Summer Reads
Clap when you Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people. In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the Principal's office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.
Separated by distance and Papi's secrets, the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered, and when it seems like they have lost everything, they learn of each other. Papi's death uncovers all the painful truths he kept hidden and the love he divided across an ocean. Now, Camino and Yahaira are both left to grapple with what this new sister means to them and what it will now take to keep their dreams alive.
Jackdaw Summer by David Almond
Every summer Liam and Max roam the wild countryside of Northumberland, but this year things are different. One hot summer's day a jackdaw leads the two boys into an ancient farm house where they find a baby, wrapped in a blanket, with a scribbled note pinned to it: PLESE LOOK AFTER HER RITE. THIS IS A CHILDE OF GOD.
And so begins Jackdaw Summer. A summer when friendships are tested. A summer when lines between good and bad are blurred. A summer that Liam will never forget.
Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks
Pete Boland was busy doing nothing that summer. Long, stiflingly hot, lazy days stretched ahead of him.
Then she called. It was Nicole. 'Listen, Pete. . . you know that funfair, up at the recreation ground...I thought we could all meet up...you know, for old times sake.'
But, where there are old times there are old tensions and as secrets, bitterness and jealousies resurface, five old friends are plunged into the worst night of their lives.
Summer's Dream by Cathy Cassidy
Summer has always dreamed of dancing and when a place at ballet school comes up, she wants it so badly it hurts.
Middle school ends and the holidays begin, but unlike her sisters, Summer has no time for lazy days and sunny beach parties. The audition becomes her obsession and things start spiralling out of control. The more Summer tries to find perfection, the more lost she becomes. Will she realise, with the help of the boy who wants more than friendship, that dreams come in all shapes and sizes?
This is the third book in The Chocolate Box Girls series
Butterfly Summer by Anne Marie Conway
When Becky finds an old photo in a box under her mum's bed, everything she thought she knew comes crashing down. The only place she finds comfort is at the Butterfly Garden, with her new friend Rosa May. But with her wild ways and unpredictable temper, is Rosa May hiding something as well?
In the heat of the sun-drenched summer, it seems that Becky is the only one in the dark.
That Summer by Sarah Dessen
The more things change....
As far as Haven is concerned, there's just too much going on.
Everything is changing, and she is not sure where she fits in. Her father is getting married to the local weather woman. Her sister, Ashley, is engaged to a man who's just...boring. And Haven, at 15, is nearly six feet tall and still growing.
Then Ashley's old boyfriend shows up, sparking memories of the summer when they were all happy and everything was perfect....or was it?
I know what you did last Summer by Lois Duncan
It was only an accident but it would change their lives forever.
Last summer, four terrified friends made a desperate pact to conceal a shocking secret. But now, someone has learned the truth and the horror is starting again. There is an unknown avenger out there who is stalking them in a deadly game. Will he stop at terror, or is he out for revenge?
This summer, four friends are going to learn that some secrets just will not stay buried.
Olivia's Enchanted Summer by Lyn Gardner
School's out for summer!
Olivia and her friends are going to be spending August in Edinburgh, home to the world-famous Fringe Festival. They can't wait to get there, to stay in the beautiful city and soak up the Festival atmosphere, while the Swan Circus performs every day to wild applause and rapturous reviews.
With such passion, such good friendships and the summer stretching out before them, what could possibly go wrong?
The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff
Everyone talks about falling in love like it’s the most miraculous, life-changing thing in the world. Something happens, they say, and you know.
That’s what happened when I met Kit Godden.
I looked into his eyes and I knew.
Only everyone else knew, too. Everyone else felt exactly the same way.
Bringing the Summer by Julia Green
It is the lazy end of summer and Freya is about to start her A Levels. Her brother Joe died a year ago, but she is slowly coming to terms with his death. She is beginning to feel ready for something new - a change. A railway accident brings her by chance into contact with the gorgeous Gabes. Freya is drawn not just to Gabes himself and his blond good looks, but everything about him, including his large, shambolic, warm and loving family, which seems to Freya so different to her own family of three. And then Gabes' clearly troubled older brother makes it clear he is interested in Freya, and Freya has some decisions to make about what she really wants.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
One girl. Two boys. And the summer that changed everything . . .
Every year Isabel spends a perfect summer at her favourite place in the world - the Fisher family's beach house. It has everything a girl could want: a swimming pool, a private stretch of sandy beach... and two (very cute) boys: Unavailable, aloof Conrad - who she's been in love with forever. Friendly, relaxed Jeremiah- the only one who's ever really paid her any attention.
But this year something is different. This year, the boys seem to really notice Isabel for the first time. It's going to be an amazing summer - and one she'll never forget.
Worst Holiday Ever by Charlie Higson
Stan is going on holiday to Italy with his (fifth) best friend, Felix, and a load of strangers.... Stan is absolutely terrified.
Luckily, his mum's given him an emergency list that includes how to survive a shark attack and what to do if he gets kidnapped. Stan thinks that a better list would include how to cope with odd food and what to do if he accidentally calls Felix's mum 'mum' in front of everybody.
And it soon turns out Italy is full of dangers and things that can go wrong. One thing's for certain, Stan's not going to come back the same boy he left. He just hope he comes back at all.
Summertime of the Dead by Gregory Hughes
Yukio's two best friends are dead. Tormented and blackmailed by the Yakuza - the Japanese mafia - they have taken their own lives.
Yukio is a kendo champion and he knows all the stories of the samurai. Heartbroken and furious, he is determined to avenge the deaths of his beloved Hiroshi and Miko.
And so begins a deadly struggle between Yukio and the Yakuza, and between Yukio's capacity for love, and his thirst for revenge.
A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson
When Ellen Carr abandons grey, dreary London to become housekeeper at an experimental school in Austria, she soon knows she's found her calling. Swept into an idyllic world of mountains, music, eccentric teachers and wayward children, Ellen brings order and joy to all around her.
But it's the handsome, mysterious gardener, Marek, who intrigues her. Marek, who has a dangerous secret. As Hitler's troops march across Europe, Ellen finds she has promises to keep, even if it means sacrificing her future happiness.
The Best Holiday Ever by Pete Johnson
Sun, sea, sand ... and not to mention Boys!
This is what Louise and her best friend Katie have in mind when they set off on their first parent-free holiday to Spain.
Their only problem is Annette, a last-minute hanger-on who seems to prefer moaning and tidying to checking out the local clubs and talent.
Rainbow Beauty - Strawberry Summer by Kelly McKain
Abbie's life is one big whirlwind as she juggles the booming business at Rainbow Beauty with her blossoming romance with heart-throb Marco.
This is the second book in the series of Abbie's and her life in the Family Business Beauth Parlour - Rainbow Beauty.
Ondine by Ebony McKenna
One girl, one boy and a spell to be broken.
Ondine de Groot is a normal fifteen-year-old.
She has a pet ferret called Shambles. But Shambles is no ordinary ferret, he's Hamish McPhee, a boy cursed by a witch. A witch who happens to be releated to Ondine. When Shambles turns back into Hamish temporarily, Ondine knows she has to help him break the spell.
Summer of Secrets by Rosie Rushton
Caitlin Morland has always craved excitement but knows she will never find it with her boring family.
When she wins an art scholarship to the famous Mulberry Court College, she is delighted to find herself adopted by the popular Izzy Thorpe and her mates, Summer and Bianca.
Swept up in a flurry of parties and revelations on holiday with Summer's family, Caitlin finds out that even the best things in life can go pear-shaped.
Dork Diaries - Holiday Heartbreak by Rachel Renne Russell
Love and crushes are in the air for Nikki Maxwell in this sixth book of the New York Times best-selling Dork Diaries series.
It is the biggest dance of the year and Nikki Maxwell is hoping her crush, Brandon, wants to be her date. But time is running out.
What if he doesn’t ask her? Or worse…what if he asks Mackenzie?!!
The Summer we turned Green by Willaim Sutcliffe
It’s the summer holidays and 13 year old Luke has just had his life turned upside down. First his older sister, Rose, moved across the road, where a community of climate rebels are protesting the planned airport expansion and now his dad’s gone, too. Dad only went to get Rose back, but he’s out there building totem poles out of old furniture and wearing sandals and drinking mead (whatever that is) with the rest of them.
Luke is determined to save his dad, his sister AND his summer. So how does he find himself at the top of a tree refusing to leave until the bulldozers stand down?
Lying about Last Summer by Sue Wallman
Skye’s sister died last year in a tragic accident, so this summer Skye’s parents think that a camp for troubled teenagers might help her process her grief.
All of the kids at the summer camp have lost someone close, but the last thing Sky wants to do is think about the past.
But when Skye starts receiving text messages from someone pretending to be her dead sister, she knows the past can’t be avoided.
Someone at the camp is making sure of it, but who and how far will they go?
The Dead of Summer by Camilla Way
Seven years ago when she was called Anita, Kyle and Denis were her friends. They hadn’t been at first, perhaps she shouldn’t have pushed it, but Denis, bespectacled in thick NHS frames and Kyle, permanently clad in his anorak – were the only takers.
Let out of their south-London comprehensive they spent the long, sticky summer days smoking cigarettes, messing about in the Thames tunnels waiting for something to happen.
And then something did.
Ask Amy Green - Summer Secrets by Sarah Webb
Everyone's favourite agony aunt is back solving problems for teen girls everywhere.
Teen problem solving supremos Amy and Clover are trapped in family holiday hell, a week in rainy Ireland with a neurotic aunt, nagging mum, crazy step-dad and irritating cousin. The summer seems set for disaster until Clover gets the chance to interview an American movie star for The Goss magazine. And there’s no way she's leaving Amy behind! Look out, US of A-mazing, here they come!
How to Survive Summer Camp by Jacqueline Wilson
When Stella is dumped at summer camp while her mum goes off on a posh honeymoon, things start badly.
In the first few minutes she's mistaken for a boy and put in a room with snobby Louise and nasty Karen. Then she finds out she'll have to take dreaded swimming lessons, the one thing mum promised she wouldn't have to do.
Can things get any worse?
Hank Zipzer the World's Greatest Underachiever by Henry Windler
Summer and school are two words in the English language that Hank Zipzer does not want to learn. But there is no getting out of this one for Hank, Summer School, here he comes!
Will Hank have to spend the summer bored to death inside a sweltering classroom, or will he actually learn a cool lesson or two?
Nicola Raddon - June 2023