Summer Reading Lists for Gifted Readers

July 26, 2022 byConnections Academy

4 min to read

A gifted student reading a book for summer

Reading while school is out keeps students at gifted and talented reading levels engaged, and books that challenge all learners to get out of their comfort zones have the potential to rewire their brains and turn them into academic superstars.

Carol Dweck, a leading advocate for growth mindset in education, said in a TED Talk that students who are motivated by “the power of not yet” learn the value of pushing themselves to grasp content that is just out of their reach.

“I don’t understand this … not yet” is a key phrase in the development of a growth mindset, a learning attitude that works for all topics. Growth mindset, Dweck says, inspires perseverance in mastering difficult material, encourages a willingness to learn from setbacks, and reveals untapped potential.

“Just the words ‘yet’ or ‘not yet,’ we’re finding, give kids greater confidence, give them a path into the future that creates greater persistence,” she said. Her research found that “every time [kids] push out of their comfort zone to learn something new and difficult, the neurons in their brain can form new, stronger connections, and over time, they can get smarter.”

Books for Young Gifted Readers

When considering your student’s summer reading list, consider adding gifted and talented books a grade or two above their reading level. It could help develop a growth mindset. If and when they come across something they don’t immediately understand. Seize that opportunity to coach them in the power of “not yet.”

Recommended nonfiction, fiction, and poetry from Connections Academy’s gifted and talented reading lists include:

K–2 Reading List

Recommended: The Story of Ferdinand | Munro Leaf

Ferdinand is a young bull who would rather frolic around the meadow smelling the flowers than butt heads with the other calves. Through a quirk of fate, he ended up in the bullring but refused to give up on his dream.

Grades 3–4 Reading List

Recommended: I, Houdini | Lynne Reid Banks

Houdini the hamster is named after the greatest escape-artist of all time, and he lives up to his name. Instead of being content with life in a cage, Houdini is willing to take risks—including confrontations with cats and dogs—to explore, discover and learn about the world.

Grades 4–5 Reading List

Recommended: The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates | Susan Shreve

Joshua is determined to learn from a crushing setback—being told he must repeat the third grade. His perseverance and the guidance of an encouraging teacher leads him to discover important qualities about himself.

Grades 5–6 Reading List

Recommended: Out of the Dust | Karen Hesse

Billie Jo is a child of the Great Depression whose resilience helps her deal with and get past a traumatic loss. This historical fiction set in the depths of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl stands a tribute to the victory of the inner strength to say “not yet” in the midst of difficulty.

Grades 6–7 Reading List

Recommended: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story | Ben Carson, M.D. and Cecil Murphey

Raised by a single mother in Detroit, Ben Carson challenged himself to escape the inner-city poverty of his childhood. This inspiring autobiography charts his education through Yale University and internships to become the youngest physician to be chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Grades 7–8 Reading List

Recommended: Define “Normal” | Julie Anne Peters

A “punk” rocker and a “preppy” meet in a peer counseling program and think they have nothing in common. But as they push past the boundaries of what each thinks she knows about the other, they discover common bonds that give the word “normal” a new meaning.

High School Reading List

Recommended: Look Homeward, Angel | Thomas Wolfe

This challenging, sweeping semi-autobiographical novel follows the risks and rewards of the chances a young man takes in pursuit of knowledge, understanding, and a more fulfilling life. Through the course of the story, he comes to understand that he can be independent without turning his back on his family.