It’s August! That means summer is drawing to a close, and back-to-school season is quickly approaching. Before it’s time to grab a textbook and study, pick up one of these books for a final summer adventure!
Lovely, Dark, and Deep, Justina Chen
“What would you do if the sun became your enemy? That’s exactly what happens to Viola Li after she returns from a trip abroad and develops a sudden and extreme case of photosensitivity — an inexplicable allergy to sunlight. Thanks to her crisis-manager parents, she doesn’t just have to wear layers of clothes and a hat the size of a spaceship. She has to stay away from all hint of light. Say goodbye to windows and running outdoors. Even her phone becomes a threat when its screen burns her. Viola is determined to maintain a normal life, particularly after she meets Josh. He’s a funny, talented Thor look-alike who carries his own mysterious grief. But the intensity of their romance makes her take more and more risks, and when a rebellion against her parents backfires dangerously, she must find her way to a life — and love — as deep and lovely as her dreams. ” – Goodreads
A summer without sun!? How would you cope. Luckily, for Viola, she doesn’t need a beach day to find her perfect adventure.
City of Islands, Kali Wallace
“In a foggy archipelago called the City of Islands, twelve-year-old Mara has always been fascinated by the magic that drifts on the air as songs. But as a servant for the powerful Lady of the Tides, Mara must earn her keep by searching for magical treasures deep in the murky ocean. Then Mara finds the skeletons of strange hybrid creatures that haven’t existed in the city for centuries—all humming with a powerful spell-song. Convinced her discovery will earn her the opportunity to study magic, Mara shares them with the Lady. But instead of a reward, the Lady gives Mara a new challenge: to sneak into the island fortress, the Winter Blade. Now Mara must dive deeper than ever before to survive her mission. The chilling truths that Mara uncovers along the way, about her past as well as about the secrets of her beloved city, are more dangerous—and magical—than she ever imagined.” – Goodreads
In every book about magic, there are dark secrets to uncover. When Mara goes deep diving to find them, they’ll lead her to truths she never expected.
Letting Go of Gravity, Meg Leder
“Twins Parker and Charlie are polar opposites. Where Charlie is fearless, Parker is careful. Charlie is confident while Parker aims to please. Charlie is outgoing and outspoken; Parker is introverted and reserved. And of course, there’s the one other major difference: Charlie got leukemia. Parker didn’t. But now that Charlie is officially in remission, life couldn’t be going better for Parker. She’s landed a prestigious summer internship at the hospital and is headed to Harvard in the fall to study pediatric oncology—which is why the anxiety she’s felt since her Harvard acceptance is so unsettling. And it doesn’t help that her relationship with Charlie has been on the rocks since his diagnosis. Enter Finn, a boy who’s been leaving strange graffiti messages all over town. Parker can’t stop thinking about those messages, or about Finn, who makes her feel free for the first time: free to doubt, free to make mistakes, and free to confront the truth that Parker has been hiding from for a long time. That she keeps trying to save Charlie, when the person who really needs saving is herself.” – Goodreads
We all know that twins have incredible connections to one another, but what do you do when you have lived most of your life worried that that connection would one day disappear? What do you do when it’s finally secure?
The Amazing Adventures of Aaron Broom, A.E. Hotchner
“Street-savvy, almost-thirteen-year-old Aaron Broom is parking his father’s car when he witnesses a robbery gone wrong in a jewelry store across the street. To Aaron’s shock his father, a traveling watch salesman in the wrong place at the wrong time, is fingered as the prime suspect in the murder. Despite seeing the real killer flee the scene, Aaron can’t do much to help in the moment–no one will take a kid’s word for it. Undaunted, Aaron enlists an unlikely band of friends and helpful adults to clear his father’s name. Aaron’s unusual mission is complicated by the painful realities of the Depression: his father’s longtime business folded, leaving the family in financial straits; his mother is in a sanatorium after a near-death experience with tuberculosis. So Aaron is forced to fend for himself while his father is held in wrongful custody: he ducks truant officers and nosy neighbors, landlords and social workers, and he bums meals from friends and relatives alike. ” – Goodreads
Why not finish up the summer with a classically written teen murder mystery? By the end, you’ll find that Aaron Broom is the ultimate detective and your new fictional best friend.
Annex, Rich Larson
“At first it is a nightmare. When the invaders arrive, the world as they know it is destroyed. Their friends are kidnapped. Their families are changed. Then it is a dream. With no adults left to run things, Violet and the others who have escaped capture are truly free for the first time. They can do whatever they want to do. They can be whoever they want to be. But the invaders won’t leave them alone for long.” – Goodreads
We all know what it feels like to be an outsider in one way or another. Imagine feeling like an outsider in the most familiar place we all know – the planet. If your summer has been lacking sci-fi, this is the perfect start to an alien-filled adventure.
