Q: Our kids, ages 7 and 10, brought home nice letters from teachers asking parents to read with their children this summer. Attached was a list of "40 books all kids should read before they're 12." Who makes these lists? How do we know if the books are worthwhile? What if we choose our own books?

A: Choosing your own books is just fine. It's reading that counts! The late California literacy leader Doris Dillon created grade-level-specific booklists for teachers to send home the last day of school. But she always added a note: "These are just suggestions. Nothing is required reading! Have fun creating and reading your very own list of summer favorites!"

Four decades of data show that summer reading keeps kids' skills sharp, especially when they freely choose the books they read. Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus at USC's Rossier School of Education, found that allowing kids to select titles not only improves their comprehension, it can also improve their spelling, writing and grammatical development.

Use compiled lists for ideas, says Carl Harvey, library media specialist at North Elementary School in Noblesville, Indiana.

"Review where the lists came from and who influenced them," he explains. "Some lists might leave off excellent books with controversial themes. Other lists may lean too heavy on the classics and ignore new titles. Many great children's books are available. Any 'should read' list is very subjective!"

With thousands of new children's and young adult titles published each year -- and thousands more on publisher backlists -- how do you identify books so compelling that kids won't want to turn off the lights (or power down the tablet) at bedtime?

Start with their interests, says Harvey.

"Parents often have an idealized notion of what kids should spend the summer reading," he says. "Does your son play 'Minecraft'? Look for a strategy book about it. Does your daughter love one author? Find other books by that writer. A captivating series is perfect for summer." (Most series' authors have websites that draw readers in.)

Let kids choose. Don't worry if it looks like "junk" to you, says Harvey.

"If your son love superheroes, encourage comics and graphic novels," he urges.

Expect trial and error in the selection process. At the library, let your kids choose an armful of books. Read those that click with them and return those that don't. You won't have any regrets. If you're downloading books, the same rules apply.

Don't rule out books because they're not the right age level, says Valerie Lewis, children's literature expert and co-founder of Hicklebee's Bookstore in San Jose, California.

"There's really no such thing as a '10-year-old and up' book," she says. "If your daughter chooses something she's emotionally not ready for, explain that it's a book for when she is older. But don't rule out scary books. We all survived 'Hansel and Gretel.'"

However, Harvey advises that if parents are concerned about a book's appropriateness, "The best way to decide is to read it themselves."

Meanwhile, continue to read aloud to your children, Harvey recommends. Summer is a good time to select a compelling book that's a stretch for them to read on their own. Stop at a "cliffhanger" point each evening. Reading aloud has tremendous benefits, not the least of which is quality time with Mom or Dad.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: I'm tired of researchers telling parents to "limit kids' screen time." We want them to be tech-smart, yet we harp at them to put down their digital devices. Come on! Can we get real about kids and video games?

A: Kids today spend an average of seven hours a day on some sort of electronic device, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Furthermore, according to the Pew Research Center, "fully 97 percent of teens ages 12 to 17 play computer, web, portable or console games."

Greg Toppo, a former public school teacher and USA Today's K-12 education reporter, urges folks to appreciate the learning potential in gaming. He says that games "believe" in players. They "allow learners to learn at their own pace, take risks, cultivate deeper understanding and even fail and try again."

Gaming encourages kids to succeed in ways that "too often elude them in school, while fostering grit, resilience and a commitment to learning," says Toppo, who makes the case in his new book, "The Game Believes in You" (Palgrave Macmillan Trade, 2015).

He asks parents to distinguish between games that "require players to test and improve their skills, follow a narrative and take part in teamwork and interact with other people" and those that don't. Save your worries for games that "pull us away from others and into hours of solitary, uninterrupted play, especially if they don't require much in the way of skills."

Research suggests that girls can benefit from gaming because it strengthens visual-spatial skills, such as attention and mental rotation ability, which are generally less developed than in boys. Hank Pellissier, director of the Piedmont, California-based Brighter Brains Institute, points to a University of Toronto study suggesting that "only 10 hours of training with an action video game" decreased or eliminated the female visual-spatial disadvantage. (For more of Pellissier's education analysis, go to greatschools.org.)

How can you identify games that promote positive outcomes? Media watchdog commonsensemedia.org reviews and rates video games for content and age appropriateness. Children's Technology Review, a subscription-based source of more than 11,000 reviews of commercial children's digital media products, is continually updated and available in most school and public libraries. Go to childrenstech.com for more information.

Parents should realize that "games with adult ratings carry them for a reason," says Toppo. He asks parents concerned about a particular game: Have you sat down and played the game with your kids? Have you asked them what they're getting out of it?

Children's media advocates suggest parents and kids engage in "joint media engagement, a fancy term for sitting on the couch playing with your kids and talking about what's happening onscreen," says Toppo.

When you do this, monitor your own reactions. Do you take failures in stride? How do you react to being killed by the same bad guy in the same spot? Do you do a victory dance or gloat when you win?

"As with real life," Toppo explains, "your kids are watching, though they may not seem to be. They'll learn as much about you from your failures as your successes, so fail well."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: What summer activities do you recommend so kids don't forget what they've learned and are ready to start their new grade in the fall?

A: Teachers love this question, because summer learning loss is real. Research by Duke University professor Harris Cooper shows that without stimulating activities to keep kids' brains in gear during the lazy days of summer, their new knowledge gets hazy.

Studies find that students who "veg out" during vacation show little or no academic growth over summer, at best. At worst, they lose one to three months of learning.

Learning loss is greater in math than reading, says Cooper. He hypothesizes that most parents encourage kids to read over the summer, but are less likely to pay attention to math.

That's why Charleston, Illinois, teacher Pam Evans recommends that kids practice math skills they've haven't mastered.

"If kids don't know their basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts fluently," she says -- meaning, "by heart" -- then summer is the time to nail them.

Evans suggests three websites for fun practice: sumdog.com, straightace.com and tenmarks.com. She also encourages parents to involve kids in everyday math; this can include measuring items around the house, graphing daily temperatures, estimating shopping costs and using fractions while cooking.

Wendy Breit, a South Beloit, Illinois, second-grade teacher, thinks that younger children are less likely to experience a "summer slump" when parents actively reinforce skills. On the last day of school, she sends home weekly activity cards and a calendar with different skill-builder suggestions for students and parents to do together. She says they offer easily scheduled "personal time with children and just enough structure to make the transition to back-to-school routines less rough."

Lisa Ann Schoenbrun, an El Paso, Texas, educator, says the best way to energize young brains is to make each vacation day count.

"Limit screen time to one hour a day," she urges. "Get kids outside. Have them cook up projects -- make a lemonade stand, bake cookies for neighbors, clean out toys and books and donate them to a shelter; make a difference by volunteering."

Schoenbrun suggests giving kids a notebook so that they can "keep a daily journal over the summer. Nothing intense -- what they ate, who they played with. Every few days, using a dictionary and thesaurus for fun, have them add descriptive adjectives and adverbs and correct punctuation."

Schoenbrun suggests taking advantage of summer programs at "local museums, zoos, bookstores, parks and recreation facilities, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and nearby universities -- especially those with education departments."

Team up with other families for educational trips to nearby nature centers and historic sites.

As the new school year approaches, have your children brush up on their skills and also look at the curriculum for the next grade, advises Schoenbrun.

"There are many inexpensive books to guide you," she says, "such as the 'Summer Bridge Activities' series" (Carson-Dellosa Publishing).

Keep a schedule during summer, encourages Helen Merante, a retired Wisconsin principal.

"Sure, kids benefit from unstructured time, but maintain some routines," she says. "Plug in time for reading and other brain-boosting activities. Routines help kids get back on track when it's time to go back to class."

Celebrate National Summer Learning Day on June 19. For more, go to summerlearning.org.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)