems with the neighbors keep Tate and Sable apart?

Konigsburg, E.L.
The View From Saturday
An academic competition brings four students together, and each tells the unlikely story of how they got there.

L'Engle, Madeleine
A Wrinkle in Time
Classic adventure in space and time.

Mead, Alice
Junebug
Living in the projects, Junebug must somehow withstand the daily pressures of drugs and gangs while still holding onto his dream of sailing.

Namioka, Lensey
Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear
Yang is the only one in his entire family to be totally lacking in musical talent. He faces the agony of music lessons every day, when all he really wants to do is play ball.

Patterson, Katherine
Jacob Have I Loved
While everyone adores and admires her twin sister, Sara Louise overcomes her jealousy and finds her own identity and inner strength.

Raskin, Ellen
Westing Game
A millionaire's mysterious death, a fortune to inherit, and an unlikely assortment of heirs -- can you figure out the mystery?

Rawls, Wilson
Where the Red Fern Grows
Having purchased two dogs for fifty dollars, young Billy is determined to create the valley's best hunting team. Follows the friendship of a boy and his two dogs and their adventures along the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee country.

Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry's a perfectly ordinary boy in a perfectly ordinary school--except for the fact that he happens to be a wizard and his classes include Transfiguration and Potions!

Spinelli, Jerry
Maniac Magee
Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee, a twelve-year-old homeless boy, could hit a ball better and faster than anyone in Two Mills. Even more remarkable, he dares to cross the line that divides the white West End and the black East End, confronting prejudice and racism head on.

Wojciechowska, Maia
Shadow of a Bull
Manolo Olivar demonstrates true courage as he faces his bull and makes his decision.

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This book lists is adapted from RIF's list of "Books to Share and Read Aloud" provided by the ALSC.