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Summer Reading Bookstore Adventure: A Fun Tradition to Kick off Summer

If you want your kids to read more this summer, but you’re not sure how to get them excited, head to the bookstore to make your own “TBR” book wish lists! It’s a simple tradition that will set kids up for summer reading success!

If you want your kids to read more this summer, but you're not sure how to get them excited, head to the bookstore to make your own "TBR" book wish lists! It's a simple tradition that will set kids up for summer reading success!

Summer is just around the corner, and if you’re like me, you’re already making plans for the school break! Summer reading is a big deal at our house (that’s what my kids get for having a former English teacher as a mom), and trips to the library are a weekly habit in the summertime. Libraries are awesome! But last year, I stumbled upon a simple yet remarkably effective way to kickstart our summer reading adventures: a trip to the bookstore.

You might be thinking, “Why bother with a bookstore when you can get all the books in the library for free?”

Well, let me tell you, this little excursion turned out to be a game-changer for us. It’s a tradition that not only got my kids pumped up about reading but also set us up for a whole summer of reading!

Why take kids to the bookstore instead of the library?

Now, as much as I love books, I have to admit, I’m not usually a bookstore kind of gal. I’m a library lover through and through. However, the downside of libraries is that they don’t often have the most popular books on the shelves because people check them out so often. You have to put these titles on hold to get access to them, which makes it hard to hard to just browse and find really awesome books if you don’t plan ahead…because they’ve already been checked out. You might happen upon a really popular series, but it unlikely that the library will have the first book on the shelf.

That’s not to say there aren’t a ton of awesome, less-popular books that are available to check out at any given time. There certainly are! But for kids who are still developing the ability to choose their own reading material, it can feel overwhelming to walk into a library and not know where to start.

Taking my kids to the bookstore just once during the summer allowed them to see what was new and popular in their favorite genres. They discovered new books to explore, and the experience got them genuinely excited about summer reading. Mom for the win!

So, how did this bookstore excursion actually work? I’ve outlined all the details below…and be sure to get your free printable “Books I want to read” list at the bottom of the post!

Our Summer Reading Bookstore Adventure

The first week of summer, we took an afternoon “field trip” to Barnes and Noble (you can choose any bookstore near you). Each of us had a paper on a clipboard and pencil, and we headed to the children’s department a mission to find books that looked interesting to us. (See below for a free printable you can use to make your own list!)

I gave my boys two simple goals for their time in the bookstore:

  1. Write down any books that look interesting to you.
  2. Choose one book you’d like me to buy for you!

I reminded my boys that they weren’t locked into reading a book just because they wrote it down; we were just gathering ideas! With that in mind, we browsed the displays and wrote down all the books that we thought we might want to read during the summer. If you’ve ever heard of a TBR (“To Be Read”) list, that’s basically what we were creating.

Boys reading books in a bookstore and making a list of books to read.

I helped point them in the direction of I books or genres they might enjoy, and we also found a really helpful employee who thoroughly enjoyed geeking out about books with us. We talked about our favorite series (she was SO great at engaging my boys!), and she showed us some of her favorites…as well as the ones that were on sale!

By the end of an hour, each of my boys had at least a handful of books on their lists, and each boy had at least one new book in his arms as we headed to the check out. I definitely bought a few extra books (hooray for buy 2 get 1 free sales!). Still, for less than $50, everyone was set up for a successful start to summer reading!

The kids were excited!

They knew what they wanted to read!

And nobody chose Dogman! (Okay, maybe only beacuse I wouldn’t let them, but they didn’t argue, so…WIN!)

Three boys showing off the books they chose for summer reading.

How to Use Your Book List

So, what did we do with our lists after our initial bookstore trip?

I kept the lists with our library bag, and we took them with us the next time we went to the library. The boys found some of the books on the shelves, and others we requested to be held.

All summer long, as my boys finished books, we’d grab their list, I’d ask what they wanted to read next, and we’d put another book or two on hold. It kept us going for most of the summer!

These aren’t the only books they read during the summer, but it was really helpful to have these lists when they weren’t sure what they wanted to pick up next. It made the library a much more positive experience because they knew what to look for, and they learned what to do if the book they wanted wasn’t on the shelf (put it on hold!).

If you want to get your kids excited about reading this summer, I highly recommend this simple bookstore tradition!

What if I don’t have a good bookstore nearby?

You can do this activity virtually too! I love to browse in person (love that new book smell!), but if that’s not an option, try this:

Sit down with your kids and search online for keywords that describe books you think your child might like, such as “chapter books for 9-year-old boys” or “princess books”. I have found lots of fabulous recommendations from Everyday Reading and Read Brightly.

Want to see some of my favorites? There are so many great books to love in these posts:

CHAPTER BOOKS

PICTURE BOOKS

How can I get the printable TBR list?

You could certainly just use a blank piece of paper to make your TBR list, but if you want something a little more fun (and still dead simple), click the blue button below to download the free printable list I created.

Free Printable “Books I Want to Read” List

There are two versions, mostly because I couldn’t decide which one I liked best. Print whichever version you want to use (tell me your favorite in the comments!), and head to the bookstore for your own reading field trip!

If you want your kids to read more this summer, but you're not sure how to get them excited, head to the bookstore to make your own "TBR" book wish lists! It's a simple tradition that will set kids up for summer reading success!

Happy Reading!

Want more help with summer reading? Check out these posts:

And, if you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comment box below. I’d love to help!

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One Comment

  1. THis is such wonderful idea! Thank you so much for helping us moms encourage our kids to read this summer!

    Reply