Hello all, and happy July!!! (Let us ignore the fact that July has been somewhat less than happy because why oh why is it suddenly so sweltering *weeps*). Also, yes, I’ve found the strikethrough button here on this blog and in true Emma M. Lion fashion, I plan to put it to good use. :DDD Anyway, a happy July to you all and I hope you’ve all been doing well!
A little while ago, I asked y’all if you’d be interesting in seeing a summer reading list for middle-graders! And the majority of y’all said yes!! Summer is a splendid time for reading (and writing!), and there are so many good books out there that are just perfect for the summer, both new releases and old!!!
Even if this reading list has come out a tad late…. *awkward cough* I meant to get this done a few weeks before, but alas, I was a tad delayed. But there still are a few more weeks of summer left, and so if you’re still looking for more books to read during the rest of the summer, then this is the list for you!
Charlotte: *jumps up* Hey, don’t forget about us!!!!!!!
Me: *clears throat* Yes, yes, right. Did I mention the CFC also wanted in on this? XDD So, instead of a summer reading list compiled by just moi, you shall–
Charlotte: WE THE CUTE FLUFFY COMRADES ARE ALSO ADDING OUR BRILLIANT SPECTACULAR, VERY TRUSTWORTHY BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS!!!!!
Me: *winces* Charlotte, my hearing’s just fine, why do you–
Charlotte: EXCITEMENT, ISABELLE, EXCITEMENT!!!!!!!!
Izzy: Hear hear!!! We have some splendid books to add to this list. *nod nod*
Scrabble: Yes indeed. A summer full of reading sounds like the perfect thing!!!!
Right, well, as you can see the CFC and I are both very excited for this!! So, without further ado…
I present to you a list of books to read this summer!!!
1. The Summer of Bad Ideas by Kiera Stewart
Really, can we possibly have a summer reading list without this book?? I read this when I was younger and fell in love with it. This is such a fun, heartwarming middle-grade contemporary full of friendship, adventures, and so much more!!
The blurb reads: In this funny, big-hearted friendship story, perfect for fans of Wendy Mass and Linda Urban, twelve-year-old Edie and her impossibly cool cousin, Rae, set out to complete a mysterious list of “Good Ideas for Summertime” that their eccentric late grandmother wrote back when she was their age. But good ideas? Most of them seem like bad ideas. Reckless. Foolish. Ridiculous. Still, by accomplishing everything on the list, rule-abiding Edie feels certain that she can become the effortlessly brave adventurer she dreams of being, just like her daring cousin and bold grandmother. For this one summer at least, bad ideas are the best shot she has at becoming who she wants to be. Bad Idea Number It’s time for a new set of rules.
It’s so full of heart and humor, and I absolutely love Edie’s character development in this! She is so relatable, with how she struggles with her shyness and dreams of being cool and adventurous, just like Rae, and how she thinks that maybe — just maybe — completing this list of “bad ideas” (dancing in the hurricane!) might help her become the person she wants to be. Also, her siblings Henry and Beatrice are such chaotic people and I love them. XDD (Also Mitchell!!!!! He’s a splendiferous character!!! ^^)
2. Lightning Falls by Amy Wilson
Charlotte: This is a brilliant middle-grade fantasy and I LOVE IT FOREVER. Also the cover is so pretty. And who doesn’t love ogling at pretty covers?? It’s a tale that is full of magic and fantasy and whimsy and friendship and magical artefacts (oh look fancy British spelling) and bridges and cities and ghosts and I love Amy Wilson’s books forever!!!
Ahem, this book is about a girl named Valerie, who’s lived all her life in a Ghost House, believing she is one of those ghosts — more specifically, a Hallowed Ghost, someone who died on Halloween and is sort of trapped between the world of the living and the dead. Her ghost family is oh-so fun, and I love Meg so much!!!! But then one day, she sees a boy at the top of the viaduct. A boy named Joe who tells her that both he and she are from another world, a magical city across the viaduct, a city that is in danger…
It is brilliant!!! And the world is just so so full of whimsy and wonder, and Isabelle also did an interview with Amy Wilson last year!!
3. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
I must confess that I was not a huge fan of Tae Keller’s latest book, but I do still absolutely love and adore her book, When You Trap a Tiger! It is one that makes me sob every time I read it and is filled with so much love and heart and truth. <3 (And it also has a magical tiger!!!) And it also won the 2021 Newbery Medal!!
The blurb reads: Some stories refuse to stay bottled up… When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal–return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni’s health–Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice…and the courage to face a tiger.
The characters are just oh so raw and life-like, and all of Lily’s fears and struggles resonated so much with me!!! The writing is beautiful too, and the way that Tae Keller manages to weave this story is so very powerful, and I love also how it doesn’t shy away from hard questions while still focusing on hope and light!!! A splendiferous summer read! (But also a good book to read any time!)
Charlotte: THIS BOOK MADE ME SOB IT’S SO SAAAAAAD.
Me: Charlotte, this isn’t your section!!!
Charlotte: *blows nose* I careth not. It’s amazing. And brilliant. And sad. But also amazing. And brilliant. And our copy is kind of falling apart from how much we’ve read it but oh well. *hugs the book*
Izzy: Indeed it is a wonderful story!!!!!!!!! *dabs at eyes with a handkerchief*
Charlotte: *grabs handkerchief and blows nose into it*
Izzy: *sighs*
4. Secrets at Sparhawk Point by Anna Rose Johnson
Does it count to include a book that isn’t released yet…? Well, it’s going to be released soon, this summer, anyway so I’m including it. XD I’m currently reading an ARC of this book, and it is an absolutely wonderful story so far!!!!
The blurb reads: To draw tourists to their declining coastal town, a group of children claim to have seen a mythic creature from Ojibwe legend, the storm-monster Mishipeshu. But when their plan backfires, they’ll need to convince everyone the beast is only make-believe. But… what if it isn’t?
1943. Sparhawk Point, Michigan may be a small town, but it’s home. For the Swedish Ahlstrom girls, it’s the only place they’ve ever known—a place they may have to leave if their father’s church can’t find more parishioners. The Ojibwe Robicheaux boys are struggling, too: their father is off at war, and a lack of tourists means no income from their two rental cottages. These kids can’t bear the thought of leaving… so they’ll have to make new residents come to them, and fast.
After spotting an unknown object in the water, they find their solution. Drawing on inspiration from Ojibwe stories of the mysterious Mishipeshu—the riser of storms on Lake Superior—the children spread stories of their very own “American Loch Ness monster” to bring curious visitors to their shores. But their plan works too well! People become afraid to visit. To save their families, they’ll need to convince everyone that the creature isn’t real… even if that may prove to be their biggest lie yet.
It is a wonderfully written summer adventure, and Anne Rose Johnson really manages to weave everything together seamlessly and also really immerse you right into the hearts of the characters!!! Alas, I’ve been a bit slow on reading this book (*cough* Edelweiss kicking me out of my account all the time *cough*) but I cannot wait for its release!!!!!
Charlotte: *shouts with a megaphone* ANNA ROSE JOHNSON HAS A NEW BOOK OUT SOON SOUND THE TRUMPETS!!!!!!!!!!
Me: Charlotte, you haven’t even read her previous books!!
Charlotte: No but I have read a part of this one and have, from what I’ve read, deemed her to be a fantabulous author. *nod nod* *waddles into the streets with her megaphone* GRAB YOUR COPIES ON AUGUST 25 FOLKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5. Jinx by Sage Blackwood
Izzy: *harrumphs* It’s high time I got around to sharing my recommendations. Ahem. The book I recommend for middle-grade readers this summer is the one and only Jinx by Sage Blackwood. It is a marvelous fantasy, full of queer creatures in a place called the Urwald and fantastic worldbuilding, and a boy named Jinx, a girl named Elfwyn, and a boy named Reven who we hate forever.
As, like Isabelle, I am very, very bad at summarizing books, here is the blurb: In the Urwald, you don’t step off the path. Trolls, werewolves, and butter-churn riding witches lurk amid the clawing branches, eager to swoop up the unwary. Jinx has always feared leaving the path—then he meets the wizard Simon Magus.
Jinx knows that wizards are evil. But Simon’s kitchen is cozy, and he seems cranky rather than wicked. Staying with him appears to be Jinx’s safest, and perhaps only, option. As Jinx’s curiosity about magic grows, he learns to listen to the trees as closely as he does to Simon’s unusual visitors. The more Jinx discovers, the more determined he becomes to explore beyond the security of well-trod paths. But in the Urwald, a little healthy fear is never out of place, for magic—and magicians—can be as dangerous as the forest, and soon Jinx must decide which is the greater threat.
Sage Blackwood introduces a daring new hero for an innovative new world as Jinx is joined by friends, battles enemies, and discovers life beyond—and even within—the forest is more complex than he can imagine, and that the Urwald itself needs him more than he could ever guess.
This is a VERY VERY VERY good fantasy read for middle-graders!!!!!! It has cranky wizards and witches and humor while still being an utterly epic read. Also, it has cryptic prophecies/foreshadowings.
Charlotte: It is probably my favorite fantasy series EVER. Isabelle, you NEED to buy a copy!!!!!!!!
Me: I swear I will, but my To Be Bought books list is kinda long right now!!!!
Charlotte: You NEED to buy a copy for us, Isabelle. You NEED to.
6. Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery
Scrabble: Oh my. *clears throat* Ehm, hello once again blog readers. Let’s forget about that time I fainted when I was introduced to you, shall we? A splendid book I think is perfect for both spring and summer is Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery. It’s a classic, and it’s a classic for good reason!!! Delightful descrptions of nature, relatable characters, and ludicrous adventures (falling off a roof, dying your hair green).
The blurb reads: This heartwarming story has beckoned generations of readers into the special world of Green Gables, an old-fashioned farm outside a town called Avonlea. Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan, has arrived in this verdant corner of Prince Edward Island only to discover that the Cuthberts—elderly Matthew and his stern sister, Marilla—want to adopt a boy, not a feisty redheaded girl. But before they can send her back, Anne—who simply must have more scope for her imagination and a real home—wins them over completely. A much-loved classic that explores all the vulnerability, expectations, and dreams of a child growing up, Anne of Green Gables is also a wonderful portrait of a time, a place, a family… and, most of all, love.
I love, love, love this book and it is so perfect for summer!!!!!!!
7. Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F Steadman
The blurb reads: Soar into a breathtaking world of heroes and unicorns as you’ve never seen them before in this fantastical middle grade debut perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson and Eragon series!
Skandar Smith has always yearned to leave the Mainland and escape to the secretive Island, where wild unicorns roam free. He’s spent years studying for his Hatchery exam, the annual test that selects a handful of Mainlander thirteen-year-olds to train to become unicorn riders. But on the day of Skandar’s exam, things go horribly wrong, and his hopes are shattered…until a mysterious figure knocks on his door at midnight, bearing a message: the Island is in peril and Skandar must answer its call.
Skandar is thrust into a world of epic sky battles, dangerous clashes with wild unicorns, and rumors of a shadowy villain amassing a unicorn army. And the closer Skandar grows to his newfound friends and community of riders, the harder it becomes to keep his secrets—especially when he discovers their lives may all be in graver danger than he ever imagined.
I first picked up a copy of this book while I was in Thailand, and this book is one of my favorites of all time!!!!! The worldbuilding has so much history and lore and I love how fast-paced and thrilling the action is while still being full of humor and heart!!! This book has some of the most brilliant plot twists ever, and it is a fantastic epic fantasy book for readers!!!
Charlotte: This. Is. AN AMAZING BOOK. It kept me up till four a.m reading it. It’s amazing. I love it. It’s brilliant. AND THE WORLD AND LORE AND THE ELEMENTS AND SPIRIT–
Izzy: *clamps hand over Charlotte’s mouth* SPOILERS, CHARLOTTE, SPOILERS!!!!!!
Charlotte: Oop.
Scrabble: I have never really read this book before, actually. It looks thrilling.
Charlotte: IT IS. IT IS WONDERFUL. I think the last pages of our copy had to be sticky-taped back into the book…..
Me: We have indeed read this book a lot. XD
8. Honey Butter by Millie Florence
Honey Butter. How can we possibly have a summer middle-grade reading list without the one and only Honey Butter? This novel is very short, but in such a small number of pages, Millie Florence really weaves together a story that is so sweet and so full of heart and will make you shed a tear or two by the end.
The blurb reads: Everlasting Blue, Slam Dunk Orange Dragon Fruit Pink…
Seven-year-old Jamie Johnson is obsessed with collecting paint cards. In fact, it’s the only thing that can distract her from fighting with her older sister, during the long, boring summer. Until, that is, a mysterious girl moves in next door. Laren Lark is almost thirteen, a homeschooler, and a passionate poet.
Despite their differences, the two girls quickly become friends and Jamie begins to think that the summer doesn’t have to be so boring. After all, Laren says that adventure can be found anywhere—it’s all about where you look.
This is the perfect read for summer, I think. Laren and Jamie’s friendship is so heartwarming and they really bring out the best in each other, I think. I greatly appreciated how Millie Florence portrays being seven years old so realistically, and it is just so full of goodness, humor, and whimsy!!!!! You can check out my full review of it here: https://springfallschronicle.com/honey-butter-by-millie-florence-a-sweet-middle-grade-book/
9. Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li
The blurb reads: It’s the summer after seventh grade, and Ruby Chu is feeling more lost than ever.
Her best friends aren’t speaking to her. She ended the year in detention. Her sister’s about to leave for college. Ruby’s still grieving her grandfather, Ye-Ye, when it seems like no one else is. And without Ye-Ye and his annual scavenger hunts across their hometown of San Francisco, their hometown doesn’t really feel like home anymore.
Things get worse when Ruby’s forced to spend the summer with her distant grandmother, Nai-Nai, in Chinatown. But the looming shutdown of a beloved former scavenger hunt stop, May’s Bakery, and a secret about Nai-Nai threaten to change everything. Though Ruby feels out of place, maybe this summer of forming unexpected friendships and fighting to save the bakery will help Ruby reconnect with the world — and discover what it means to find home again.
I remember reading this book last summer and absolutely loving it. This book is so sweet and sad and full of friendship and love, and I may or may not have shed a wee tear or two while reading. Its themes of grief and family are so well-woven together. This story is very much one with so much depth, and I related so very much to Ruby’s character!!! (Also, the way it includes scenes from the past, when Ruby and her Ye Ye go on scavenger hunts, is splendiferous!) Overall, this is a fantastic book that many middle-graders shall enjoy!!! You may want to bring a tissue along though.
10. The Peach Thief by Linda Joan Smith
The blurb reads: This shimmering middle-grade debut set in 1850s Lancashire, England, explores longing, belonging, and the courage it takes to find your place—and bloom.
The night that workhouse orphan Scilla Brown dares to climb the Earl of Havermore’s garden wall, she wants only to steal a peach—the best thing she’s ever tasted in her hard, hungry life. But when she’s caught by the earl’s head gardener and mistaken for a boy, she grabs on to something more: a temporary job scrubbing flowerpots. If she can just keep up her deception, she’ll have a soft bed and food beyond her wildest dreams . . . maybe even peaches. She soon falls in with Phin, a garden apprentice who sneaks her into the steamy, fruit-filled greenhouses, calls her “Brownie,” and makes her skin prickle. At the same time, the gruff head gardener himself is teaching lowly Scilla to make things grow, and she’s cultivating hope with every seed she plants. But as the seasons unfurl, her loyalties become divided, and her secret grows harder to keep. How far will she go to have a home at last? Beautifully crafted with classic middle-grade themes of fate and ambition, identity and personal responsibility, this stunning debut features brisk pacing, crackling dialogue, and deep insight into what makes a garden thrive—and a heart and mind flourish.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this middle-grade historical fiction last year, and I have to say that it is a delightful read!!!!!! (It may or may not have inspired me to start gardening last year…) I loved Scilla’s character and how she grows through the novel, and I especially love the earl’s garden!! The ending is so sweet, and this is a book that made me laugh, cry, and smile all while I was reading it!!! It moved me to so many emotions, and it’s just a brilliant book for middle-graders!!! I reviewed this novel earlier on my blog which you can check out here! (Although, I must confess that going back through the archives of my blog, I have such an urge to rewrite all these reviews because I feel like my writing style is just so very different now….)
But yes, this is a splendiferous book that is definitely perfect for the summer!!! (And is also a great read for any fellow gardeners out there!)
11. Emily of New Moon by L.M Montgomery
Scrabble: I’m a bit of a Montgomery fan, you see… Well, Emily of New Moon is a simply brilliant book for young readers over the summer!!! Dear Emily and the way she sees the world and everything she writes and “the flash”… It is such a lovely, cozy read!!!!! It is much like Anne of Green Gables, but much more New Moon-ish. *nod nod*
The blurb reads: Emily Starr never knew what it was to be lonely—until her beloved father died. Now Emily’s an orphan, and her mother’s snobbish relatives are taking her to live with them at New Moon Farm. She’s sure she won’t be happy. Emily deals with stiff, stern Aunt Elizabeth and her malicious classmates by holding her head high and using her quick wit. Things begin to change when she makes friends: with Teddy, who does marvelous drawings; with Perry, who’s sailed all over the world with his father yet has never been to school; and above all, with Ilse, a tomboy with a blazing temper. Amazingly, Emily finds New Moon beautiful and fascinating. With new friends and adventures, Emily might someday think of herself as Emily of New Moon.
This book may have made me want to write a great deal of poetry… At any wrate, it’s wonderful!!!!!!!!
Charlotte: Scrabble, I think it’s spelled “rate”.
Scrabble: What? No. Of course not. Wraith. Write. Wripple.
Charlotte: No, no, that’s ripple not wripple. And it’s rate not wrate.
Scrabble: *glares* And I’m assuming you’re going to say write is “rite”? No. No, it is not, Charlotte.
Charlotte: Well, that depends of which word you want to us–
Me: Okayyyyy let’s just save this for somewhere else. *clears throat awkwardly and attempt to herd them away*
12. The Song of the Summer King by Jess E. Owen
*stares at the title*
*attempts to restrain myself from yelling at you all and begging you to read this book*
(even though it is one of the best fantasy series ever)
I love love love LOVE these books!!!!!! I must confess that The Song of the Summer King is not entirely middle-grade, but it is one that older middle-grade readers and teens and adults of any age will absolutely love!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is full of so much lore, and I absolutely love all of the gryfons and wolves and other creatures in the series!!!! It has so much action and yet at its core it is still so full of heart and love and friendship and I just… AAH I love these books!!!!! The world is so rich, all of the characters so unique and alive, and there truly are no words that can describe how much I adore these books. It may just be one of my favorite books I’ve read this whole year.
The blurb reads: The first book in the award-winning Summer King Chronicles.
As the last of his kind in a gryfon pride ruled by the conquering Red Kings, Shard has always known his destiny is merely to survive. He must strive to keep up with larger, stronger, crueler gryfons in order to earn his place as a warrior, or face exile. While on the dangerous initiation hunt that will either make or ruin him, Shard desperately takes the unexpected advice of a strange she-wolf who seeks him out, and hints that Shard’s past is not all that it seems.
Drawn to learn more, Shard risks the future he wants by making allies of creatures most gryfons call enemies, and learning ancient skills forbidden by the conquering kings. Secrets of his family, the Conquering, and perhaps even his own destiny begin to reveal themselves.
When the gryfon king declares open war on the wolves Shard has befriended, it throws his past and uncertain future into the turmoil between. Now with battle lines drawn, Shard must decide whether to fight beside his own king . . . or against him.
It is just so amazing and incredible, and I will undoubtedly have to do a full review of this series later this summer. But all in all, it is full of action and heart and SO MUCH LORE (and also friendship and also the dragons and the unique worldbuilding) and one that fantasy lovers will absolutely love, I think!!! I’d definitely recommend it for fans of Sophie Torro and Erin Hunter.
13. Beyond Mulberry Glen by Millie Florence
The blurb reads: A captivating tale filled with heartwarming characters and an undertone of hope for readers of all ages.
Eleven-year-old Lydia Green doesn’t want anything to change. She lives happily in Mulberry Glen with her mismatched family of a fairy guardian, a philosopher, and twin troublemakers known as the Zs. But now, rumors swirl about The Darkness, a powerful force that dwells in the forest Tenebrae.
Lydia knows The Darkness is nothing to be trifled with, but when a foolish choice by the Zs puts her family in danger, she must leave home and face the strange magical world of The Valleylands.
Among the shifting library shelves and new friends of her quest, Lydia uncovers more questions than answers, and the Darkness begins to creep into her mind. If she wants to save her family, she will have to be braver than ever before.
Izzy: Ahem, one could argue that Beyond Mulberry Glen is more of an autumn read than a summer read, but I don’t care. It is a good book. It is going on this list. It is a whimsical fantasy adventure, about a girl named Lydia Green, and it is so very cozy and heartwarming!!!! Isabelle and I dearly wish that we had a physical copy of this book, but alas, it is not in China. Sigh. Regardless, we listened to the audiobook (very good narrator by the way. *nod nod* We are most picky about our narrators, but we like this one very much) and it’s full of hope and adventure and friendship, and it is just amazing.
14. The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
The blurb reads: Twelve-year-old Addie admires her older sister Meryl, who aspires to rid the kingdom of Bamarre of gryphons, specters, and ogres. Addie, on the other hand, is fearful even of spiders and depends on Meryl for courage and protection. Waving her sword Bloodbiter, the older girl declaims in the garden from the heroic epic of Drualt to a thrilled audience of Addie, their governess, and the young sorcerer Rhys.
But when Meryl falls ill with the dreaded Gray Death, Addie must gather her courage and set off alone on a quest to find the cure and save her beloved sister. Addie takes the seven-league boots and magic spyglass left to her by her mother and the enchanted tablecloth and cloak given to her by Rhys. She prevails in encounters with tricky specters (spiders too) and outwits a wickedly personable dragon in adventures touched with romance and a bittersweet ending.
Charlotte: Ooh this is a wonderful book that I shall love forever and ever. It has ADVENTURES!!! DRAGONS!!! DARING HEROINES!!!!! SEVEN LEAGUE BOOTS!!!! A PLAGUE THAT SHALL DESTROY THE LAND!!!! Actually, well, no maybe not destroy the land but tis a terrible plague regardless. I love this book and all of Gail Carson Levine’s books (she is one of my favorite authors, as well as Isabelle’s) and I adore Levine’s writing style!!! It is full of hope and courage and sisterly love, and I love the poetry scattered throughout!!!!!!
And there you have it, folks!!! A summer reading list full of fantastic books for your, well, summer!! ^^ A thank you to the CFC for their splendiferous recommendations, and I hope that y’all have found some good books to add to your TBR! :))
Do let me know down in the comments if you’ve read any of the books here or if there are any books you’d add to this list! I love hearing from y’all!
Till next time and wishing you a fantastic summer ahead!
-Isabelle
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