08 Jun Tween Summer Booklist
Summer is finally here! Even if school is not in session, summer is still a great time to get into a new book or series if you’re looking for a way to fill your free time. Whether you’re participating in the annual Summer Reading Club, or if you’re looking for your next favorite middle grade read, here is a list of summer-themed titles to keep your tween engaged and reading throughout the season.
When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten
“Twelve-year-old Clara lives on an island that visitors call exotic. But there’s nothing exotic about it to Clara. She loves eating ripe mangos off the ground, running outside in the rain with her Papa during rainy season, and going to her secret hideout with Gaynah–even though lately she’s not acting like a best friend. The only thing out of the ordinary for Clara is that something happened to her memory that made her forget everything that happened last summer after a hurricane hit. But this summer is going to be different for Clara. Everyone is buzzing with excitement over a new girl in the village who is not like other visitors. She is about to make big waves on the island–and give Clara a summer she won’t forget.” – WorldCat
The Game Master: Summer Schooled by Matt & Rebecca Zamolo
“Rebecca Zamolo is on a mission to save her summer. Instead of going to camp like she’d planned, she’s been stuck in summer school. But today is the day! She’s going to present her final science assignment–using her Nana’s borrowed vintage zoetrope–and then she’ll be free to have fun. But as Becca and her classmates wait for her teacher to arrive, a menacing voice comes over the intercom claiming to be the Game Master! The kids quickly discover that the Game Master has locked the doors, scared off the teachers, and made it clear that if Becca and her friends don’t solve the clues that have been left behind, they’ll never get back Becca’s irreplaceable zoetrope, never finish summer school, and never get to enjoy what’s left of their summer vacations. Becca doesn’t know who is behind this, but she won’t let the Game Master win. But will she and her classmates be able to work together to solve the puzzles and escape their school before time runs out? Join YouTube’s favorite mystery solving team as they go toe-to-toe with the Game Master in the first book of this action-packed series from beloved YouTube creators Rebecca Zamolo and Matt Yoakum aka MattySlays, stars of the hugely popular Game Master Network.” – HarperCollins
Float by Laura Martin
“Emerson can float… he just can’t do it very well. His uncontrollable floating is his RISK factor, which means that he deals with Reoccurring Incidents of the Strange Kind. The last place Emerson wants to be is at a government-mandated summer camp for RISK kids like him, so he’s shocked when he actually starts having fun at camp–and he even makes some new friends. But it’s not all canoeing and capture the flag at Camp Outlier. The summer of fun takes a serious turn when Emerson and his friends discover that one of their own is hiding a deadly secret that puts all of their lives in danger. It’s up to the Red Maple boys to save themselves–and everyone like them.” – Amazon
By Kelly Jones
“Fiona may have problems, but she’s no damsel in distress. She’d rather be the one wielding the wand in the story: she wants to be the fairy godperson. So when her mom sends her off to stay with relatives in a place called Cold Hope for the summer, Fiona decides it’s time to start training for the role. And wow, do these people need help! Aunt Becky’s bakery is failing, Great-Uncle Timothy draws but never speaks, and Great-Aunt Alta is the gloomiest, doomiest woman she’s ever met. But helping people in the real world isn’t as easy as it sounds in fairy tales. Change is messy. What if she’s actually making things worse? Still, with practice (and some deep breaths), Fiona will discover that sometimes messy is okay. Sometimes things do get worse before they get better. And sometimes trying to help fix other people’s problems can help you work on your own…” – Amazon
The Summer We Found the Baby by Amy Hest
“On the morning of the dedication of the new children’s library in Belle Beach, Long Island, eleven-year-old Julie Sweet and her six-year-old sister, Martha, find a baby in a basket on the library steps. At the same time, twelve-year-old Bruno Ben-Eli is on his way to the train station to catch the 9:15 train into New York City. He is on an important errand for his brother, who is a soldier overseas in World War II. But when Bruno spies Julie, the same Julie who hasn’t spoken to him for sixteen days, heading away from the library with a baby in her arms, he has to follow her. Holy everything, he thinks. Julie Sweet is a kidnapper. Of course, the truth is much more complicated than the children know in this heartwarming and beautifully textured family story by award-winning author Amy Hest. Told in three distinct voices, each with a different take on events, the novel captures the moments and emotions of a life-changing summer — a summer in which a baby gives a family hope and brings a community together.” – Amazon
Check out these summer themed titles or visit the Children’s Room at Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library for recommendations for your tween reader. Happy reading!
