Summer Reading

Picture Books | Younger Fiction | Intermediate Fiction
Young Adult Fiction | Folklore | Poetry | Nonfiction

Need suggestions for beach reading or books to bring to camp? We've hand-picked some favorite new titles, all published within the last year, that are ideal for the season.

Picture Books
Suggested grade level listed with each entry

A Visitor for Bear written by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald (Candlewick)
One determined mouse overcomes Bear’s aversion to visitors in this energetic tale of friendship and transformation. Grade level: K–3. 56 pages.

When Dinosaurs Came with Everything written by Elise Broach, illustrated by David Small (Atheneum)
In this very tall tale of dinosaurs as suburban pets, dinosaurs are the extra inducement in every situation (“buy a dozen, get a dinosaur”). Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Ivan the Terrier written and illustrated by Peter Catalanotto (Jackson/Atheneum)
What appears to be a folktale retelling turns into a story hour gone amok after terrier Ivan bursts onto the scene, disrupting tale after tale in a bid for his own. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Otis and Rae and the Grumbling Splunk written by Laura Espinosa, illustrated by Leo Espinosa (Houghton)
Otis and Rae, out for their first camping trip, work through their fears with good humor, spunk, and sandwiches. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever written and illustrated by Marla Frazee (Harcourt)
James and Eamon tolerate a nature day-camp, but the real action — and fun — happens during their unstructured time at home. Grade level: 1–4. 32 pages.

Monkey and Me written and illustrated by Emily Gravett (Simon)
A little girl and her stuffed monkey are a moving riddle as readers try to figure out which animal they are imitating before a page turn reveals the answer. Grade level: Preschool. 32 pages.

Knock, Knock! written and illustrated by various authors (Dial)
Fourteen artists provide their own takes on the classic joke, revealing the punch lines over the page turns. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

Pssst! written and illustrated by Adam Rex (Harcourt)
Scheming zoo animals draw an unsuspecting girl into their escape plot in this funny story. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Phooey! written and illustrated by Marc Rosenthal (Cotler/HarperCollins)
After complaining that “nothing ever happens around here,” the grumpy little hero makes his way through the city while a dog chases a cat, spooking an elephant, who bolts from the zoo, etc. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Timothy and the Strong Pajamas written and illustrated by Viviane Schwarz (Levine/Scholastic)
Timothy's mother's sturdy mending transforms his favorite pajamas into super pajamas, and heroic rescues ensue. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Cowboy & Octopus written by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith (Viking)
Simply told, surprisingly fresh vignettes reveal the hilarious ins and outs of the titular duo’s unlikely friendship. Grade level: 1–4. 40 pages.

Dog and Bear: Two’s Company written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Porter/Roaring Brook)
Dog and Bear continue to explore the nuances of friendship in these three stories just right for independent reading and group sharing. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

Heat Wave written by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Betsy Lewin (Harcourt)
Residents of Lumberville try to beat the heat in ways that are surprising and amusing. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

Younger Fiction
Suggested grade level for each entry: 1–3

One Saturday Evening written by Barbara Baker, illustrated by Kate Duke (Dutton)
Lots of cozy details evoke a quiet evening as a family of bears (Mama, Papa, three girls, and toddler Jack) prepares for bed. 48 pages.

Jamie and Angus Together written by Anne Fine, illustrated by Penny Dale (Candlewick)
Six stories relate the everyday trials and achievements of preschooler Jamie and his stuffed Highland bull Angus. 102 pages.

Babymouse: Skater Girl and Babymouse: Puppy Love written and illustrated by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random)
Pink, black, and white illustrations energetically convey the comedic daydream sequences and real-life dilemmas of an unstoppable heroine.

Sallie Gal and the Wall-a-Kee Man written by Shelia P. Moses, illustrated by Niki Daly (Scholastic)
With Sallie Gal's father serving in Vietnam, there's no money for luxuries, but when kind Mr. Wallace gives Sallie Gal ribbons, she struggles with the values her proud mother has instilled. 152 pages.

Ballet Sisters: The Duckling and the Swan written and illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Cartwheel/Scholastic)
Preschooler Sylvie and her older sister, the unnamed narrator, are the perfect frenemies in this expressive chapter book about siblinghood. 32 pages.

Aunt Nancy and the Bothersome Visitors written by Phyllis Root, illustrated by David Parkins (Candlewick)
This beguiling collection features two previously published Aunt Nancy tales and two new trickster stories, illustrated with droll silhouettes that milk body language for all it’s worth. 64 pages.

Maybelle in the Soup written by Katie Speck, illustrated by Paul Ratz de Tagyos (Holt)
Maybelle, a stylish cockroach who craves adventure, and Henry, a wise flea who lays low, deal with the aftermath when Maybelle indulges her culinary curiosity. 58 pages.

Abracadabra! Magic with Mouse and Mole written and illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee (Houghton)
After Mole is disappointed to learn that magic tricks are more trick than magic, Mouse tries to show him the "real" magic that takes place all around them in nature. 48 pages.

Intermediate Fiction
Suggested grade level for each entry: 4–6

Seer of Shadows by Avi (HarperCollins)
Fourteen-year-old Horace, apprentice to photographer Enoch Middleditch, becomes engaged in spiritual fleecing in this post–Civil War mystery. 202 pages.

Becca at Sea by Deirdre Baker (Groundwood)
In a dozen linked episodes set on her Gran’s small Canadian island, Becca averts many a mishap and disaster among her memorable extended family. 165 pages.

Being Bee by Catherine Bateson (Holiday)
Resentful of her dad's new live-in girlfriend, Jazzi, Bee vents her frustration in letters to her guinea pigs. 126 pages.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (Fickling/Random)
When twelve-year-old narrator Ted's cousin disappears, impossibly, on the London Eye tourist attraction, he and his sister join forces to solve the conundrum. 323 pages.

Into the Woods written by Lyn Gardner, illustrated by Mini Grey (Fickling/Random)
Drawing on well-known fairy tales, Gardner creates a layered, relationship-driven tale of three sisters pursued by a dangerous villain. 438 pages.

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little written by Peggy Gifford, illustrated by Valorie Fisher (Schwartz & Wade)
With school starting tomorrow, nine-year-old Moxy still hasn't started her summer assignment — to read Stuart Little — and she's running out of excuses. 92 pages.

All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn (Clarion)
Mischief-makers Travis and Corey, staying at their grandmother's reputedly haunted inn, unsuspectingly awaken its ghosts. 182 pages.

Book of a Thousand Days written by Shannon Hale, illustrated by James Noel Smith (Bloomsbury)
Dashti, lady's maid to Lady Saren, whose father has them locked up for Lady Saren's refusal to marry, documents their survival in lively diary entries. 306 pages.

Go Big or Go Home by Will Hobbs (HarperCollins)
A meteorite crashing through the ceiling of his bedroom results in Brady’s gaining superpowers. 185 pages.

Piper Reed: Navy Brat written by Kimberly Willis Holt, illustrated by Christine Davenier (Holt)
Being a Navy brat is full of activity and challenges — just the way irrepressible nine-year-old Piper Reed likes it. 146 pages.

Forever Rose by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
Eleven-year-old Rose is the heart of this fifth, still-hilarious Casson family novel that explores the classic youngest-child dilemma of older siblings growing up and pulling away. 291 pages.

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen (Lamb/Random)
The twelve-year-old narrator decides to earn a few bucks by getting an investor with a cash-flow problem to buy stocks for him as payment for a freshly trimmed yard. 88 pages.

Starcross: A Stirring Adventure of Spies, Time Travel and Curious Hats written by Philip Reeve, illustrated by David Wyatt (Bloomsbury)
Two siblings in an alternative nineteenth-century Great Britain (in space!) investigate mysterious and sinister happenings at an intergalactic vacation resort in this sequel to Larklight. 370 pages.

The True Meaning of Smekday written and illustrated by Adam Rex (Hyperion)
When aliens announce that all Americans must relocate to Florida, Gratuity “Tip” Tucci decides to search for her abducted mother instead in this highly entertaining sci-fi/road trip amalgam. 426 pages.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson (Scholastic)
Thirteen-year-old Alcatraz discovers his secret birthright as the scion of one of the Free Kingdom’s most powerful families and is charged with freeing our world, the Hushlands, from oppressive Librarian rule. 308 pages.

The Professor’s Daughter written by Joann Sfar, illustrated by Emmanuel Guibert, translated from the French by Alexis Siegel (First Second/Roaring Brook)
After Lillian Bowell finds an unlikely beau in a mummy from her father’s collection, the couple embarks upon several offbeat adventures in this graphic novel. 80 pages.

The Arrival illustrated by Shaun Tan (Levine/Scholastic)
This wordless, meticulously composed masterpiece depicts one man’s journey from a bleak, threatened city to a strange new shore where he works to reunite his family. 128 pages.

The Last of the High Kings by Kate Thompson (Greenwillow)
Jenny, a fairy changeling, her human brother Donal, and an aged neighbor who is actually the last of the high kings work to protect the world from a puka in this resonantly Irish sequel to The New Policeman. 323 pages.

Candyfloss written by Jacqueline Wilson, illustrated by Nick Sharratt (Brodie/Roaring Brook)
Pre-teen Floss adores her down-on-his-luck dad and decides to stay with him when Mum, stepfather, and baby brother move to Australia for six months.

Young Adult Fiction
Suggested grade level for each entry: 7 and up

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Ellen Forney (Little)
Junior, making the iffy commute from his Spokane Indian reservation to an off-rez high school, narrates his experience with short paragraphs, one-liners, and take-no-prisoners cartoons. Grade level: 7 and up. 232 pages.

The Compound by S. A. Bodeen (Feiwel)
Having lived in an underground bunker with his family (to escape nuclear war) since he was nine, now-fifteen-year-old Eli begins to question if the outside world really gone. 245 pages.

Mistik Lake by Martha Brooks (Kroupa/Farrar)
In this well-told Manitoba-set story of teenage love, secrets stalk three generations of women: teenage Odella, her mother Sally, and Odella's great-aunt, Gloria. 207 pages.

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron (Foster/Farrar)
Eighteen-year-old James spends the summer before college working at his mother’s Manhattan art gallery and, several years after 9/11, takes his first few steps away from his own Ground Zero. 229 pages.

Airman by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion)
Conor, framed for a king's murder, is sent to a diamond-mine prison, where he designs flying machines on the walls of his cell while plotting escape and revenge. 412 pages.

Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney (Delacorte)
A suburban Connecticut household takes in a family of battle-scarred African refugees not knowing that a cold-blooded killer is hot on their trail. 230 pages.

InterWorld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves (Eos/HarperCollins)
Joey Harker discovers his ability to walk across alternate realities and is recruited by an organization of his alternate selves to protect the “Altiverse” from warring tyrannies. 239 pages.

How the Hangman Lost His Heart by K. M. Grant (Walker)
When Alice rescues her uncle’s severed head from display in 1746 England, she becomes a fugitive, aided only by a sympathetic hangman as she survives a series of mad escapades, disembodied head in tow. 244 pages.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (Hyperion)
Alabaster Preparatory Academy sophomore Frankie secretly takes control of an all-male secret society on campus. 342 pages.

The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer (HarperTeen)
In this chilling novel, five sisters go about their lives, unaware of a man's obsession with them until one sister becomes his prisoner. 284 pages.

Hero by Perry Moore (Hyperion)
Thom, a gay teen gifted with healing powers, joins a superhero society in secret, where he bonds with his fellow trainees, learns about his family’s past, and finally saves the world in this larger-than-life coming-of-age tale. 428 pages.

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Houghton)
An indulged fifteen-year-old princess, heartbroken by the death of her parents, comes into her own when she happens upon a mysterious tower, learns magic, and becomes embroiled in political intrigue. 344 pages.

Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci (Harcourt)
This harrowing thriller tells of a biological attack on a New Jersey suburb, focusing on the four young adults who are primarily affected and layering global intrigue atop more intimate mysteries. 424 pages.

Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman, illustrated by John Lawrence (Knopf)
Fast-talking, straight-shooting, twenty-four-year-old Lee Scoresby crash-lands on an island and, helped by the armored bear Iorek, fights its corrupt government in this prequel to Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. 100 pages.

The Lion Hunter and The Empty Kingdom (Viking)
The Mark of Solomon by Elizabeth E. Wein
In an intricately conceived post-Arthurian Africa, Telemakos navigates a dangerous relationship with his foster guardian and sometimes-enemy, the charismatic Abreha.

Extras by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse)
The latest entry in the Uglies series introduces Aya, an all-but-anonymous “extra” in a Japanese society that idolizes celebrity, an aspiring reporter whose big lead soon becomes big trouble. 417 pages.

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr (Little)
Outcast Jennifer remade herself into stylish, outgoing Jenna, but when her childhood soulmate reappears, she must reconcile past and present. 217 pages.

Folklore
Suggested grade level listed with each entry

Tuko and the Birds: A Tale from the Philippines written by Shirley Climo, illustrated by Francisco X. Mora (Holt)
A raucous, ungovernable gecko robs villagers and birds of their sleep with his two-note call — until the birds take action. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

One Voice, Please: Favorite Read-Aloud Stories written by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Russell Ayto (Candlewick)
Fifty-six short, expertly delivered tales comprise a winning assortment of fables, cautionary tales, and anecdotes of justice won by quick wits. Grade level: 4–6. 167 pages.

Genies, Meanies, and Magic Rings: Three Tales from The Arabian Nights retold by Stephen Mitchell, illustrated by Tom Pohrt (Walker)
Mitchell delights in exaggeration and embroiders these already outrageous tales, which include "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" as well as the lesser-known "Abu Keer and Abu Seer." Grade level: 4–6. 181 pages.

Poetry
Suggested grade level listed with each entry

Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems written and illustrated by John Grandits (Clarion)
Concrete poems playfully channel teenage Jessie’s dreams, anxieties, and pet peeves. Grade Level: 7 and up. 48 pages.

Jabberwocky illustrated by Christopher Myers (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)
Myers relocates Lewis Carroll’s classic nonsense poem to a city basketball court where an unnamed African American hero faces a fearsome trio of ace players. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

Honeybee by Naomi Shihab Nye (Greenwillow)
Eighty-two poems and prose paragraphs cover Nye’s familiar, distinctive territory —prejudice, kindness, war, peace, Arab Americans — connected by literal and literary allusions to honeybees. Grade level: 6–9. 164 pages.

Tap Dancing on the Roof written by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Istvan Banyai (Clarion)
Park transposes this traditional Korean poetic form — essentially, three lines with a twist in the third — to the highly accessible topics of seasons and the routines of home and school. Grade level: 4–6. 40 pages.

Nonfiction
Suggested grade level listed with each entry

A Horse in the House: And Other Strange but True Animal Stories written by Gail Ablow, illustrated by Kathy Osborn (Candlewick)
Sixteen true (and truly unusual) animal stories from around the world detail such oddities as a greyhound fitted for contact lenses and a horse adopted as a house pet. Grade level: 1–5. 40 pages.

Paleo Sharks: Survival of the Strangest written and illustrated by Timothy J. Bradley (Chronicle)
A chronological tour of extinct shark species accompanied by well-chosen trivia and colorful illustrations. Grade level: 4–6. 48 pages.

Keep Your Eye on the Kid: The Early Years of Buster Keaton written and illustrated by Catherine Brighton (Flash Point/Roaring Brook)
Brighton pairs humorous comic-book frames with a deadpan text to impart the life of comedian Buster Keaton. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

May I Pet Your Dog?: The How-to Guide for Kids Meeting Dogs (and Dogs Meeting Kids) written by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Clarion)
Guided by dachshund Harry, young readers learn how to behave around dogs through clear language and patient illustrations. Grade level: Preschool. 32 pages.

The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon (Orchard/Scholastic)
Addressing three points — what global warming is, how it affects the earth and its inhabitants, and what action kids (and adults) can take to halt its progression — the authors speak plainly and clearly to their audience using kid-friendly metaphors. Grade level: 4–8. 112 pages.

What’s Eating You?: Parasites — The Inside Story written by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Neal Layton (Candlewick)
Catering to kids who like their science creepy-crawly, the acclaimed duo explore the world of the “more than 430 different kinds of parasites that can live on a human body…or in one.” Grade level: 4–6. 64 pages.

Whale Port written by Mark Foster, illustrated by Gerald Foster (Lorraine/Houghton)
The ebbing-and-flowing fortunes of a fictional New England harbor town are traced from colonization in 1683 through whaling, shipsmithing, candleworks, and milling industries as well as storms, fire, war, and the discovery of petroleum. Grade level: 4–6. 64 pages.

How Big Is It?: A Big Book All about Bigness by Ben Hillman (Scholastic Reference)
Cleverly composed photos juxtapose imposing animals, objects, and places with the familiar, giving readers a concrete but whimsical way of determining just how big a polar bear (or a redwood, or the Hindenburg, etc.) really is. Grade level: K–5. 48 pages.

Living Color written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Houghton)
Merging two common concept-book topics, Jenkins explains why animals are (or can look or can change into) a certain color, introducing a rainbow palette of fascinating creatures. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)
This history of Negro League baseball is a pitch-perfect fusion of extensive research, easygoing, conversational storytelling, and dramatic, dignified oil paintings. Grade level: 4–8. 88 pages.

Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City written by Janet Schulman, illustrated by Meilo So (Knopf)
This third recent picture book about the red-tailed hawks that have nested on a posh Manhattan building since the 1990s tells the tale in greater detail, addressing the human response but focusing on the birds themselves. Grade level: 1–5. 40 pages.

When Is a Planet Not a Planet?: The Story of Pluto by Elaine Scott (Clarion)
Scott connects the questions of why Pluto was demoted and why it got planet status in the first place with a discussion of the constantly changing state of scientific knowledge. Grade level: 4–6. 48 pages.

Sneeze! written and illustrated by Alexandra Siy, photomicrographs by Dennis Kunkel (Charlesbridge)
Black-and-white photographs and amazing false-color photomicrographs detail the things that make us sneeze and the body parts responsible for the sneeze reflex. Grade level: K–3. 48 pages.

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