CommonLit’s Summer Reading Challenge is back for 2023! Explore our reading lists full of engaging stories for all grade levels.
CommonLit’s Summer Reading Challenge is back with new reading lists! These lists explore a wide range of topics for all ages, from “What’s behind your food” for elementary school students, to “Media literacy” for high school students. Incorporating reading into your child’s summer is important for retaining the skills they learned throughout the school year. All the materials necessary for the challenge can be found online and are completely free. Join us for a summer full of reading gains!
The 2023 Reading Challenge
Our team of former teachers understand that finding engaging stories for students to read all summer long can be tough. That’s why they have compiled 12 different reading lists to provide participating families and their children with free and interesting stories. The lists and reading passages are easily accessible on CommonLit.org.
Once you have selected your reading list from our Summer Reading Challenge 2023, accessing the text is easy! Simply log into your CommonLit parent account (or sign up here for free). Then, when you click the links on the reading lists, they will open on CommonLit.org.
The Reading Lists
There are plenty of stories to choose from. For example, your elementary schooler may want to unlock their inner scientist by discovering how microwaves work in Tracy Von Brink’s “Zap It!” Perhaps your middle schooler wants to learn more about the present day lives of Native American people through the lens of tennagers Mel and Ray in Cynthia Leitich Smith’s “Between the Lines.” Or maybe your high schooler may want to dive into current events like the fast fashion debate with Laura Anastasia’s “The Real Cost of Cheap Fashion.” There is something for everyone and a wide range of topics to choose from.
You can access all the necessary materials your family needs for the challenge by clicking the links below. Select the link that corresponds with your child’s grade level and together pick a reading list that is most exciting!
Elementary School Reading Lists
- What’s behind your favorite food?
- Learning from real-life stories
- Scientific wonder
- Community & Belonging (Fiction)
- African American Heroes
- Learning from real-life stories
- Cultural Icons
- Protecting Our Environment
- Internet
- Learning from real-life stories
- Current Events
- Media Literacy
Setting goals and keeping the conversation going
When you begin the challenge, it can be helpful to sit down with your child and come up with an attainable plan for when they will read their CommonLit texts and for how long. Having a scheduled time to read each day can provide a helpful routine and strengthen their reading habits to keep them on track over the summer. The most important thing is that they are reading and having fun with it.
It is also important to talk with your child about what they are reading. This will encourage them to investigate a topic further or think deeper about the moral of the stories. Below are some broad questions to get the conversations started.
Nonfiction reading passage
- Tell me what this text was about.
- Did you learn anything that surprised you?
- Is there anything you would like to know more about?
- Did you enjoy reading about this topic?
Fiction reading passage
- Tell me what this story was about.
- Did any of the characters do anything that surprised you?
- What questions do you have about the story?
- Was there a character in the story that you liked? Why or why not?
Celebrate your child’s success with a certificate
Once your child has successfully completed our 2023 reading challenge, we encourage you to download this certificate and fill it out together to celebrate reaching their reading goal!
We hope your family enjoys reading these stories this summer! If you have any questions about our Summer Reading Challenge 2023, you can reach our Support Team at help@commonlit.org. Have a great summer and happy reading!