I dream of reading novel after novel throughout the school year, but time is of the essence. With professional development, classroom instruction, and family life…novel reading for pleasure can go by the wayside. That is why summertime is my very favorite book reading season!

Reading books in summer gives me the chance to…

Talk about books with my kids
Set an example as a lifelong reader and learner
Stay connected to teaching
Add to classroom book recommendations

A perfect summertime read you will love is Rules by Cynthia Lord.

The setting of this book is summertime and it has a strong female narrator that all students will be able to relate to.

Read this book because it is a great read for students to better understand autism and the challenges family and friends face when a loved one has special needs. Catherine, the narrator, is a twelve year old girl helping her brother navigate life’s unwritten rules. While she has needs of her own, they are often put aside to accommodate her brother, David, who is autistic. When summer doesn’t go as planned and new friends are made, Catherine works to navigate the tricky world of helping people better understand the significance of treating people with special needs as normal as possible.

You will feel Catherine’s joy when something goes better than expected, but also feel her frustrations as she tackles her summer break where she has high expectations for new friendships and summer adventures. Life doesn’t always go as expected or planned…

This heart-warming story will help students appreciate their own summer experiences and encourage them to consider the feelings of others. While I LOVE to utilize this novel for inferring because the actions of the characters encourage thoughtful reflection and questioning, the theme is one that I LOVE to focus on with my students… Life doesn’t always go as expected or as planned. I have created a novel unit that incorporates all of the essential fiction standards for character analysis, vocabulary and context clue word work, literal and inferential questions, compare/contrast, and writing…