Youth Summer Reading 2024 July Picks
The SLNC of Accessible Books and Library Services is happy to announce the second series of our Summer 2024 reading list! This list is curated for the month of July and explores Fantasies with rich plots and colorful characters that help tell stories that will enhance your sunny, summer days. Below is the list of books for each grade level. Dive into the titles, authors, and annotations of this year’s summer reading list!
- Please check annotations for any warnings or sensitivities mentioned in the books to ensure satisfaction with the books!
Books Grades K-3
Books Grades 4-7
Books Junior High and Senior High
Grades K-3
- The Paper Cane
by Molly Bang
DB024650
A mysterious man enters a restaurant and pays for his dinner with a paper crane that magically comes alive and dances. For grades K-3. 1985. - Swan Lake
by Margot Fonteyn
DB031608
In this fairy tale adaptation of the classic ballet, a prince's love for a swan queen overcomes an evil sorcerer's spell. For grades K-3 and older readers. - The Beast in the Bathtub
by Kathleen Stevens
DBC03214
Lewis gets into mischief with an imaginary beast in the bathtub while his parents are watching television. For grades K-3. - The Wartville Wizard
by Don Madden
DB027741
The story of how a tidy old man living on the road to Wartville became the Wartville Wizard, with the power to send litter back to its owner where it would stick to him or her. For grades K-3. - Alice the Fairy
by David Shannon
DB079776
Alice, who claims to be a temporary fairy, still has a lot to learn, such as how to make her clothes put themselves away in the closet and how to float her dog on the ceiling. Commercial audiobook. For grades K-3. 2009. - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
by Judi Barrett
DB050751
Life is delicious in the town of Chewandswallow, where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers--until the weather takes a turn for the worse. For grades K-3. 1978. - Duncan the Story Dragon
by Amanda Driscoll
DBC09583
Duncan the Dragon loves to read--but he keeps accidentally lighting his book on fire. He wants to get to the end of his story, so he tries to find a friend to read to him. For grades K-3. - The Leprechaun's Gold
by Pamela Edwards
DB060884
Tom, a young, mean-spirited harp player, and Old Pat, his generous teacher, travel together to enter the king's harping contest. A chance encounter with a leprechaun rewards Old Pat's kindness and teaches Tom a lesson. For grades K-3. 2004. - The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes
by Duncan Tonatiuh
DB086754
A princess falls in love with a mere warrior, who vows always to be by her side. The emperor promises they can marry if the warrior defeats their enemy, but they don't count on the enemy's plan of deception. For grades K-3. 2016. Charlie and Mouse Are Magic
by Laurel Snyder
DB110699
A boy named Mouse is mixing up a magic potion: put a drop on your nose and make a wish--and in these four stories Mouse, his brother Charlie, and their father find out if the magic potion works and their wishes come true. -- Provided by publisher. For grades K-3..
Grades 4-7
- Magic by the Lake
by Edward Eager
DB009699
When four children find a whole lake full of magic, they must learn how to tame and handle it, and how to find the treasure that waits at the end. Humorous fantasy for grades 4-7. - The Wizard in the Tree
by Lloyd Alexander
DB010295
Mallory's encounter with the wizard in the oak tree sets off a chain of events that change the lives of the villagers dominated by villainous Squire Scrupnor. For grades 4-7. - The Enchanted Castle
by E. Nesbit
DB011778
Tale of strange enchantment and of adventures which befall three children through the power of a wishing ring. For grades 4-7. - Fly by Night
by Randall Jarrell
DB011968
Short, poetic fantasy about a boy who can fly after dark but in the daytime remembers nothing of his nighttime journeys. For grades 4-7. - Bailey's Window
by Anne Lindbergh
DB022733
When their trouble-making cousin Bailey Bond accidentally creates a window to anywhere, Anna and Carl and their friend Ingrid are in for a magical summer of visiting faraway places. For grades 4-7. - The Genie of Sutton Place
by George Selden
DB007794
Because he needs help to keep his dog, Tim conjures up an understanding genie whose nickname is Dooley. For grades 4-7. - The Secret Horses of Briar Hill
by Megan Shepherd
DB086265
Emmaline, a young girl living in a children's hospital during WWII, discovers that an injured winged horse has entered her world and needs her help. Commercial audiobook. For grades 4-7. 2016. - James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl
DB032548
An orphan, forced to live with two old women who don't understand him, discovers a magic potion that produces a giant-sized peach. James sneaks inside the peach where he finds a new world of insects and fabulous adventures. For grades 4-7. - Over the Moon
by Natalie Lloyd
DB094531
To save her younger brother from being forced to work in the mines, twelve-year-old Mallie pretends to be a boy and learns to ride and train flying horses. Commercial audiobook. For grades 4-7. 2019. - The Familiars
by Adam Epstein
DB075448
Alley cat Aldwyn passes himself off as a magical animal companion to Jack, a young wizard in training. When an evil queen kidnaps Jack and two other wizards, Aldwyn and his fellow familiars--a know-it-all blue jay and a bumbling tree frog--must save the kingdom. For grades 4-7. 2010.
Jr. & Sr. High
- Epic
by Conor Kostick
DB066443
Erik and his friends live in dual worlds: in an agrarian society and in a high-tech fantasy computer game called Epic, which has real-life repercussions. With his family facing reallocation, Erik must win the game to save them and thereby change both realities. For junior and senior high readers. 2004. - Spindle
by E.K. Johnston
DB087076
Spinner Yashaa sets out to break the curse that hovers over Princess Zahrah, who is known as the Little Rose. Destined to endure a horrible fate, Zahrah embraces hope with the help of Yashaa and his friends. For junior and senior high and older readers. 2016. - Year of the Griffin
by Diana Jones
DB051942
It is eight years after Mr. Chesney's Pilgrim Tours--as described in Dark Lord of Derkholm (RC 48321)--ended, and Elda, the griffin daughter of the wizard Derk, arrives at the Wizards' University. She encounters new friends, pirates, assassins, worry, sabotage, bloodshed, and misused magic. For junior and senior high readers. 2000. - Prophecy of the Sisters
by Michelle Zink
DB070316
Hours after Lia's father's strange death, a mark of a snake appears on Lia's wrist pulling her and her twin sister, Alice, into a dark prophecy. In an epic fight of good versus evil, the sisters become each other's enemy. For junior and senior high readers. 2009. - Underland
by Mary K. Patterson Thornburg
DBC14230
After the disappearance of her older brother, Allysha enters a Doorway into another world to seek him, pursued by those seeking a mysterious amulet her brother had given her before he disappeared. There she finds adventure, friendship, and the answer to the mystery of the "Star Stone" she wears. For junior and senior high readers. - An Acceptable Time
by Madeleine L'Engle
DB043198
In this companion to A House like a Lotus (DB 23837, BR 6368), sixteen-year-old Polly O'Keefe visits her grandparents' farm in Connecticut and discovers a "time gate" that takes her back three thousand years. There she meets Anaral, a Native American girl; Karralys, a druid expelled from Britain; and Tav, a warrior who has accompanied Karralys. For junior and senior high readers. - Song of the Crimson Flower
by Julie C Dao
DB097510
Bao, a poor physician's apprentice, and Lan, the wealthy nobleman's daughter he loves, work together to break a curse and save the kingdom of Feng Lu. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2019. - The Saga of Grittel Sundotha
by Ardath Mayahr
DB024477
Seven-foot-tall Grittel is cast out by her mother for refusing her only suitor. Grittel then roams the world of Garetha using her knobstick and dagger for defense, rescuing the helpless, and finding adventures galore. For junior and senior high readers. - Eon: Dragoneye Reborn
by Alison Goodman
DB068595
Deceptively recorded as a "Moon" eunuch by his master, disabled sixteen-year-old Eon painfully trains to become the coveted apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons. But Eon's plan depends upon perfecting intricate sword sequences and keeping a deadly secret--she is a girl. For junior and senior high readers. 2008. How to Ditch Your Fairy
by Justine Larbalestier
DB070083
In a world where everyone has a personal fairy who tends to one aspect of daily life, fourteen-year-old Charlie does not want hers--a parking-place fairy. Charlie embarks on a series of misadventures designed to rid herself of the invisible sprite. For junior and senior high readers. Commercial audiobook. 2009.