Yay, summer! School is out and it’s time to crack open a book. All across America, kids are tackling their summer reading lists — some willingly flipping pages, eager to discover what happens next, maybe already on their second or third book. Others have just (begrudgingly) opened the cover of that first required tome, dreading the “punishment” of having to read. (Which type of reader were you as a kid?) Maybe I was a nerd, but I loved summer reading, and still do. For me, summer has always been synonymous with reading for pleasure. Wherever I am, my nose will be in a book every chance I get — in an Adirondack chair in my own backyard, on a plane, on a beach, by the pool, on the porch of a rented cottage or a B&B. A book is the first thing I pack. Don’t leave home without it. We didn’t have required summer reading lists when I was growing up. For me, reading was pure pleasure, a form of recreation. I grew up in a small rural town, and books became a way to escape to other places to learn about other people. I explored every nook of our tiny public library, and when I had exhausted the supply in the small children’s section (libraries were not what they are now), I got special permission to venture into the “adult” collection upstairs. I can’t remember her name, but the upstairs librarian, though kind, was very strict about what children should read. And what I was often allowed to check out were books about other countries and cultures and, often, National Geographic magazines — in effect, I became an armchair traveler at age 10. (If Global Traveler had been around back then, I’m sure it would have been in my stack!) Even today, I like books to take me away to another country or to explore another culture (Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, set in Barcelona; Lisa See’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, China; Carlos Eire’s Waiting for Snow in Havana, Cuba). Back when my husband and I owned a bookstore, it was great fun — and sometimes a challenge — to recommend books for customers. Summer was my favorite season. Some customers wanted the perfect beach read or something to occupy them on a long-haul flight. Some looked for a light-and-easy-it’s-summer-don’t-tax-my-brain kind of book, while others saw summer as the chance to dive into that 600-page classic they always meant to read. But the real joy came from helping the kids — especially those reluctant readers who trudged in, tattered reading lists in hand. You could see the dread in their eyes: I have to read. I don’t want to read. Don’t make me read. The challenge was not just to get them to read what was required, but to help them discover a love of reading. And for some, it happened. By finding the right book, something they could connect with and enjoy, they began to look forward to reading. By summer’s end, they couldn’t wait for the next great read. Sometimes it was a fantasy that grabbed them, sometimes stories of people in places they had never heard of. (Check out this fun site for kids to connect with other kids about summer reading.) I’m heading to the bookstore later today to build my own summer reading list. (And remember to support your local independent bookstore!) In addition to the latest issue of GT — what are you taking along to read this summer? — Jan Hecht, senior editor