MAY IS GONE AND IT'S TIME FOR NANCY DREW

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. ~John Lubbock

Memorial Day weekend is over and June has begun, bringing with it the promise of warm sunny days as the school year winds down.  Mom and Dad's taxi service gets a bit of a rest and there is unscheduled time for kids to be creative, get outdoors, and just lie around reading - for fun!

Starting the summer I was about nine or ten, a search began in earnest for "chapter books" that I could get lost in.  I think it all began with the adventuresome and wacky Pippi Longstocking books, moving on to the Little House series.

Finally, the summer I was eleven or twelve, I was solving mysteries with Nancy Drew. (What is it that we love so much about red-headed heroines? Have you read my post about Lauren Child's illustrations for Pippi Longstocking and Anne of Green Gables?)

Some of my old Nancy Drew books - remember Bess and George,
and Nancy's blue roadster convertible?

As my children became independent readers, I encouraged them to find fun books for summer reading.  It brought me back to my own childhood to see them curled up with a good book on a lazy summer day.

I've decided to dedicate my June posts to reviewing/reposting some of our favorite summer picks for independent readers who want fun chapter books.  I've started a list below - watch for my posts about these great books.  And let me know which of your favorites I've left out!

THE GREAT BRAIN
SUMMER OF THE MONKEYS
THE PENDERWICKS
TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN
PETER PAN
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
(and other books by Roald Dahl)