11 Books You Wish Were on Your Required Summer Reading List

Aurora Rising

By Jay Kristoff

From the authors of the the Illuminae Files comes the first in an amazing new action-packed YA sci-fi series! The year is 2380, and Tyler Jones, a graduating cadet of Aurora Academy, is ready to recruit a dream squad of misfits to help him fulfill his first mission. Each chapter is from the perspective of one of seven different squad members, a diverse and memorable cast of characters who provide tons of fun, witty banter in between all of the heart-pounding action.

We Are the Perfect Girl

By Ariel Kaplan

This hilarious and insightful reimagining of Cyrano de Bergerac introduces us to two best friends: Aphra, who is incredibly bold and outgoing, and Bethany, who is shockingly beautiful. Together, they think they’d make the “perfect girl.” Both of them pine over one guy they’ve deemed a proverbial ten: Greg D’Agostino. What begins as an honest mistake turns into an elaborate deception, wherein Bethany goes on dates with Greg while Aphra coaches her on what to say, and texts him in the guise of Bethany, trying and failing, all the while, to tamp down her own hopeless crush. It’s only a matter of time before things come crashing down. The question is: What will happen when Greg finds out? And can Aphra and Bethany’s friendship survive the fallout?

Spin the Dawn

By Elizabeth Lim

Imagine Mulan meets Project Runway, and you’ve got the first in Elizabeth Lim’s breathtaking new YA fantasy series! The story follows Maia Tamarin, a teen girl who poses as a boy in order to take on the role of imperial tailor in place of her ailing father. Maia longs to achieve her dreams and save her family, but there is a catch: she’s one of twelve would-be tailors vying for the role. And it’s no easy task: the final challenge requires sewing three magic gowns for the emperor’s bride-to-be—from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. No pressure, right?

House of Salt and Sorrows

By Erin A. Craig

Lovers of fairy tales and ultra-spooky settings will absolutely adore this haunting retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm story “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” full of magic, terrifying visions, gods, monsters, and questionable characters. In a manor by the sea lives a duke and his twelve daughters—until tragedy strikes and four sisters lose their lives in a series of tragic turns: the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, and a slippery plunge. Our hero, Annaleigh, grows increasingly suspicious that the deaths of her sisters were no accidents. Debut author Erin A. Craig puts a delightful spin on a familiar tale in a world so rich and complex that you won’t be able to put this one down.

The Cheerleaders

By Kara Thomas

There aren’t any cheerleaders left in the small town of Sunnybrook, New York, after a series of terrifying events led to the deaths of five of them. First there was a car accident that killed two girls on a rainy night. Then the murders went down. Now sixteen-year-old Monica is grappling with the loss of her sister, Jen, the last of the cheerleaders to die. Jen died by suicide, but a series of strange clues leads Monica to believe that whatever happened to her and the rest of the girls was no series of tragic accidents, and the story may be far from over. No one in Sunnybrook is safe.

My Ideal Boyfriend Is a Croissant

By Laura Dockrill

Sixteen-year-old Bluebelle, aka “BB,” is instructed by a nurse to keep a food diary and join a gym after suffering an unusually bad asthma attack and being diagnosed as overweight and prediabetic. BB embraces her body and unashamedly loves food, but she agrees to the terms (as long as she gets to add one of her own), and her log of what she’s eating soon transforms into a revealing personal diary about complex family issues, body image, and personal tragedy. But don’t despair! My Ideal Boyfriend Is a Croissant is a laugh-of-loud read, full of humor and heart, and features a protagonist whose voice makes this book impossible to put down!

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (Book of Dust, Volume 1)

By Philip Pullman

The first book in Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust fantasy trilogy, La Belle Sauvage, takes place about twelve years before the start of the His Dark Materials series. Eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead lives with his parents and his dæmon Asta in an inn on the banks of the river Thames. One day Malcolm discovers a secret message intended for a spy and learns of a mysterious substance called Dust. Suddenly, Malcolm finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle between powerful forces. Somehow a baby named Lyra is also involved, and Malcolm declares himself her protector. When a flood comes, he will risk everything to save her.

Two Can Keep a Secret

By Karen M. McManus

Ellery’s aunt went missing in Echo Ridge when she was just seventeen, and five years ago, a local homecoming queen named Lacey was killed under mysterious circumstances. Now this strange little Vermont town is California-born Ellery’s new home, and evil is lurking in the seemingly picture-perfect place. Before school even begins, someone has declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing. Fans of true crime, Twin Peaks, and Riverdale will love this chilling new mystery from Karen M. McManus!

Skyward

By Brandon Sanderson

“Claim the stars, Spensa.”

Imagine a time when humanity is on the brink of total collapse and total extinction and the last remaining people live on a planet called Detritus that is constantly under threat of alien attack. Our hero is Spensa, a teen girl who longs to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a space pilot. Flight school might be a long shot, but she is determined to fly. And an accidental discovery in a long-forgotten cavern might just provide her with a way to claim the stars. Skyward is the first in an exciting new YA sci-fi series that will provide Star Wars fans with their new favorite fix.

Tell Me Three Things

By Julie Buxbaum

It’s only been a week since Jessie started at her intimidating new prep school in Los Angeles, and she already wants to hightail it back to Chicago and leave her horrible stepmother and pretentious new stepbrother behind. But an email from a mysterious “Somebody/Nobody” (SN) offering to help her navigate the halls of Wood Valley High School stops her short, and pretty soon SN becomes her closest ally and confidante. As Jessie navigates her new school while dealing with the aftermath of her mother’s death, she begins to unravel the identity of her beloved SN . . . and fall head over heels in love!

Genuine Fraud

By E. Lockhart

Imogen lives at the Playa Grande Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She spends her days working out in the hotel gym and telling other guests how she was forced out of Stanford. But Imogen isn’t really Imogen. She’s Jule. And she’s on the run from something. Or someone. Which means… where is the real Imogen? Rewind: Jule and Imogen are the closest of friends. Obsessed with each other, even. Imogen is an orphan, an heiress; she and Jule spend a summer together in a house on Martha’s Vineyard, sharing secrets they’d never reveal to another soul. But that was months ago. Where is Immie now? And why is Jule using her name?