It’s
summer! Well, almost anyway. Here in Colorado, the weather is nice enough to
make me think I can plant a tree, so that counts as summer.
I had better things in mind for this
time of year (for those of you who know me, you’ll know I had heart surgery in
January), fun stuff that involved travel and even some early promotion of my upcoming
middle-grade novel Midnight at the Barclay Hotel (August 25th! Mark your calendar! Pre-order!)
Alas, this is the year we all have to do
without something, and I am certainly not going to complain. Compared to the (high)
school grads, littles who miss their teachers, and all the other tragedy that
COVID-19 is bringing us this year, I have it pretty good. I’m still writing,
and have a beautiful Colorado to escape in when I feel too cooped up.
Still. I feel like if I don’t turn this
thing on its head and set out to make summer special, I might get a little
grumpy. So I decided to give myself a reading challenge, first of all, so I'd have some books for June and July. I went on
the Twitterz and asked for middle-grade book recommendation, and boy did I get
them! Thank you for those, internet friends. I added a few titles that were already
on my radar, and…
Presto! I have a MG summer reading list.
I ordered these books from my various indie bookstores in Colorado, so I’m also
supporting my favorite hangouts. It’s a win all around.
You can join me, create your own list,
or just follow along. I’ll be giving away these books by the end of summer, in
August sometime.
Oh, and pre-order Midnight at the Barclay Hotel…! Please..?
Here’s my book list:
The
One and Only Bob by
Katherine Applegate
Ben
Braver and the Vortex of Doom by
Marcus Emerson
The
Witches of Willow Cove
by Josh Roberts
Pax by Sara Pennypacker, Illustr. by Jon
Klassen
Ernestine,
Catastrophe Queen by
Merrill Wyatt
The
Parker Inheritance by
Varian Johnson
A
Home for Goddesses and Dogs
by Leslie Connor
Keep
it Together, Keiko Carter
by Debbi Michiko Florence
American
As Paneer Pie by Supriya
Kelkar
The
Girl Who Drank the Moon
by Kelli Barnhill
Stick
Dog by Tom Watson,
Illustr. Ethan Long
The Cryptid
Catcher by Lija
Fisher
Read
on, y’all!
