Holmwood House School is delighted to introduce our Summer Book Club. Each week one of our teachers will suggest a book that they have enjoyed reading, either themselves or with their class and we will also make some further age-specific suggested reading.
Benefits of Children Reading over the Summer Holidays
As the summer holidays begin, children everywhere embark on a journey of exploration, fun, and relaxation. While the allure of outdoor activities and digital distractions may be strong, parents and teachers know the benefits of encouraging children to read during the summer break: it fosters a love for literature but also delivers a plethora of benefits that enhance children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development, as well as preventing the “Summer Slide”. Reading regularly helps prevent children’s academic skills decline and keeps them mentally active, ensuring they retain and sharpen their knowledge and skills.
Activities to Encourage your Child to Read
1. Complete a Summer Book Club Reward Chart
2. Play Reading Bingo
3. Keep a Reading Log
4. Challenge: How many different reading places can you find? Make a photo album of all the different places
5. Take part in book related Arts And Crafts Activities
6. Write a Book Review
7. Create a Book Bucket List
8. Take the Vocabulary Challenge – Find 3 new or favourite words (older children per chapter, younger ones per book)
9. Make a quiz about your book – parents challenge your child or children challenge your parents – who will get the highest score?
10. Read Out Loud Together – no matter how old you are!
Weekly Suggested Reading Lists
Each week one of our teachers will suggest a book they have enjoyed either themselves or with their class and we will suggest some further age-specific reading.
Week 8
For the final week of our Summer Book Club Mrs Boddice has recommended the wonderful “Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andreae. We hope you have enjoyed some of our recommendations this summer.
Age 3+ “Super Duper You” by Sophie Henn and There’s an Alien in My Lunchbox! by Tessa Gearing
Age 5-7 The Day of the Quit by Drew Daywalt and Can You See The Stars Tonight by Anna Terreros-Martin
Age 7-9 Cliffhanger by Jacqueline Wilson and Mysteries at Sea: Peril on the Atlantic by A.M. Howell
Age 9-11 The Sports Timeline Wellbook by Christopher Lloyd and The Piano at the Station by Helen Rutter
Age 13+ Bite Risk by S.J. Wills and Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl
Week 7
This week Mr Poulson recommends “A Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket. He suggests that if you like reading Roald Dahl and the Mr Gum books you should give this series a try. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent, charming and resourceful children. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky. In The Bad Beginning, the first book in the series, the siblings encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune and cold porridge for breakfast!
Age 3+ One Little Word by Joesph Coelho and Allison Colpoys and “The Invisible String” by Patrice Karst
Age 5-7 Mr Wolf’s Pancakes by Jan Fearnley and Deep by Stephen Hogtun
Age 7-9 The Invisible Dog by Dick King-Smith and Einstein the Penguin by Iona Rangeley
Age 9-11 The Viewer by Gary Crew and A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan
Age 13+ What Walks These Halls by Amy Clarkin and The Thing About Lemons by Tasha Harrison
Week 6
This week Miss Shipley has recommended The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. She says “I absolutely loved reading The Hunger Games as you are immersed into another world full of fear, hope, love, death, and life. The story line gripped me and I found myself turning through the pages so quickly to find out what would happen next. Tributes from twelve districts are put into an arena to fight to their deaths for a televised competition created by The Capitol. The book is part of a trilogy which have now been turned into four movies! If you are a fan of dystopian fiction – this is certainly a book to try.” Suitable for Year 6 upwards.
Age 3+ Geoffrey Gets the Jitters by Nadia Shireen and “What Happened to you?” by James Catchpole
Age 5-7 Beaver Towers by Nigel Hinton and Everything Under the Sun by Molly Oldfield
Age 7-9 The Firework Maker’s Daughter by Philip Pullman and The Wonder Brothers by Frank Cotrell-Boyce
Age 9-11 Granny by Anthony Horowitz and Nowhere Island by Tania Unsworth
Age 13+ Noughts and Cross by Malorie Blackman and Biology The Whole Story by Lindsay Turnbull
Week 5
This week Mr White has recommended Legacy by James Kerr. He says “I see huge value in the skills that sport, in particular rugby can teach us. I feel these are so applicable to our everyday life, team work, character, and humility all so important in sport and life. These are skills and traits I endeavour to instil in the children and continue to work on myself. The New Zealand All Blacks decided to change the culture within their team, focussing on the traits above, and became the most successful sporting team in the world. Following their victory in the World Cup, and every match they play, it is the players themselves who ‘sweep the sheds’.” This book is suitable for aged 13+
Age 3+ I Love My Bike by Simon Mole and Into the Wild by Thomas Docherty
Age 5-7 Unusual Day by Sandi Toksvig
Age 7-9 – The Falcon’s Malteser by Anthony Horowitz and The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Age 9-11 Cogheart by Peter Bunzl and Hacker by Malorie Blackman
Age 13+ The Thing About Lemons by Tasha Harrison and The Silent Striker by Pete Kalu
Week 4
This week Mrs Baker recommends Swop! by Hilary McKay, as she and Year 4 have really enjoyed reading it together! She says it’s a charming, surreal, funny but mainly bonkers story. Emily loves swaps – she even swaps her granny for a donkey, a tune she whistles for a violin and she swaps….oh but if I tell you anymore about this surreal story I will spoil it!
Age 3+ Somebody Swallowed Stanley by Sarah Roberts and the Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Age 5-7 – The Lost Homework by Richard O’Neill and The Hodgeheg by Dick King Smith
Age 7-9 – The Great Elephant Chase by Gillian Cross and and Charlotte’s Web by E.B White
Age 9-11 – Time Travelling With a Hamster by Ross Welford and The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Age 13+ – The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas and Shakespeare by Bill Byson
Week 3
The week Mr Cook recommends “Norwegian Wood: The pocket guide to chopping, stacking and drying wood the Scandinavian way” by Lars Mytting to anyone who loves wood as much as him! It is a book that is part guide to the best practice on every aspect of working with this renewable energy source and part an insight into human nature. It is an easy read that is packed with useful information and facts and will make you feel even better about wood once you have read it!
Age 3+ Perfect Presents by Anke and The Worrysuarus by Rachel Bright
Age 5-7 Don’t Look in this Book by Samuel Langley-Swain and Clarice Bean That’s Me by Lauren Child
Age 7-9 Operation Gadgetman! By Malorie Blackman and The One Hundred Mile Dog by Jeremy Strong
Age 9-11 The Nowhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie and Wonder by R.J Palacio
Age 13+ Every Line of You by Naomi Gibson and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Week 2
This week Mrs Watson has recommended “Smart” by Kim Slater. Smart is an unusual “whodunnit”, if you like murder mysteries I strongly recommend you try this book. It is a very thought-provoking page turner, with some surprising twists along the way– you will find out what that means when you read it! It is suitable for Year 6 and above.
Age 3+ Perfect Presents by Anke Kuhl and The Zebra’s Great Escape by Katherine Rundell
Age 5-7 Salty Dogs by Matty Long and The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson
Age 7-9 The Monster Spotter’s Handbook by Matt Cherry and Letters from the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll
Age 9-11 Absolutely Everything by Christopher Lloyd and The Highland Falcon Thief by M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman
Age 13+ Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and Life Skills for Teens by Karen Harris
Week 1
Miss Ashton has chosen to recommend “The Diary of a Killer Cat” by Anne Fine. Her Year 2 class have really enjoyed reading this hilarious book together – it made them laugh out loud. It is told by Tuffy the cat who is highly exasperated by his family particularly soft-hearted Ellie wh tries to get her beloved pet to change his wild ways, before he ends up in even deeper trouble?
Age 3+ Poppy Pickle by Emma Yarlett and I Am Hungry by Michael Rosen
Age 5-7 Bug Belly Froggy Rescue by Paul Morton and Adventure Mice: Otter Chaos by Philip Reeve
Age 7-9 The Land of Roar by Jenny McLachlan and Peanut Jones and the Twelve Portals by Rob Biddulph
Age 9-11 Nightfall in New York by Katherine Woodfine and The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold
Age 13+ The Secrets Act by Alison Weatherby and What If?: Serious Scientific Answer to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
About Holmwood House
Holmwood House School and Nursery is a leading co-educational independent school and nursery for children aged 6 months to 16 years, set in 25 acres of beautiful grounds in Lexden, Colchester. The school aims to spark curiosity and ignite wonder in each and every child, allowing them to develop individuality, confidence and tenacity to reach their true potential and achieve personal success. We believe that our literature rich curriculum that blends excitement and challenge is integral to developing motivated, confident and engaged children who have a growing curiosity and understanding of the world around them.
Book a Visit
Please click here to find out more about visiting Holmwood House or to book a visit please email our Admissions Registrar at admissions@holmwood.house or phone 01206 673750
Further Suggestions
Essex Library Summer Reading Challenge
‘Ready, Set, Read’ is the sport and games theme for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. It starts on Saturday 15 July 2023 and will end on Saturday 2 September 2023.
Robin Stevens Summer Reading Challenge
Detective, are you ready for a challenge? Get involved with the Robin Stevens Summer Reading Challenge by printing the sheet below, and using it to track how many Murder Most Unladylike books you read over the summer.
Find the perfect book, their Bookfinder can help you discover the very best children’s books – simply pick an age range and some themes and explore our recommendations.
Find suggested reading for children of all ages, including new releases and classics
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