Help your kids grow their Summer Quest reading minutes with these great books. Don’t forget to have them log their minutes on a Summer Quest reading log! They’ll be able to use their minutes to vote for an animal donation to Heifer International.
Picture Books
- Beach Battle Blowout by Chris Grabenstein — Welcome to the Wonderland Motel–the funnest place on earth! Contestants, start your engines! The race to be the best on the beach is on, and this year the Wonderland is FINALLY going to win! The competition is fierce!
- Because of the Rabbit by Cynthia Lord — “Anything is possible with rabbits,” Emma muses presciently as she and her game warden father rescue a distressed rabbit that she’s allowed to keep. But it’s the bunny that rescues Emma, who’s beginning fifth grade at a Maine public school after being homeschooled.
- Bummer in the Summer! by Dan Gutman — School’s almost out for the summer, and A.J. is dreaming about all the fun things he’s going to do on vacation. But A.J.’s dream quickly turns into a nightmare when three familiar spirits appear to show him summers past, present, and yet to come. Will they be able to convince him to leave his bad ways behind? Or will this summer end up being a total bummer?
- Camp by Kayla Miller (Graphic Novel) — Olive is sure she’ll have the best time at summer camp with her friend Willow – but while Olive makes quick friends with the other campers, Willow struggles to form connections and latches on to the only person she knows – Olive. It’s s’more than Olive can handle!
- Destination: Moon by Seymour Simon — In this exciting account of the famous 1969 Moon landing, award-winning science writer Seymour Simon tells the story of the Space Race between the US and the Soviet Union; recalls how families across the world sat captivated in front of their TVs to witness humankind’s first steps beyond Earth; and explains much of the science and technology that got our astronauts to the Moon on that remarkable day.
- Dog Man 6: Brawl of the Wild by Dav Pilkey (Graphic Novel) — Dog Man and the Supa Buddies are a paw-erful force against evil, but has Petey, the World’s Most Evil Cat, finally outsmarted them? Petey has created another confounding contraption and is determined to destroy Dog Man once and for all.
- Katt vs. Dogg by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein — For their whole lives, Oscar and Molly have been told that katts and dogs hate each other. One day, they each get hopelessly lost in the woods, but those lifelong prejudices flare up when they cross paths. Slowly, they realize that the only way to survive and find their way home is to…work together?!
- Bad Kitty: Kitten Trouble by Nick Bruel — When a nearby cat shelter is destroyed, Bad Kitty’s family decides to foster some of the displaced kittens.
- Lion Down by Stuart Gibbs — For once, operations at the enormous zoo/theme park appear to be running and Teddy Fitzroy is finally able to give detective work a rest. But then a local lion is accused of killing a famous dog — but it looks like the lion might have been framed, and a renegade animal activist wants Teddy to help prove it.
- Path of a Warrior by Erin Hunter — Discover untold stories about three dedicated warriors: a ThunderClan warrior who dared to stand in the way of the ambitious cat who would become Tigerstar; a ShadowClan deputy who made the difficult decision to step down for the good of her Clan; and the brave warrior who was the first leader to lose her ninth life.
- The Friendship War by Andrew Clements — Grace loves collecting interesting things, so when she visits an old mill with her grandfather, she becomes the proud owner of boxes and boxes of vintage buttons. The buttons are a hit at school, and a button craze is born. Grace likes the fad, especially since it leads to a new friend, but it also causes a feud with her best friend. Grace must deal with button fever and fix her friendship.
- Toby’s Story by Bruce W. Cameron — Toby is a beagle who doesn’t seem to have a purpose. While all of his littermates are adopted right away, Toby is left behind because he’s not as energetic as they are. But because he is so quiet, he is adopted by a girl named Mona and her mother, who works at a nursing home. As Toby comforts the residents of the home, he discovers that his purpose may be the most important of all!
- What Is NASA? by Sarah Fabiny — Author Sarah Fabiny describes the origins of NASA, the launching of the Apollo program that landed the first human on the moon, and the many missions and discoveries that have taken place since then.
- Who Was Neil Armstrong? By Roberta Edwards — On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon and, to an audience of over 450 million people, proclaimed his step a “giant leap for mankind.” This Eagle Scout built his own model planes as a little boy and then grew up to be a test pilot for experimental aircraft before becoming an astronaut. Over 80 black-and-white illustrations bring Armstrong’s story to life.
Juvenile Fiction
- A Piglet Named Mercy by Kate DiCamillo — Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson live ordinary lives. Sometimes their lives feel a bit too ordinary. Sometimes they wish something different would happen. And one day it does, when someone unpredictable finds her way to their front door. In a delightful origin story for the star of the Mercy Watson series, a tiny piglet brings love (and chaos) to Deckawoo Drive — and the Watsons’ lives will never be the same.
- Croc & Turtle: The Bestest Friends Ever! by Mike Wohnoutka — Croc and Turtle might not be the strongest or the fastest, but they’re definitely the best at something even more important. Introducing an utterly charming new duo, this humorous and heartwarming adventure will delight readers of all ages.
- Hello, Summer! by Shelley Rotner — In a simple but lyrical text, Rotner documents iconic warm-weather activities as well as changes to plants, animals, and weather that occur during a temperate summer.
- Hey, Water! by Antoinette Portis — Splash! A spunky little girl plays a spirited game of hide-and-seek with water, in this gorgeously illustrated nonfiction picture book.
- How Do You Do? by Larissa Theule — All Water Buffalo and Crane can think about is how hot it is, day after day, until Goat arrives, dancing and leading them on an adventure.
- How to Catch a Bear Who Loves to Read by Andrew Katz & Juliana Léveillé-trudel — Julia dreams of meeting a bear, a bear she could play with and hug. But no bear has ever shown its snout. One day, inspired by a book she’s reading, Julia brings honey (the perfect bear snack) into the woods. But to her great surprise, it’s not just sweet smells that can attract a bear!
- Hush, Little Bunny by David Ezra Stein — A father rabbit offers messages of nurturing protection and comfort to his baby.
- Pete the Cat Checks Out the Library by James Dean — It’s Pete the Cat’s first time at the library. He gets a fun tour of library and even reads a few super cool stories while he’s there. Without even leaving the library, Pete goes on so many groovy adventures. All Pete needs is a little imagination–and of course, his library card!
- Sheep Dog and Sheep Sheep by Eric Barclay —
An oblivious sheep wants to be the best sheep protector around, but unbeknownst to her, Sheep is being steadfastly guarded by a patient sheep dog. - The Cars and Trucks Book by Todd Parr — In a fun collection of silly images, Todd explores all of the ways vehicles have an impact on our daily lives, while weaving in messages about positivity, the environment, and safety. Readers will laugh along with the whole four-wheeled gang!
- The Happy Book by Andy Rash — Camper is happy as a clam and Clam is a happy camper. When you live in The Happy Book, the world is full of daisies and sunshine and friendship cakes . . . until your best friend eats the whole cake and doesn’t save you one bite.
- There Was an Old Astronaut Who Swallowed the Moon! by Lucille Colandro — Scholastic’s bestselling OLD LADY returns in this adventure series with a nonfiction twist that will make you laugh AND learn! In this spin-off, the OLD LADY turns into an OLD ASTRONAUT who travels through space, swallowing a moon… along with a star, a planet, a comet, a meteor, a rocket, and a satellite… Why? Well, it went down just right, that bright satellite!
— recommended by Kathleen L., Collection Management Librarian
