Celebrate your freedom this month with a great read that will have you feeling good. Summer days are here, and there is no time like the present to get lost in a good book. Gather up some of our favorites for yourself or your kiddos. We have something for everyone!
Ages 5-8
Niblet & Ralph by Zachariah Ohora
Niblet and Ralph may look a lot alike, but they are very different. Niblet loves noshing on crunchy potato chips and Ralph loves jamming to his favorite records. But both cats have one thing in common: They love being friends and waving to each other from their windows across the courtyard of the apartment building they live in. One day, the cats accidentally end up in each other’s apartments, much to their owners’ confusion. The bold and bright art of this cute story creates a memorable picture book for the whole family to endure.
Tale of a Scaredy Dog by Bea Garcia
Sophie the dog is Bea Garcia’s best friend. They both love peanut butter cookies and hanging out in the backyard. When Bea's teacher makes her visit Bert, the next-door neighbor, for a school assignment, Bea brings Sophie along for extra comfort. When Bert’s pet, Big Kitty, attacks, Sophie jumps out a window and sprints away. Bea goes on a frantic search for her best friend, but Sophie is nowhere to be found. Will Bea's best friend ever come home again?
Ages 9-12
Everything Else in the Universe by Tracy Holczer
Lucy is a practical, orderly person–just like her dad, but when he is sent to Vietnam, Lucy’s life is turned upside down. Lucy and her mother are forced to move to San Jose, California, to be near their relatives, who are known for their superstitions and all around quirky ways. Lucy’s father comes home early, but he is not the same. Through friendship and an eye-opening mission, Lucy helps to heal her broken family.
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
Amal, a young girl growing up in a quiet Pakistani village, dreams of becoming a teacher. Suddenly, her dreams are dashed when she is told she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal doesn't lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens, Amal must work as a servant to pay off her own family's debt. Amal realizes she will have to find a way to work with others if she is ever to achieve her dreams.This compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life will have you glued to the pages.
Ages 13-17
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
On Natasha's last day in New York City, she runs into Daniel, who is on his way to an interview with Yale. Natasha’s family is being deported to Jamaica, and she is desperate to find a way to say in the United States legally. Daniel, a poet at heart, is under great pressure to get into Yale because his parents (who emigrated from South Korea) are adamant that he become a doctor. When Daniel and Natasha finally meet, he falls in love immediately and convinces her to join him for the day. Through their meetings and the narration of the chapters, we see how we are all connected in some way.
Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
Cyra Noavek and Akos Kereseth have grown up in enemy countries locked in a long-standing fight for rule over their shared planet. When Akos and his brother are kidnapped by the ruling Noavek family, Akos is forced to serve Cyra, the dictator’s sister, known for her deadly power of transferring extraordinary pain unto others with simple touch. But as Akos fights for his own survival, he recognizes that Cyra is also fighting for hers. When Akos and Cyra are caught in the middle of a raging rebellion, everything they’ve been led to believe about their world and themselves must be called into question.
Ages 18 and Up
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Newlyweds, Celestial and Roy, are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. While still newlyweds, Roy is arrested and sentenced to 12 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bewildered, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. When he is released early, the couple has to confront what is left of their marriage and decide if it is enough to preserve.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
In Memphis in 1939, 12-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, strangers arrive and throw the siblings into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. The Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty. Fast forward to present day, meet Avery, a young woman who has it all. When she is thrust into caring for her ill father, she discovers her family’s long-hidden history, which propels her on a journey connected to the infamous orphanage.
