J
Jenae
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In an effort to get my boys (ages 13 and 11) to branch out of their literary ruts, I created this Summer Reading BINGO for Older Kids that includes several different genres to choose from. I have one child who only wants to read sports biographies during his independent reading time and another child who just reads the same book over and over. We normally do some type of summer reading incentive so I am excited to force them out of their comfort zones this year! Our local library gives out a similar BINGO for adults during the summer but I thought it would be fun for tweens and teens as well.
I also feel like categorizing the type of book a child is reading is helpful in many ways, as it helps create a framework that is beneficial for comprehension.
Psst- if you are looking for summer reading suggestions for younger kids, be sure to check out these summer reading printables.
Summer Reading BINGO Book Suggestions
Genres in order from left to right, top to bottom on the BINGO board (links are affiliate links).
**denotes our family favorites
Picture Book Biographies
Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwanda and Bryan Mealer
The Camping Trip that Changed America by Barb Rosenstock
Florence Nightingale by Demi
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard
Through the Wardrobe: How C.S. Lewis Created Narnia by Lina Maslo
Fantasy
**On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (and subsequent books in The Wingfeather Saga) by Andrew Peterson
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
The Scourge by Jennifer Nielsen
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Book Based on a Video Game
Trapped in a Video Game series by Dustin Brady
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie by Zack Zombie
Science Fiction
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Shadow Cipher (York series) by Laura Ruby
Audio Book
**By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
Graphic Novels
El Deafo by Cece Bell
The Drawing Lesson by Mark Crilley
**The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Marcia Williams
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale
Books of Poetry
**Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood
Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems by Kristine O’Connell George
Adventure Novels
**The Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers
**The False Prince (and subsequent books in the Accendance series) by Jennifer Nielsen
Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner
Peak by Roland Smith
Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine by Caroline Starr Rose
Books of the Bible
Any book of the Bible will be great and although your child might choose the shortest (here’s looking at you, III John), here are a few that might be good places to start for tweens and teens:
Genesis, Luke, Acts, or Ephesians
Dystopian Novels
The obvious books that come to mind first are The Hunger Games or Divergent. However, these books can be pretty intense so if you aren’t ready for your child to read those books yet, here are some other options:
**The Giver by Lois Lowry
Sylo by D.J. Machale
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Dry by Near Shusterman (this is YA, not middle grade – there is some language and violence in this book so only appropriate for 13+, in my opinion)
The Gifting by K.E. Ganshert
Book About Science
How We Got to the Moon by John Rocco
Picture Books
Even big kids can learn something from a good picture book!
**Redcoats and Petticoats by Katherine Kirkpatrick
Dandelions by Eve Bunting
**Ronnie Wilson’s Gift by Francis Chan
**Go and Do Likewise by John Hendrix
Sports Biographies/Fiction
I originally only had intended to have biographies but there are some fun historical fiction books about various baseball players that I think kids would really enjoy as well!
Epic Athletes: Patrick Mahomes by Dan Wetzel
The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffee
Jackie and Me by Dan Gutman
Babe and Me by Dan Gutman
The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson
Realistic Fiction Novel
**The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
**Restart by Gordon Korman
Unplugged by Gordon Korman
Classic Literature
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Chapter Book Biography
Who Was? books on historical figures
The Story of All-Star Athlete Jim Thorpe by Joseph Bruchac
*End of the Spear by Steve Saint (please note: this book includes several accounts of violence, only approrpriate for 13+)
Christian Heroes then and Now books
Historical Fiction Novel
**The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
**A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
**A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen
**Refugee by Alan Gratz
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Comic Book
Mystery/Suspense
**The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands
How-to Guide
Beginner’s Step-by-Step Coding Course by DK
How to Speak Chicken by Melissa Caughey
Nonfiction Historical Time Period or Event
Boys in the Boat by Gregory Mone
History: From the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day by Smithsonian Institute
**God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew
**Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong
Autobiography
e**The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
Travel Book
National Geographic: Destinations of a Lifetime
The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big and Small by Kath Stathers
Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders
