Top 4 summer reading books for kids ...

It's a preposterous headline, but a good way to start thinking about summer reading. As much as I want to let my kids veg a bit after a long school year, I want to get them started on some great books now that will inspire good reading habits for the rest of the summer. Take a look at my four suggestions -- all admittedly in the grade school range -- and some other recent lists. Then post your recommended books below!

Winners Take All, by Fred Bowen. I read this to my son's third grade class a year ago. Boys and girls in the class kept asking me to return and finish it. Lots of baseball books out there, but this one has an ethical dilemma: what would you do if you dropped a ball in the outfield but everybody else believed you caught it?

The War With Grandpa, by Robert Kimmel Smith. It's a rare book that attracts the diverging interests of my son and daughter. Both were intrigued by this "war" book about a boy who goes on the offensive when his grandpa moves in and takes over his bedroom.

Belly Up, by Stuart Gibbs. A boy who lives on site at a zoo investigates the mysterious death -- murder? -- of the zoo's famed hippo. The book starts fast -- drags at times -- but has an irresistible premise.

The Loser List, by Holly Kowitt. My daughter loved this so much that she finished it in a couple days. So much for this being a summer reading book! It's a "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" clone, and features the adventures of a boy trying to get his name off the "loser list" in the girls' bathroom at school.

Sylvan Learning released a K-12 summer reading list late last week:

The Brooke Jackman Foundation released its first list of recommended books, mostly for pre-school children, based on consultation with celebrities and experts.