summer reading meaning

What Is A “Summer Read”?

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Greg Zimmerman

Greg Zimmerman blogs about contemporary literary fiction at  The New Dork Review of Books and holds down a full-time gig as a trade magazine editor. Follow him on Twitter:  @NewDorkReview .

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summer reading meaning

From where I’m sitting, either is acceptable. But there sure is a lot of ink spilled trying to tell you what to read during the languid summer months. Just about every magazine, newspaper, blog, your mom, etc., puts out a “summer reads list.” But I can never tell what exactly makes a book a summer read, precisely.

Stephen King thinks you’re a pretentious fool   for reading “serious” novels during the summer. It, like, literally pisses him off. Mr. King seems to embody the argument of the “beach read” camp, which goes something like this: you should only read stuff that doesn’t require a lot of concentration. You know, so you don’t lose your place in the story when you get distracted by waves and sand and not-at-all-by-scantily-dressed-people.

The other side of the coin, though, is that during the long, relaxing days (or evenings, if you’re unfortunate enough to have a day job) of summer, what better time to tackle all the stuff you’ve finally been meaning to read your whole life? Riot contributor Brenna kind of poked fun at this idea , but I think she’s right that the notion of reading intellectually stimulating novels in cafés and parks on warm afternoons sounds terrific — whether or not it’s a pipe dream.

And but, here’s my definition of a “summer read”: A book you read between the months of June and September. (Yaaah! Sorry…) The point is, a “summer read” isn’t anything specific to me. Just looking at the books I’ve read over the last couple summers, there’s certainly no overarching trend. They range from David Mitchell to Life of Pi to Vince Flynn thrillers. Hell, two summers ago, I even read Gravity’s Rainbow.

So I may be in the minority that I don’t give any special thought to reading habits over the summer. But, do you? Which camp do you land in — Beach Read Central, or time-to-check-some-stuff-off-my-reading-bucket-list? And more importantly, why?

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The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of Alberta provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA.

Mount Saint Vincent University provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA.

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If your bag is packed for your summer holiday, does it contain books that you’ve been meaning to read for ages, or titles that you very recently bought or borrowed?

Perhaps you grabbed a bestselling mystery or romance in an airport bookstore, or chose an intriguing-looking celebrity memoir from a little free library in your neighbourhood.

Maybe you loaded up your e-reader a few weeks ago with titles that were recommended to you on the basis of your most frequently read genres, or that you saw featured in a “summer reads” list in a newspaper , website or book blog .

If you’re a reader, at least one of these scenarios will be familiar to you. But the chances are that your summer reading choices have been influenced by someone you know and trust, whether that person is an influencer on Bookstagram, a colleague or your best friend.

We may have online access to a recommendation culture that supplies us with reviews, star ratings and book promotion buzz , but how we choose books is significantly influenced by our offline relationships and book-browsing habits.

Even for those of us who regularly use social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Goodreads or TikTok to find out what other readers recommend, suggestions offered by friends, family members or colleagues remain the main way of picking our next book to read, according to our recent research .

Longer hours of daylight … to read

For many Canadians who enjoy reading books for pleasure, the summer season brings with it some extra reading time. Longer hours of daylight and, if we are lucky, a summer vacation allows us to tackle the TBR (to be read) pile, or to reach for a lighter “beach read.”

As a practice, summer reading in North America has a history stretching back into the 19th century, when an increase in literacy, the mass production of more affordable books, the provision of electricity to many towns and the proliferation of public libraries all combined to create the conditions for leisure reading for those with access to these resources.

Fast forward about 150 years and we find ourselves in a post-digital age : as noted by scholars like Alexandra Dane and Millicent Weber, digital technologies and platforms have changed and complicated how books are produced, and how they circulate and are consumed.

A trip to the library now consists of a few mouse clicks to borrow an audiobook or comic , while a browse through a bricks-and-mortar bookstore may include skimming through paperbacks on the “BookTok Books” display table that curates notable books promoted by TikTok influencers.

Opinions on ‘bestsellers’

Our research involved an online questionnaire with more than 3,000 readers, interviews with social media influencers and a two-month asynchronous conversation with international Gen Z readers in a private Instagram chat space.

The readers we surveyed frequently combine traditional methods of book selection such as consulting reviews in newspapers, and browsing in libraries and bookstores, with the use of online recommendation sources.

We learned the label of “bestseller” is a further resource for choosing books.

This is the case regardless of whether “bestseller” is signalled by a sticker on a book’s cover, by a publisher’s advertisement or by a BookTuber’s roundup of #summerreading . And, it’s true even when readers view “bestseller” as a term that screams “not for me,” “trashy” or “poor-quality writing” — as many of our surveyed readers did.

A man reading while lying on bench.

Trusted influencers

But for every reader who dismissed bestsellers, there was a reader for whom the word bestseller was an invitation to research that title further. Add in a recommendation from a friend or a trusted online influencer like Canadian Ariel Bissett , and a reader is highly likely to at least try out the book.

Gen Z readers are especially likely to use a range of sources and media when choosing a book, including finding their way to the next read via a film adaptation, TV show or videogame tie-in .

Among the people we surveyed who responded to our survey question about the various — and combined — ways that they choose books, “favourite author” (73 per cent) and “friend’s recommendations” (72 per cent) were the top two means of selecting a book.

“Prize winners” and “family member’s recommendations” were also significant, with 40 per cent of respondents indicating both of these as their go-to methods. Thirty-five per cent of readers identified “work colleague’s recommendations” as trustworthy.

Young adult readers

A person seen reading in a bookstore.

Another aspect of our research highlighted how readers engage with reading recommendation cultures online and offline. This research involved a two-month conversation with an international group of young adults from 13 countries living on five continents.

These readers look for books that reflect their concerns about climate change, mental health issues and the experiences of their own communities, especially if their communities are racialized and/or discriminated against in terms of gender, language and abilities.

For this generation of readers, making ethical choices not only based on who or what is represented within the pages of books, but also about where and how to buy or borrow books, are important .

A book to engage us

Summer in Canada affords readers the opportunity to pick a new book to read. Some will be guided by their favourite authors or genres. Others will make choices inspired by their ethics or political commitments. As readers, we all want to invest our time in a book that will engage us, whether for entertainment or education.

If we’ve made a successful selection, we are very likely to tell friends about it, or to go online and share our reading experience with other readers through social media posts or Reddit reviews .

In these post-digital times, we are perhaps more likely to judge a book by its readers than by its cover.

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Summer Reading: Why It’s Important

Kelly brouse.

  • June 22, 2020

Young girl lying in the grass reading a book.

“Summer slide” is a common, informal term that has parents and teachers anxious about their learners’ progress and retention for those sunny two months a year when school is not in session. This concept of “sliding back” from the level students reached at the end of their school year while home over the summer is rooted in some developmental realities of our young learners. Practice of skills learned is required for those skills to turn from new learning into familiar, usable skills and then into habit. From September to June, students are engaged in literacy activities ideally at home and school that support this growth, but it is critical for reading to continue over the summer, minimally to sustain the progress they’ve made. So why is summer reading truly so beneficial?

Benefits of Summer Reading

Benefit #1: expanded vocabulary.

The benefits of reading are undeniable. A student reading twenty minutes a day at home will hear on average 1.8 million words per year. Compare that to a child reading five minutes per day at home who hears roughly 282,000 words per year, or a student reading on average one minute per day at home being exposed to 8,000 words per year, and the numbers are clear. No one would argue that the child hearing 1.8 million words is going to have a far more robust vocabulary than the child hearing 8,000.

Research on language development claims it takes up to 17 exposures for a child to securely add a word to their personal vocabulary, and literacy research has proven that depth of vocabulary is directly linked to a learner’s literacy level and ability to read complex texts. Maintaining twenty minutes a day over the summer is critical to at least maintaining student literacy levels through the development of their vocabulary.

Benefit #2: Enhanced Emotional Intelligence & Empathy

Reading fiction is one of the very best ways for children (and adults!) to develop empathy. We may not personally experience every problem captured in the storyline of a fiction book, but by walking through it from the character’s point of view, we as readers develop empathy skills for others who are experiencing challenges, even those with which we are less familiar. In the same vein, students also develop stronger emotional intelligence as they hear the internal dialogue of a character navigating a challenge in the plot. Interested in learning more about developing empathy in your learning through literature and beyond? Check out the book Unselfie by Michelle Borba .

Benefit #3: Broadening Perspective

Similar to emotional intelligence , students can also expand their perspectives on the human experience through texts about people that are different from them. Reading books with characters who have different family structures, races, cultures, abilities, and interests can both develop a sense of inclusivity for your child while also opening the door to important conversations with your child about equality and respecting differences. In our diverse world, it is critical that we encourage students to select books and engage with text about people that are different from them, and ideally that are written by voices authentic to those identities. Doing so over the summer likely reinforces the work of your child’s school district and shows what moral pillars exist in your home as well.

Benefit #4: Background Knowledge

Further, with expanding vocabulary and emotions comes a much deeper background of people, places, concepts and things in the world around us. Students who can readily connect something they’ve already been exposed to with new content, like in a science or social studies lesson, are far more likely to both actively engage in the learning and also retain the information purposefully. While “experience is the best teacher”, minimally having had exposure to the Mayan ruins or Newton’s laws of motion from a plot in a book can trigger synapses to light up and connect in students’ brains when they are later mentioned in a lesson at school or more authentically in real life. Reading can build expansive and unusual background knowledge that’s value can’t be measured or predicted upon development.

Benefit #5: Escape on a Rainy Day!

Of course, one of the best benefits of reading over the summer is having a screen-free activity on a rainy day. As we all proceed with caution this summer and employ continued social distancing, reading provides an activity for children that is engaging and fun, without having to leave the comfort of home.  

Strategies for Engaging Students in Summer Reading

As the adult fostering a love of reading in your child at home, knowing and accessing available resources is critical! Check out your local public library for current summer reading programs and summer reading enhancements, and make visiting the library part of your summer routine. Utilize suggested activities like this game board or other motivating challenges to give your young reader some extrinsic motivation to keep up the habit.

Don’t forget the value of being read to, especially for children in elementary school. Often emergent readers may be reluctant to apply literacy skills independently as they fear it will replace the joyful experience of being read to by a beloved adult. Creating a balance, especially for young readers, of “who” reads is still highly beneficial for students to maintain and grow their literacy skills over the summer.

Make reading fun! Create special spaces for reading in your home, like a reading tent or corner with twinkle lights or a favorite stuffed animal audience. A “reading hideout” can be a very motivating factor in making reading a preferred summer activity! Allow your child as much choice as possible in the books being read, because truly the most important element of creating a reader is igniting a love for reading. If they are choosing books too far above their reading level, offer to read it with them, but also help them to find books of high-interest at their level. Before the school year ends, be sure to know your child’s reading level so that you can ask the librarian for help if needed with selecting “just-right books”.

Enjoy the special time with your reader at home this summer, and remember the million-word value of twenty minutes a day!

  • #BenefitsofReading , #SummerReading

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Fighting the Summer Reading Slump

  • Posted July 22, 2009
  • By Martha Ferede

summer reading meaning

During the summer, in the absence of school, learning declines. Throughout these months, all children backslide in math — but in literacy, the gap between high and low socio-economic status children widens. Low-income students, who may not have the same level of access to books and literacy resources, tend to decline more than wealthier peers.

This summer reading loss has been extensively documented. The decline for low-income and minority students is especially problematic as it appears to be cumulative. 1 Motivated by these findings, James Kim and Thomas White saw summer reading intervention programs as a potentially effective tool for closing the achievement gap.

Previous research indicates, however, that simply providing access to books is not sufficient to prevent reading loss. So, Kim hypothesized, specialized instruction by teachers together with directed scaffolding by parents would be necessary ingredients in a voluntary summer reading intervention program.

The Impact of Scaffolding Kim and White (2008) conducted an experiment with 24 teachers and 400 students in two elementary schools within a large suburban school district in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Sixty-nine percent of the students were non-white (Black, Hispanic, Asian or other) and 38 percent received free or reduced-priced lunches. Kim notes that there were no motivational differences among students — meaning that their attitudes toward reading did not differ.

Students completing the third, fourth, and fifth grades all received ordinary reading instruction during the school year. But the students were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions before the summer break. These four treatment groups differed in the following ways:

  • Group 1 : Control. These students received no additional instruction or materials.  
  • Group 2 : Books only. Over the summer these students were mailed books matched to their reading levels and interests, but they received no special reading instruction. Their parents were simply asked to encourage the children to read.  
  • Group 3 : Books with oral reading scaffolding. These students received books matched to their reading levels and interests, along with directed-oral reading instruction from their teachers prior to the end of the school year. Their parents received a letter asking them to have their children read aloud, and to provide feedback on their reading. The students then filled out a postcard describing their understanding of the books.  
  • Group 4 : Books with oral reading and comprehension scaffolding. These students also received books matched to their reading levels and interests, along with oral reading and comprehension instruction from their teachers prior to the end of the school year; their parents also received a letter asking them to have their child read aloud, and to provide feedback on the reading. In addition, these students were asked to identify what strategies they used — such as re-reading, predicting, and summarizing — to understand the meaning of the book. Students also filled out a postcard describing their understanding of the books.

All the students in the experiment received pre- and post-tests on fluency and silent reading ability. 2 Kim and White made two significant findings in this study:

  • Students who received oral reading and comprehension scaffolding (Group 4) scored higher on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS, used to measure general reading ability) post-test than students who did not receive any treatment.
  • The combined ITBS post-test scores of students in the two scaffolding conditions (Groups 3 and 4) were higher than the combined scores of the other two groups.

Most notably, Black, Hispanic and low-income students in the oral reading and comprehension group gained from 1.7 to 5.1 months of additional learning. This impressive gain — on average four months — of additional learning for low-income students is enough to offset the three months of summer slump that this population typically experiences.

Most teachers believe that voluntary reading — where students self-select text and read silently on their own — promotes some reading skills such as fluency and word recognition. Kim and White's study, however, finds that students who receive books that are appropriate to their reading levels, without feedback and support, did not improve in fluency and silent reading ability. It appears that having appropriate books is a necessary but not sufficient condition. On the other hand, scaffolding matters.

Teachers' Role is Critical

In the two scaffolding conditions, Kim notes that the teachers' role was absolutely vital. In June, teachers in the study attended a two-hour training session led by an experienced language arts teacher who had developed and piloted lessons that met Kim and White's specifications for directed oral reading instruction.

Prior to summer break, teachers modeled for their students what good readers do, providing explicit instruction in either fluency or directed reading. Over the summer, students were sent postcards reminding them of the specific reading strategies they had learned in class: good comprehension techniques such as reading the title, summarizing, and making text-to-self connections.

Simplicity in Design: The Innovation Fulcrum

Kim believes that it is critical to conduct research that decisionmakers are likely to interpret accurately and utilize. In order to promote implementation of his work, Kim relied on the concept of an “innovation fulcrum”: the point of balance between operating complexity and customer satisfaction. 3

Kim's innovation fulcrum was finding a tool that teachers would easily implement and that would also meet students' needs. Any successful intervention had to meet these two considerations . Simplicity was woven into every aspect of the research — from the name, Project READS (Reading Enhancing Achievement During Summer), to shipping books to students through the mail, to the color-coded cards that identify students in the four treatment groups.

Implications and Recommendations

White and Kim (2008) provide suggestions for administrators and teachers for planning a voluntary reading program. Here are their key recommendations:

  • Teachers should teach and model oral reading and comprehension strategies toward the end of the school year.
  • Students should receive eight or more level-matched books so that they have sufficient reading material.
  • Students should be sent postcards over the summer recapping good reading strategies.
  • Parents should receive letters asking them to listen to oral reading and provide feedback to their children.
  • Postcard returns should be solicited so that program administrators can assess correct implementation of strategy.

In the broader picture, Kim advocates using research to create targeted policies that focus directly on improving literacy for low-income and minority students. 

For additional information on this research:

Kim, J.S., & White, T.G. (2008). Scaffolding voluntary summer reading for children in grades 3 to 5: An experimental study. Scientific Studies of Reading , 12 (1), 1–23.

White, T. G. & Kim, J. S. (2008). Teacher and Parent Scaffolding of Voluntary Summer Reading. The Reading Teacher , 62 (2), 116-125. International Reading Association.

1  Alexander, Entwisdel, and Olson (2001) 2  Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skill (DIBELS) was used to test oral reading fluency and Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) was used to test silent reading ability. 3 Gottfredson and Aspinall (2005)

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The Power of Trees by Peter Wohlleben The German forester became an unlikely celebrity with 2015’s bestselling Hidden Life of Trees. Here he shows us that the way to help forests thrive is to leave them alone – and in doing so, reap the climate benefits these natural carbon sinks provide.

Radical: A Life of My Own by Xiaolu Guo

Radical: A Life of My Own by Xiaolu Guo In Chinese writing, the “radical” is the part of the character that lends it meaning; Guo charts her own quest for meaning and purpose in this kaleidoscopic memoir that follows her from London to New York and back again.

Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder by Dacher Keltner Twenty years of research has convinced this psychology professor that a little awe goes a long way. Here he sets out the various types, from “moral beauty” to “collective effervescence”, and offers tips for finding it, not just on mountaintops, but in everyday life.

This cover image released by Doubleday shows “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” by David Grann. (Doubleday via AP)

The Wager : A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a forensically researchedn historical yarn that mixes Mutiny on the Bounty with Lord of the Flies. In 1740, a ship leaves Britain on a secret mission against Spain and is wrecked off the coast of Patagonia. Two years later, separate groups of survivors wash up, with contradictory stories of terrible crimes. Packed with literary references from Coleridge to Melville, this is a thrilling account of adventure, endurance and the ravages of imperialism.

An Uneasy Inheritance: My Family and Other Radicals by Polly Toynbee Is there a conflict between personal privilege and progressive politics? In an attempt to answer that question, the Guardian columnist subjects her illustrious family and herself to an unsparing analysis, spiced with anecdote and humour.

The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery by Adam Gopnik

The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery by Adam Gopnik What does it take to become a master magician, a great painter, a brilliant baker or just someone who can drive? The New Yorker critic embarks on a study of craft – from the celebrated to the unsung.

End Times by Peter Turchin From the man who predicted the rise of Trump – or someone very like him – a remarkably clear, data-driven explanation of why societies fall into crisis, and how to engineer a soft landing.

Reach for the Stars: 1996–2006: Fame, Fallout and Pop’s Final Party by Michael Cragg

Reach for the Stars by Michael Cragg In the early 2000s so-called British bubblegum swept all before it, with bands such as S Club 7, Boyzone and Blue shifting millions of units. This oral history fizzes with gossip and insight into the surprisingly hard grind of being a jobbing pop star.

Is This OK?: One Woman’s Search for Connection Onlin e by Harriet Gibsone What is it like to come of age with the internet? And can relationships conducted online ever compare to the real thing? Journalist Gibsone’s candid memoir is comic and dark by turns.

The Earth Transformed: An Untold History by Peter Frankopan In this follow-up to the magisterial Silk Roads, the Oxford historian seeks to show the environment’s inescapable influence on history – from the volcanos whose ash clouds caused crop failures in antiquity to the climate challenges of the present day.

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Fancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks by Scott Shapiro Matthew Broderick’s teen hacker in the 80s movie WarGames is an odd starting point for a new era in world affairs, but that’s what first turned the US government’s attention to the increasingly urgent problem of cybersecurity. In a series of vivid case studies, Yale professor Scott Shapiro surveys the strange new landscape of hacking and its unlikely practitioners.

Foreign Bodies by Simon Schama Book Jacket

Foreign Bodies: A History of Pandemics, Vaccines and the Health of Nations by Simon Schama As we enter an age of zoonosis – with more viruses jumping from animal to human than ever before – the historian takes us on an erudite tour of past responses to pandemics, offering plenty of lessons for the next one.

To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music and Mystery of Connie Converse by Howard Fishman The distinctive voice of Connie Converse, an obscure 50s folk singer who disappeared in the 1970s, captivated writer Howard Fishman when he first heard one of her records at a party. He attempts to trace her story, and find out what really happened to her.

The Great White Bard by Farah Karim Cooper

The Great White Bar d by Farah Karim-Cooper Should we consign pale, male, stale Shakespeare to the scrapheap? Absolutely not, argues Farah Karim-Cooper, who believes a race-conscious reading of his work enriches it and restores his status as a playwright for all.

In Her Nature: How Women Break Boundaries in the Great Outdoors: A Past, Present and Personal Story by Rachel Hewitt Hewitt, an avid runner, charts the neglected history of female sporting pioneers including the Edwardian mountaineer Lizzie le Blond. In doing so she tells a story of barriers and belittlement, the legacy of which continues to this day.

Transitional by Munroe Bergdorf Bloomsbury

Transitional by Munroe Bergdorf The model and trans activist on growing up, getting famous, being vilified and carrying on despite it all. Life, she argues, is a process of continual transition – no matter what your gender identity.

Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer What to do with artistic heroes like Pablo Picasso, Roman Polanski and Michael Jackson, whose personal lives and crimes seem to stand in such contradiction to their sublime art? Dederer’s exploration offers up no easy answers, but the journey is never less than illuminating.

Don’t Think, Dear: On Loving and Leaving Ballet by Alice Robb

Don’t Think, Dear: On Loving and Leaving Ballet by Alice Robb Once a student at America’s top ballet school, now a journalist, Alice Robb looks back at the demanding, obsessional world that captured her childhood dreams, and the charismatic figures who shaped it.

Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict by Elizabeth Day The host of blockbuster podcast How to Fail explores the joys and pitfalls of friendship – including the stresses of trying to maintain as many as possible. Could a modest address-book cull be the socially responsible way to start your summer?

Johnson at 10: The Inside Story by Anthony Seldon (Author), Raymond Newell (Author)

Johnson at 10 by Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell If you can bear to revisit a period of misrule still painfully raw in the collective memory, Seldon and Newell’s meticulous book offers eye-opening insights into the workings of the Johnson administration from the people who witnessed it first hand.

Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken What happens if you eat a diet made up of 80% ultra-processed food – pre-packaged snacks and meals with long chemical names among the ingredients – for a whole month? Having done just that and seen the results, public health doctor van Tulleken explains the toll these products are having on our collective health.

One Midsummer’s Day: Swifts and the Story of Life on Earth by Mark Cocker The humble swift is the lens through which nature writer Mark Cocker presents the natural world in all its dazzling interconnectedness. Or perhaps not so humble – these are the birds, after all, that think nothing of nipping over to Germany in a single insect-hunting trip, and have been reported at heights of 4,400 metres. A natural wonder indeed.

Illustration of person in hat pruning roses that are holding the book they are reading

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver A triumph of voice: this Women’s prize-winning reboot of David Copperfield, set amid the poverty and opioid addiction of Appalachia, features an unforgettable young hero battling to survive.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Precocious coders and best friends Samson and Sadie get into the video game-making business – but will their relationship ever move beyond creative collaboration? A hugely enjoyable novel about lives and loves mediated by technology.

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy Set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, a multi award-winning debut about a dangerous affair across the political and religious divide.

Bad Actors by Mick Herron The latest in the Slough House series about inept MI5 secret agents sees Herron on top form, slashing through Westminster shenanigans and Russian thuggery with elegance and wit.

Send Nudes by Saba Sams Funny, sly and surprising tales of young womanhood from the BBC National short story award winner – perfect poolside reading.

Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries All you could ask for in terms of juicy titbits from the length and breadth of the beloved actor’s career; brickbats and bouquets for fellow performers, snippets of Labour politics and the filming of Harry Potter.

Constructing a Nervous System by Margo Jefferson

Constructing a Nervous System by Margo Jefferson The Baillie Gifford prize winner splices memoir with sharply observed cultural criticism in this unique meditation on ageing, art and personhood.

Landlines by Raynor Winn In a follow up to the bestselling Salt Path and Wild Silence , much-loved wild walkers Raynor and her husband Moth undertake their toughest challenge yet – the Cape Wrath Trail – in the face of Moth’s deteriorating health.

The Lost Rainforests of Britain by Guy Shrubsole Who knew Britain had rainforests? There may not be parrots, but a rich and precious heritage of ancient woodlands replete with mistletoe, fern and moss clings on, fed by our damp Atlantic climate. This book is a call to see the exotic in our own isles, and cherish it.

Spare by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex This eye-popping memoir lays bare Prince Harry’s childhood trauma, his grudges and his gripes – as well as a rather intimate bout of frostbite. Too much information? Not for eager readers, who have made it the bestselling book of the year so far.

Illustration of a child holding an open book over their head reading while standing on a stack of books with an adult leaning in to read too.

Art Makes People Powerful by Bob and Roberta Smith A thick, satisfying art activity book that invites children of 6+ to discover their own powers of creation, painting fierce placards or drawing their own feelings and visions of a better world.

The Thames and Tide Club : The Secret City by Katya Balen, illustrated by Rachael Dean When Clem finds a mysterious object and triggers some seriously strange weather, she and her mudlarking buddies must go on an underwater adventure to return it. A delightful illustrated quest story for 7+, from a Carnegie-winning author.

The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder by Kereen Getten (Author), Leah Jacobs-Gordon (Illustrator)

The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder by Kereen Getten, illustrated by Leah Jacobs-Gordon Fayson doesn’t like her wealthy cousins, but when she’s sent to their Jamaican island for the summer, she might just get the chance to realise her dream of becoming a detective. Like Enid Blyton with a social conscience, this marks the start of an addictive new series for 8+.

The Swifts by Beth Lincoln, illustrated by Claire Powell At birth, each Swift is given a definition from their ancestral dictionary, and must grow up to embody their name – except Shenanigan Swift, who doesn’t believe in destiny. When Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude is and outrageously witty attacked at a family reunion, will Shenanigan succeed in finding the culprit? Fabulously illustrated, this clever, comic debut is perfect for 9+ Lemony Snicket fans.

Greenwild: The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson, illustrated by Lisa Paganelli When Daisy Thistledown’s mother goes missing, Daisy obeys her mum’s last order and escapes into Greenworld, an eco-paradise she must fight to defend. This magical fantasy breathes new life into classic tropes while offering 9+ readers a cornucopia of wonder, peril and time travel.

Friends and Traitors by Helen Peters

Friends and Traitors by Helen Peters Sidney’s school has just been evacuated to a rural stately home, where clever Nancy is working as a housemaid. Then the girls discover that the earl is hiding something sinister in the stables. Concealed passages and fiendish plots abound in this second world war mystery, perfect for 9+ Robin Stevens readers.

Cupid’s Revenge by Wibke Brueggemann Tilly can’t stand living in a houseful of “creative types”, and now she’s worried about her grandad, who has Alzheimer’s, moving in. Love is not on the agenda – until she meets gorgeous Katherine Cooper-Bunting, her best friend Teddy’s crush, and winds up in the same amdram production. This sweet, believable queer romance for 14+ is frank, funny and poignant.

The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

This Summer’s Secrets by Emily Barr Long ago, grim secrets were hidden at Cliff House. Now, as teenage Senara finds herself drawn into the house’s affluent world – and, possibly, a first romance – those secrets begin to work their way into the light. A sun-splashed Cornish thriller with a dark heart, ideal for YA fans of E Lockhart.

The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar Bengali-Irish baker Shireen is thrilled to be in the Junior Irish Baking Show – but less so to find her ex-girlfriend Chris is too. Can Shireen give her parents’ bakery a boost while working with Chris at close quarters – and what about the charismatic Niamh? Jaigirdar’s fourth novel is a sugar-dusted YA treat with a sharp spice of realism.

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron Charity Curtis loves her summer job as “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake, where guests pay to be terrified in a cult horror re-enactment. But when her co‑workers start disappearing, Charity will have to put her skills to work for real in this pulse-pounding horror, best suited to slasher flick aficionados of 14+.

Explore all the books in the Guardian and Observer’s summer reading lists and save up to 15% on RRP. Visit guardianbookshop.com . Delivery charges may apply.

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Learning Never Stops: Why Summer Reading is Important for Children

Summer is a time for outdoor fun, vacations, and a break from the daily school routine, but it’s also important to keep your children’s mind active. There are many advantages to keeping your children engaged in reading during the summer months and avoiding the “summer slide,” or a dip in their educational learning.

Benefits to summertime reading.

Builds long lasting reading habits. We are always learning so it’s important to continue reading no matter what your age.

Increases social-emotional development. According to Scholastic, 83% of educators agree that reading helps students understand people that are different from them, and 81% say it helps students develop empathy.

Helps encourage reluctant readers. For those children that may be wary of reading, it can help build their confidence and keep them interested.

Provides a summer activity. It’s important to have a balance of both fun and educational activities.

summer reading meaning

Ways to Keep Children’s Interest in Summer Reading

Try breaking the summer up into weekly themes to help create, build, and maintain an interest in books. Children can increase their ability to read by spending just a few minutes a day reading.

Here are some examples of weekly themes you can add to your summer routine.

Celebrate summe r. Read while on vacation or during road trips. Make a summer scrapbook and encourage your child to write down what they saw, what they liked, and favorite memories.

Keep in touch . Write your child a daily letter, or have others send them a letter, and have them read it to you. You can also help your child write letters back to friends and family members.

Travel the world . Encourage children to read about different travel destinations. Introduce maps and ask your local tourist bureau for information on travel destinations to read and discuss with your children.

Want ideas? Here are a few book suggestions by grade.

Pre-readers (picture books):   Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz, The Bear’s Song by Benjamin Chaud

1st Grade: My Toothbrush is Missing by Jan Thomas, Hi, Jack! by Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli..

2nd Grade: Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne, Mystery Club Mr. Wolf’s Class by Aron Nels Steinke

3rd Grade: Simon and Chester Super Detectives by Cale Atkinson, Sarai and the Meaning of Awesome by Sarai Gonzalez and Monica Brown.

4th Grade: Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis, Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai

View more books by age and category .

5th Grade: Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit, A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

6th Grade: The Last Last Day of Summer by Lamar Giles, Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist

7th Grade: 96 Miles by J.L. Esplin, The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

8th Grade: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, The Recruit (Cherub) by Robert Muchamore

Check out our resource page for A Guide to Summer Reading for adults and other helpful summer tips for your family.

https://imaginationsoup.net/summer-reading-list-for-kids/

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/10-weeks-summer-reading-adventures-you-and-your-kids

https://readingeggs.com/articles/benefits-summer-reading-programs/#anc1

https://edublog.scholastic.com/post/research-shows-benefits-summer-reading#:~:text=Summer reading is critical%2C not,parents agree summer reading matters .

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A Summer's Reading

Bernard Malamud

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1961

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Summer Reading on Home Base

Welcome to Summer Reading on Home Base!

May 4 - September 7, 2023

summer reading meaning

The Scholastic Summer Reading program offers kids an exciting, free, and safe summer reading experience, while helping to provide books to kids with limited or no access over the summer, keeping every child reading.

A Fun, Free Program for Kids!

From May 9 through August 19, kids can visit the summer zone in Scholastic Home Base, a completely free digital destination which offers stories, characters, games, and a community of readers. Home Base is moderated for safety 24/7.

Visit Home Base

By creating an account on  Home Base ,  kids can join a community of readers and will be able to read books and stories;  attend weekly author events ; interact with their favorite characters; play book-based games and activities; join dance parties; and more!

Sign up for Home Base and visit the Summer Reading zone to start your reading streaks today!

Keep a Reading Streak

Kids will be able to track their summer reading by reading every day and maintaining a Reading Streak in Home Base.

The longer a child extends their reading streak, the more digital experiences they earn! Kids can read any book of their choice and download and print a report of their reading progress at any time.

Help Donate Books

By keeping reading streaks in Home Base, kids will help unlock a donation of 100,000 books from Scholastic to Save the Children. The books will go to kids in rural America with limited or no access to books.

From May 4 through September 7th, kids can visit the summer zone in Scholastic Home Base, a completely free digital destination which offers stories, characters, games, and a community of readers. Home Base is moderated for safety 24/7.

Home Base App Icon

By creating an account on  Home Base ,  kids can join a community of readers and will be able to read books and stories; attend author events; interact with their favorite characters; play book-based games and activities; join dance parties; and more!

Sign up for Home Base and visit the Summer Reading zone to start your Reading Streak™ today!

Keep a Reading Streak™

Kids will be able to track their summer reading by reading every day and maintaining a Reading Streak™ in Home Base.

The longer a child extends their Reading Streak™, the more digital experiences they earn! Kids can read any book of their choice and download and print a report of their reading progress at any time.

Reading Streak

By keeping Reading Streaks™ in Home Base, kids will help unlock a donation of 25,000 books from Scholastic to Save the Children. The books will go to kids in rural America with limited or no access to books.

Home Base App Icon

Vistit Home Base

Sign up for Home Base and visit the Summer Reading zone to start your Reading Streaks™ today!

Reading Streak

By keeping Reading Streaks™ in Home Base, kids will help unlock a donation of 100,000 books from Scholastic to Save the Children. The books will go to kids in rural America with limited or no access to books.

Join Home Base and Start your Reading Streak™!

Download home base today to participate in summer reading.

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Download the Summer Reading Activity Booklet!

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Includes 8 activities featuring favorite characters!

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Parents, Teachers, and Librarians:

Learn more about home base educational and safety features.

Home Base employs multiple safeguards to protect children online. Find out more by visiting our Parents and Educators page. 

The Ultimate Summer Reading Guide for Parents

Get book recommendations and reading tips for kids of all ages. Help your child continue to read and learn this summer!

summer reading meaning

Need Help Getting Started?

Head to the Home Base help page to learn how to create an account, login, and start exploring!

We also have video tutorials that walk you through Home Base, from the basics to the full features.

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Every Child Deserves the Opportunity to Learn

Working across rural America, Save the Children's education experts help children get ready for kindergarten and achieve critical reading milestones.

Join Home Base!

Start your reading streak™ now.

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Get Ready for Summer Reading on Home Base!

From may 9 through august 19 , kids can visit the summer zone in scholastic home base, a free digital destination which offers stories, characters, games, and a community of readers. home base is moderated for safety 24/7.   .

Home Base App Icon

  Join Home Base

By creating an account on home base, kids can join a community of readers and will be able to read books and stories; attend author events; interact with their favorite characters; play book-based games and activities; join dance parties; and more.

Reading Streak

  Keep a Reading Streak™

Kids will be able to track their summer reading by maintaining a reading streak in home base. the longer a child extends their reading streak, the more digital experiences they earn  kids can read any book of their choice and download and print a report of their reading progress at any time..

Donate Books

By keeping reading streaks in Home Base, kids will unlock a donation of 100,000 books from Scholastic to Save the Children for kids in rural America with limited or no access to books.

How to join, to participate you must download or play the home base app which is available on these platforms:.

Home Base App Icon

How do readers create an account for/log in to home base?

  go to scholastic.com/homebase or download “home base by scholastic” from the app store or google play.  click the play now button. click play. on this page, kids can sign in with an existing scholastic kids site account, or create a new one. if they sign in , they'll be taken directly to home base to create a new account : click the register now button fill out step 1 to create a username, then click next. enter an email address, create a password, then click register they'll get a confirmation email at the email address they provided, and they will be taken to home base  , need more information, head to our faq area to learn how to create an account, login, and start exploring, summer reading event schedule, author events, may event authors & date tdb   june event authors & date tdb   july event authors & date tdb   august event authors & date tdb    , weekly events,   monday: summer book promos [newsfeed ] newsfeed post dedicated to one book on our retail summer promotions list a week. offers 5-6 pages of excerpt using the 3-panel comic format.   tuesday: wings of fire meetups with admin becky weekly fan meetups for 30 minutes. event activities include trivia, fun facts, and more.   wednesday: writing rpg events with admin gavin weekly storytelling rpg. what will happen next   thursday: trivia event with admin becky weekly themed trivia examples: dog man trivia, the bad guys trivia, historical i survived-themed trivia   friday: fanart feature friday [newsfeed] five featured pieces of art from the newsfeed shared and pinned in one post at the top of the feed.      , what is home base, scholastic home base is a safe, free 3d interactive world dedicated to keeping kids engaged with favorite stories through book-based games, live author events, and a large community of readers.  , in home base, kids can: explore beloved stories, interact with favorite characters, and discover their next must-reads  play games inspired by popular books reinforce skills like geography, astronomy, physics, spelling, writing, and more meet scholastic authors in live digital events express creativity through writing stories and creating comics connect with other readers via filtered chat  , is home base safe, yes home base employs multiple safeguards to protect children online, including 24/7 human moderation and a sophisticated automated filter to ensure content safety. additionally, the home base admins model and encourage positive digital engagement, providing a great introduction for kids to internet safety.  .

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Summer Reading Contest, Week 1: What Got Your Attention in The Times This Week?

To participate, submit your response here by June 16 at 9 a.m. Eastern. This week’s winners will be announced on June 27.

A crowd of students dressed to the nines, most of them smiling, are captured in celebration.

By The Learning Network

Update, June 27: Here are the winners for Week 1.

Our 14th Annual Summer Reading Contest begins!

This contest is open to students 13-19 from anywhere in the world. To participate, submit a response by 9 a.m. Eastern on June 16  that answers the questions “What got your attention in The New York Times this week? Why?”

If you are 13 or older and live in the United States, or 16 or older from anywhere else in the world, post your response in the comment section. If you are a teacher, parent or guardian of a student or child who is 13-15 and lives outside the United States, see the bottom of this post for details on how to submit.

Responses must be 1,500 characters — about 250 words — or fewer.

What should you choose? Well, as you know from the rules we’ve posted , you can pick anything published on nytimes.com in 2023, including articles, essays , videos , photos , podcasts or graphics .

So what did you read, watch or listen to this week? Maybe you were consumed by front-page headlines about the train crash in India or the wildfires in Canada — or maybe you were more taken with this quiz that tests whether you can make a split-second pass like an N.B.A. pro , or with stories about the benefits of art for your mental health , how to become a birder  or growing up as a queer teenager .

We don’t care what you choose, we just want to hear why you chose it.

We hope you’ll click around nytimes.com and find your own great articles, features and multimedia. But we also know that not everyone who participates has a Times subscription. Because all links to Times content from the student features on our site are free , every week we’ll try to help by posting interesting pieces from a variety of sections.

For example, this week you may have read front-page news articles like …

Dev shah becomes 2023 spelling bee champion, the eighth grader from florida won the scripps national spelling bee — and $50,000. the winning word was “psammophile,” an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy areas..

“If you spell this next word correctly, we will declare you the 2023 National Spelling Bee champion: psammophile.” “Psammo, meaning ‘sand,’ Greek? Oh.” “Wait a second.” [chuckle] “Psammo, meaning ‘sand,’ Greek?” “Yes.” “Phile, meaning ‘lover,’ Greek?” “You’re on the right track.” “Can I please have all the information?” “Psammophile is a noun from Greek. A psammophile is an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy soils or areas.” “Psammophile. May I please have the sentence?” “Any psammophile, for example, a cactus, would flourish in the Arizona desert. Can you say it for us?” “Psammophile. Psammophiles.” “Psammophile.” “P- S- A- M- M- O- P-H- I-L-E, psammophile.” “That is correct.” [crowd cheering] “The hug from Charlotte and Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School celebrates in Largo, Florida. He had family watching in New Jersey and in India. His friends from back home celebrating, his father, Deval; his mother, Nilam; and little brother Neil. They’ll be talking about this for the rest of Dev’s life. Your 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion.

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Eighth Grader From Florida Wins Top Spelling Prize at Scripps Spelling Bee

Justice Department Charges Trump in Documents Case

Wildfires Spread Smoke, and Anxiety, Across Canada to the U.S.

India’s Train Crash: What We Know

Messi, Soccer’s Most Coveted Free Agent, Picks Miami Over Saudi Team

Supreme Court Gives the Voting Rights Act a Tenuous New Lease on Life

Destroyed Ukrainian Dam Floods War Zone and Forces Residents to Flee

Biden Signs Fiscal Responsibility Act, Ending Debt-Limit Crisis

Apple Debuts Its Next Big Product, a Virtual Reality Headset

Social Media Can Be a ‘Profound Risk’ to Youth, Surgeon General Warns

PGA Tour and LIV Golf Agree to Alliance, Ending Golf’s Bitter Fight

TikTok Sues Montana Over State Ban

Churchill Downs to Cease Racing as It Investigates Deaths of Horses

U.S. Job Growth Remains Strong Despite Economic Clouds

Colleges Will Be Able to Hide a Student’s Race on Admissions Applications

Oklahoma Approves First Religious Charter School in the U.S.

Or, maybe you discovered stories in the Style, International, Sports, Business, Magazine, Arts, U.S., Travel, Science, Health or Smarter Living sections like …

How the Arts Can Benefit Your Mental Health (No Talent Required)

How a 14-Year-Old Came to Animate a Scene in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

Inside ‘the Hogwarts of Fashion’

What It’s Like to Be a Queer Teenager in America Today

How to Start Birding

Another Casualty in Ukraine: Teenage Years

What Happens to My Body When I Eat Spicy Food?

30 Shows to Watch This Summer

This Is Not an Extraterrestrial Signal. This Is Just a Test.

Make Way for the Bike Bus

Study Offers New Twist in How the First Humans Evolved

The Lifelong Gift of Sibling Friendship

A Brooklyn Neighborhood Went 5 Days Without the Police

How Parents Can Actually Help Teens Navigate Social Media

How to Get Absolutely No Sun This Summer

The First 10 Words of the African American English Dictionary Are In

Halle Bailey, ‘The Little Mermaid’ Star, Connects With Her Inner Ariel

This Runner Finished Last, but Her Perseverance Won Over a Nation

What Number Comes Next? The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences Knows.

The Inspirations Behind ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

Welcome to CringeTok, Where Being Insufferable Can Be Lucrative

Teenagers Can Expect a Strong Summer Job Market

Schools Received Billions in Stimulus Funds. It May Not Be Doing Enough.

Why Do We Brand the Summer?

Movie Theaters Offer Larger Screens, Heated Seats and Sushi to Lure Fans Back

If photos, videos, graphics, illustrations, quizzes or podcasts are more your style, maybe these got your attention …

Quiz: NBA Quiz: Where Is the Pass Going?

Podcast: On TikTok, Pop Music Speeds Up

Interactive: How to Open a National Park for the Summer

Maps: Tracking the Smoke From the Canadian Fires

Audio:  5 Minutes That Will Make You Love New Orleans Jazz

Interactive:  Summer Books 2023

Video: My A.I. Lover

Photos and Recipes: 29 Easy Summer Dinners You’ll Cook on Repeat

Interactive: The Toll of Police Violence on Black People’s Mental Health

Quiz: Can You Survive Summer?

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Whatever caught your eye, tell us about it.

Need more details? The contest rules are all here , and you can read the work of last year’s winners here . A quick overview, though:

You can choose from anything published in the print paper or on nytimes.com in 2023, including videos, podcasts, graphics and photographs. (In your response, please include the URL or headline of the piece you pick.)

We’ll post this question each Friday from today through Aug. 11, and you’ll have until the next Friday morning to respond with your picks. Then we’ll close that post and open a new one with the same question.

We’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each week. Winners from this week will be announced on June 27.

Feel free to participate each week, but we allow only one submission per person per week.

The contest is open to students ages 13 to 19 from anywhere in the world. If you are 13 or older and live in the United States, or 16 or older from anywhere else in the world, post your response in the comments section. If you are a teacher, parent or guardian of a student or child who is between the ages of 13 and 15 and lives outside of the United States , then you must submit an entry on the student’s behalf using the form below. All entries from the comments section and the form below will be judged together.

Summer Reading Contest Submission Form: Week 1

Parents, guardians and teachers should use this form on behalf of students ages 13-15 outside the United States.

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2024 summer reading skills programs.

Submitted by Amber Shultice on February 8, 2024

children reading

2024 Summer Reading Skills Programs   

Programs Offered in Jackson 

This summer, help your child become a confident, enthusiastic reader. Summer Reading Skills Programs are offered by Mississippi State University, Center for Continuing Education, and designed and taught by instructors from the Institute of Reading Development.  

Strengthen Skills, Build Confidence, Enjoy Reading   

These single-grade programs teach key reading skills, from phonics and sight words for younger children to comprehension, reading speed, and textbook strategies for older kids, and everything in between.   

Guided by a knowledgeable and supportive teacher, students in these programs experience success with reading again and again, developing their skills and building confidence in outstanding books at the right level of challenge for each age.   

Your child will avoid the many challenges of summer learning loss and become an avid reader who enjoys reading for school and for pleasure.  

How the Programs Work  

Your child will attend weekly classes that build skills and provide great experiences with terrific books – books that are filled with interesting characters, exciting storylines, and engaging themes. Between classes, your child will practice reading and complete fun, interactive lessons that develop core skills and build confidence.   

An Institute of Reading Development teacher will provide all the support and instruction your child needs to grow as a reader and student. Your child will get a jumpstart on the next school year and be ready to make it a big success!   

Let’s Discuss Your Child’s Reading Development.  

Call to speak with a reading program advisor.  

1-800-964-8888  

Learn more about the reading programs and view schedules.   

Secure Your Child’s Spot Today! Class Size is Limited.   

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El Niño’s end may be near. Here’s what’s coming next.

The national weather service predicts el niño will fade in the coming months and has issued a la niña watch.

summer reading meaning

Signs of a historically strong El Niño global climate pattern became obvious in recent weeks — including deadly fires in South America and deluges in California . Yet scientists are now predicting that the pattern could disappear within months.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service issued a La Niña watch Thursday, projecting that there is about a 55 percent chance that this pattern — which is the opposite of El Niño — will develop by August.

The development of a La Niña would have major consequences for weather in the United States and around the world. It could also temporarily slow the rapid global warming that began about nine months ago, when El Niño first took hold .

La Niña is known for encouraging active and destructive Atlantic hurricane seasons, as well as promoting dry conditions for Southern California and the Southwest.

It also tends to subdue global temperatures. While it won’t turn back a decades-long rise in planetary warmth, it could moderate the extreme levels of warming scientists have observed as of late.

Last month was Earth’s warmest January on record, an eighth consecutive monthly global temperature record. And it marked the end of a 12-month period during which the planet hit a long-feared level of warming: 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above a historic average from the 19th century, before the widespread consumption of fossil fuels, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

What do La Niña and El Niño mean?

Whether Earth’s climate is under the influence of a La Niña or El Niño depends on conditions along the equator in the Pacific Ocean.

When normal trade winds that flow from east to west become weak or even reverse, warm water pools along the surface of the central and eastern Pacific, heralding El Niño and triggering domino effects on weather around the world . That can include wetter-than-normal conditions along the southern tier of the United States, including in Southern California, diminished Atlantic hurricane seasons and droughts and fires in Indonesia and southern Africa.

It is named after the Christ child in Spanish because fishermen long noticed its effects off the coast of Peru around Christmas.

During La Niña, Pacific trade winds push warm waters to the west. The result is wetter-than-normal weather on the western side of the Pacific, as well as in southern Alaska, the northwestern United States and the northern Plains. La Niña tends to encourage dry and mild conditions in the southern United States when it typically peaks in the winter months.

What climate scientists predict in the coming months

Climate forecasters at the Weather Service said Thursday that warmth in the eastern and east-central Pacific diminished in January, as did the wind pattern associated with El Niño. Meanwhile, climate prediction models are suggesting that El Niño will continue to weaken through the spring months.

They predict a 79 percent chance that “neutral” conditions — the absence of either El Niño or La Niña — will be in place sometime between April and June.

It can be difficult to predict how El Niño or La Niña will behave during the spring months, the scientists noted, because the patterns tend to be in transition at that time, making it harder to detect trends. But a quick switch to La Niña is common after historically strong episodes of El Niño, like the one that is now winding down.

“It’s not often we have an El Niño advisory and a La Niña watch up at the same time,” said Tom Di Liberto, a climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At the same time, he said, “it’s not uncommon” for La Niña to follow a historically strong El Niño like this one. That also happened during the major El Niño episodes of 1982-1983 and 1997-1998.

Regardless of how quickly it weakens, El Niño is likely to continue to drive global weather patterns for months to come.

“While it’s past its peak, it can still pack a punch,” Di Liberto said.

What the switch to La Niña could reveal

Scientists will be closely watching how a transition from the planet-warming El Niño pattern to the cooling influence of La Niña might affect global average temperatures. It could help answer a critical question: Is the rate of global warming and climate change accelerating ?

It’s possible the switch to La Niña could moderate global temperatures in 2024 and prevent them from surpassing 2023, which marked a surprising new peak in global warmth . That would back up a theory that 2023 was an El Niño-driven “blip” in what has otherwise been a steady trajectory for global temperatures, said Gavin Schmidt, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

But if 2024 ends up warmer than scientists might otherwise expect, given the presence of a La Niña pattern, that could, in effect, “add to the evidence that something systematic has changed,” Schmidt said in an email.

The climate transitions also provide more data and opportunity to learn how global warming may be influencing El Niño and La Niña. Climate scientists don’t have a definitive answer yet, but they do suspect that the frequency of strong El Niño and La Niña events is likely to increase throughout the next century.

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summer reading meaning

IMAGES

  1. » Summer Reading

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  2. PPT

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  3. Summer Reading Graphic with Books

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  4. Research Shows the Benefits of Summer Reading!

    summer reading meaning

  5. Printable Summer Reading Challenge List for Kids

    summer reading meaning

  6. Printable Summer Reading Challenge List for Kids

    summer reading meaning

COMMENTS

  1. What Is A "Summer Read"?

    And but, here's my definition of a "summer read": A book you read between the months of June and September. (Yaaah! Sorry…) The point is, a "summer read" isn't anything specific to me. Just looking at the books I've read over the last couple summers, there's certainly no overarching trend.

  2. Summers: Some Are Reading, Some Are Not! It Matters

    Summer Reading. Summers: Some Are Reading, Some Are Not! It Matters. "They're funny, especially this one ( Mud! ), and I got this ( Clifford) because my sister loves them, and this one ( Clifford) and this one ( Clifford, Lil' Bill, Franklin) — all these are me and my sister's, and the reason I got her one is because I love her.".

  3. A Brief History of Summer Reading

    The idea of reading different kinds of literature at different times of year dates back centuries — for an early example, see William Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" — but summer reading as...

  4. Joys of summer reading: the books we're devouring are likely influenced

    For many Canadians who enjoy reading books for pleasure, the summer season brings with it some extra reading time. Longer hours of daylight and, if we are lucky, a summer vacation allows us to ...

  5. Get Serious About Summer Reading

    By: National Education Association Published: January 28, 2021 Last Updated: June 7, 2023 When it comes to summer, reading may not be the first thing—or even in the top 10 things—kids have in mind! But reading can be the ideal summer activity. It's fun, portable, can involve the whole family, and will help your child academically.

  6. Summer reading program

    History Summer reading programs at public libraries in the United States began no later than the 1890s. [3] Early programs featured how to care for books, reading logs or lists, and focused on older kids and teens. [3] By 1929, summer reading programs were sometimes themed. [3]

  7. Summer reading has a fraught history. But if there was ever a time to

    Daniel Defoe's " Robinson Crusoe ," published in 1719, is a tale of exotic adventure literally set on a beach. Three hundred years later, a lot has changed, but we still crave stories with waves...

  8. Summer Reading

    (In English and Spanish) Take a Break, but Bring a Book! Reading over the summer not only keeps your child from losing ground, but actually improves skills for the coming year. Here are some suggestions to keep a book in your child's hands over the summer months. (In English and Spanish)

  9. Summer Reading: Why It's Important

    "Summer slide" is a common, informal term that has parents and teachers anxious about their learners' progress and retention for those sunny two months a year when school is not in session.

  10. Summer reading: the 30 best holiday reads

    Summer reading: the 30 best holiday reads - chosen by authors and critics. ... Scary Monsters is a diptych-novel with a "reversible" format, meaning one half is printed the other way up, so ...

  11. The Best Books For Your Summer Reading List

    One summer, 73 books. No matter what you like — thrillers, audiobooks, cookbooks, historical fiction, music books, sci-fi, romance, horror, true crime, sports books, Hollywood tell-alls — we ...

  12. Top 10 Reasons Why Summer Reading is Essential for a Child's Success!

    Summer reading is critical to your child's ability to retain information learned earlier and develop critical thinking and knowledge skills for the coming school year. Children must read every day to maintain literacy skills and develop new skills. 2. Improves Emotional Intelligence:

  13. Why Summer Reading Is Important for Kids

    Why Summer Reading Is Important for Kids | Scholastic 4 Tips to Make Reading Your Child's Go-To Summer Activity Enjoy hours of family quiet time by helping your child get captivated by a good read. By Scholastic Parents Staff Jun 12, 2023 Ages 5-13

  14. Fighting the Summer Reading Slump

    During the summer, in the absence of school, learning declines. Throughout these months, all children backslide in math — but in literacy, the gap between high and low socio-economic status children widens. Low-income students, who may not have the same level of access to books and literacy resources, tend to decline more than wealthier peers.

  15. Summer reading: 50 brilliant books to discover

    Big Swiss by Jen Beagin. Set to become an HBO series starring Jodie Comer, this sexy, madcap novel follows Greta, whose transcribing job for a therapist leads her into an obsession with one of his ...

  16. The Importance of Summer Reading [+ 29 Books of Wisdom]

    Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything is a 2005 non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book has been described as melding pop culture with economics, but has also been described as "amateur sociology.".

  17. Summer Reading

    In Rachel Harrison's debut, THE RETURN (Berkley, 296 pp., $26), a group of friends grapple with the disappearance, and mystifying return, of one of their own. Once best friends, Mae, Molly ...

  18. Learning Never Stops: Why Summer Reading is Important for Children

    Summer is a time for outdoor fun, vacations, and a break from the daily school routine, but it's also important to keep your children's mind active. There are many advantages to keeping your children engaged in reading during the summer months and avoiding the "summer slide," or a dip in their educational learning.

  19. Summer Reading by Hilma Wolitzer

    Summer Reading offers a seductive glimpse into the intersecting lives of three very different women. Summer in the Hamptons means crowded beaches during the day and lavish parties in the evening, but Angela Graves, a retired English professor, prefers the company of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Charlotte Bronte.

  20. A Summer's Reading Summary

    American author Bernard Malamud's short story "A Summer's Reading" (1956) tells the story of nineteen-year-old George Stoyonovich, who lives with his father and sister in an impoverished, immigrant neighborhood in New York.

  21. Summer-Reading

    Keep a Reading Streak™. Kids will be able to track their summer reading by reading every day and maintaining a Reading Streak™ in Home Base. The longer a child extends their Reading Streak™, the more digital experiences they earn! Kids can read any book of their choice and download and print a report of their reading progress at any time.

  22. Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

    Summer Reading could've gone the way of either four or five stars, but really the sexy librarian, wholesome sibling relationship, and Martha's Vineyard summer vacation vibes were just so charming. ... This shit is so stupid and juvenile. I mean I'm 150 pages in and nothing has happened except for the main character telling us repeatedly ...

  23. 'Super El Niño' is here, but La Niña looks likely. What's in store for

    The current El Niño is now one of the strongest on record, new data shows, catapulting it into rare "super El Niño" territory, but forecasters believe that La Niña is likely to develop in ...

  24. Summer Reading Contest, Week 1: What Got Your Attention in The Times

    Published June 9, 2023 Updated June 27, 2023. Update, June 27: Here are the winners for Week 1. Our 14th Annual Summer Reading Contest begins! This contest is open to students 13-19 from anywhere ...

  25. 2024 Summer Reading Skills Programs

    2024 Summer Reading Skills Programs . Programs Offered in Jackson This summer, help your child become a confident, enthusiastic reader. Summer Reading Skills Programs are offered by Mississippi State University, Center for Continuing Education, and designed and taught by instructors from the Institute of Reading Development.. Strengthen Skills, Build Confidence, Enjoy Reading

  26. Forecasters predict the end of El Niño and issue La Niña watch

    When normal trade winds that flow from east to west become weak or even reverse, warm water pools along the surface of the central and eastern Pacific, heralding El Niño and triggering domino ...