Reading
There's nothing like curling up with a good book on a lazy summer day.  Your local library is a terrific place to go and find something just right, too!  BlackDog has a few suggestions to help get you started.  The list is pretty long, but there are so many great books it's hard to choose.  Just print the list and head to the library or the bookstore.  And don't forget to check out the list of the "Classics" -- some of the best books ever written.

Writing
Try your hand at writing your own story.  Let your imagination run free, grab a pencil and paper and spend some time creating a summer adventure.  Start with something you know about and write it down.  Fill in the details, embellish them, and you've written your own short story!

Sound too easy?  Well, it is.  You need to know the basics to write a good story.  BlackDog has a few tips to help you learn basic story writing.

Idea:  Keep a personal journal.  A diary is a wonderful thing.  Write about your thoughts, feelings, hopes, plans and dreams.  Or, just write what you did on any particular day.  The important thing is that you actively use your brain, organize your thoughts, and put them down on paper.  You'll never regret it.

Be sure to check out the interactive stories at Miss Kitty's Story Book, too.  Read one of the stories there, and then add your own paragraph to The Vanishing Princess or The Boy Who Went to the Jungle.