July 3, 2024 Comments Off on 2024 Summer Reading Guide: Tweens & Young Teens (Ages 10-16)
I may have made you wait for the final installment of this year’s Summer Reading Guide far longer than I had planned (apologies!), but at least I made sure it delivered. Today’s roundup includes a fantastically diverse list of new releases that span upper middle grade (ages 10-14) to young YA (ages 12+), making it the perfect resource for those getting ready to embark on middle school, those already well into it, and those on their way out. (Not that high schoolers won’t like the YA recs—they will—just that with YA encompassing such a broad range of ages and topics these days, I’m finding it increasingly helpful to curate some that aren’t quite as heavy or risque.)
If you’ve got teens who are ready for more mature content, I won’t have time to do a separate post, but I’ll list a few here that we chose for our Teen Summer Reading Guide at Old Town Books and that I enjoyed. These are all categorized by the publisher for 14 and up, which means they include more graphic language, violence, or heavier themes. That said, I’ve been comfortable letting my thirteen-year-old daughter read them, and they’ve been big hits. They are Holly Jackson’s The Reappearance of Rachel Price (same author as the perennial 12+ favorite, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, though heavier on the violence); Monica Hesse’s The Brightwood Code (gripping historical fiction about a telephone operator back from the frontlines of WW1, though heads up about an attempted sexual assault); Jas Hammonds’ Thirsty (a “cautionary tale”—my daughter’s words—about a girl who descends into alcoholism after rushing a sorority); and two edgy, dark, unique graphic novels: The Worst Ronin and The Deep Dark.
And now for the Main Event! The books below are presented in order of target ages, with the 12+ picks towards the second half.
The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II
by Candace Fleming
Ages 9-14
I’ve never a booklist with a nonfiction title, but then again, I’m not sure I’ve ever read a nonfiction book that’s this good. Come awards season, I’m betting you’re going to see a lot of gold stickers on the cover of The Enigma Girls, which reads like the history book that veteran author Candace Fleming has been training for all her life. Now, you may be thinking that your kiddo has already read about the Allies’ efforts to crack Nazi codes and turn the tide of WW2, but I promise you that this historical account offers something quite fresh: it focuses on a group of young British women, from debutantes to math whizzes, who were recruited to work at Bletchley House, a sprawling mansion that had fallen into disrepair and became the headquarters of the clandestine efforts of cipher breaking during the war. These women have been largely left out of historic accounts surrounding the Enigma machine to date, and their stories are fascinating, not just what they witnessed during their years at Bletchley, but the lengths they went to to keep their work a secret from families, friends, and sometimes one another. Messner takes this already fascinating subject and makes it soar with short, cinematic chapters, tons of never before seen photographs, and a tense, chronological unfolding of the war.
The Night War
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Ages 10-13
I’m staying with WW2 for a moment to sing the praises of the latest from the author of the award-winning and still hugely popular The War That Saved My Life. With The Night War, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley proves she’s still a master of historical fiction: it’s meticulously researched, poignantly penned, and populated by real places and figures alongside fictional ones (including the ghost of the controversial French queen, Catherine de’Medici!). It’s 1942, and twelve-year-old Miriam is living with her parents alongside other Jews in the Pletzl neighborhood of Paris. When a roundup by the French police threatens the entire neighborhood, a lucky break allows Miri to escape with Nora, a neighbor’s child, in her arms. With no certainty about their families, the two find refuge in a tiny French village famous for its fairytale spires of the Chateau de Chenonceau, where Miri pretends to be Catholic at a convent school, and Nora is taken in by a family who plans to baptize her. All the while, Miri schemes about how to shepherd Nora to Switzerland, the parting wish of Nora’s mother, before their identities are discovered. A gripping story that weighs the cost of safety against the expression of heritage, unravels some of the misconceptions around religious divides, and underscores the danger of history repeating itself.
The Wrong Way Home
by Kate Shaughnessy
Ages 10-13
The Wrong Way Home gets massive props for originality: a suspenseful, emotionally resounding story about a girl and her mom on the run from—wait for it—a cult. Since she was six, Fern has lived in an off-the-grid, sustainable community in upstate New York, whose leader, Dr. Ben, teaches that the outside world is a threat to safe, clean living. Fern may be able to knit complex cable patterns, or coo at a laying hen so it won’t peck her when she retrieves its still-warm eggs, but she doesn’t know what a zip code is, how to send a letter or use a computer, or why anyone would read a book about make-believe stuff. This becomes painfully clear when Fern’s mom sneaks them away in the middle of the night and drives them to the California coast to start a new life. Fern can’t wrap her head around the idea that Dr. Ben is dangerous, so while she pretends to acclimate to her new surroundings, including traditional school and new friends, she secretly tries to get in touch with the Ranch. But O’Shaughnessy’s writing reminds us that the best stories are so much more than their plot. The novel is brilliantly paced and constructed, with a strong sense of place—a tiny, fictional town named Driftaway Beach, allegedly haunted by a ghost with a lantern and a white nightgown—and a raw, endearing protagonist. We watch, spellbound, as Fern begins to question everything she has been told, weighing the blind faith of her past with a burgeoning trust in herself. But what will happen if Dr. Ben finds them?!
Plain Jane and the Mermaid
by Vera Brosgol
Ages 10-14
Vera Brosgol writes some of the most unique graphic novels, and Plain Jane and the Mermaid is no exception, a subversive fairy tale that goes after modern beauty culture and leaves you with a big smile. These aren’t the sweet, sequin-tailed mermaids who normally populate the pages of children’s stories. Nope, these are seductive sirens, who lure handsome men into their dens in order to devour them whole! In this story, a very plain girl named Jane, shut out of her family inheritance because of her sex, decides to try her hand at convincing the village’s princely bachelor to marry her, only to watch as he heeds the call of a beautiful mermaid and takes off into the dangerous depths of the sea. As Jane goes after him, hers becomes the real hero’s quest—and one that turns everything she thinks about courage, attraction, and inner beauty on its head.
And Then, Boom!
by Lisa Fipps
Ages 10-13
What I deeply appreciate about Lisa Fipps’ novels in verse—some of you may remember my immense love for her award-winning debut, Starfish—is that though they tackle tough subjects, they do so with so much grace. The streamlined storytelling, ample white space on the page, and Fipps’ incredible way with words combine to lend the subject at once a gravitas and a lightness. And then there’s the brave, big-hearted protagonist of And Then, Boom!, a boy who navigates a series of BOOMs—both the figurative storms of poverty, abandonment, and homelessness and the literal eye of a tornado—and comes out on the other side, bruised but hopeful. What makes Joe’s story palatable despite the sobering subject is his disarming, often very funny first-person narration, his relatable love of comics, the unwavering support of his two best friends, the generosity of community members, and the sweetest litter of rescue puppies. But you don’t have to take my word for it; listen to some of this language:
This is my story,
and when you read it
I want you to remember something.
When Superman summons every ounce of his strength
to survive something others can’t even imagine,
he’s the same person he was when
he crumpled to his knees,
left helpless by Kryptonite.
He’s the same person he was when
he was Clark Kent,
just living day by day,
invisible to the world.
Superman’s the sum of all his moments.
And so am I.
Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice
by Anna Lapera
Ages 10-14
It’s the puberty book we didn’t know we were missing: equal parts cringey, hilarious, and celebratory! Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice might read like a modern, activist, revved-up version of Are You There God? It’s My Margaret, but it’s also so much more: a biracial girl struggling to understand and advocate for her own bodily agency against a backdrop of grabby boys, awkward bus rides, invasive social media, and surprising revelations about the women in her own family. The length and type size will be a deterrent to some, but for those who appreciate whip-smart writing and complex, nuanced characters, Anna Lapera’s debut novel is a treasure. At its heart is the unique, wry, deeply vulnerable first-person voice of our protagonist, Manuela “Mani” Semilla, desperate to get her period, desperate to get out of visiting Guatemala for her summer break—she has never been Guatemalan enough for her family—and desperate to do something to change the way girls’ bodies are quietly or overtly dismissed and disrespected at her school. Of course, the fun lies in all the gross missteps and unexpected revelations along the way.
Keeping Pace
by Laurie Morrison
Ages 10-14
Middle school romance! Running! The blindspots of ambition! Making amends! An intro to Emily Dickinson! Laurie Morrison is the queen of upper middle-grade contemporary fiction. Her newest, Keeping Pace, is her best yet—my daughter loved this, too, despite being well into her YA romances—a propulsive, deeply empathetic read about a rising high schooler, whose summer spent navigating new family dynamics, a budding romance with her biggest rival, and training for a half-marathon nudges her to broaden her definition of success. For years, Grace has been laser-focused on beating her ex-friend Jonah Perkin’s GPA so she can graduate #1 in her eighth-grade class. Instead, she loses to him by half a point. Now, a summer void of checklists is staring her in the face—and it’s terrifying. So, Grace does what she knows: she sets a new goal, this time of training for a half-marathon, and convinces Jonah to join her as competitor. But, as Grace and Jonah spend more time together, they each begin to make themselves vulnerable, airing past hurts and paving the way to…a first kiss. As someone all too familiar with the costs of orienting your life around external validation, I adored this story of a teen learning to lean into the joy of intrinsic motivation, forgiveness (including of self), and compassion for different choices.
Every Time You Hear That Song
by Jenna Voris
Ages 12+
These next three recommendations may be a step up in the romance department (though nothing beyond steamy kissing), but romance is only one part of a larger story with a myriad of thoughtful themes. Summers are for epic road trips, but how about one to uncover buried secrets about a famed country music star?! In Every Time You Hear That Song, Jenna Voris’ sapphic contemporary story with flashbacks to 1963, seventeen-year-old aspiring journalist Darren Purchase goes on a scavenger hunt to track down a time capsule left by the late country music legend, Decklee Casel, including the truth about her mysterious partnership with a songwriter. In the wake of findings that celebrate complicated women and living authentically, Darren makes a startling discovery about herself. Easter eggs for Swifties abound, which makes this a natural choice for our first meeting of the Eras Teen Book Club, which I’ll be leading on Friday, September 27, at 7pm at Old Town Books. (Sign up for Old Town Book’s newsletter here for registration information, because I’ve never been so excited for anything in my life…well, except for my concert tickets later this week!)
Wish You Weren’t Here
by Erin Baldwin
Ages 12+
Woodsy sleepaway camp vibes abound in Erin Baldwin’s fun enemies-to-lovers romance, Wish You Weren’t Here. Juliette barely tolerates Priya Pendley and her glitzy Instagrammable life during the school year, but at least she can count on her summers being Priya-free, thanks to the carefree months she spends at her beloved Fogridge Sleepaway Camp with her longtime friends. Then, in Juliette’s last and most anticipated summer as a camper, she walks into her two-person cabin to a terrible surprise: Priya is her roommate, a last-minute signup with an eye towards sweetening her college applications. Fan-freaking-tastic. Cue deliciously witty banter; lots of musical theater content (Priya sews spectacular costumes, while Juliette brings down the house with her rendition of Belle in Beauty and the Beast); a high-stakes color war; an orienteering backpacking challenge; and two truly delightful characters that end up surprising us—and each other—at every turn.
The Breakup Lists
by Adib Khorram
Ages 13+
One more romance before we shift genres! This is the only book on this list that I have not read but my daughter has, so I’m deferring to her for the review, because she absolutely loved it (so did two of my colleagues at the bookshop!). Here’s what she says: “The Breakup Lists is one of my favorite YA romances of this year because it has the perfect mix of sports and arts, so every teen can connect with it in some way. This story has many amazing parts, from a sweet friendship, an even better romance, and lots of smoothies! It stars a boy named Jackson who is a supportive brother, friend, and theater techie. He enjoys being out of the spotlight and after experiencing his parents’ divorce, he isn’t trying to be in a relationship. Instead, when his sister breaks up with someone, he makes her a list of everything bad about the person. Enter Liam: swim captain and the star of Jackson’s new show. Jackson feels like Liam is one of the only people who gets him. Where previously only Jackson’s best friend learned sign language to help with Jackson’s hearing challenges, Liam spends all of his free time learning it. Jackson, confused about his feelings towards Liam, tells him to date his sister. When their relationship doesn’t end well, he has to decide who to put first: his sister or himself.”
Louder Than Words
by Ashley Woodfolk & (actress) Lexi Underwood
Ages 12+
Gossip! Secrets! Social media! Social activism! Louder Than Words sits squarely in the space that occupies so many teens these days, and I found it compulsively readable. It also explores essential, complex questions about our responsibility as bystanders, the possibility of fresh starts, and what’s involved in seeking forgiveness. When Jordyn Jones transfers to Edgewood High, she’d like to forget everything about the school she’s leaving behind—or, more accurately, what she and her friends did to a fellow classmate. She throws herself into starting over, including befriending a group of “good kids,” crushing on the star soccer player who shares the same passion for art that she does, and leading the plot to discover and expose the person behind a toxic, anonymous podcast called Tomcat Tea, which delights in exposing dirt on her classmates. But when Jordyn herself becomes the target of the podcast, her own troubled past threatens to obscure her shiny new life…until she can figure out how to make amends.
Snowglobe
by Soyoung Park; transl. Joungmin Lee Comfort
Ages 12+
The Hunger Games meets Squid Game in Snowglobe, a bestselling sensation in South Korea, now brilliantly translated into English, and the biggest dystopian page-turner of the year (the first in a duology, with the second out next summer). I’m not sure the last time I read a book with so many unexpected twists and turns, while also bringing up timely issues of privacy and surveillance, and I’m happy to say that I already know several teens who’ve reported not being able to put this down. In a frozen wasteland of sub-zero temperatures, teens come of age only to work long hours at the power plants, which produce the energy required to keep Snowglobe—the climate-controlled dome under which a chosen population lives in luxury, albeit as reality TV stars—operating. So, win Chobahm receives an abrupt invitation to join Snowglobe, she doesn’t hesitate to accept, even if the conditions are suspicious at best: she must impersonate Snowglobe’s biggest TV star—and her own personal idol—and, in doing so, cover up the latter’s mysterious death. As Chobahm quickly realizes, fame in Snowglobe comes at a steep price and nothing is as it seems. (And PSST: if you want an excuse to purchase this one, it boasts a secret cover reveal and incredible foil-stamped endpapers…)
The Color of a Lie
by Kim Johnson
Ages 12+
Fans of The Hate U Give or historical fiction with a social justice bent will want to take note: the latest from Kim Johnson is phenomenal. (This is America was a Gift Guide pick back in 2020). The Color of a Lie stars a hugely likable male protagonist, expertly weaves in real historical events and figures while exploring racial passing and systemic racism in a 1955 suburban development, and is a slow-burn thriller culminating in a mega-intense finish. (I’m not sure I took a breath during the last 100 pages.) When a tragedy forces his family to flee Chicago, Calvin is asked by his parents to do the unthinkable and pass for white in a shiny new subdivision in Pennsylvania. But hiding his identity proves exhausting and impossible, especially when he secretly begins to spend time in the neighboring Black community where his disowned brother works, falls for a Black girl trying to integrate his white school, and uncovers the devious plans of his real estate developer to keep Black families out.
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