20 Great Book Series to Keep Kids Reading All Summer Long

by Cindy Hudson

Summer reading conjures up images of kids relaxing while leisurely turning the pages of a book. And there is good reason for parents to encourage them to read, as research has shown that children who read four or more books over the summer do better on reading comprehension tests when they go back to school in the fall.

But what can you do if your child is reluctant to pick up a book?

The answer may be to put the first book in a series into their hands. A beloved series is likely to encourage kids to keep reading because they want to know what happens next to the characters in the story.

Sarah Mlynowski, author of the popular series Whatever After, remembers that feeling from her own childhood, when she would rush to buy the latest installment of her favorites, The Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High. She thought of the characters in those stories as friends she wanted to spend time with.

Teachers are on board with promoting series reading too, as those types of books encourage kids to gain a deeper understanding of characters and themes by tracing them across multiple titles, a skill that comes in handy in the classroom.

Plus, when you find a good fit with a series for your child, it may just lead to another. Kathleen Marsh, who manages the children’s collection at Anderson’s Bookshop in Downers Grove, Illinois, says she’s had success transitioning reluctant readers from fact-based almanacs like Ripley’s Believe It or Not For Kids and National Geographic Kids Weird but True books to Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales graphic novels.

Even better, many great series for kids are widely available at libraries and bookstores, making it easy to encourage binge reading. Check out this list for ideas on where to start. Each series listed has at least four titles, except books for teens, which feature three or more titles.

Cindy Hudson writes about books, reading and family literacy at MotherDaughterBookClub.com.