Arts

Washington Post columnist for kids John Kelly offers these selections as a fun alternative to the usual summer reading-list fare.

The police have captured career criminal Montmorency. In the process he has been grievously wounded and it is up to a young surgeon to treat his wounds. During his recovery Montmorency learns of the city's new sewer system and sees in it the perfect underground highway for his thievery.

This story, recommended for fans of Harry Potter, tells the adventures of sorcerer Ged and the difficult tests he must face before he can attempt to re-establish the balance of power in his world.

In this summer book pick for kids, a boy grows tired of his apprenticeship to a magician which seems to consist mainly of polishing wands and washing rabbits.

"First catch your dragon" is the initial step in this loopy tale of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, "a smallish Viking with a long name." Read an excerpt from this title, part of our summer reading picks for kids.

Author Jon Scieszka is intent on producing books that are an antidote to the dusty titles that populate summer reading lists. Here, kid-lit characters come to life when a summer reading list from school is accidentally put inside a magic book.

This latest book in the "Scientists in the Field" series, recommended for fourth through sixth grades, explores how and why researchers study the biggest and hairiest spiders on Earth, taking readers from the rainforests of French Guiana to a tarantula-filled laboratory.