The less structured months of summer can help young people discover that reading is not simply a school assignment but a lifelong source of enjoyment, learning and connection, according to Penn State College of Education faculty members Jason Griffith and Ty Hollett.
Griffith, associate professor of children's and adolescent literacy studies who studies literacy education, including children's and young adult literature, said the greatest value of summer reading is the freedom it offers.
"Summer offers more unstructured time to get lost in stories and books that we choose to read for ourselves," he said. "When electronic devices are arguably the biggest distraction from sustained reading, sitting with a book is an invitation to unplug and escape from the constant anxiety of notifications."
That freedom, Griffith said, helps children begin to see themselves as readers - an identity that can extend well beyond the summer months.
"The more kids get to pick what they read, the more motivated they are to read," Griffith said. "There's a wealth of research tying choice to motivation."
He said he encourages families to build community around reading through what children's literature scholar Aidan Chambers famously called "book gossip" - reading together, sharing recommendations, talking about books and visiting libraries and bookstores together.
Hollett, associate professor of learning, design and technology, said he approaches literacy through a different, but complementary, lens. His research explores informal learning and literacies, including how young people learn and participate across family, community and digital environments.
"What's really been most interesting for me, both as a parent and as a researcher, is seeing how reading is fundamentally connected to interests," Hollett said. "I like seeing movement across texts."
Rather than viewing reading as confined to traditional books, Hollett said today's young readers often move naturally among graphic novels, video games, trading cards, digital media and print texts.
He pointed to his own family's engagement with Pokémon as an example of how literacy develops across multiple forms of storytelling.
"Texts in this case are fluid," Hollett said. "They're cutting across images, video, research and story."
Those experiences, he explained, involve reading text, interpreting images, making predictions and connecting ideas - all important literacy practices.
Graphic novels, he added, can play an important role in helping children develop confidence and enthusiasm for reading.
"The images themselves are really telling rich stories," Hollett said. "Graphic novels have a really powerful way of creating emotional connections, especially for early readers."
That multi-modal engagement reflects the world many young people already inhabit.
"We are largely a visual culture," Hollett said. "Graphic novels can help bridge the visual culture that has emerged, particularly in relation to digital media, while still maintaining that story-driven aspect."
Ultimately, both educators said developing lifelong readers begins with giving young people opportunities to follow their interests and experience reading as something enjoyable rather than obligatory.
"Story is the most powerful tool we have for understanding both ourselves and others better," Griffith said. "When we approach reading with an eye toward fostering empathy and understanding, it opens the door to human connection - and we could all use a bit more of that these days."
Tips for encouraging summer reading
Griffith and Hollett offered several suggestions for families hoping to encourage reading during the summer:
- Let children choose what they read: Giving young people agency helps build motivation and positive reading habits.
- Keep reading enjoyable: Summer provides an opportunity to explore stories without the pressure of assignments, reading logs or tests.
- Make reading social: Read together, discuss favorite books, exchange recommendations and visit libraries or bookstores as a family.
- Expand what counts as reading: Graphic novels, audiobooks and other multimodal formats can help engage readers while supporting literacy development.
