Summer Reading List
Reading can be one of the many fun activities children choose to fill their summer time. Research has shown it is also much more! Children who participate in public library summer reading programs make achievement leaps during the summer and score higher on fall reading achievement tests. The books on this list come highly recommended by kid readers from all over the country and may also be available in eBook, audio book, braille, and large print formats. This summer, take your child to participate in the summer programs happening at your library.
Any Day with You
by Mae Respicio
WENDY LAMB BOOKS, 2020
ISBN: 9780525707578
Kaia enters a filmmaking contest, drawing inspiration from the many Filipino tales her greatgrandfather tells. When Tatang decides to return to the Philippines, Kaia will do whatever it takes to keep him in California.
Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch
By Julie Abe
LITTLE, BROWN, 2020
ISBN: 9780316493888
Eva has only a pinch of magic, which makes passing the test to become a novice witch difficult. When she lands in a small coastal town, she sets up a magical repair shop to prove her worth.
The How and Wow of the Human Body: From Your Tongue to Your Toes and All the Guts in Between
by Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz, illustrated by Jack Teagle
HMH BOOKS, 2021
ISBN: 9780358306634
A fully illustrated comical tour of the human body focusing on disgusting, incredible, and hilarious facts about our very own, ever-oozing piece of machinery.
Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero
by Kelly J. Baptist
CROWN, 2020
ISBN: 9780593121368
Now the man of the house, a boy finds passion in poetry after discovering his late father’s journal while struggling to hold his house together.
The Last Bear
by Hannah Gold
HARPERCOLLINS, 2021
ISBN: 9780063041073
April’s father has always told her that there are no more polar bears left on Bear Island. When April sees something that looks like a polar bear across the horizon, she is determined to save it.
Pepper Page Saves the Universe!
by Landry Q. Walker, illustrated by Eric Jones
FIRST SECOND, 2021
ISBN: 9781250216922
Twenty-fifth-century Pepper Page is obsessed with old comics, but when a high-school science experiment goes wrong and Pepper lands in the middle of a cosmic adventure of her own, Pepper’s reading may not be enough to save her.
Shaking Up the House
by Yamile Saied Méndez
HARPERCOLLINS, 2021
ISBN: 9780062970725
Two sets of First Daughters shake up the White House with hysterical pranks on each other that escalate into an international affair!
Skunk and Badger
by Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Jon Klassen
ALGONQUIN, 2020
ISBN: 9781643750057
No one wants a skunk as a roommate, but Badger doesn’t have a choice. His quiet, solitary life is turned upside down by cheery Skunk in this odd-couple tale of friendship.
A Sporting Chance: How Ludwig Guttmann Created the Paralympic Games
by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Allan Drummond
HMH BOOKS, 2020
ISBN: 9781328580795
Jewish neurologist Ludwig Guttmann, who escaped Hitler’s Germany, had a revolutionary idea—sports might help patients labeled as “incurables.” Discover how his work evolved into the international Paralympic Games in this biography that includes photos and other illustrations.
Stella Díaz Dreams Big
by Angela Dominguez
ROARING BROOK, 2021
ISBN: 9781250763082
Stella learns how to navigate fourth grade, participate in several clubs, and have fun with her family and friends. Third book in a series.
Super Detectives: Simon and Chester Book #1
by Cale Atkinson
TUNDRA, 2021
ISBN: 9780735267428
A hilarious first volume in a new graphic novel series centered around ghost Simon and human Chester solving the case of a mysterious dog who shows up in their house one day.
Three Keys: A Front Desk Novel
by Kelly Yang
SCHOLASTIC, 2020
ISBN: 9781338591385
The sequel to Front Desk finds Mia, now part owner of a motel, working to keep the motel afloat while facing anti-immigration sentiment and helping her best friend Lupe when her father is detained as an illegal immigrant.
The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez
by Adrianna Cuevas
FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX, 2020
ISBN: 9780374313609
Nestor wants to keep his ability to talk to animals a secret, but that’s a challenge when animals go missing in Nestor’s new town and rumors fly about a creature who lives in the forest.
Truman the Dog
by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Melanie Demmer
PICTURE WINDOW, 2020
ISBN: 9781515844754
First in the My Furry Foster Family series of illustrated chapter books about eight-year-old Kaita, whose family fosters pets until they can find new homes for the animals.
When You Trap a Tiger
by Tae Keller
RANDOM HOUSE, 2020
ISBN: 9781524715700
Lily makes a deal with a magical tiger in an attempt to heal her sick halmoni in this tale celebrating Korean folklore, strong women, and the power of the imagination.
The Year I Flew Away
by Marie Arnold
VERSIFY, 2021
ISBN: 9780358272755
When 10-year-old Gabrielle moves from Haiti to Brooklyn, she finds that America isn’t quite what she expected. With the help of a magical friend, Marie transforms into the perfect American girl but makes sacrifices in the process.
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www.ala.org/alsc
The 2021 Summer Reading Book List was created by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). Titles on this list were selected by members of ALSC’s Quicklists Consulting Committee.