Summer Reading List 2024

Animal Albums from A to Z by Cece Bell

This alphabet book filled with zany art and lots of humor is sure to charm vinyl lovers of all ages. 

Emma’s Awesome Summer Camp Adventures by Amy Webb

Emma goes to an accessible summer camp where children cheer along with Emma every step of the way, and learn that a world that’s inclusive and accessible for all is possible.

Finding Things by Kevin Henkes; illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Picture book masters Henkes & Dronzek offer an invitation to find joy in the simple things that are all around . . . if you take time to notice them.

A Garden Called Home by Jessica J. Lee and Elaine Chen

On a visit to Taiwan a mother teaches her child about the vegetables they eat on Uncle’s farm. When they return home, the child does some research and finds a way to grow the vegetables of Taiwan for Mama.

Log Life by Amy Hevron

Discover the tiny, fascinating world of a nurse log in an old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest.

Pretty Ugly by David Sedaris; illustrated by Ian Falconer

Anna Van Ogre’s lovely monster face turns into that of a sickeningly sweet rosy-cheeked little girl! Can she find a way to stop looking like an ugly human and regain her gorgeous monstrosity of a face?

Summer is Here by Renee Watson

This ode to a summer day follows one girl who has the perfect day swimming, jumping rope and eating ice cream, in an exploration of joy, family, friendship, sunshine and wonder.

Together We Swim by Valerie Bolling; illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

A child learns to swim with the example and encouragement of his family, told in rhyming text and joyful illustrations.

The Best Worst Camp Out Ever by Joe Cepeda

A boy and his father go on a camping trip and despite one disaster after another, in the end father and son agree it was their best weekend ever!

The Fix-Its: Nail Needs Help by Sarah Lynne Reul

When Nail gets stuck, Hammer is ready to lend a helping hand. But will Hammer’s hard-headedness make things worse?

Fox Versus Fox by Corey Tabor

When a newcomer arrives, Fox demonstrates all his foxy skills, but when the other creature can do all the same things, he wonders if it really is another fox — and possibly a new friend!

King of the Mountain by Susie Lee Jin

All the fleas want to be king of the mountain and race to the top–until the mountain starts to move!

Og Meets Mog! by Ame Dyckman; illustrated by Elio

Og is a thoughtful monster who stumbles upon a curious creature trapped in a block of ice!

Ready? Set. Puppies! by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Roxy’s dog, Flo, is going to have puppies! Raymond can hardly wait.

Continental Drifter by Kathy MacLeod

Spending most of the year in Bangkok and then the summer in Maine, Thai American Kathy struggles to fit in and longs to find a place where she truly belongs in this graphic novel.

Indigenous Ingenuity: a Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge by Deirdre Havrelock

Learn some fun-filled, simple activities and experiments, and celebrate the countless discoveries and technological inventions from Indigenous North Americans, while embracing the mindset of reciprocity, environmental responsibility and the interconnectedness of all life.

Kwame’s Magic Quest: Rise of the Green Flame by Bernard Mensah; illustrated by Natasha Nayo

Excited to start magical training with his new friends at school, 8-year-old Kwame starts to worry when he can’t access his magic powers in this action-packed, illustrated early chapter book series starter, perfect for fans of Dragon Masters!

Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain God by Karla Arenas Valenti; illustrated by Vanessa Morales

Moving from Mexico to Chicago for their dad’s new job, nine-year-old twins Emma and Martin are gifted a book by their abuela that transports them directly into Mexican legend where they must stop the god of rain from destroying the legendary city of Texcoco, an exciting new series for fans of The Magic Tree House!

Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines by Mo Netz

Jerry moves into a creepy motel at the edge of the woods where nothing is as it seems, and when her mom disappears, it’s up to Jerry to brave the forest and its demons to  save her family.

The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee

Olive joins an elite group of misfits who fight crime and need her help to stop the heist of the century in this funny mystery-adventure.

The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Expeditions by Giselle Clarkson

A highly illustrated, playful field guide for budding natural scientists and curious observers of the world right under our noses.

Oris & Timble: The Beginning by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Carmen Mok

From beloved storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes the first book in a warm and funny transitional-reader trilogy about a misanthropic rat and a naive owl—and the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Summer Vamp by Violet Chan Karim

What happens when a very human kid ends up at a summer camp for vampires?! Find out in this fun, heart-warming graphic novel.

Unhappy Camper by Lilly LaMotte; illustrated by Ann Xu & Sunmi

When their parents send them to a Taiwanese American summer camp, sisters, and polar opposites, Claire and Michelle learn more about their culture and each other in this graphic novel from the creator of Measuring Up.

Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera

Twelve-year-old Natalia’s dream of becoming a synchronized swimmer is in jeopardy when her parents decide they are against a sport that emphasizes looks, but Nat is determined to change their minds.

Gigi Shin is not a Nerd by Lyla Lee

Determined to go to an elite art camp, Gigi Shin starts a tutoring club with her friends to make money, but when the first few sessions are chaotic, she wonders if she’ll end up sacrificing more than she bargained for to achieve her dreams.

My Clueless First Friend by Taku Kawamura

One lonely, gloomy girl is the target of her classmates’ relentless bullying, until a new kid arrives on the scene – Takada befriends Nishimura, and together they experience all the fun of a childhood summer together—from going to the pool to watching fireworks—an unusual friendship blossoms!

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

From the creator of Be Prepared, comes a wonderful graphic novel in which Jane, who is incredibly plain according to everyone around her, ventures underwater to rescue her maybe-fiancé, summoning her courage, confidence and inner beauty to crusade for the only thing that matters–her independence.

Samira’s Best Worst Summer by Nina Hamza

When Samira meets new girl Alice, she finds her summer full of clue-finding hunts, garage band practices and getting to know her neighbors like never before, but when her ex-best friend attempts to steal Alice away, she must stand up for her new pal.

Slugfest by Gordon Korman

A  group of underdogs come together when they are forced to attend summer school for failing PE in this hilarious novel.

Summer at Squee by Andrea Wang

Phoenny Fang finds her summer at Summertime Chinese Culture, Wellness and Enrichment Experience (Squee) even more transformative than she could’ve imagined, with new friendships, her first crush, and a bigger love for and understanding of her community.

Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

Mia makes a plan to use the gifts from her bat mitzvah to take a bus to Oklahoma–without telling her mom–to visit her dad and find the connection to her Muscogee side she knows is just as important as her Jewish side in this poignant graphic novel.

Upstaged by Robin Easter

Ever since sixth grade, Ashton Price and their best friend and enduring crush, Ivy Santos, have spent their summers together at theater camp – now it’s their last year before they part ways for high school, and Ash is determined to end on a high note!

The 21: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S. Government over Climate Change by Elizabeth Rusch

This gripping real-life legal and environmental thriller recounts the ongoing federal case of 21 young Oregonians who are suing the U.S. government for supporting the fossil-fuel industry that is actively contributing to climate change.

Beach Cute by Beth Reekles

Three teens form new friendships while staying at an exclusive Spanish beach resort, where they must face the uncertainties of impending adulthood and romantic upheaval.

Blood at the Root by Laddarion Williams

A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical.

Give me a Sign by Anna Sortino

Jenny Han meets CODA in this big-hearted YA debut about first love and Deaf pride at a summer camp.

Kill her Twice by Stacey Lee

In 1930s Los Angeles Chinatown, the Chow sisters, May, Gemma, and Peony, suspect foul play in the death of Chinatown star Lulu Wong and take it upon themselves to solve the murder, revealing a conspiracy that threatens their Chinatown neighborhood.

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

When her prestigious tearoom is threatened, criminal mastermind and collector of secrets Arthie Casimir must make a devil’s bargain with an adversary to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society of Athereum to pull off a heist that turns into a fight to save the world.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

Set in 1884, nineteen-year-old Inez travels to Egypt after the sudden death of her parents to uncover the truth about their deaths, and as she attempts to unravel the mysteries her parents sought, she becomes a pawn in a larger game that threatens to kill her.

Wish You Weren’t Here by Erin Baldwin

Juliette and her high school rival Priya, unexpectedly become cabinmates at summer camp in this sapphic rom-com. 

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

Follows the lives of several generations of women in the Marte family after gathering to honor Flor, who can predict the day someone will die, decides to throw herself a huge party as a living wake.

What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

This tribute to the magic of libraries, friendship and community follows Tokyo’s most mysterious librarian, Sayuri Komachi, as she gives her visitors one unexpected book, which has life-altering consequences, giving the borrower the motivation they didn’t realize they need to change their life.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

During the Spanish Golden Age, Luzia Cotado, gifted with magic, garners the attention of the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king, plunging her into a world where the lines between magic, science and fraud blur—and where she must enlist the help of an embittered immortal familiar whose deadly secrets could destroy them both.

James by Percival Everett

Describes the events of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of the enslaved Jim, who decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island after learning he is to be sold to a man in New Orleans.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

A first-generation Ivy League student uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

After being dumped for her boyfriend’s lifelong best friend, Petra, Daphne agrees to room with Petra’s freshly heartbroken ex until she can figure things out.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

With every person they date finding their soulmate the second they break up, Justin and Emma decide to date each other and break up to cancel each other’s curse out, but their quick fling turns into something more when their families get involved and they catch real feelings for each other.

Table for Two by Amor Towles

The New York Times best-selling author shares six stories based in New York City, which consider the fateful consequences that can spring from brief encounters, and a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood, told from seven different viewpoints, which stars the indomitable Evelyn Ross.

North Woods by Daniel Mason

Exploring the many ways we’re connected to our environment and to one another across time, language and space, this sweeping collection of stories about a single house in the woods of New England is told through the lives of an extraordinary succession of inhabitants.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

Down a quiet Kyoto backstreet, “food detectives” Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the proprietors of the Kamogawa Diner, through ingenious investigations, recreate dishes from a person’s treasured memories, which hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness.

Indulge: Delicious and Decadent Dishes to Enjoy and Share by Valerie Bertinelli

The actress and New York Times best-selling author returns with 100 recipes aimed at nourishing both the body and soul with the taste of indulgence including Fancy Tea Sandwiches, Baby Kale with Crispy Garlic and Sausage and Olive Cheese Bites.

How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks

Drawing from the fields of psychology and neuroscience and from the worlds of theater, philosophy, history and education, one of the nation’s leading writers and commentators helps us become more understanding considerate toward others, and to find the joy that comes from being seen.

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin

The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian reflects on her 42-year marriage with Dick Goodwin, one the shining stars of John F. Kennedy’s New Frontier and the journey of going through the letters, diaries, documents and memorabilia he saved over the years.

The Bodies Keep Coming: Dispatches from a Black Trauma Surgeon on Racism, Violence, and How We Heal by Brian H. Williams

Narrating the grief and anger as a Black doctor on the front lines, a trauma surgeon recounts the events that thrust him into the spotlight in 2016, which forced him to rethink everything he thought he knew about medicine, injustice and what true healing looks like.

Wild Life: Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World by Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant

In this personal story of resilience and adaptation, a renowned wildlife ecologist, exploring the ever-shifting relationship between humans, animals and the earth, while carving a niche for herself as one of very few Black scientists, argues for a more connected, more socially and ecologically conscious world.