Great Summer Books to Take on Family Vacation
Is it just me, or is deciding what summer books to take on family vacation the most important part of packing?
I know, I know … it’s probably a good idea to choose clothes that fit the weather, shoes that fit the terrain, etc. But in all honesty, I probably spend the most time thinking about the right books to take on a family trip.
Even now, I’m planning a road trip through a few states with my college-bound son. We’ll be driving and getting him settled a thousand miles from home, and I’ve been expending major mental effort deciding what books to take.
Naturally, the summer books you choose to take on family vacation will vary widely depending on the ages of your kids, the size of your family, the length of your trip … and of course, your bookish interests.
Generally speaking, though, it’s a good idea to choose at least one book from the following categories:
- Stories for the whole family to enjoy
- Books for mom
- Educational books for kids
And depending on your kids’ ages, you’ll likely want to add:
- Fiction for older children
- Picture books for younger children
In this post, we’ll spend the most time on the first two categories, along with some suggestions and links for the other three categories.
Just a warning, when friends ask me about my favorite books (or authors), my first question is, “How much time do you have?” I could talk books all day, so while I’ll try to keep these book descriptions short, I won’t be offended if you skim the list. (I might get a little long-winded here.)
How to Pack Enough Books for Your Trip
Before we jump into specific summer books to take on family vacation, let’s talk about the practical aspects of packing books … and what to do if you don’t want to add a bunch of physical books to your packing list.
When you’re choosing books for everyone to enjoy, you have the option of audiobooks, which are great for trips when your whole family will be driving from one place to another.
If you have Audible, that’s ideal. Our family uses Libby—a library app with a huge list of great audiobooks and eBooks. If you have a library card, you can get an account on Libby. (Tip: You might want to look for the books you want in advance, as popular ones often have a waitlist of a couple weeks or more.)
E-Books are, of course, another popular option for summer vacations and traveling, as you can take as many books as you want without adding a single pound to your luggage.
If your kids are into eBooks, you might want to have a Kindle to share … or you might let your older kids have a Kindle account to which they can add their book list (and keep it separate from yours).
Great Summer Books for the Whole Family
Here are some great summer books you can take on vacation that would be fun for the whole family:
The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson
Beginning with the first book in The Wingfeather Saga, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, author and songwriter Andrew Peterson blends world-building, high fantasy, and belly-rolling humor to create a wondrous tale truly for all ages. The story follows Janner, Tink, and Leeli, the three Igiby children, who live in a small town in a land occupied by the evil Fangs of Dang.
Janner wants to discover the world beyond the little town of Glipwood. But when the children catch the Fangs’ attention, and everything Janner has ever known is brought into question, Janner learns there is more to fear – and more reasons for courage – than he dreamed possible.
It is rare I read a book that absorbs me so completely. Every character draws in the reader with an odd blend of laughter and something akin to homesickness. Even the places in Andrew Peterson’s land of Aerwiar hold mysteries that would take more books than the four in The Wingfeather Saga to tell. Andrew Peterson’s works bear a message of worth in the heart of the broken, new life beyond the shores of fallen cities, and the power of love and courage even in fearful souls.
(This is from my original review of On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.) The Wingfeather Saga is now also an animated series. Season One is available, and the second season is being released this summer.
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
Three siblings head out of the city during the time of the London air raids, hoping to find shelter among those opening their homes to children in the England countryside. But these children have a secret: they are orphans and have no home to return to. They hope for the miraculous—that they will find a forever home among someone who loves them, even if it seems as unlikely as finding a place to hang the moon.
I listened to A Place to Hang the Moon on Libby with my youngest several years ago and enjoyed it immensely.
100 Cupboards Series by N. D. Wilson
N. D. Wilson portrays a strong lyrical voice seldom seen in children’s books. It fits perfectly and creates an even deeper level to this story already brimming with layers of meaning. A boy named Henry travels to a sleepy town called Henry, but his discoveries in the attic of his aunt and uncle’s house are far from sleepy.
Scores of cupboards, each leading somewhere different. Another world, perhaps. Another time. Another reality. From one, Henry senses foreboding and evil. From one, he senses something like a place he can call home. And what he and his cousin, Henrietta, discover beyond the walls of this world changes their lives forever.
N. D. Wilson is an extraordinary writer of several memorable series including The Ashtown Burials, ideal for older readers, and The Outlaws of Time, a terrific series for middle graders and also great summer books—as they’re set in the heat of an Arizona summer. He also has a couple standalone books including Leepike Ridge which is terrific for ages 8 to 10. N. D. Wilson writes with precision and purpose and his 100 Cupboards series is a terrific introduction to his works, several of which are connected.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Edward Tulane is a China rabbit who belongs to a girl who loves him. He takes this love for granted. As for himself, he doesn’t really love much of anything. Then, on a family trip, he is lost. And so begins his journey.
This is a book every bit as much for adults as children. I discovered it on a trip in which my mom and I took turns reading it to my nephew. As soon as I got home, I bought a copy of the book to share with my own kids.
It’s a tale that will cling to the heart long after the reading.
Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt
It’s a rainy school day morning and everything is happening all at once when a butler appears at the door of the Jones household.
From the summer my daughter and I first read Okay for Now, we’ve absolutely loved Gary D. Schmidt’s books. The Wednesday Wars. The Labors of Hercules Beal. What Came from the Stars. They’re all great … and an added plus is the way the characters in many of the books are connected.
(If you’ve read Okay for Now, you’ll be thrilled to hear the name of a character toward the end of Pay Attention, Carter Jones.)
This story was especially fun for our family because of the cricket. Not the insect … the game. My husband played cricket as a youth, so encountering the game in this story was great fun for all of us.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
This is a book series that doesn’t likely need much in the way of introduction … but these are terrific summer books to take on vacation. I started reading the first book with my daughter on a vacation about 15 years ago. We continued reading over the weeks after getting back home; my daughter read the series numerous times over the years. (You can read the reviews my daughter and I wrote.)
If you haven’t read the books yet with your kids or haven’t read them recently, the Chronicles of Narnia never get old. Even reading them as an adult, I appreciate more and more the clarity, imagination, and depths of CS Lewis’s classic stories. If you want specifically summer books, I’d recommend The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which has more sunshine and sea than the others in the series.
- Immerse yourself in the world of C S Lewis’ Narnia with the seven classic stories that have captured the imagination of children for generations.
- This beautifully illustrated slipcase comes with the full set of seven books from the Chronicles of Narnia series.
- The titles in this series are : Narnia 1 – The Magician’s Nephew, Narnia 2 – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Narnia 3 – The Horse and His Boy, Narnia 4 – Prince Caspian, Narnia 5 – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Narnia 6 – The Silver Chair and Narnia 7 – The Last Battle
- Feed kids’ curiousity with even more fun facts from the world on the other side of the wardrobe with the Narnia Trivia Book. Keep track of your reading with a specially designed Chronicles of Narnia bookmark
- Popular around the world, this series has been adapted for TV, Movies, Broadway and is available in Blue-Ray and on DVD and for Audible
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
I discovered this book by accident. One of my favorite things to do when traveling is swing by thrift stores or used bookstores and on one such trip, I picked up The Thief Lord. It’s an entertaining and easy read, with memorable characters and events that will surprise and delight young readers.
The setting itself feels magical, on the canals and streets of Venice. The story follows two young orphans trying to escape from an undesirable fate and encountering a gang of street kids. Elements of the fantastical enter this story that I wasn’t expecting, and it’s a fun family read.
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
I read this book as a child and read it to my own children years later, finding it every bit as entertaining. This is a terrific summer book that you could read on a short vacation; it’s not even 100 pages.
In The Whipping Boy, there is a prince who is an absolute terror but he cannot be physically punished; every time he does something bad, his caretakers pull in the whipping boy to be punished in his stead. But then the tables are turned when the prince tries to run away and encounters robbers—the classic tale of mistaken identity. Comedy and compassion are both manifested on the pages, and it’s a fun book to read out loud.
More fun summer books for kids:
- A Comprehensive Book list for Kids Who Love Percy Jackson
- And check out these Books That Feature Homeschool Children!
- Older children and teens might enjoy this movie-from-book study guide and comprehensive book list (over 100 titles!).
Terrific Summer Books for Mom to Take on Vacation
It was only once my kids got older that I started taking a book (or two) for “me” along on vacation. Once I started, I never stopped.
Honestly, coming up with this book list is more challenging than a list of summer books for families. It feels easier to suggest books for your kids to enjoy than books for you personally.
So what I’ll do here is share suggestions of books I would personally take on vacation; they’re by some of my favorite authors and are meaningful, inspiring, or helpful in some way. Most are easy to read a chapter in shorter settings if you don’t have long stretches of time because you’re traveling with your kids. But if you do have a longer stretch of time, these are also great summer books to dive into and spend time reading at length.
Unlike the above family story list, this list of summer books are nonfiction.
Death by Living by N. D. Wilson
If you recognize the author’s name, it’s because I talked about him above. The best way I can describe this book is by cheating and copy/pasting the text on the book’s cover:
“We are all authors, creators of our own paths, of the books that will be our lives. We stare at the future or obsess about the present, but only the past has been set in stone, and we are the ones setting it. When we race across the wet concrete of time without purpose, without goals, without laughter and love and sacrifice, then we fail in our mortal moments. We race toward our inevitable ends without artistry and without beauty.“
Death by Living is an invitation to look at life through new eyes, with a vision that recognizes the reality of death so that we might learn to truly live.
Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons
The subtitle of this book is “Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose.” The author writes candidly as she discusses four rhythms of a life: rest, restore, connect, and create. She discusses practical aspects of these rhythms: reflecting and journaling, having a tech detox, creating space, developing routines, and more.
This is a book you will not finish while on vacation but one I would recommend as one of the summer books you take on vacation. And then slowly—as you return home and get back into the cycles of everyday life—work into your life some of the changes she suggests to find renewal of body and spirit.
Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist
This is another book with a long subtitle: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living. It’s a book about longing for connection but settling for busy, about learning to live a life of grace, love, rest, and play.
Present Over Perfect is similar to Rhythms of Renewal in some ways, but a little more lyrical and narrative and with shorter chapters that make it accessible even for the busiest mom to read a little bit at a time.
Seeing What Is Sacred by Ken Gire
Quick story …
After spending years in India involved in mission work, I returned to California with my husband and three young kids, and began freelancing as an editor, editing books and articles for clients I found on a freelance work platform called Elance. This was back in 2010, long before the pandemic happened and suddenly, it seemed like everybody wanted or needed to jump into the remote work gig. These days, freelance work platforms are oversaturated. (Upwork has over 12 million freelancers now.)
But I am grateful for the opportunity it gave me to build experience in editing and help support my family during lean times.
I’m also grateful because it introduced me to Ken Gire, a Christian author who contacted me and asked if I would help him with some research for a project. In the process, he sent me several of his books so I could get an idea of his writing style.
They remain some of my favorite devotional works to this day. Seeing What Is Sacred is one of the books he sent me; it’s about becoming more spiritually sensitive to the everyday moments of life, about how to cultivate a reflective life. I can truly say this book and other works by Ken Gire transformed my perspective on life; this author was foundational in my development as a writer and as a believer.
In this momentous work, readers will:
- Discover this rich heritage that stretches from David, Solomon, and Jesus himself to Augustine, Brother Lawrence and Mother Teresa.
- Learn “habits of the heart” that deepen their intimacy with Christ through Scripture, meditation, and prayer
- Cultivate a spiritual sensitivity that allows them to see God at work in all of life’s moments
The Remarkable Ordinary by Frederick Buechner
“Your remarkable life is happening right here, right now.”
The message of this book is learning to stop, look, and listen to life; Buechner encourages us to do so by reflecting on how art and faith teach us to pay attention to the “remarkableness” right in front of us, to watch for wonder in the ordinary, to use our imaginations to see the greatness in others, and to love them truly and well.
The idea of paying attention through ordinary days is a theme I keep returning to in my life and writing. My Substack newsletter, Limning the Ordinary, reflects on these very topics through poetry and reflections and sometimes just meandering along rabbit trails. My goal and delight is in slowing down to look and listen to life and in encouraging others to do the same.
It isn’t easy. There’s so much noise and distraction. There are so many voices saying so many things, and so much of what we find online is rife with anxiety and pressure and fear. I think something we need to learn—not just for ourselves but for our children—is how to stop, how to look, how to listen and recognize the beauty in the ordinary. Frederick Buechner is skilled at this. His book encourages those who wish to imbibe a little bit of that reflective living into their lives.
Educational Summer Books to Take on Vacation
Instead of offering specific book suggestions as in the previous two sections, I’m going to link to topical book lists, as the educational summer books you might take with you on trips will vary widely depending on your kids’ ages and interests.
Here are some book lists I hope you find helpful:
- A Sunflower Book List for the plant enthusiasts (or family trips to sunny places)!
- Big List of Sea Life Books and Children’s Books about the Ocean for family trips to the ocean or seaside.
- Great Math Books for Homeschoolers (when you don’t want your kids to lose their math skills over the summer)
- These Ten Beautifully Sunny Picture Books will be great for your youngest readers.
- And for kids who love dinosaurs (or to go along with a trip to the Creation Museum in Kentucky) we’ve got a great list of dinosaur books for kids.
- I know it’s not winter, but here is a list of science books for kids that have a winter theme.
- Still looking for suggestions? Here are 10 Types of Books You Might Want to Read This Summer.
Do You Have Any Summer Books to Suggest?
Clearly, this is not a comprehensive list of summer books to take on vacation … but it’s a start.
I’d love to hear about favorite storybooks you’ve discovered with your family, books you read together on vacation, series you enjoy with your kids, and books that you yourself have found meaningful and helpful in some way.
Please leave comments and suggestions as we’ll be updating this post from time to time.
I, for one, am always on the lookout for a good book. 😊Happy reading!
