School is finally out, and long days are the perfect time to check out these summer reading books for girls!
How to Become a Planet
Pluto’s favorite season is about to begin. She loves kicking off summer with a trip to the planetarium, working at her mom’s pizzeria, strolling the boardwalk, and attending her friend’s birthday party. But this summer feels different — as if she has a big black hole inside her. When she receives a diagnosis of depression, her dad tries to convince her to come live with him in the city. If she finds a way to get in touch with the “old Pluto,” will she be able to stay in the place that she loves?
Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey
Eight-year-old Marisol has a big imagination, a mother from the Philippines, and a father who works far away on an oil rig. She names objects, including the tree in her back yard — Peppina. And she’s afraid. Of almost everything. Including climbing that tree. This could be the summer that she visits her father, has adventures with her best friend, and even climbs Peppina, if she can just get past her fear.
Paper Heart
Tess’s mom thinks a change of scenery might help her move past her grief over the death of her best friend, Colette. So Tess finds herself staying with her aunt for the summer in small-town Wyoming, attending art camp. With help from her cousin Kennedy and her new friend Izzy, Tess might be able to find her way to a “new normal” in this companion novel to Tornado Brain.
Ways to Grow Love
This summer, Ryan Hart has a lot to look forward to — her first time attending sleepaway camp, spending more time with her friends, and the birth of her baby sister. Although she fears the baby might change everything, she also hopes she’ll have the chance to prove she’s the leader her parents always hoped she would be in this sequel to Ways to Make Sunshine.
(If you like the Ryan Hart books, make sure to check out our interview with author Renee Watson.)
The Easiest Kids’ Crafts Ever: Cute & Colorful Quick-Prep Projects for Busy Families
Looking for some new things to do over the summer? Pick up this book to make use of old crayons, fabric scraps, paper plates, and other odds-and-ends. You can find crafts to complete in a few minutes, or longer, meditative projects to fill a whole afternoon.
More Summer Reading Books for Girls
Bea is looking forward to a summer away from her ex-best-friend, Maisy, until Maisy is assigned to Bea’s cabin in Camp Clique by Eileen Moskowitz-Palma. The two agree to the “popularity pact”: Bea will help Maisy fit in at camp, if Maisy will help Bea fit in at school. The pair’s adventures continue in School Squad.
In the summer of 1838, U.S. soldiers force Mary and her family out of their home in Georgia to undertake a difficult journey to the new Cherokee reservation in Mary and the Trail of Tears: A Cherokee Removal Survival Story by Andrea L. Rogers.
If spending time at the ocean is one of your favorite summer past-times, brush up on your ocean facts in Weird but True! Ocean from National Geographic Kids.
Summer is the perfect time for getting outside and getting dirty using the activity ideas in Mud Kitchen Crafts: 60 Awesome Ideas for Epic Outdoor Play by Sophie Pickles.
And if you’re looking for MORE ideas for summer fun — whether for yourself or for younger siblings or kids you babysit — check out The Big Book of Kids’ Activities: 500 Projects That are the Bestest, Funnest Ever by Holly Homer, Jamie Harrington, Brittanie Pyper, Rachel Miller, Colleen Kessler, Emma Vanstone, Amanda Boyarshinov, Kim Vij, and Tonya Staab. (Whew, that’s a lot of authors!)
What about you? What are your favorite summer reads? Have you read any of the books above? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!