Top Summer Books for Kids 2025

Summer Reading Books for Kids

Discover all the books your kids need to make summer reading fun and exciting at Barnes & Noble. We have the best selection of summer books for kids of all ages including read-aloud picture books for younger children and chapter books for young readers and tweens. School will be out before you know it and the kids need something good to read during summer vacation. Children strongly benefit from summer reading programs, because they can sustain or even improve their reading levels by reading through the summer months. From classic favorites like Roald Dahl’s Matilda and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series to the newest fantasy picks like Greenwild and funny, heartwarming kids’ books like Matt Sprouts and the Curse of the Ten Broken Toes, there are so many summer books for kids to enjoy! Reading in the summer, whether it’s during family storytime with little kids or having older children read independently, fosters children's memory and emotional development. Summer reading has never been easier with so many wonderful options. Explore our blog for more great summer reading picks for kids.

Some of the Top Summer Reading Books for Older Kids

The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate
Skandar and the Chaos Trials by A.F. Steadman
Always Anthony by Terri Libenson
Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea by Pari Thomson
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln

Top Young Reader Books for Your 2025 Summer Reading List

Discover the ultimate summer book list for kids or browse more summer reading ideas here!