Open Books Challenge 2026: About Cabins, Camping, or the Wilderness

The Open Books Reading Challenge is a year-long reading challenge for people interested in pushing the boundaries of their reading. For full details of the program, please check-out our page at: https://www.rplmn.org/books-more/discover-more/open-books-reading-challenge

These are some ideas that fit the 2026 category "About cabins, camping, or the wilderness."

Happy Reading!

Updated December 31, 2025
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Liz at Marigold Lake
Barkley, Callie.
Paper Book
The Critter Club is going camping--but are they really ready for a weekend in the wilderness? When Liz invites the Critter Club girls to her house at Marigold Lake for the weekend, they are really excited for their camping adventure--especially because Marigold Lake is known for...
Back of beyond
Box, C. J.
Paper Book
Edgar® Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box delivers a thriller about a troubled cop trying to save his son from a killer in Yellowstone. Cody Hoyt, while a brilliant cop, is an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety when his mentor and AA sponsor Hank...
Secrets at Cedar Cabin
Coble, Colleen
Paper Book
Her mother lied about her identity and her husband wasn't who she thought he was. Can Bailey even trust herself anymore?   Running for her life in the wake of her mother's murder, Bailey Fleming escapes to the only place she can think of--a...
Henry Heckelbeck camping expert
Coven, Wanda
Paper Book
In this sixteenth Henry Heckelbeck adventure, Henry goes camping with his friends! Henry Heckelbeck is going camping for the very first time! Henry and his friends decide to play a wildlife-spotting game and compete for an extra s'more. But while his friends spot lizards and...
Cabin fever
Dahl, Alex
Paper Book
Alone and isolated in a snow-covered Scandinavian forest, a therapist begins to read her client's manuscript, only to discover the main character is terrifyingly familiar... You are her therapist. Kristina is a successful therapist in central Oslo. She spends her...
Yasmin the camper
Faruqi, Saadia
Paper Book
Yasmin is excited about her nature scout trip, but she is nervous about sleeping in a tent. To make matters worse, Yasmin's tent threatens to collapse! Can some quick thinking and creativity convince Yasmin that she can do anything, just like Baba told her? Best-selling author Saadia Faruqi shares...
A walk in the park : the true story of a spectacular misadventure in the Grand Canyon
Fedarko, Kevin
Paper Book
* Winner of the 2024 National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature * Winner of the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction * Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, Air Mail, Smithsonian Magazine, and Financial Times ...
The stranger in the woods : the extraordinary story of the last true hermit
Finkel, Michael
Paper Book
Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality--not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his...
Far, far away
Griffin, Molly Beth
Paper Book
A picture book celebrating the beauty of nature, new experiences, and gaining perspective. Sometimes you have to go far, far away to appreciate the world around you. Excellent for fans of The Camping Trip and 3-7-year-olds with an interest in the outdoors will love the...
The vaster wilds
Groff, Lauren
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023 NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, TIME, ESQUIRE, VOGUE, LA TIMES, SLATE, HARPER'S BAZAAR and others "Part historical, part...
Into the woods
Holiday, Jenny (Romance author)
Paper Book
Summer camp heats up for a grumpy rockstar and a cynical dance instructor in this funny and heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romance. Gretchen Miller is a bit of a badass. But even badasses get the blues when it comes to romance, and Gretchen could use a break from dating. So, when...
Black woods, blue sky : a novel
Ivey, Eowyn
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * The author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Snow Child returns to the mythical landscapes of Alaska with an unforgettable dark fairy tale that asks the question: Can love save us from ourselves? "No one writes like Eowyn Ivey."--Geraldine Brooks ...
The bones beneath my skin
Klune, TJ
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY AND INDIE BESTSELLER! A spine-tingling standalone novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune--a supernatural road-trip thriller featuring an extraordinary young girl and her two unlikely protectors on the...
Into the wild
Krakauer, Jon.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. This is the unforgettable story of how Christopher Johnson...
Sunshine
Krosoczka, Jarrett
Paper Book
The extraordinary -- and extraordinarily powerful -- follow-up to Hey, Kiddo. When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into it, Jarrett was worried:...
The camping trip
Mann, Jennifer K.
Paper Book
Ernestine has never been camping before, but she's sure it will be lots of fun . . . won't it? An endearing story about a girl's first experience with the great outdoors. My aunt Jackie invited me to go camping with her and my cousin Samantha this weekend. I've never been...
North woods : a novel
Mason, Daniel
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD AND THE MARK TWAIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE AWARD A sweeping novel...
The wilderness
McCarthy, Steve
Paper Book
In this gorgeously illustrated whimsical tale, a young boy who fears the outdoors becomes lost in the forest . . . and discovers not only his courage but a new friend, too. The Vasylenko family are all adventurers who love wild places and wild things. All, that is, except young...
The intruder
McFadden, Freida
Paper Book
A #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Casey's cabin in the wilderness is not built for a hurricane. Her roof shakes, the lights flicker, and the tree outside her front door sways ominously in the wind. But she's a lot more worried about the girl she discovers lurking...
Fire mountain
Mentink, Dana
Paper Book
Fire rains from above as they fight to discover the truth and stay alive. In the shadow of a threatening volcano, long-haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her crashed big rig, unable to recall what happened or why she's suddenly in possession of someone's baby. Fiercely independent...
Camp
Miller, Kayla
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Kayla Miller comes a graphic novel about venturing off to summer camp for the first time and stepping out of one's comfort zone, navigating new experiences, and the satisfaction of blazing your own trails. ...
The god of the woods
Moore, Liz
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES'S NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" and "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR "Extraordinary . . ....
Midnight sun
Nesb,? Jo
Paper Book
The internationally acclaimed author of Blood on Snow and the Harry Hole novels now gives us the tightly wound tale of a man running from retribution, a renegade hitman who goes to ground far above the Arctic circle, where the never-setting sun might slowly drive a man insane.          ...
Dengue boy : a novel
Nieva, Michel
Paper Book
"I can't remember the last book that pushed science fiction's potential for weirdness as far as Dengue Boy."--The Washington Post "A wildly original anti-capitalist satire."--The Guardian "A psychedelic fever dream."--Esquire "An...
Space camp
O'Ryan, Ray
Paper Book
Zack and his friends are off to space camp on a new planet in the fourteenth Galaxy Zack adventure. Camp Among the Stars! Summer vacation is finally here and Zack is pumped for space camp! He can't wait to play galactic games, tell scary stories, and go on crazy...
Hatchet
Paulsen, Gary.
Paper Book
This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared--and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newbery Honor. Hatchet has also been nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read....
The revenant : a novel of revenge
Punke, Michael.
Paper Book
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A thrilling tale of betrayal and revenge set against the nineteenth-century American frontier, Michael Punke's The Revenant is the astonishing story of real-life trapper and frontiersman Hugh...
Still life with bread crumbs
Quindlen, Anna.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A "marvelous romantic comedy" (The New York Times Book Review) from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen "[A] wise tale about second chances, starting over, and going after what is most important in life."--Minneapolis...
The girl in cabin 13
Rivers, A. J.
Paper Book
Knock...Knock... When Emma finds a dead body on her porch with her name written on the dead man's hand she uncovers a sinister clue to the mystery that has haunted her since childhood. FBI agent Emma Griffin is sent undercover to the small sleepy town of Feathered...
Sky ropes
Soderborg, Sondra (Young adult author)
Paper Book
For fans of The War That Saved My Life and Wolf Hollow, this fast-paced and unforgettable story follows one girl's journey to overcome her trauma, discover what friendship really means, and learn that being brave is not always about being fearless.  
Pioneer summer
Sylvanova, Kateryna
Paper Book
This star-crossed gay romance is a #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that made international news and catalyzed one of Russia's largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ representation The banned gay romance that took Russia by storm . . . In the waning days of the Soviet...
The cabin at the end of the world : a novel
Tremblay, Paul
Paper Book
Paul Tremblay's terrifying twist to the home invasion novel--inspiration for the upcoming major motion picture from Universal Pictures "Tremblay's personal best. It's that good." -- Stephen King Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote...
Secluded cabin sleeps six
Unger, Lisa
Paper Book
"A deliciously tense ride." --Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of One By One INSTANT BESTSELLER Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller. ...
Beartooth
Wink, Callan
Paper Book
The Economist 40 Best Books of 2025 * Apple's Best Books of the Year * Hudson Best of the Year * Kirkus Best Books of 2025 * Wall Street Journal Best Mysteries of 2025 "Skip Yellowstone for this rawer version of the West."--The...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.