2023 Summer Reading Guide: For the Middle (& Early High) Schoolers (Ages 10-16)
June 8, 2023 § 1 Comment
The final installment of this year’s Summer Reading Guide is here, and it’s mostly targeted at middle schoolers, although the last few suggestions will be great for early high schoolers, too. (Before you ask, YES, graphic novels are included here as well!) For those with 10-12 year olds, I highly recommend you also peruse my list for Elementary Readers, with titles for 8-12 years.
All the books below are newly published! But, a reminder that if you missed my Spring Break Reading Round-Up earlier this year—traditional books here and graphic novels here—there are some fabulous middle-school titles on there. For instance, I’ve now had three middle schoolers tell me that What Happened to Rachel Riley? is the best book they’ve EVER read. Dan Santat’s graphic memoir, A First Time for Everything, is a must for summer reading, especially for those getting ready to head off to high school. The graphic novel adaptation of Bomb is perfect for your history buffs. And Simon Sort of Says, if your kiddo can handle some heavier themes (overlaid with lots of humor and beautiful friendships and parental relationships), is likely to garner gazillions of accolades come awards season.
Then there are all the books still on my to-read pile, so you’ll have to stay tuned to Instagram for updates on those. (Including what my high schooler will be reading in the UK for the next few weeks!)
Here we go! Books below are presented from YOUNGEST to OLDEST. Links, as always, support Old Town Books. (View and shop all our Summer Reading Guides—for adults, too!—right here!)
« Read the rest of this entry »2021 Gift Guide: Young Adult Fiction for Ages 13+
December 9, 2021 Comments Off on 2021 Gift Guide: Young Adult Fiction for Ages 13+
All good things must come to an end, so here we are at my final Gift Guide post of the year. I didn’t want to send you into the holidays without some fun, gripping, eye-opening, occasionally heart-wrenching new reads for your teens!
The titles below are truly stand-out works of fiction. But it doesn’t have to stop here! If you’re looking for graphic novels, remember that there are three not-to-be-missed titles for teens at the end of my Graphic Novels Gift Guide post. (And for mercy’s sake, if your teen hasn’t discovered the Heartstopper graphic novel series by now, with the fourth out in a few weeks, please remedy that now.) And, if non-fiction is your teen’s jam, check out Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Shutdown, included in my Middle-Grade Gift Guide post.
Finally, a gentle reminder that with YA increasingly finding readership among adults in addition to teens, it skews older than it used to. The subject matter is getting more mature and, oftentimes, downright heavy. If you have young teens, encourage them not to graduate from middle-grade literature too quickly; there are a rising number of gems being expressly written for the 10-14 crowd, with elevated prose and complex characters (there are at least four favorites in this earlier post, for example). That said, pay close attention to the age ranges listed below for each title, and I’ll be sure to follow each review with any trigger warnings.
« Read the rest of this entry »2020 Gift Guide: Books for Teens (Ages 13-18)
November 25, 2020 Comments Off on 2020 Gift Guide: Books for Teens (Ages 13-18)
Today marks the end of this year’s Gift Guide, with a slew of fantastic, thought-provoking reads for teens. I’ve taken particular care while indicating age ranges for each book, mindful that some of these contain subject matter appropriate for older teens. (If you missed the previous weeks, there are some great younger teen choices here and here as well. You can also find last year’s list for teens here.)
I would also like to welcome my hubby to these pages for the first time! He wrote the review for True and False, a book I purchased for my son after he asked me, “How can our family be sure the news we’re reading isn’t fake?” but which my husband snagged for himself before it was halfway out of the bag.
You’ll hear a bit more from me before 2020 quits us (or we quit it), because in the seven weeks since I began this Gift Guide, I have stumbled upon books I wish had included. Suffice it to say that my Instagram feed won’t be slowing down anytime soon, either. But I do hope this year’s Gift Guide has proven a worthwhile endeavor for you and your loved ones. Books really do make the best gifts (especially if you support your neighborhood bookstore in the process).
Happy Thanksgiving!
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What to Read to Your Kids 