Summer Reading for Upper Elementary and Middle School

A while back I posted a summer reading list for middle schoolers. Those were secular books. Below is a list of Christian books for upper elementary and middle schoolers. Check amazon or Christian books to find out which would be the best for you.

Try to read at least one book a month this summer.

Fiction:

Horse Dreams, Dandi Daley Mackall

Vanished, Kristi Holl

True Friends, Stephanie Perry Moore

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Boy and His Horse, C.S. Lewis

Dragons in Our Midst, Bryan Davis

author interview Here

Girls Only Series, Beverly Lewis

Grandma's Attic Series, Arleta Richardson

Here's Lily, Nancy Rue

Asking for Trouble, Sandra Byrd

Mandie Series, Lois Gladys Leppard

Heart to Heart, Sandra Byrd

Sophie's World, Nancy Rue

Just Claire, Jean Ann Williams

author interview HERE
8 Notes to a Nobody, Cynthia Toney

author interview HERE


There You'll Find Me,  Jenny B Jones

Review HERE


Bash and the Pirate Pig, Burton Cole

Hear No Evil, Mary Hamilton

Landon Snow and the Auctor’s Riddle,    RK Mortenson

On the Scene,  Robin Caroll    

                         

Anything But Normal, Melody Carlson                                               

One Realm Beyond, Donita K. Paul

The Door Within, Wayne Thomas Batson

Non Fiction:

The Christian Girl's Guide to Me: The Quiz Book, Katrina Cassel

Everyone Tells Me to be Myself But I Don't Know Who I Am, Nancy Rue

A Girl After God's Own Heart, Elizabeth George

A Girl's Guide to Best Friends and Mean Girls, Dannah Gresh

A Girl's Guide to Making Really Good Choices, Elizabeth George

Heaven for Kids, Randy Alcorn

The Middle School Survival Manual, Katrina Cassel

My Mini Dream Room, Karen Whiting

A Boy After God's Own Heart, Jim George

A Young Man's Guide to Making Right Choices, Jim George

This list is very incomplete. If there are books you think should be one it, please list them in the comment section.

Have you been assigned summer reading by your school? If so, what are you reading?

Whenever possible, shop at your local Christian bookstore.

Family Christian Bookstore locator
Lifeway Christian Store locator

Find a Christian Bookstore near you

Book Review: There You'll Find Me

There You’ll Find Me

Jenny B. Jones

Finley Sinclair is struggling with grief after her older brother’s death. That grief leads her to Ireland for her senior year of school in order to follow her brother’s travels as documented in his journal.

Instead of finding the peace she hoped for, Finley meets famous teen actor and heart throb Beckett Rush, known for partying, is assigned a cantankerous dying woman as her adopted grandmother for a school project and searches for a Celtic cross pictured in her brother’s journal. She’s sure the cross holds the key to finishing her composition for her upcoming music audition at Manhattan music conservatory so finding it is a high priority.

Although her brother felt close to God in Ireland, Finley can’t seem to find that same peace or the cross. When Beckett insists she be his assistant in exchange for him being her tour guide, new problems arise, including an overly jealous classmate who tries to discredit her at every chance.

Things spiral out of control as Finley battles a new issue while dealing with the stress of trying to complete seemingly impossible assignments and hoping for closure both for herself and her newly assigned grandmother.

As things start to both escalate and resolve, Finley wonders if God could have been with her all along.

I read this book on my phone while waiting for appointments and was drawn in by the realistic characters and Finley’s search for the cross that she believed would bring her peace. The characters were pretty typical of the ones you’d find in most high schools, and while Finley was the “good girl,” she was also flawed.

A bit predictable, but a good read.

From the author's website:

Jenny was born and raised in Arkansas, growing up with a love to read and create stories. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English, a Masters in Teaching, and a Masters of Library and Information Studies. 

She sold her first book, In Between, in 2005, and has gone on to write Young Adult, New Adult, and romance. She’s been a RITA finalist, a Christy finalist, an RT Top Pick, RT Reviewer’s Choice nominee, and has won four Carol Awards.

Jenny has spent nearly twenty years in the education field, teaching English, drama, creative writing, and speech. She currently serves as a library media specialist for one of the largest school districts in Arkansas.

 When she’s not writing, Jenny loves to travel, watch movies, spend time with her family, and obsessively decorate and redecorate her house.