Books to Read Over Vacation

When my daughter was in middle school, she and I were invited to join a mother daughter book group. The group read age-appropriate books and got together to enjoy a light meal followed by a discussion led by the daughter of the mom hosting the group. But, by the time the girls entered high school, they had too much homework to allow time to read a book-group-book for pleasure during the school year. During most months of the school year we read articles instead. Books were reserved for vacations and summer.

Whether your children participate in a book group or not, it is unlikely they too have much time for pleasure reading except during vacations and summer. So as you look forward to March break, time off in April, or even summer vacation, here are several lists with suggestions for books to read.

Vacation Book Lists

• 23 Books You Didn’t Read in High School But Actually Should: The BuzzFeed list compiler, Spencer Althouse, highlights the books student likely read in SparkNotes study guide format but ought to be read in full. He even offers a one-sentence description of each book’s significance.

• New York Times 100 Greatest Novels: Created by the editorial board of Modern Library. There’s even a link to a New York Times book review or article whenever one exists.

• Newbery Medal Winner, 1992 - Present: An award given annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. These books will be quick and satisfying reads for high school students.

• National Public Radio’s (NPR) Book Concierge: Our Guide to 2013’s Great Reads: More than 200 titles selected by NPR staff and critics with commentary from each person on why they selected a book.

• NPR Listeners 100 Favorite Teen Novels: 75,220 NPR listeners couldn’t be wrong.

• 40 Favorite Books of Famous People: Scroll over 40 images of famous to reveal the favorite books of people including President Barack Obama; actor Natalie Portman, director, screenwriter, producer Steven Spielberg; author Stephen King, and more.