For many school districts across the country, the end of May marks the end of the 20-21 school year. Yay!
If you look forward to your child selecting books for pleasure reading, books they can enjoy reading on their own time without worrying about tests, discussions, or deadlines; here is a super selection of books for summer reading. There are 10 each of picture, chapter, middle-grade, and young adult books. Fiction stories for all school age readers. This list is the first of three for summer book ideas. The next lists are “Summer Reading 2021: Debut Authors” and “Summer Reading 2021: Nonfiction.” Happy Reading!
1. When My Cousins Come to Town
Angela Shanté | Keisha Morris | West Margin Press | May 4, 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
2. Jayden’s Impossible Garden
Mélina Mangal | Ken Daley | Free Spirit | March 9, 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
3. The Old Boat
Jarrett Pumphrey | Jerome Pumphrey | Norton Young Readers | March 2, 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
4. My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World
Malcolm Mitchell | Michael Robertson | Orchard Books | December 29, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
5. Bunheads
Misty Copeland | Setor Fiadzigbey | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BYR | September 29, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
6. Rocket Says Clean Up!
Nathan Bryon | Dapo Adeola | Random House BYR | September 1, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
7. Me & Mama
Cozbi A. Cabrera | Denene Millner Books/S&S BYR | August 25, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
8. Just Like a Mama
Alice Faye Duncan | Charnelle Pinkney Barlow | Denene Millner/S&S BYR | January 14, 2020 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
9. The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
Ibtihaj Muhammad | Hatem Aly | S. K. Ali | Little, Brown BYR | September 10, 2019 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
10. I Can Write the World
Joshunda Sanders | Charly Palmer | Six Foot Press | July 8, 2019 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
11. Too Small Tola
Atinuke | Onyinye Iwu | Candlewick | March 2, 2021 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
12. Ty’s Travels: All Aboard! (Ty’s Travels Series)
Kelly Starling Lyons | Nina Mata | HarperCollins | September 1, 2020 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
13. Sadiq and the Explorers (Sadiq Series )
Siman Nuurali | Anjan Sarkar | Picture Window Books | August 1, 2020 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
14. How to Test a Friendship (The Magnificent Makers Series)
Theanne Griffith | Reggie Brown | Random House BYR | May 19, 2020 | ChpBk | Amazon | IndieBound
15. The Amazing Life of Azaleah Lane (Azaleah Lane Series)
Nikki Shannon Smith | Mari Lobo | Picture Window Book | Jan 1, 2020 |ChpBk | Amazon | IndieBound
16. The Magic Violin (Ana & Andrew Series)
Christine Platt | Junissa Bianda | Calico Kid | January 1, 2020 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
17. Jada Jones: Dancing Queen (Jada Jones Series)
Kelly Starling Lyons | Nneka Myers | Penguin Workshop | June 25, 2019 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
18. The Quest for Screen Time (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest Series)
Marti Dumas | Marie Muravski | Plum Street Press | June 13, 2015 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop
19. Dog Days (The Carver Chronicles Series)
Karen English | Laura Freeman | Clarion Books | October 14, 2014 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
20. Brand New School, Brave New Ruby (Ruby and the Booker Boys Series)
Derrick Barnes | Vanessa Brantley Newton | Scholastic | July 1, 2008 | ChpBk | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
21. Forever This Summer (Love Like Sky #2)
Leslie C. Youngblood |Little, Brown BYR | July 06, 2021 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
22. Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood
Kwame Mbalia (Editor) | Delacorte Press | August 3, 2021 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
23. Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
Rita Williams-Garcia | Frank Morrison | Quill Tree Books | May 9, 2017 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
24. Miles Morales: Shock Waves (Original Spider-Man Graphic Novel)
Justin A. Reynolds | Pablo Leon | Scholastic Inc | June 1, 2021 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
25. It Doesn’t Take a Genius
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich | Six Foot Press | MG | April 13, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
26. From the Desk of Zoe Washington
Janae Marks | Katherine Tegen Books | January 14, 2020 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
27. Serena Says
Tanita S. Davis | HarperCollins/Tegen Books | November 3, 2020 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
28. The True Definition of Neva Beane
Christine Kendall | Scholastic | September 15, 2020 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
29. What Lane?
Torrey Maldonado | Nancy Paulsen Books | April 14, 2020 | YA | Amazon | IndieBound
30. Turning Point
Paula Chase | Greenwillow Books | September 15, 2020 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
31. Simone Breaks All the Rules (Simone Breaks All the Rules #1)
Debbie Rigaud | Scholastic | June 1, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
32. Love Is a Revolution
Renée Watson | Bloomsbury USA | February 2, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
33. Muted
Tami Charles | Scholastic Press | February 2, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
34. Chlorine Sky
Mahogany L. Browne | Crown BYR | January 12, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
35. Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel
Jason Reynolds | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books | October 13, 2020 | YA | Amazon | IndieBound
36. Every Body Looking
Candice Iloh | Dutton BYR | September 22, 2020 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
37. Punching the Air
Ibi Zoboi | Yusef Salaam |Balzer + Bray | September 1, 2020 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
38. This Is My America
Kim Johnson | Random House BYR | July 28, 2020 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
39. Saving Ruby King: A Novel
Catherine Adel | West Park Row | June 16, 2020 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
40. Not So Pure and Simple
Lamar Giles | HarperTeen | YA | January 21, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
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