Looking for the best summer reading list for tweens? Then look no further as we’ve got you covered with all of 2023’s new graphic novels and chapter books for tweens that that boys and girls will want to read this summer!
This book list gives you the best books for kids releasing this summer and you don’t want to miss them. They offer some amazing options for summer reading so check them out.
As part of their summer reading, my tween readers always love participating in the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program, and now we are giving tweens a new opportunity to join the We Read Tween Books Summer Reading Challenge.
Join the 2023 Summer Reading Challenge!
This summer we’re giving tween readers an added incentive to read by giving you a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card!
Download our Summer Reading BINGO card and Summer Reading Challenge handout in the sign-up form below.
Earn BINGO (you only need to complete one row or column!) and then write 5 mini book reviews of any books you read this summer. Email the completed forms to us by September 1, 2023 and you are entered to win!*
Don’t forget that you can also participate in our annual 2023 Reading Challenge too!
*Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Affiliates program so if you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
2023 Summer Reading List of New Tween Books:
Barely Floating
by Lilliam Rivera
Natalia De La Cruz Rivera y Santiago, also known as Nat, was swimming neighborhood kids out of their money at the local Inglewood pool when her life changed.
The LA Mermaids performed, emerging out of the water with matching sequined swimsuits, and it was then that synchronized swimming stole her heart.
The problem? Her activist mom and professor dad think it’s a sport with too much emphasis on looks–on being thin and white.
Nat grew up the youngest in a house full of boys, so she knows how to fight for what she wants, often using her anger to fuel her.
People often underestimate her swimming skills when they see her stomach rolls, but she knows better than to worry about what people think.
Still, she feels more like a submarine than a mermaid, but she wonders if she might be both.
Rewind
by Lisa Graft
As far as twelve-year-old McKinley O’Dair is concerned, the best thing about living in Gap Bend, Pennsylvania, is the Time Hop—the giant party the town throws every June to celebrate a single year in history.
That one day is enough to make the few things that aren’t so fantastic about McKinley’s life—like her crabby homeroom teacher or her super-scheduled father—worth suffering through.
And when McKinley learns that this year’s theme is 1993, she can’t wait to enter the Time Hop fashion show with a killer ’90s outfit she’s designed and sewn all on her own.
But when the Time Hop rolls around, nothing goes as planned. In fact, it’s the biggest disaster of McKinley’s life.
Before she knows what’s hit her, McKinley somehow finds herself in the real 1993—and it’s not all kitschy parachute pants and Jurassic Park.
All McKinley wants is to return to the present, but before she can, she’s going to have to make a big change—but which change is the right one?
This humorous and heartfelt novel about destiny and self-discovery shines a poignant light on the way life could play out—if a person is given a chance to rewind.
Grace Needs Space
by Benjamin A. Wilgus and Rii Abrego
Grace is so excited to fly a freighter from her home space station (and away from her BORING mother Evelyn) to a faraway moon!
Plus, she’ll get some quality time with her FUN mom Kendra—something Grace definitely needs. Finally, a real adventure that Grace can get excited about while the rest of her space station friends go away for their summer vacations.
But when Kendra is too focused on work, Grace’s first big trip suddenly becomes kind of lonely. Grace had so many plans for fun.
But all it takes is one quick decision to explore the moon by herself before Grace’s adventure suddenly becomes not so out of this world at all.
With her mom mad at her, Grace wants nothing more than to return home. Then their ship breaks down. Will Grace be able to get through to her mom and save their trip in the end?
The Firefly Summer
by Morgan Matson
For as long as Ryanna Stuart can remember, her summers have been spent with her father and his new wife. Just the three of them, structured, planned, and quiet.
But this summer is different. This summer, she’s received a letter from her grandparents—grandparents neither she nor her dad have spoken to since her mom’s death—inviting her to stay with them at an old summer camp in the Poconos.
Ryanna accepts. She wants to learn about her mom. She wants to uncover the mystery of why her father hasn’t spoken to her grandparents all these years.
She’s even looking forward to a quiet summer by the lake. But what she finds are relatives…so many relatives!
Aunts and uncles and cousins upon cousins—a motley, rambunctious crew of kids and eccentric, unconventional adults.
People who have memories of her mom from when she was Ryanna’s age, clues to her past like a treasure map. Ryanna even finds an actual, real-life treasure map!
Over the course of one unforgettable summer—filled with s’mores and swimming, adventure and fun, and even a decades-old mystery to solve—Ryanna discovers a whole new side of herself and that, sometimes, the last place you expected to be is the place where you really belong.
The Sun and the Star
by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
As the son of Hades, Nico di Angelo has been through so much, from the premature deaths of his mother and sister, to being outed against his will, to losing his friend Jason during the trials of Apollo.
But there is a ray of sunshine in his life–literally: his boyfriend, Will Solace, the son of Apollo.
Together the two demigods can overcome any obstacle or foe. At least, that’s been the case so far.
Now Nico is being plagued by a voice calling out to him from Tartarus, the lowest part of the Underworld.
He thinks he knows who it is: a reformed Titan named Bob whom Percy and Annabeth had to leave behind when they escaped Hades’s realm.
Nico’s dreams and Rachel Dare’s latest prophecy leave little doubt in Nico’s mind that Bob is in some kind of trouble.
Nico has to go on this quest, whether Mr. D and Chiron like it or not. And of course Will insists on coming with.
But can a being made of light survive in the darkest part of the world? and what does the prophecy mean that Nico will have to “leave something of equal value behind?”
Nico will have to face demons both internal and external as his relationship with Will is tested to the core in this standalone adventure featuring two of the most popular characters in the Percy Jackson saga.
Related: Percy Jackson Books in Order
Camp Sylvania
by Julie Murphy
Magnolia “Maggie” Hagen is determined to be in the spotlight . . . if she can just get over her stage fright.
This summer, though, she has big plans to finally attend Camp Rising Star, the famous performing arts camp she’s been dying to go to for three whole summers.
But on the last day of school, her parents break the news: Maggie isn’t going to Camp Rising Star.
She’s being shipped off to fat camp—and not just any fat camp. She’s going to Camp Sylvania, run by world-famous wellness influencer Sylvia Sylvania, who is known for her soon-to-be-patented Scarlet Diet.
When Maggie arrives at camp, things are . . . weird. There are the humiliating weigh-ins and grueling workouts, as expected. But the campers are also encouraged to donate blood—at their age!
The cafeteria serves only red foods and the oddly specific rules change every day. There are even rumors of a camp ghost.
Despite these horrors, Maggie makes friends and starts to actually enjoy herself. There are even tryouts for a camp production of The Music Man!
This place might not be so bad . . . until campers start going missing and other suspicious things begin happening—especially after dark. The camp ghost might be the least scary thing about this place.
The First Magnificent Summer
by R.L. Toalson
Twelve-year-old Victoria Reeves is all set for her “First Magnificent Summer with Dad,” even though it’s been more than two years since she last saw him.
She’s ready to impress him with her wit, her maturity, and her smarts—at least until he shows up for the long road trip to Ohio with his new family, The Replacements, in tow.
But that’s not the only unpleasant surprise in store for Victoria. There are some smaller disappointments, like being forced to eat bologna even though it’s her least favorite food in the world.
And then there’s having to sleep outside in a tent while The Replacements rest comfortably inside the family RV.
But the worst thing Victoria grapples with is when she begins to suspect that part of the reason Dad always treats her as “less than” is for one simple reason: she’s female.
As Victoria captures every moment of her less than magnificent summer in her journal, she discovers that the odds are stacked against her in the contest-no-one-knows-is-a-contest: Not only does her wit begin to crumble around Dad’s multiple shaming jabs, but she gets her first period.
And when Dad does the worst thing yet, she realizes she has a decision to make: will she let a man define her?
The One and Only Ruby
by Katherine Applegate
Ruby’s story picks up a few months after the events of The One and Only Bob. Now living in a wildlife sanctuary, Ruby’s caretaker from the elephant orphanage in Africa where she grew up is visiting.
Seeing him again brings back a flood of memories both happy and sad of her life before the circus, and she recounts the time she spent in the African savannah to Ivan and Bob.
Skandar and the Phantom Rider
by A.F. Steadman
Skandar Smith has achieved his dream: to train as a unicorn rider. But as Skandar and his friends enter their second year at the Eyrie, a new threat arises.
Immortal wild unicorns are somehow being killed, a prophecy warns of terrible danger, and elemental destruction begins to ravage the Island.
Meanwhile, Skandar’s sister, Kenna, longs to join him, and Skandar is determined to help her, no matter what.
As the storm gathers, can Skandar find the key to stop the Island tearing itself apart before it’s too late for them all?
Related: Skandar Series Books in Order
Picture Day
by Sarah Sax
Seventh-grader Viv never looks forward to picture day. It’s just another day where she wears a boring braid and no one notices her. (Her two best friends, Milo and Al, don’t count, of course.)
But enough is enough. This year, she’s taking matters into her own hands. Literally. Viv grabs a pair of scissors, her phone for live-streaming, and, well, bye-bye braid.
Suddenly Viv is an over-night influencer at Brinkley Middle School. Everyone wants her help planning their next big moment—from haircuts, to dance proposals, activist rallies and mathlete championships.
She hardly even has time for her friends anymore. It’s exactly how she dreamed of reinventing herself…right?
Miles Morales Suspended
by Jason Reynolds
Illustrated by Zeke Pena
Miles Morales is still just your average teenager. He has unexpectedly become totally obsessed with poetry and can never seem to do much more than babble around his crush.
Nothing too weird. Oh! Except, just yesterday, he used his spidey superpowers to save the world (no biggie) from an evil mastermind called The Warden. And the grand prize Miles gets for that is…
Suspension.
But what begins as a long boring day of in-school suspension is interrupted by a little bzzz in his mind.
His spidey-sense is telling him there’s something not quite right here, and soon he finds himself in a fierce battle with an insidious…termite?!
His unexpected foe is hiding a secret, one that could lead to the destruction of the world’s history—especially Black and Brown history—and only Miles can stop him.
Yeah, just a typical day in the life of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Sweet and Bitter Rivals
by Jessica Burkhart
Abby St. Clair can’t wait to start another season with her elite riding team at her boarding school. She has something to prove after literally falling on her face during the biggest competition of the year the previous season.
And she could really use a win after her mom left her family, her dad remarried, and Abby’s new stepsister, Emery, proved to be a strong rider and stiff competition.
Abby wants to return to some semblance of normal but is hiding a secret: she accidentally cost her biggest rival, Selly, a chance at team captain.
Then Abby begins to receive anonymous messages, threatening to expose her unwitting sabotage and a video that makes it look like she’s trash-talking Emery.
With an important competition on the horizon and the knowledge that someone in her circle knows way too much about her, the pressure is on.
Abby tries to put on blinders and have the perfect meet with her horse, Beau, but she’s about to find out the hard way that secrets don’t make friends at Saddlehill Academy.
Ellie Engle Saves Herself
by Leah Johnson
Ellie Engle doesn’t stand out. Not at home, where she’s alone with her pet fish since her dad moved away and her mom has to work around the clock.
Not at the bakery, where she helps out old Mr. Walker on the weekends. And definitely not at school, where her best friend Abby—the coolest, boldest, most talented girl in the world—drags Ellie along on her never-ending quest to “make her mark.”
To someone else, a life in the shadows might seem boring, or lonely. But not to Ellie. As long as she has Abby by her side and a comic book in her hand, she’s quite content. Too bad life didn’t bother checking in with Ellie.
Because when a freak earthquake hits her small town, Ellie wakes up with the power to bring anything back to life with just her touch.
And when a video of her using her powers suddenly goes viral, Ellie’s life goes somewhere she never imagined—or wanted: straight into the spotlight.
Surviving middle school is hard enough. Surviving middle school when paparazzi are camped out on your front lawn and an international pop singer wants you to use your powers on live tv and you might be in love with your best friend but she doesn’t know it? Absolutely impossible.
Bawk-ness Monster
by Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter
Penny swears that when she was a little girl, a creature called the Bawk-ness Monster—half sea serpent, half chicken—saved her from drowning.
Now, years later, she’s about to move away to a new city, and before she goes, she needs the help of her best friends, Luc and K, for a vitally important mission: seeing “Bessie” one more time.
But in their quest to find Bessie and give Penny the send-off she deserves, the kids stumble into a whole new problem—cryptids are being kidnapped by an evil collector, and only Penny, Luc, and K can save them!
Worst Broommate Ever
by Wanda Coven
Illustrated by Anna Abramskaya
It’s goodbye, Brewster Elementary and hello, Broomsfield Academy when Heidi starts middle school at the only school in the country that has secret classes for witches in training!
Heidi is excited but nervous about living on her own and making new friends (and new crushes)! Her first day takes a turn for the worse when Heidi discovers her roommate is none other than her old rival, Melanie Maplethorpe!
Melanie is also less than thrilled, and the two find themselves engaged in an epic prank war. But when magic enters the mix, will the reluctant roommates go too far?
Puppy Love
by Gary Soto
Thirteen-year-old Jordan Mendoza has a huge crush on his classmate, Sierra, but he’s never going to win her affections if he stays a C student and keeps embarrassing himself on the basketball court.
And it doesn’t help that his best friend, Antonio, likes to tease him about it all a little too much.
But when Jordan dives into the waters of a dangerous irrigation canal to save a drowning puppy, he’s suddenly got even more on his mind than kissing Sierra and making the starting team.
Can he nurse the abandoned puppy back to health (and will his parents let him keep her)? Who threw her into the canal—and is it possible that there are more puppies needing rescue?
And why are the cops suddenly at Jordan’s door, looking for him?
There’s something for every reader in this story’s mix of humor, sports, themes of thrilling independence, subtle strands of magical realism, and timely social commentary, all held together by a sweet and satisfying emotional core.
Mirnerva Keen’s Detective Club
by James Patterson and Keir Graff
Living in the luxurious Arcanum building—with its interior balconies perfect for playing tag, an elevator like an iron birdcage, and quirky neighbors behind every apartment door—has always been fun and games for twelve-year-old Minerva Keen…until her neighbors start getting poisoned.
Anyone could be next, and everyone is a suspect, including Minerva herself.
To clear her name and help the police crack the case, Minerva starts her own detective club.
So what if it has only two other members, one being Minerva’s accident-prone daredevil brother and the other being the biggest and quietest kid in school, who happens to be afraid of his own shadow?
Minerva knows that with her brainpower, the club’s sleuthing skills, and case files full of suspects, they can unmask the poisoner…hopefully before it’s too late.
Greenwild
by Pari Thomson
Eleven-year-old Daisy Thistledown is on the run. Her mother has been keeping big, glittering secrets, and now she has vanished.
Daisy knows it’s up to her to find Ma—but someone is hunting her across London. Someone determined to stop her from discovering the truth.
So when Daisy flees to safety through a mysterious hidden doorway, she can barely believe her eyes—she has stepped out of the city and into another world.
This is the Greenwild. Bursting with magic and full of amazing natural wonders, it seems too astonishing to be true. But not only is this land of green magic real, it holds the key to finding Daisy’s mother.
And someone wants to destroy it.
Daisy must band together with a botanical genius, a boy who can talk with animals, and a cat with an attitude to uncover the truth about who she really is.
Only then can she channel the power that will change her whole world . . . and save the Greenwild itself.
The Umbrella Maker’s Son
by Katrina Leno
Oscar Buckle lives in a city where it’s always raining. And when it isn’t raining, it’s about to rain, so the townspeople have learned to embrace it.
Oscar’s father is an umbrella maker—appropriate for a place where you can’t leave home without one!—but while Buckle Umbrellas are strong, reliable, and high quality, they’re expensive.
Because of this, people are buying from the competitor instead, which is threatening Oscar’s family’s business.
To make ends meet, Oscar is forced to quit school and work in his father’s shop as an apprentice.
But when extraordinary events start to occur in their rainy town, Oscar becomes suspicious of their competitor.
Desperate to save his town, Oscar must enlist the help of his best friend, Saige, to discover if there’s more than nature involved in their city’s weather.
North of Supernova
by Lindsey Leavitt
Stella North (Virgo) has waited her whole life for a coveted birthday party invite that will guarantee a friend-filled summer in Washington.
Forget summer, this opportunity could change her universe. Maybe in this universe, she’ll have less anxiety about big things, like the growing absence of her addict mom, and small things, like what everyone else is thinking or what she’s wearing or or or… breathe.
But those perfect summer plans implode when her Dad returns with a surprise from his business trip: his new fiancée, Whitney.
Even worse, Stella and her brother have to spend the next couple of weeks in Whitney’s Las Vegas home pretending like these absolute strangers are her family.
At least her potential stepsister feels the same way about ruining their parents’ wedding. Together, the girls set out to discover (and ultimately change) the future through astrology, crystals, and even Magic 8 Balls.
Yet nothing can predict the surprising friends, new maybe-more-than friends, and ghosts from the past that Stella encounters on her quest to find calm in a galaxy beyond control.
Ginny Off the Map
by Caroline Hickey
There are two things Ginny Pierce loves most in the world: geography facts and her father. But when her dad is deployed overseas and Ginny’s family must move to yet another town, not even her facts can keep her afloat.
The geography camp she’s been anxiously awaiting gets canceled, and her new neighbors prefer her basketball-star sister.
Worst of all, her dad is in a war zone and impossible to get ahold of.
Ginny decides that running her own camp for the kids on her street will solve all her problems. But can she convince them (and herself) that there’s more to her than just facts?
With a fierce heart and steadfast determination, Ginny tackles the challenges and rewards of staying true to herself during a season of growth.
This thoughtful novel explores the strength that develops through adversity; Ginny must learn to trust her inner compass as she navigates the world around her.
Buzzing
by Samuel Sattin
Illustrated by Rye Hickman
Isaac Itkin can’t get away from his thoughts.
As a lonely twelve-year-old kid with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), everything from studying to looking in the mirror becomes a battle between him and a swarm of unhelpful thoughts.
The strict therapy his mother insists on doesn’t seem to be working, but when a group of friends invites him to join their after-school role-playing game, the thoughts feel a little less loud, and the world feels a little brighter.
But Isaac’s therapist says that exposure to games can have negative effects on kids with OCD, and when his grades slip, his helicopter mother won’t let him play anymore.
Now Isaac needs to find a way to prove to himself, to his mother, and to the world that the way to quiet the noise in his head may have been inside him all along.
The Problem With Prophecies
by Scott Reintgen
Most people inherit eye colors or heirlooms, but for Celia Cleary, the gift of prophecy has been passed down in her family for generations. And on the 4,444th day of her life, Celia will have her first vision.
But nothing could have prepared her for what she sees—the quiet boy down the street, Jeffrey Johnson, is about to die.
Determined to save him despite her grandmother’s warnings against it, Celia alters events to stop her vision from playing out.
But for each prophecy she avoids, another one takes its place, putting Jeffrey in constant danger. Fate has made its choice, and it’s not giving up the hunt.
Focusing on homework or friends isn’t easy when you’re going head-to-head with death—and keeping Jeffrey Johnson alive is throwing Celia’s seventh grade year into chaos.
It doesn’t help that she’s getting to know Jeffrey more and more with each new rescue attempt. It really doesn’t help when she realizes she kind of likes him.
Will Celia’s gifts be enough to thwart fate? Or are some things in life inevitable?
Harper and the Raptor Rescue
by Kizzi Roberts
Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin
Dead mice. Meat-eating birds. This isn’t the summer camp Harper expected.
Harper wants to be at Critter Camp more than anything but she didn’t expect so many of the critters to be birds.
Birds would be fine if she wasn’t terrified of them — especially the meat-eating ones. She’s determined to make friends and face her fears, until she comes face-to-face with one tiny owl.
Who knew something so small could cause such big problems?
Experience the fun and adventure of summer camp in this STEM-themed chapter book series!
Pack Your Bags, Maggie Diaz
by Nina Moreno
Illustrated by Courtney Lovett and Asia Simone
Spring semester is here and Maggie is killing it! Her grades are up, she’s loving outdoor track and field, and being a seventh grader means the awesome spring break trip to St. Augustine is almost here.
She can’t wait for her first overnight trip away from her overprotective parents, lovesick sister, and busybody abuela.
Nothing will get in the way of Maggie having the best time ever with her two best friends, Zoey and Julian!
But all of Maggie’s plans for their unforgettable trip start to fall apart as everyone gets carried away with the upcoming dance instead.
Even Julian has a crush—throwing their group dynamic into turmoil when he asks the new girl to be his date.
Zoey’s so stressed with school that her straight A streak is in trouble . . . and why can’t Maggie stop thinking about Eerie Eddie?
The three best friends have been inseparable for years, but everything is changing as everyone splits into twos leaving Maggie unsure of where—and with who—she still fits.
Surprisingly Sarah
by Terri Libenson
Secrets. Surprises. MIDDLE SCHOOL.
Sarah and Leo have been BFFs since they were little. They share everything… until Sarah starts crushing on Leo’s friend Ben. Then one day Sarah is suddenly faced with a big choice — ask Ben to the school dance!
OR— chicken out.
Either way, Sarah and Leo’s friendship will be put to the test. Which one would you choose?
Related: Emmie and Friends Series Books in Order
The Last Fallen Realm
by Graci Kim
Riley Oh wasn’t born into her family. Instead, as she recently discovered, she tumbled down to the earth many years ago as the last fallen star.
Riley Oh also wasn’t born to be a witch. Like, at all—even her status as a divine celestial being comes with zilch in the magical powers department. And Riley Oh definitely wasn’t born to be a leader.
But now the entire magical community thinks she and her soul-twin, Dahl, are meant to lead the world into the Age of the Final Eclipse (or whatever it is that the Haetae keeps saying they’re “destined” to do). Greeeat.
But ever since Riley killed the Cave Bear Goddess, she’s been a bit pre-occupied with one thing: waiting for the goddess’s sisters to get their revenge.
And it looks like her wait is finally over—because as witches from around the world prepare for war, it seems as though the goddesses are preparing for something much worse.
Something that will lure Riley and her friends deep into the realm of the gods. Into a world of humongous, talking moon bunnies; life-or-death mini-golf competitions; and…magical gummy candies?
And in order to save the world, Riley must do the one thing she was born to do: believe in herself.
Big Nate: Next Step Superstardom
by Lincoln Peirce
Big Nate and his friends in the 6th-grade supergroup “Fear The Mollusk” are destined for stardom!
That is, if they can do something about the screechy, ear-splitting vocals of their lead singer, Nate Wright.
Being frontman has always been central to Nate’s identity, but he might have to swallow his ego if he wants his friends to shine on stage.
In “The Curse of the Applewhites,” Nate helps his friend Chad break an ancient family hex through the fine art of figureskating.
And in “The Ghostly Coven of Man Witches,” Nate, Dee Dee, Teddy, Francis, and Gina explore the haunted hallways of P.S. 38 to get to uncover a sinister mystery—and postpone a pesky test.
The Jules Verne Prophecy
by Larry Schwarz and Iva-Marie Palmer
Owen Godfrey is spending his summer in Paris studying science fiction writer Jules Verne, the brilliant mind behind Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days.
When Owen and his new friends find what appears to be a dusty copy of Verne’s collected works in an old bookshop, they’re intrigued by the hidden codes written inside.
As one clue leads to another, the trio gets swept up in an epic treasure hunt spanning the city—from the depths of the catacombs to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and by way of skateboard, boat, car, and even a hot air balloon!
But they quickly realize they’re not the only ones searching for the hidden riches, and that there are others who will stop at nothing to get to them first.
This fast-paced larger-than-life adventure is filled with action, high stakes, and three friends who are dead set on cracking the Jules Verne mystery.
A Season Most Unfair
by J. Anderson Coats
Scholastica, or “Tick,” has grown up helping her father make candles in his shop. The experience has its ups and downs—while constantly smelling like tallow makes it hard for Tick to keep friends, stray cats love her.
Still, she delights in the work and the fact that she can help Papa. Every summer, they use the long daylight hours to make as many candles as possible to sell at the Stourbridge Fair, the highlight of their year.
And this year Tick is finally going to be allowed to make the special Agnus Dei charms that keep travelers safe.
Because she’s a girl, Tick can never be a true apprentice in the trade, but if she gets to do the job anyway, does it matter what she’s called?
But one morning she finds a boy sitting at her workbench. Papa has taken on an apprentice and now Tick is forbidden from helping with the candle-making.
Tick isn’t about to stand for this unfairness. She’s going prove to Papa that she deserves to be his apprentice, even if it means sneaking away to the Fair…
The Braid Girls
by Sherri Winston
Maggie’s world is turned upside down when she learns that her father, whom she admires, has a second daughter, Callie, whom no one knew existed.
But she won’t let a new family member get in the way of her summer plans with best friend Daija. They’re determined to make tons of money braiding hair for kids around the neighborhood.
Daija’s always felt like she had a sister in Maggie. So she can’t let new half-sister Callie take her place! And she can’t let her interfere with their new Braid Girls business, either.
She needs the money to pay for extra ballet lessons so she can go en pointe and earn a spot in the fall dance showcase, making her distant father proud at last—if she pulls this off, he’ll have to pay attention to her.
Callie’s still grieving her late mom. Now she’s leaving her old home in the Bahamas behind, including her old school and friends to move in with the father she’s never met, plus his family.
When she hears of Maggie’s and Daija’s business, she sees a chance to prove her skills and a way to be accepted.
With three very different girls on board, the Braid Girls arrive to a summer camp full of kids with locs begging to be braided.
Business is booming, until rival Angela shows up with her friends and starts a new braiding business—the Sistahs Who Braid.
With competition heating up, the Braid Girls are sure to have an unforgettable summer.
Half Moon Summer
by Elaine Vickers
Drew was never much of a runner. Until his dad’s unexpected diagnosis.
Mia has nothing better to do. Until she realizes entering Half Moon Bay’s half-marathon could solve her family’s housing problems.
And just like that they decide to spend their entire summer training to run 13.1 miles.
Drew and Mia have very different reasons for running, but these two twelve year olds have one crucial thing in common (besides sharing a birthday): Hope. For the future. For their families. And for each other.
Fall of the School of Good and Evil
by Soman Chainani
Two brothers. One Good. One Evil.
In exchange for power and immortality, they watch over the Endless Woods and rule the School for Good and Evil.
Yet all School Masters must face a test. Theirs is loyalty.
But what happens when loyalty is corrupted? When the bonds of blood are broken?
Who will survive? Who will die? And what will become of the school and its students?
Fire and Fate
by Serena Valentino
Ruler of the Underworld is not the title Hades would have chosen for himself, but when he and his brothers made a deal to split the world in three, Hades drew the short straw. And a deal is a deal.
But eternity proves a long time to be shoved into a role he never wanted, and with each passing day of being treated as a villain, he grows more vengeful.
When he discovers he wasn’t invited to the celebration of his nephew Hercules’ birth, Hades reaches his limit.
So he does what he does best: Hades cuts a new deal. But when you’re a god, making a deal with the Odd Sisters has the potential to rewrite more stories than just your own . . .
Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Taking the Blame
by Louie Stowell
Norse god Loki records the highs and lows of living on Earth as an eleven-year-old in grumbles, snarks, and doodles in his enchanted diary.
He might not have shown any moral improvement (yet), but Odin has given Loki another chance to prove himself worthy of Asgard.
Earning everyone’s trust isn’t easy, however. So far, Loki has managed to make only one human friend, Valerie, but is now irritated to learn that Valerie has made another friend, Georgina.
Then, at Thor’s birthday party (a pointless mortal ritual, though luckily there is cake), the magical hammer Mjolnir is stolen—and everyone suspects Loki!
Can Loki find Thor’s hammer, discover who the real thief is, and clear his name—or will his jealousy over Valerie’s new friend cloud his judgment?
From dangerous Frost Giants to disappointing parent-teacher conferences, Loki’s riotously funny illustrated adventures continue.
Code Red
by Joy MCullough
Ever since a career-ending injury, former elite gymnast Eden has been feeling lost.
To add insult to actual injury, her mom has been invited to present at her middle school’s career day, which would be fine except Mom’s company produces period products like pads and tampons.
Having the whole school hear about it is total humiliation. And when Eden gets into a fight with a boy who won’t stop mocking her for it, she and her classmate Maribel both end up getting suspended.
Mom’s corporate executive job means she doesn’t have time to look after Eden while she’s suspended, so Eden is sent to volunteer at the food bank Maribel’s mom runs.
There, she meets new friends who open her eyes to period poverty, the struggle that low-income people with periods have trying to afford menstrual products.
Eden even meets a boy who gets periods. Witnessing how people fight for fair treatment inspires Eden to join the advocacy work.
But sewing pads to donate and pushing for free access to period products puts Eden at odds with her mom.
Even so, Eden’s determined to hold onto the one thing that’s ignited her passion and drive since gymnastics. Can she stand her ground and make a real difference?
The Love Report
by Beka & Maya
BFFs Grace and Lola talk about everything related to romance—and have lots of questions: What about the mysterious allure of the popular girl at school? And the rebellious goth with the reputation? And boys.
They don’t quite understand what makes some school romances soar to legendary heights, while other flirtations fizzle.
Lola has an idea—they’ll observe, study, and analyze all the couples at their Junior High—and compile their findings as The Love Report.
Surprises await them, and force them to learn to see beyond appearances in this fast-paced series opener. They’ll also discover secrets between themselves.
Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures
by Jason Pamment
Fitting in can be hard, especially when you’re as small as Ember, a tiny boy living alone in a city of giants.
But Ember’s luck changes when he meets Lua, a kindly sea turtle, who escorts him across the ocean to a school for little creatures on a wondrous island.
Here, Ember learns that first days can be hard, too—especially when they involve bizarre, fantastical cave-dwellers, ferocious storms, and classmates that, from the very start, aren’t at all interested in making friends.
As he struggles to adapt to this new world, Ember finds himself at the heart of an otherworldly mystery, facing a strange monster from the deep that threatens everything he holds dear.
On the surface, Ember’s classmates may seem of little help, but any good student of nature knows appearances can be deceiving—and friendship can come from the most unexpected of places.
An Alien Stole My Planet
by Pooja Puri
Before you start reading, there are a few things you should know:
1. I, Esha Verma, am a genius inventor extraordinaire.
2. I like lists.
3. I did not mean to open up an inter-galactic portal. Some things just can’t be helped.
Esha Verma, her snotty apprentice Broccoli and his secretly cunning pet tortoise are on their third adventure – this time it’s an inter-galactic mission through outer-space to stop an alien from stealing their planet!
When Esha invents the Inviz-Whiz, a device designed to make the user invisible, she does not expect it to open a portal to outer space – and things go from bad to worse when Esha, Broccoli, Archibald and Broccoli’s annoying cousin Bean are immediately abducted by Goospa, an alien with an evil plan!
With the help of a surly alien called Nix, Esha and the gang must race across the galaxy, navigate a Lava Marsh, fight vicious Ice Bats – and stop Bean getting into too much trouble! – to stop Goospa’s plan before it’s too late!
Conjure Island
by Eden Royce
If you ask Delphinia Baker, she’d tell you she has all the family she needs.
Sure, her mom passed away when she was young, her dad is often away on deployment, but even though Del has never had anyone she can call her people, she has always had her grandmother—and that’s enough. Besides, having no roots just makes it that much easier when you have to move again.
All of that changes, though, when Gramma falls ill and Del is sent to stay with her great-grandmother.
Del has never even heard of Nana Rose, and she has no interest in spending the summer on an unbearably hot island off the South Carolina coast.
And when Nana Rose starts talking about the school she runs dedicated to their family’s traditions—something called “conjure magic”—Del knows she’s in for a weird, awkward summer.
That is, until the magic turns out to be real.
Soon, Del is surrounded by teachers who call themselves witches, kids with strange abilities, creatures and ghosts who can speak to her.
She has a hundred questions, but one more than any other: Why didn’t Gramma ever tell her about her family, the island, this magic?
As Del sets out to find her place in a world she never knew existed, she also discovers a shadowy presence on the island—and comes to believe that it all might be connected.
Don’t Forget: Join the 2023 Summer Reading Challenge!
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Any tween reader is eligible to enter. One entry per tween reader. There will be one winner randomly selected and notified by email. You must be on our email list to win. All completed entries must be received via email by 9/1/23. Winner will be announced in our newsletter in September.
Related Book Lists:
- 2023 New Chapter Books for Tweens
- 2023 New Graphic Novels for Tweens
- Fall 2023 New Chapter Books & Graphic Novels for Tweens
- Best Books for Tween Girls
- Best Books for Tween Boys
- 2023 Reading Challenge for Kids
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