The Ultimate Summer Reading List for Young Readers!
While the weather in Ontario has just started to match the calendar, we cannot believe Summer is here! To celebrate its arrival, we’ve put together our Ultimate Summer Reading List. Even if the sun is shining, young readers can always squeeze in some more time for a good book.
Happy reading!
We're Not from Here by Geoff Rodkey
Ages: 8-12 Since Mars and Earth are no longer liveable options, Lan and his family must move to the planet Choom where the Zhuri, which look like giant mosquitos, live. They want nothing more than to fit in. But when anti-human government propaganda starts surfacing, Lan will need to find a way to change the Zhuris' mind, quickly.
Fairy Mom and Me by Sophie Kinsella
Ages: 7-10 Ella Brook cannot wait to grow up so that she can become a fairy. Until that day, she must learn how to be one by watching her mom. Since her mom always seems to mess up the spells, Ella must come to the rescue. But will she a better fairy than her mom?
Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya
Ages: 10-12 When her dad returns from deployment, Emilia Torres believes her life will turn back to normal. But that's anything from the truth. As she and her dad slowly rebuild their relationship through welding, their community turns into chaos, and her best friend, Gus, is at the centre of it.
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
Ages: 8-12 When twelve-year-old Iris, who’s hearing impaired, discovers a whale, Blue 55, that cannot communicate with his own kind, she is determined to connect with him. Feeling isolated from everyone around her, Iris understands how Blue 55 feels. So she comes up with a way to "sing" to him. But how can she play her song when he's three thousand miles away?
The Extraordinary eTab of Julian Newcomber by Michael Seese
Ages: 8-12 Julian believes he’s finally escaped his inventor father’s calamities. Until a 20-year-old man walks out of the bedroom closet and says he’s future Julian. His dad’s latest contraption, the eTab, alters time. When grown-up Julian travelled into the past, he dropped his phone on a Civil War battlefield. Now, he needs young Julian to help him retrieve his phone, before the future is unpredictably changed. No pressure.
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
Ages: 10-12 Runaway sisters Viji and Rukka soon realize that living on the streets of Chennai is harsh. So they both find shelter and friendship on an abandoned bridge and form a family bond with homeless boys Muthi and Arul. But as sickness hits the streets, Viji will need to decide if she'll seek help or hold onto their freedom.
Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Ages: 10-12 Delsie loves nothing but tracking weather. But as changes in her life come in quicker than a storm, Delsie and her new friend Ronan travel around Cape Cod and learn how to weather anything that comes their way.
Far Away by Lisa Graff
Ages: 8-12 When CJ learns that her Aunt Nic, a psychic medium, can't speak to CJ’s dead mom anymore, she must find another way to reach her mom. She sets off on a road trip with her friend Jax and hopes to find an object that can tether her mom's spirit to Earth.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Ages: 9-11 Five years have passed since a car crash took the lives of her two sisters and her mom. Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have been on the road ever since. But when Coyote finds out her old town will demolish the park where her family buried a cherished memory box, she comes up with a plan to head back home to save it, without her dad finding out. During their trip, they pick up travellers along the way. And Coyote soon discovers that the most difficult journey is going home.
The Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn
Ages: 8-12 Cat is the one of the few people who can reach out to her brother Chicken. She understands him when others don't. When a summer trip doesn't turn out right, the siblings are forced to stay with their grandparents. Here she finally discovers how to be a kid again and how relationships can be healed if people take the time to mend them.
The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA by Brenda Woods
Ages: 10 and up When Gabriel receives a new bike for his twelfth birthday, he never imagined he'd also gain a new friend. Meriwether, an African American WWII veteran, not only saves Gabriel's life after Gabriel has an accident but also fixes his bike. Gabriel wants to return the favour by getting Meriwether a job at his dad's auto shop. But as danger finds Meriwether, Gabriel's unsure what his friend will do next.
The Friendship War by Andrew Clements
Ages 8-12 Grace and Ellie have always been best friends. But when Grace accidentally starts a new school buttons fad, which can end the girls' friendship, she—along with Hank, the biggest button collector in the school—will need to uncover a way to destroy the fad before everything goes wrong.
The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer
Ages: 8-12 Duncan, April, and Nate do not have anything in common. Duncan is learning how to "read" with his fingers, April wants to be accepted by her athletic family, and Nate can't seem to reach his father's high expectations. But a Scrabble Tournament brings the trio together and shows how they're more alike than they imagined.
Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
Ages: 8-12 Nova, a nonverbal girl with autism, is anticipating the launch of the space shuttle Challenger. She and her older sister, Bridget, love space and plan to watch the launch. But her sister has disappeared, and Nova's in a new foster home. As the launch draws near, the people who ignored her intelligence now see how smart Nova truly is. And as she makes new friends, Nova counts down to the big day when she'll see her sister again.
Ages: 8-11 Eleven-year-old Anthoni Gillis doesn't believe in the supernatural. She prefers comics. So when her mom takes her to Thunder Lake, she dismisses the local mermaid legends. On the hunt for a best friend, she creates a foolproof plan to find one. But as she gets snarled up in local gossip, she'll need to choose to stick to that plan or lose herself in the possibilities summer holds.