12 Books for Your Summer Reading List
Summer is officially here! It’s time for ice cream, cold drinks, big hats and sunglasses, and all the best books. On this list we’ve got perennial favorites, books by authors who’ll be returning with new work we can’t wait to get our hands on 👀, and books that are at the very center of the conversations of communities across the nation. Happy summer, and happy reading!
The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown
ISBN: 978-0-316-38199-4
Wall-E meets Hatchet in this New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from Caldecott Honor winner Peter Brown
2018 – 2019 Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award
2018 – 2019 Hawaii Nene Award
2018 – 2019 Idaho Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice
2018 – 2019 Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award
2018 – 2019 Kentucky Bluegrass Award
2018 – 2019 Nebraska Golden Sower Award
2018 – 2019 Oregon Battle of the Books
2018 – 2019 Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award
2018 – 2019 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category: HC FIC 8-12
BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION
Audience: Children/Juvenile
Age Range: 8-12
Grade Range: 3-7
Curriculum Subjects: Adventure: Animals, Adventure: Science Fiction, Adventure: Survival
Accelerated Reader: 5.1
F&P: R
Listen to our LB School Author Interview Watch our LB School Interview With the Illustrator Book Club Guide There’s a second book!
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin
ISBN: 978-0-316-11427-1
A Newbery Honor Winner
A New York Times Bestseller
This stunning fantasy inspired by Chinese folklore is a companion novel to Starry River of the Sky and the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award finalist When the Sea Turned to Silver
2017 – 2018 Illinois Bluestem Book Award
2016 – 2017 Arkansas Battle of the Books
2014 – 2015 Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award
2013 – 2014 Hawaii Nene Award
2012 – 2013 Connecticut Children’s Book Award
2012 – 2013 Iowa children’s Choice Award
2012 – 2013 California Young Reader Medal
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category: PB FIC 8-12
BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION
Audience: Children/Juvenile
Age Range: 8-12
Grade Range: 3-7
Curriculum Subjects: Folk Tales/Fairy Tales/Classics: Magic, Personal Development: Friendship, Adventure: Magic/Fantasy
Accelerated Reader: 5.5
F&P: T
Educator Guide Author Interview
Towers Falling
ISBN: 978-0-316-26222-4
From award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful novel set fifteen years after the 9/11 attacks.
2018 – 2019 Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award
2018 – 2019 Nebraska Golden Sower Award
2018 – 2019 Nevada Young Readers’ Choice Award
2018 – 2019 Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category:
BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION
Audience: Children/Juvenile
Age Range: 8-12
Grade Range: 3-7
Curriculum Subjects: Personal Development: Diversity, Social Studies: America, Social Studies: Patriotism, Personal Development: Loss
Accelerated Reader: 3.3
F&P: W
Ghost Boys
ISBN: 978-0-316-26228-6
A heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a police officer, drawing connections through history, from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes.
“Rhodes captures the all-too-real pain of racial injustice and provides an important window for readers who are just beginning to explore the ideas of privilege and implicit bias.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“An excellent novel that delves into the timely topic of racism… with the question of whether or not we really have come far when dealing with race relations.”—School Library Connection, starred review
“This was one of my most anticipated 2018 books and I was not disappointed. A must read.”—Angie Thomas, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category:
BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION
Audience: Children/Juvenile
Age Range: 10 & up
Grade Range: 5-17
Curriculum Subjects: Personal Development: Loss, Social Studies: African American Heritage, Social Studies: History
Author Website Listen to an excerpt Educator Guide Book Club Guide
Girl in the Blue Coat
by Monica Hesse
ISBN: 978-0-316-26063-3
A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens of 2016
A Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Selection 2017
A YALSA 2017 Best Book for Young Adults
The national bestseller and winner of the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery
2018 – 2019 Indiana Rosie Awards
2018 – 2019 California Young Readers Award
2018 – 2019 Nebraska Golden Sower Award
2018 – 2019 South Carolina young Adult Book Award
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category:
BISAC: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
Audience: Young Adult
Age Range: 12 & up
Grade Range: 7-17
Curriculum Subjects: Teen Life: Personal Development, Teen Life: Religion, Teen Life: Activism
Accelerated Reader: 4.9
Author Interview with PW Listen to an excerpt Book Club Guide
The Thing About Jellyfish
by Ali Benjamin
ISBN: 978-0-316-38084-3
Now available in paperback, this stunning debut novel about grief and wonder was an instant New York Times bestseller and captured widespread critical acclaim, including selection as a 2015 National Book Award finalist!
2018 – 2019 Minnesota Maud Hart Lovelace Award
2018 -2019 Oklahoma Edmond Red Dirt Book Award
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category: PB FIC 8-12
BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION
Audience: Children/Juvenile
Age Range: 10 & up
Grade Range: 5-17
Curriculum Subjects: Guidance/Health: Death, Guidance/Health: Emotions, Personal Development: Loss, Science: Animals/Insects/Pets
Accelerated Reader: 5.0
F&P: Y
Educator Guide Interview with an Editor Listen to an Excerpt
I’m Just No Good at Rhyming
And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups
ISBN: 978-0-316-26657-4
ALA-ALSC NOTABLE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
Booklist Editor’s Choice
Kirkus Best Children’s Books
NPR Best Books
PW Best Children’s Books
SLJ Best Books
NCTE Notable Poetry Books
Chicago Public Library Best Books
LAPL Best Kids Books
The instant New York Times bestseller featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon! B. J. Novak (bestselling author of The Book With No Pictures) described this groundbreaking poetry collection as “Smart and sweet, wild and wicked, brilliantly funny–it’s everything a book for kids should be.”
2018 -2019 Kentucky Bluegrass Award
2018 -2019 Maine Student Book Award
2018 -2019 North Carolina Children’s Picture Book Award
2018 -2019 rhode Island Children’s Book Award
2018 -2019 Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category:
BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION
Audience: Children/Juvenile
Age Range: 6 & up
Grade Range: 1-17
MAYDAY
by Karen Harrington
ISBN:978-0-316-29803-2
In the tradition of Counting By 7s and The Thing About Jellyfish, a heartwarming coming-of-age story about grief, family, friendship, and the importance of finding your voice
“A fine character-driven tale that slowly grows to a crescendo of satisfaction.” —Kirkus Reviews(starred review)
“Wayne is an appealing protagonist with astrong voice who develops believably over the difficult months, as do the other characters. A well-done book on all levels.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The main characters are well depicted and highly appealing…. Thought provoking and touching, Mayday applies to anyone who has ever felt like an outcast and wishes to become someone with a sense of pride.” —VOYA
2018 – 2019 Arizona Grand Canyon Award
2018 – 2019 Pennsylvania young Readers Choice Award
2018 – 2019 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category: PB FIC 8-12
BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION
Audience: Children/Juvenile
Age Range: 8-12
Grade Range: 3-7
Curriculum Subjects: Family Life: Grandparents and Extended Family, Guidance/Health: Disease/Sickness, Personal Development: Loss
Accelerated Reader: 4.2
F&P: W
How One Letter Changed Two Lives
ISBN: 978-0-316-24133-5
The New York Times bestselling true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.
“Sensitively and candidly demonstrating how small actions can result in enormous change, this memoir of two families’ transformation through the commitment and affection of long-distance friends will humble and inspire.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
2018 – 2019 Oregon Battle of the Books
2018 – 2019 Wyoming Soaring Eagle Book Award
Fiction/Non: Non-Fiction
Catalog Category: PB NF YA
BISAC: YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION
Audience: Young Adult
Age Range: 12 & up
Grade Range: 7-17
Curriculum Subjects: Personal Development: Character Development, Personal Development: Diversity, Personal Development: Responsibility, Social Studies: Europe/Asia/Africa, Personal Development: Friendship
Educator Guide Listen to an Excerpt Listen to an Interview with the Authors
By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue.
“Spellbinding….Breathtaking set pieces, fully developed supporting characters, and a beguiling, tough-as-nails heroine enhance an intricate, intelligent plot that crescendos to a jaw-dropping third-act twist.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Jude, who struggles with a world she both loves and hates and would rather be powerful and safe than good, is a compelling narrator. Whatever a reader is looking for–heart-in-throat action, deadly romance, double-crossing, moral complexity–this is one heck of a ride.”—Booklist, starred review
“Black, quite rightly, is the acknowledged queen of faerie lit, and her latest shows her to be at the top of her game, unveiling twists and secrets and bringing her characters vividly to life.”—VOYA, starred review
“Another fantastic, deeply engaging, and all-consuming work from Black that belongs on all YA shelves.”—School Library Journal, starred review
2018 – 2019 New Hampshire Flume Award
2018 – 2019 Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category: PB FIC YA
BISAC: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
Audience: Children/Juvenile
Age Range: 14 & up
Grade Range: 9-17
Curriculum Subjects: Adventure: Magic/Fantasy, Family Life: Parents/Siblings/Babies, Personal Development: Self-Discovery, Teen Life: Peer Groups/Popularity/Cliques
Author Essay Listen to an Excerpt The Cruel Prince on NOVL
Strange the Dreamer
by Laini Taylor
ISBN: 978-0-316-34167-7
A NPR Best Book
A Goodreads Best YA Fantasy and Science Fiction Nominee
A Boston Globe Best YA Book\
An instant New York Times bestseller and Michael L. Printz honor book!Eleven best of lists including an NPR Best Book, a Goodreads Best YA Fantasy and Science Fiction Nominee, and more!
From National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor comes an epic fantasy about a mythic lost city and its dark past.
2018 – 2019 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award
2018 – 2019 Mississippi Magnolia Book Award
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category: PB FIC YA
BISAC: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
Audience: Children/Juvenile
Age Range: 14 & up
Grade Range: 9-17
Curriculum Subjects: Adventure: Magic/Fantasy
Book Club Guide Listen to an Excerpt Strange the Dreamer on NOVL Muse of Nightmares hits shelves in October!
The Summer of Us
by Cecilia Vinesse
ISBN: 978-0-316-39113-9
A swoon-worthy story about five best friends on a whirlwind trip through Europe, perfect for fans of Jenny Han, Stephanie Perkins, and Jennifer E. Smith.
“The atmospheric descriptions of the places they visit (and drink in), such as Amsterdam, Prague, and Florence, and the nuanced characterizations lend expansiveness to a plot that might otherwise have become a simple coming-of-age romance…A transformative odyssey of self-discovery.”—Kirkus Reviews
Fiction/Non: Fiction
Catalog Category:
BISAC: YOUNG ADULT FICTION
Audience: Young Adult
Age Range: 14 & up
Grade Range: 9-17
Curriculum Subjects: Personal Development: Friendship, Personal Development: Self-Discovery, Teen Life: Relationships/Sexuality, Social Studies: Europe/Asia/Africa, Personal Development: Character Development