2025 TD Summer Reading Books for Older Children

Updated February 27, 2025
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Alina in a pinch
Nanji, Shenaaz
Paper Book
Moving to a new city means Alina has to make new friends, and nothing is worse than lunch at a new school. When her grandmother visits, Alina is inspired to help her cook the delicious Afro-Indian meals she's always loved, but a cruel note from a mysterious lunchtime bully leaves a bitter taste...
Alterations
Xu, Ray
Paper Book
For fans of Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese and Svetlana Chmakova's Awkward, this funny yet poignant middle-grade coming-of-age story highlights the struggle of feeling invisible while yearning to be seen by all.    ...
Anne dares
George, K.
Paper Book
Anne is excited to be a guest at a party at Orchard Slope, the home of her kindred spirit, Diana Barry. But when the dares start and mean Josie Pye makes the others feel bad, Anne can't stop herself from challenging Josie to a dare... which leads to Anne being dared to climb the house and walk along...
The antiracist kitchen : 21 stories (and recipes)
Hohn, Nadia L.
An anthology featuring stories and recipes from racialized authors about food, culture and resistance What if talking about racism was as easy as baking a cake, frying plantains or cooking rice? The Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes) is a celebration of food, family, activism and...
A first time for everything : a true story
Santat, Dan
Paper Book
*Winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature* A middle grade graphic memoir based on bestselling author and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat's awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life. Dan's always been a...
Good food, bad waste : let's eat for the planet
Silver, Erin
Ebook
A deep dive into why humans waste so much food and the consequences for people and the planet Around the world, a billion tons of food gets thrown away every year, even when hundreds of millions of people suffer from hunger. A lot of what we don't eat ends up rotting in landfills which...
Grounded : a novel
Saeed, Aisha
Paper Book
When a thunderstorm grounds all flights following a huge Muslim convention, four unlikely kids are thrown together. Feek is stuck babysitting his younger sister, but he'd rather be writing a poem that's good enough for his dad, a famous poet and rapper. Hanna is intent on finding a lost cat in the...

Also available in eBook format.

I can do that! : 1000 ways to become independent
Laboile, Alain
Paper Book
Kids will be able to say, "I can do that!" after reading this value-packed resource dedicated to learning independent life skills. "Really great. I've been waiting for a book like this for a very long time with photos and illustrations that can be understood by a child who can't read...
The journey of the ancestors' gifts
Trinh, Linda
Paper Book
The Nguyen kids are going on vacation! It's their first time in Vietnam and staying in Grandma Nội's childhood home, so they should be excited. As soon as they enter the house, though, something doesn't feel right. Why is the door to the ancestors' room always closed? And why can't...
Kwame crashes the underworld
Farmer, Craig Kofi
Paper Book
Winner of the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award Discover a stunning middle grade fantasy about a boy hurled into the Ghanaian underworld to help his grandmother save humanity, perfect for fans of Tristan Strong and Amari and the Night Brothers.
Lunar boy
Wibowo, Jessica
Paper Book
For fans of The Witch Boy and Squished, Lunar Boy is a must-have heartwarming coming-of-age graphic novel about a young boy from the moon who discovers a home in the most unlikely places, from debut twin creators Jes and Cin Wibowo. Indu, a boy from the moon, feels like he...
The new girl
Calin, Cassandra
Paper Book
Instagram sensation and Tapas webcomic superstar Cassandra Calin makes her long-form debut with this funny, feel-good middle-grade graphic novel about change. Goodbye, old life... Lia and her family are waiting to board a flight across the Atlantic, leaving behind family,...

Also available in eBook format.

No boundaries : 25 women explorers and scientists share adventures, inspiration, and advice
Fieseler, Clare
Ebook
Meet 25 female explorers and scientists in these inspirational and poignant stories of exploration, courage, and girl power. Along the way, they share lessons learned and words of wisdom sure to inspire the next generation of scientists, adventurers, and world-changers. Track a volcanologist as she...
Out of my dreams
Draper, Sharon M.
Melody flies to London to speak at a convention about differently abled kids in this "warm and beautifully told" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novels Out of My Mind and Out of My Heart.

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Salma writes a book
Ramadan, Ahmad Danny
Paper Book
Salma is going to be a big sister! Can she figure out what it means to be a good sister before the baby arrives? Silver Birch Express Award Finalist OLA Top Ten Best Bets Winner Salma's determined to be the best sister ever, so she sets out to write the ultimate guidebook to...
Sankofa : a culinary story of resilience and belonging
Adjepong, Eric
Paper Book
"Based on his own experiences as a first-generation Ghanaian American growing up in New York City, chef and author Adjepong's debut picture book beautifully captures Kofi's complicated feelings of in-betweenness, seeing himself as not quite American enough and not quite Ghanaian enough, even as...
Search for a giant squid : pick your path
Forrester, Amy Seto
Paper Book
A new and exciting pick-your-path STEM adventure for emerging readers! This series starter takes emerging readers on an expedition to the ocean's twilight zone in search of a giant squid. But giant squids are hard to find. Readers will need to join the expedition...
Special delivery : a book's journey around the world
Faber, Polly
Paper Book
This unique story follows the process of making a book from printing to shipping to selling . . . to reading! This beautifully illustrated picture book shows the journey of one book from printer to reader. Bright, contemporary artwork details the people, the vehicles, and the...
Viewfinder
Chung, Christine D. U.
A young space traveler happens upon Earth in the future in this gorgeous wordless adventure for fans of Shaun Tan. A transportive graphic novel for ages 6 to 9, perfect for Earth Day. A young space traveler visits Earth on a whim and finds a planet empty of people. She happens...
Walking together
Marshall, Albert
Paper Book
This bestselling, innovative picture book introduces readers to the concept of Etuaptmumk--or Two-Eyed Seeing, the gift of multiple perspectives in the Mi'kmaw language--as we follow a group of young children connecting to nature as their teacher. A poetic, joyful celebration...
Monstrous mammals
Pallotta, Jerry
Paper Book
Eight monstrous mammals battle it out in this exciting bind-up featuring four Who Would Win? books in this action-packed animal series! Which dangerous animals would win in a fight? Find out in this awesome bind-up of four books in the popular Who Would Win? series. The collection features...
Willa and Wade and the way-up-there
Henderson, Judith
Paper Book
Best friends Willa and Wade really want to fly. Sure, Willa's an ostrich and Wade's a penguin. But there must be something they can think of that will get them off the ground! The two thorough thinkers try different ways - from pirouettes to pogo sticks - to catch some air. But while they do a lot...
We the sea turtles : a collection of island stories
Kadarusman, Michelle
Ebook
Eight beautifully evocative short stories from the pen of Governor General's Award finalist Michelle Kadarusman On islands around the world--from Manhattan to Phillip Island, Australia, to Komodo Island and beyond--eight children face life-changing moments: escaping a flood;...

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