Summer Reading 2025: Suggestions for 5th-12th Grade
- Erica Abbett
- Jun 8
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 8
It's no secret that some summer reading books are better than others. Over the years, I've developed a few hard-and-fast rules to sort the wheat from the chaff. Follow them to ensure you don't waste your time on something pointless when, trust me, there are countless good books out there.
How to Find a Good Summer Reading Book:
It can't have been published in the past 10 years - If it's actually good, it'll still be around in a few years. Modern books are usually fads and not worth your time.
It should be a good book - Obvious? Yes. Universally implemented? No. "Good" doesn't mean "happy," but it does mean "not boring/stupid." You'd be surprised how many dreadful summer reading books are out there. It should keep you turning the page, ideally teaching you something at the same time. If it's boring and lacks educational value, don't waste your time. I'll never stop lamenting the hours I lost on a 400-page book about a ball of slime (assigned by a sadistic teacher with a proclivity for science fiction).
Students should be able to follow it independently - Not all great books are a great fit for summer reading. If the book is loaded with assumed knowledge, make sure to get the annotated edition.
Now that you know my infallible criteria, here are a few books I would recommend by grade (disclaimer: I've used Amazon affiliate links in this post to earn a minuscule commission on qualifying purchases at no added cost to you!).
Incoming 5th Grade:
When I taught 5th grade, we assigned Lois Lowry's Number the Stars and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (which sounds recent, but was actually published 20 years ago!).
Both books are excellent.
Incoming 6th Grade:
For 6th grade, I'd recommend The Giver and/or The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Both books are easy to read independently and start planting positive seeds in children's brains about the dangers of following the mob.
The Giver, in particular, is also full of symbolism and complex literary devices in an easily-digestible format.
Incoming 7th Grade:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is another great summer read. Except for a few pop culture references (the first line references Paul Newman), it has a straightforward and gripping plot that most 7th graders have no problem following.
Treasure Island is another fun classic. Make sure to get my illustrated and annotated edition (linked above)! I painstakingly upscaled all of Louis Rhead's 1915 illustrations, and the final result is a truly beautiful book.
Incoming 8th Grade:
To Kill a Mockingbird is another modern classic, and for good reason. It's a book everyone should read at least once.
And depending on what you're studying in history, The Diary of Anne Frank (technically Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank) is another moving book that everyone should read.
If possible, try to line up your English books with what you're studying in history. Everything will resonate so much more!
Incoming 9th Grade:
Any halfway decent school will have done some ancient history by now. And I can assure you, there is no ancient text more iconic (or fun!) than The Iliad.
Whether you're familiar with ancient history or not, I HIGHLY recommend my annotated edition of The Iliad. Enriched with art, definitions, and countless bottom-of-the-page notes defining difficult words and explaining tricky phrases, you will absolutely love it.
If you want to continue the story, I love Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey.
Incoming 10th Grade:
Another beautiful classic is Jane Eyre, and you're going to want my annotated edition of this one, too. I don't know if people were simply smarter in the olden days, but even I had to look up many of Jane's references! But once I understood them, I appreciated the text so much more.
At the risk of putting two "girly" books together, another moving (if far more violent) book is Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution. It has a regrettably modern-fiction cover, but tells the stunning story of the woman behind the famous wax museum.
Incoming 11th Grade:
At this age, students are old enough for most books. I was assigned Exodus by Leon Uris around this time, and while it was a tough read, it stuck with me long after I put it down. It's about the founding of the modern state of Israel in the wake of World War II, and very moving. I've heard it doesn't stand up well to modern critics (it was written in the 1950s), but you can say that about most books. I'll probably read it again when I have the mental fortitude to handle a WWII book to see what I think of the complaints!
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is another interesting read that's worth anyone's while. I have a beautiful Canterbury Classics Edition with a faux-leather cover (linked above). Highly recommend it!
Incoming 12th Grade:
Speaking of heartbreaking books...
Students today are regrettably ill-informed about the horrors of communism, and few books will educate them faster than First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung.
Only after reading First They Killed My Father should students read Animal Farm. It's a wonderful allegorical tale, but most of it will ring hollow if students don't pick up on the references to communist b.s. within it.
And there you have it! An ideal summer reading list for 5-12th grade. If you're an adult, feel free to pick up any of the above!
Until next time...
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