It’s the summer and your kids are getting up to mischief with their friends, kicking soccer balls, throwing water balloons, playing video games and enrolling in the local summer camp (what a godsend). We know it’s hard to get children to read during the summer holidays but it is important to keep sharpening their skills so that they settle back into school easily this autumn. The trick is to pick books that are themed around a topic your child finds enjoyable like sports, cars, friendships or animals. Summer is also the perfect time to sign your child up to the library and introduce them to a world of books. We’ve been eyeing the bookshelves to help you on your way to a fiction filled summer. Here are some stories, fantasies and adventures your kids are sure to love. 

• Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser (€14.55)

Fancy Nancy is back with another delightful picture book, which is sure to thrill your four to seven year olds. When Fancy Nancy is cast as a tree in the next school show she is devastated because everyone knows she would be perfect for the mermaid lead! A disaster on the night leaves the leading role wide open but who will step in to help?

• The Magic Tree House: Valley of the Dinosaurs by Mary Pope Osbourne (€5.70)

This is the first in The Magic Tree House series and is a perfect read for children aged between six and eight. Eight-year-old Jack and his little sister Annie discover a tree house brimming with books. Imagine their surprise when they open a book about dinosaurs and are transported back to prehistoric times! Watch out for the T-Rex!

• Kicking on by David Hannigan (€7.99)

This novel is great for kids who are interested in Gaelic Games. When an American football star arrives in the village of Dromtarry to coach the Under-Elevens Gaelic football team the whole town is star struck! This book is sure to score well with your eight to ten year olds.

• The Real Rebecca by Anna Carey (€7.99)

Carey’s debut novel focuses on the life of a young girl named Rebecca Rafferty whose life is ruined when her mother publishes a book about an awful teenage girl who everyone thinks is Rebecca! Carey handles all the over-dramatic and painful moments of a young teenager well and the book is perfect reading for girls aged between nine and eleven.

• Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan (€10.00)

This novel is the first in the saga of Larten Crepsley and is the perfect read for boys and girls with an interest in vampires, sea voyages, war and gore. Limerick-based author Darren Shan has created a gripping adventure for young adults from twelve to fifteen years old who will be captivated as a young Larten Crepsley struggles to decide whether or not he should turn his back on humanity and join a powerful vampire clan.