Adventure Begins at Your Library: Independent Readers

These are some books we recommend to elementary-aged readers who want to find adventure in a book this summer!

Updated May 2, 2024
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The boy who loved maps
Allen, Kari
Paper Book
This enchanting picture book about a map-making boy who is stumped when a girl asks him for a map of the "perfect place" helps readers appreciate the charms of their own neighborhood--and even shows them how to make a map of it! The Mapmaker loves maps. He loves to collect...
The girl who speaks bear
Anderson, Sophie
Paper Book
The newest heart-expanding, magical adventure from Sophie Anderson, author of the critically acclaimed House with Chicken Legs."They call me Yanka the Bear. Not because of where I was found. Only a few people know about that. They call me Yanka the Bear because I am so big and strong."<...
Explorers of the wild
Atkinson, Cale
Paper Book
When Bear and Boy meet in the woods, they're scared at first. Really scared. But soon these kings of the wild realize that no mountain is too big to conquer if you have a friend to climb it by your side.
Race to Fire Mountain
Blackwood, Remi
Paper Book
The start of a thrilling, highly illustrated series about a boy who finds a portal to a legendary world in his local barbershop . . . and learns he's the hero they've been waiting for. For younger fans of Black Panther and Last Gate of the Emperor! Jarell has never quite...
Bad Kitty goes on vacation
Bruel, Nick
Paper Book
Bad Kitty gets a vacation in this full color graphic novel in Nick Bruel's New York Times bestselling series. Kitty's life is hard. Really, really hard. She's always being bothered, Puppy is always in her space (and drooling on her), and her plans for world domination...
The Adventurers Guild The Adventurers Guild Trilogy, Book 1
Clark, Zack Loran.
Ebook
In one of the last cities standing after the world fell to monsters, best friends Zed Kagari and Brock Dunderfel have high hopes for the future. Zed desperately wishes to join the ranks of the Mages Guild, where his status as Freestone's only half elf might finally be an asset. Brock, the roguishly...
The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane
DiCamillo, Kate.
Paper Book
A timeless tale by the incomparable Kate DiCamillo, complete with stunning full-color plates by Bagram Ibatoulline, honors the enduring power of love. Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and...
The hike
Farrell, Alison
Ebook
"These young explorers demonstrate the best principles of time spent in the woods: observing, admiring and learning . . . Delightfully illustrated." --The New York Times   With lyrical language that captures the majesty of the natural world...
The ice cream machine
Rubin, Adam
Paper Book
Don't miss the #1 New York Times bestseller everyone is raving about! From the wild and wonderful imagination of the author of Dragons Love Tacos comes this hilarious, irresistible debut collection of six totally different stories with the same exact name. In these...
Grounded : a novel
Saeed, Aisha
Ebook
Four kids meet at an airport for one unforgettable night in this middle-grade novel by four bestselling and award-winning authors--Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, and S. K. Ali. A Walter Award Honor Book   When...
The adventures of Beekle : the unimaginary friend
Santat, Dan
Paper Book
Winner of the Caldecott Medal #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning creator Dan Santat combines classic storytelling with breathtaking art in an unforgettable tale about friendship, imagination, and the courage to find one's place in...
The adventures of a girl called Bicycle
Uss, Christina
Paper Book
Selected for the 2019-2020 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year A determined 12-year-old girl bikes across the country in this quirky and charming debut middle grade novel. Introverted Bicycle has lived...

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