Hi everyone, this week’s booklist is filled with all the wonders of summer and some. The booklist I’ve planned out for you will take you from one side of the world to the other, filled with all the things that tweens enjoy doing in summer. I hope to bring some cheer into your colder season with the warm reads below. Press now to instantly be transported into a summer vacation…
This first read, The Battle of Junk Mountain by Lauren Abbey Greenberg (Running Press Kids, 2018) takes readers to the Maine coast where we meet twelve-year-old Shayne as she visits her grandmother Bea and best friend Poppy. Both Shayne and Bea are collectors of sorts: Shayne loves weaving friendship bracelets with Poppy, while Bea scours yard sales for trinkets to add to the growing pile in her house, jokingly named Junk Mountain. This summer however, everything has changed. Poppy would rather talk about boys than bracelets, and Bea’s collecting mania has morphed into hoarding. Only Linc, the weird Civil War-obsessed kid next door, pays attention to Shayne. What begins as the worst summer of Shayne’s life becomes the most meaningful, as she wages an all-out battle to save her friendship, rescue her grandmother, and protect the memories she loves the most. This lovely story had me wishing to spend my NZ winters here in Thomas Cove, Maine instead!! The description instantly grabbed my attention and kept me captivated. Tackling the problems most old people have of ‘hoarding’ from young Shayne’s unique voice, had me reaching for the tissue box. You can’t help loving the cast of characters in this read!! An amazing and powerful story of growing up and growing old.
I didn’t think I would enjoy Slider by Pete Hautman (Candlewick Press, 2017) at first but it was surprisingly interesting. David can eat an entire 16-inch pepperoni pizza in four minutes and thirty-six seconds, which isn’t bad, but he knows he can do better. In fact, he’ll have to do better. He’s going to compete in the Super Pigorino Bowl pizza-eating contest, and he has to win it because he borrowed his mom’s credit card and accidentally put $2,000 on it. So he really needs that prize money, like, yesterday. He also needs to keep an eye on his little brother, Mal. I ended up liking this as it explained things of extremes; especially on competitive eating!! I liked the family dynamics described in this read. The hilarious dialogue and entertaining storyline kept me turning pages until the end. Pete Hautman has created an entertaining read that is equal parts humour and tenderness, the end result is a tween read quite delicious in its own way!!
Skink Gully by Des Hunt (Torea Press, 2015) will take readers all the way down to Central Otago in New Zealand’s South Island. The searing summer is long and brutal, and yet somehow the sheep and smaller creatures on Stonefield Station have survived. That’s until Garth Fischer arrives, along with his gun and big plan to change things. The three youngsters – Tamsin, the farmer’s daughter, and city-kids Dylan and Nimish – make an important discovery in Skink Gully. A find they must now protect. This is another incredible eco-adventure by Des Hunt!! This read takes us to the Central Otago farming country during a summer visit which leads to a fast-paced adventure to save the unique wildlife that call it home. Your tween will enjoy the three characters of Tamsin, Dylan and Nimish along with Zeb the dog and an assortment of skinks, weta and falcon.Although this read is set in a fictionalized setting, there are places in NZ where visitors can go to observe endangered birds and reptiles as they would have lived all those years ago.
Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2019) will transport readers to a summer set in Cape Cod. The main character Delsie loves a good storm – except when the squalls are in her life. Her summer friend Brandy is back on Cape Cod at last – but devastates her by dumping her for a new friend. Life is difficult without a mom but her loving granny refuses to discuss why Delsie’s mom had left claiming it’s too painful. So when she meets snarky Ronan, supposedly a liar and a thief, Delsie wonders if he’s another storm on the horizon. Turns out he’s caring and courageous – a fisherman’s son who’d rather protect sea life than eat it. As they traipse around the Cape, they uncover deep neighborhood secrets, stand up to cruelty, and get into good and bad trouble. As they open up to each other, they tackle complicated stuff like what it means to be angry vs sad, broken vs whole, and abandoned vs loved. This was quite a compelling read for me. I truly loved the descriptions of the setting of Cape Cod and the relaxed way of life during those summer months. Delsie and Ronan are two peas from the same pod and their supporting cast of characters in the community weave an intricate pattern around them as they navigate the summer together. Award-winning author Lynda Mullaly Hunt delivers another exceptional story in this summer read!!
In A Summer of Sundays by Lindsay Eland (Egmont, 2013) readers will get a mixed bag of a story! Twelve-year-old Sunday Fowler does not enjoy being the middle child. Her sisters say she’s too young. Her brothers say she’s too old. And her parents remember the dog’s name more often than they remember hers. But standing out is hard work when you have to repair an old library and make sure your siblings don’t steal your new best friend – or ruin all your plans. Then Sunday finds something in the library’s basement that might make her so famous no one will forget her name ever again. Technically this is more of a ‘library’ read but as the character is called ‘Summer’ I thought it would be interesting!! You’ve got to love those middle child stories that are filled with sibling drama with a dash of friendship and mystery, and books!! The cast and setting was amazing and I found myself giggling as I read this one!! Celebrating family and finding friendship in unexpected places, readers young and old will love this summer tale!
This next summer read, Coyote Summer by Mimi Thebo (Oxford University Press, 2017) will take readers on a wild adventure to the heart of Kansas. Jules has been sent to her aunt’s place in Kansas while her mother stays in London. She had unfortunately failed her ballet audition and managed to get herself expelled from school. As her punishment, Jules has been sent halfway across the world to stay with people she had never met before. For someone who’s had everything done for her, the farm life turns out to be just what she needed to toughen up. She learns to drive, farm chores and even makes friends in the small Kansas rural community where she’s learning to call home. Those descriptions of the expansive mid-western landscapes and the wildlife there, especially of the coyotes, are mesmerising to say the least. I loved how this ended up being a story not just of a summer in Kansas, but also one of self-discovery and an unlikely friendship between a young girl and a coyote from the prairies of Kansas.
This last story, Manatee Summer by Evan Griffith (Quill Tree Books, 2022) tells a tale of a friendship. Peter and his best friend Tommy, have agreed for their last summer before middle school to finish their Discovery Journal, a catalog of all the amazing animal species they can find around their Florida town. When Peter meets a manatee (Discovery #95), he knows he’s found something special – especially because his grandpa has been telling him enchanting stories about manatees for years. Peter’s summer doesn’t go as planned since his grandpa’s dementia gets worse, the manatee gets injured, and an unwelcome surprise puts his friendship with Tommy at risk. Soon Peter is adrift, navigating a summer of shifting tides and realizing he has much to discover about himself as he does about the world around him. This delightful debut read gives a lovely summer read of friendship and family. I loved how Peter and Tommy’s friendship unfolds and the supporting cast of adults added some well-balanced comic relief!! Griffith has expertly captured the uncertainty that comes with caring deeply for those around you and the natural world – and the courage it takes to face the changes in our lives. A great story for animal lovers too!!
Best quote:
‘Time never actually speeds up or slows down, but sometimes it feels like it speeds up or slows down. Tommy once told me that what’s going on in our brain and our bodies can change how we perceive time.’ – Peter
I hope this booklist warms up your heart and soul as it did mine!!
Stay safe and keep reading
Miss Mahee
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 