2023 Summer Reads for Older KidsLike this list

54 items

• Alice Austen Lived Here

  Gino, Alex

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  Student Sam is assigned a project to come up with a proposal for a new statue honoring a historical figure. They decide to focus on Alice Austen, a lesbian photographer. They are encouraged by friends and relatives, but must convince their…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Button Box

  Hodder, Bridget

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  After Jewish Ava and her Muslim best friend Nadeem are bullied at school, Ava’s grandmother gives her a mysterious box of buttons that allow them to time travel! The girls travel to Morocco in 800 CD, where they must help Nadeem’s ancestor…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

  Zhao, Xiran Jay

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  12 year old Zack must embark on a fantastical adventure inspired by Chinese history and myth as he tries to steal an ancient artifact and seal a dangerous portal, while learning about his own family legacy.

• The House That Lou Built

  Respicio, Mae

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  Crowded by her big family, Lou’s dream is to build a tiny house on a plot of land inherited from her father. When her plans are threatened, she must enlist all the help she can get to get the house built as quickly as possible.

• The Boundless

  Oppel, Kenneth, 1967-

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  Aboard a gigantic train’s maiden voyage across an alternate-history version of Canada, teenaged Will must save the train from villains with the help of a traveling circus.

• The Barren Grounds

  Robertson, David, 1977-

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  Morgan and Eli meet in a foster home after being forced away their homes and family, the two struggle to find a way to feel connected to their culture and each other. Only when they happen upon a mysterious portal in the attic and are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Clean Getaway

  Stone, Nic

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  Troubled student William (or “Scoob”) takes an impromptu road trip with his grandmother - learning about his grandfather, whom he never met, and the fraught racial history of the American South. But as “G’ma” starts acting more and more…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Vanderbeekers on the Road

  Glaser, Karina Yan

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  The Vanderbeekers go on a long road trip across the USA, making new friends and seeing sights along the way. But big changes are also coming to the family, and the younger siblings are caught between trying to stop the changes and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Dream of Space

  Kelly, Erin Entrada

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  Three siblings struggle in the weeks leading up to the 1986 launch of the Challenger space shuttle. They have little in common except their science teacher, who has assigned them a project about the launch. When the day finally comes, it…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Catherine's War

  Billet, Julia

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  During World War II, budding photographer Rachel must change her name and go into hiding. Despite her circumstances, she is determined to document her experiences as she travels the country, demonstrating the power of art and connection.

• A Rover's Story

  Warga, Jasmine

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  A fictional Mars rover narrates his own journey across the red planet as he gains sentience, meets colleagues, and travels millions of miles across outer space.

• Egg Marks the Spot

  Timberlake, Amy

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  Skunk and Badger, two best friends, embark on a rock-hunting trip that becomes more dangerous than they’d anticipated. Spoiler alert: it involves dinosaurs!

• Dinosaurs

  Fossils and Feathers

  Reed, M. K.

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  This fascinating introduction to dinosaurs and paleontology looks at how our ideas about dinosaurs have changed over time, and what we have yet to discover about these ancient creatures.

• Future Friend

  Baddiel, David

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  A girl from the year 3020 is thrown back in time to 2019, where she meets a new friend (boy inventor Rahul) and must find her way back to the future… while saving the world, of course.

• Front Desk

  Yang, Kelly

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  In the early nineties, Mia Tang’s recently immigrated family runs (and lives in) a California motel. Problems abound, but Mia makes friends everywhere and finds her voice as she helps others and remedies injustices.

• How to Find What You're Not Looking for

  Hiranandani, Veera

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• The Blackbird Girls

  Blankman, Anne

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  Two girls, sworn enemies, are thrown together in the aftermath of the Chernobyl explosion. In time, they learn to trust each other and grapple with their own feelings and biases about each other.

• Orange for the Sunsets

  Athaide, Tina

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  In 1972 Uganda, friends Asha and Yesofu must navigate the changing word around them after Idi Amin expels those of Indian descent from the country. As tensions are heightened, the two struggle to maintain their friendship.

• The Lion of Mars

  Holm, Jennifer L.

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  When a serious illness strikes the adults of his isolated Mars community, 11-year-old Bell must break the settlement’s biggest rule: no contact with foreign countries, ever. Their decision will change the planet forever.

• Stowaway

  Anderson, John David, 1975-

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  In a post-alien-contact future, Leo and his brother are stranded in the middle of space and must stow away on a ship of space pirates. They have no idea where they’re going, but the pirates may be the only hope they have of finding their…Read moreRead more of this annotation