Summertime ... and the livin' is easy. Ah, well, that's the way it should be. We know you probably received a list of suggested or required summer reading from your school. The books on those lists are probably terrific. But we also know that many kids will wait until the week before school starts to open one of those books.

Summer reading is different. Summer reading is beach sand and Popsicles and hammocks under a tree. It's all about taking your imagination on vacation.

And there's no quiz or book report afterward.

Here at Weekly Reader, we found some great vacation reads. Pick one that sounds right for you and dig in. Remember, when you have a good book, it doesn't matter if it's raining, it doesn't matter that there's nothing good on TV (which is probably so), and you will never be bored.

For Girls On the Go! (middle and high school) Keep up with a few feisty females in these fiction stories.

• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley. (Written for adults, but appropriate for teens) Did you love Harriet the Spy? If so, check out 11-year-old Flavia de Luce. She's a spunky and appealing science prodigy who sets out to solve a murder in 1950s England.
• The Musician's Daughter, by Susanne Dunlap. (Young adults) With help from Gypsies and real-life composer Franz Joseph Haydn, Theresa must find out why her father, a violinist, was murdered.
• Aurelia, by Anne Osterlund. (Young adults) Aurelia, the crown princess of the kingdom of Tyralt, takes action when she learns that someone is trying to assassinate her.

Rambunctious Reads for Boys (upper elementary and middle school) Who says boys don't like to read? Try one of these and you won't be able to stop!

• The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan. (Ages 9–12) This first book of a series combines Greek mythology and contemporary New York City to produce a fast-paced, fun read about a 12-year-old boy who finds out he is a demigod.
• The Case Of Stolen Time: The Misadventures Of Inspector Moustachio, by Wayne Madsen. (Ages 9–12) Jake Moustachio gets transported to another world and follows the clues to find out who stole the Bell of Time.
• Lawn Boy, by Gary Paulsen. (Ages 9–12) Does Gary Paulsen ever quit? In this hilarious, quick read, a kid with an old riding lawn mower gets plenty of jobs, makes money, and hires 15 employees—all during his summer vacation!
• Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka, by John Scieszka (ages 9–12) Laugh-out-loud fun with a guy who really remembers what it's like to be a boy. With its gross-out humor, this one's probably not on your school's required reading list.

Authors We Love Here are new books from some of our faves.

• My Rotten Life (Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie), by David Lubar. (Ages 9–12) Weekly Reader's good friend David Lubar has a new book due out August 4, and we can't wait—more zany weirdness from the author of the Weenies series. In this one, 10-year-old Nathan finds out he's a half-dead zombie. And that it's a not-all-that-bad thing to be. Lubar, how do you come up with this stuff?
• Scat, by Carl Hiaasen. (Ages 10–14) If you loved Flush and Hoot (we did!), then you will love this new eco-thriller from this great author. When an unpopular biology teacher disappears during a class field trip to Florida's Everglades, Nick and Marta suspect there's something fishy going on. In true Hiassen fashion, the teen sleuths uncover some nasty doings that threaten the environment. Meanwhile, Nick has to deal with his dad's uneasy return from the war in Iraq. A lot of good stuff here.
• The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. (Ages 9–12) Who doesn't love creepy, wonderful Neil Gaiman? In this, his latest, an orphaned child lives in a graveyard, where he is cared for by its dead inhabitants. Illustrated by Dave McKean, this strange and fascinating novel won the 2009 Newbery Medal.

Good Books for Babysitters (preschool and elementary school) Babysitting this summer? Stop counting the minutes until naptime with these great picture books for little kids.

• Lola at the Library, by Anna McQuinn. Little ones will enjoy following the story of Lola's trip to the library.
• The Incredible Book-Eating Boy, by Oliver Jeffers. Henry loves books—loves eating them, that is. When he finally stops, he finds out that he actually likes reading them too.
• The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems. Pigeon really wants a puppy. He learns the hard way that a puppy may not be the best pet for him. This book is the fourth in a series about Pigeon. They're all fun.

Keeping It Real (all ages) Nonfiction can be just as much fun to read as fiction.

• The Encyclopedia of Immaturity (Klutz) We gave this to a 10-year-old boy for his birthday almost a year ago and we haven't seen his face since—it's still stuck in this book!
• Ask Me Anything (DK Publishing). How do volcanoes work? How many bones are in your body? Find the answers to those questions and more.
• Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope, by Nikki Grimes. Learn how a child who didn't quite fit in became the leader of our nation.

If your eyes aren't falling out yet, here are more summer reading lists than you can shake a Popsicle stick at.
www.childrensbooks.about.com/od/forparents/tp/summer_reading.htm

Here's a summer reading log for younger kids. (Or for older kids who don't mind drawing smiley faces on suns.)
www.weeklyreader.com/pdfs/summerreadinglog09.pdf

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