Great Summertime Reading for High Schoolers

Summer is half way over, and it seems to be just whizzing by to me and my household of children, my oldest entering high school in the fall.  He is no longer interested in the local library summer reading program, thanks in part to a poorly chosen zombie theme last year, and really prefers to read everything online in the form of technical computer forums anyway. So, what do other high schooler read?

It you ask my son, he will reply that reading Microsoft, XBox, or other programming or gaming forums are the best solution.  But, this is not always feasible or acceptable for some families.

This is not how he started his reading adventure, however. He actually was, like me, an excited reader at first. Only, he sprouted early. He could read fluently at the age of 3. I would find him reading the Hannah story from his Children's Bible, or the entire collection of Dick and Jane. Somehow, that early blooming just drastically fell off somewhere along the line. I'm pretty sure it had to do with the introduction of long chapter books that had no pictures.

I tend to feel the same way. I like a good picture to go along with what I'm reading. To accommodate my son's need for this, I've allowed him to absorb graphic novels and even comic books as needed, just to keep him reading and learning from the paper page.

To be completely, and embarrassingly honest, I would have to admit that while I took off and won some kind of Second Grader prize for reading the most books, I lost total interest in reading as a child and did not read an entire chapter book until Huckleberry Finn was assigned to me in 10th Grade. Sad, but true. 
Following is a list of books, my dream list if you will, of what I wish my son were reading this summer:

• Pride & Prejudice
• Princess Bride
• Flowers for Algernon
• Gone with the Wind
• 1984: A Novel

Though, these are books that will probably be part of his high school journey, during the school year. So, just for some fun summertime reading, here's some more realistic suggestions taken from what my son has actually read so far this summer. The way I look at it is that it keeps him reading, even if it's not a War and Peace laden novel. After all, it IS STILL SUMMER! He'll pick up with the real literature in the fall:

• Garfield Comics
• Sonic Comics
• The Bible online
• html 5 for Dummies

The bottom line here, is to keep them reading with anything they are interested in while avoiding anything your family classifies as junk. I would much prefer that my pre-highschooler read a comic book than to digest vampire stuff that gives him the creeps and goes against what he believes.

Please find more summer reading suggestions from other bloggers by clicking on the picture below: