Together Through Books: Summer Reading

I am a year round reader, but I still love to think of summer reading.  When I was a kid, I loved to participate in the library’s summer reading program and I spent a lot of time at the beach, happily lost in books.  I hope (for kids and adults) that you all have a hammock, a tree fort, a library, or a quiet nook where you can give yourself over to summer reading. 

This summer going into the 2026-2027 school year, we are excited to announce summer reading for all our students.  These books are compelling reads for both young and old readers so we recommend that all families, including curious adults participate. We chose books that share stories about the world, but additionally themes such as survival, perseverance, and hope. 

We are asking all middle and high school students to read: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.  Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay.

Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way. Includes an afterword by author Linda Sue Park and the real-life Salva Dut, on whom the novel is based, and who went on to found Water for South Sudan.

For our younger readers, we have chosen: The Most Beautiful Place in the World by Ann Cameron.  The Most Beautiful Place in the World is a story about a young Guatemalan boy, Juan, who lives with his grandmother and shines shoes to earn money, eventually learning to read and discovering the value of education and self respect. 

For any adult readers who are interested in a compelling read: Culpability by Bruce Holsinger  This novel about an autonomous minivan collision with a car leads to a family’s deep look at artificial intelligence and its possible implications on a family. The moral dilemmas triggered by the crash interwoven with the family drama gives a fascinating exploration of the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of AI.