Summer is here! That means sunshine, vacations and being outdoors. While you are enjoying the warm weather, continue to make time to read with your kids. Summer reading is critical for students to retain the skills they learned in the previous school year.

Every year WPL has summer reading fun activities to help keep children engaged in reading. The activities are free to join, just drop in to any WPL location to sign up, then check out some great titles to keep your child reading all summer:

Picturebooks

How to Catch a Unicorn by Adam Wallace

Rainbows, glitter and unicorns, oh my! This is a beautiful book. It is about a group of children who set up a series of clever traps hoping to catch the elusive unicorn. The brightly coloured illustrations are enough to keep young ones engaged all through the story.

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt

Three warriors seek to find an opponent worthy of their fighting skills. Rock, Paper and Scissor finally meet and the legendary game is born.  I loved the narration style in this book.  It makes for a great read out loud story that will entertain parents and children.

Junior Fiction

Song For a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Iris is the only deaf student at her school. Communication with others is difficult and this often leaves her isolated. Blue 55 is a whale who sings at a different frequency than other whales. Communication with other whales is impossible and it leaves Blue 55 isolated. Iris is determined to create a song for Blue 55 to let him know he is not alone. Iris is a bright, spirited young girl and I admired her tenacity. This story taught me so much about deaf culture and the deaf community. It is a beautifully written story full of emotion and adventure.

The Almost Epic Squad: Mucus Mayhem by Kevin Sylvester

This book is gross, disgusting and completely revolting. Kids absolutely LOVE it. It’s about snot, phlegm, goobers and farts.  The main character Jessica Flem has allergies. I mean really bad, tissue devouring, allergies. It turns out that she was exposed to an element at birth that made her develop super allergic reactions to just about everything. But once she hits the age of 13, she also starts developing super powers. Now some malevolent forces want her power for their own gain.

Chase by Linwood Barclay

The Institute has successfully integrated computer software into canine bodies.  Chipper is a dog with enhanced intelligence and a USB port implanted into his body.  He escapes from the Institute and is found by a young boy named Jeff. Now both Chipper and Jeff must run before the Institute captures them. Author Linwood Barclay puts every bit of suspense and anticipation into his young adult books as he does with his adult fiction novels.

Junior Graphic Novel

Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn

Three cats make up the Breaking Cat News team:  lead anchor Lupin and field reporters Puck and Elvis. They report on news that matters to cats. This includes hard news stories such as: when a bee infiltrated the bathroom and the time the kibble dish was left empty. This is a great book for reluctant readers. The story doesn’t have to be read from cover to cover. You can open the book at random and start reading.

• Lesley L.