Chapter Books to Keep Your Kids Engaged All Summer! 2023 Independent Elementary Summer Reading List

The Cat Kid Comic Club learns to collaborate in this creative, funny, and insightful graphic novel by Dav Pilkey, the author and illustrator of Dog Man.

Excitement and imagination run wild as Naomi, Melvin, Poppy, Gilbert, Curly, and their siblings get back to making comics with originality and laughter. But wait -- have they cleaned their rooms yet?!

Cracking the code isn't all it's cracked up to be in this scavenger hunt adventure from a Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author.

Chester is convinced his dad is a spy. After receiving a clue from his dad, Chester and his classmate Skye embark on a puzzle-filled scavenger hunt that ends up having higher stakes than he originally thought.

American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award

Mary Golda Ross designed classified airplanes and spacecraft as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation's first female engineer. Find out how her passion for math and the Cherokee values she was raised with shaped her life and work.

Award-winning author Betsy Franco is back with another pitch-perfect performance that explores a range of math topics — from fractions and time measurements to geometry and graphs — in a way that relates math to the daily lives of children. 

 From multiplying mice to missing socks, from stinky scales to bug races, this collection of imaginative verse subtracts the mystery, fear, and loathing from mathematics, making it engrossing and fun for all.

This funny, original, choose-your-path picture book of fractured fairy tales will charm any young fan of the genre, putting the power of storytelling right in the reader's hands!

Lina Gao adjusts to life in America, traveling from Beijing to reunite with her family in California after five years apart, supporting her family’s bathbomb business to raise their back rent, finding her place at a new school, and discovering the power of books and raising her voice.

There’s only ONE hero for the job, a bold and fearsome beast bioengineered in a secret lab to be the moon’s savior and Earth’s last hope! And that hero is a cat. A cat who will be blasted into space!

In this spine-chilling middle grade debut--perfect for fans of Small Spaces and the Goosebumps series -- a brother and sister are transported to a cursed world based on the game hide-and-seek, where the only way to get home is to win.

Two twins, one prophecy, and a whole lot of hijinks. A fantastical story about twin siblings Dani and Dorian who have missed the bus to magic school and scramble to find a mentor to teach them before their parents find out. Perfect for fans of The Okay Witch and the 5 Worlds series!

Perfect for fans of Ivy & Bean and Dory Fantasmagory, this is the start of a charming new chapter book series about a third-grader whose plans may backfire but whose persistence and heart are inspiring.

When her classmate Alexa describes the fancy party she’s having for her birthday, Marya decides to make her own big impression with a fabulous henna party. But first she needs to convince her family to go along with this great idea.

Award-winning nonfiction author and science specialist Melissa Stewart offers young readers a mega-exploration of little-known prehistoric predators that rival even the mightiest of dinosaurs!

It's book week at school, and nonbinary fourth grader Riley and their best friends craft hard for the Dress Like Your Favorite Character Day. They are ready to make the biggest and best group costume ever! But most of the other kids are having trouble coming up with costumes. Riley is ready to use their creativity and vision to help as many kids as possible so dress-up day will be a big success!

The One and Only Ivan meets The Wild Robot in this unique and deeply moving middle grade novel about the journey of a fictional Mars rover, from the Newbery Honor–winning author of Other Words for Home.

Resilience, a Mars rover, has learned some of the intricacies of human emotion through scientists and a young girl, Sophie, who writes letters to Res. Readers can join Res on the journey to explore Mars in this science fiction graphic novel.

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor * National Book Award Longlist * Kirkus Best Book of the Year

A graphic novel about what it means to be the new kid at school. Bree is thrust out of her comfort zone and learns how to swim, ultimately joining her new school’s swim team.

Sandlot meets Esperanza Rising in this middle grade historical novel about a strong-willed girl who finds her voice in a tale of moxie, peaches and determination to thrive despite the odds.

A book full of heart and humour by multi-award-winning author and storyteller Atinuke, with artwork by Onyinye Iwu, a fabulous new talent in children's illustration.

Three short chapters follow Tola through the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, as she learns how to get along with her siblings, tends to her grandmother’s health, and calms feelings of jealousy of a peer whose family has more money
than hers.

On July 19, 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped out on the Broadway stage in Hamilton. His show about Alexander Hamilton, featuring hip hop, R&B and other music styles, became one of the most successful musicals of all time! Find out how the boy who loved performing blazed a trail in theater!

When cheerleading tryouts are announced, Christina and her best friend, Megan, literally jump at the chance to join the squad. As two of the only kids of color in the school, they have always yearned to fit in ― and the middle school cheerleaders are popular and accepted by everyone. But will the girls survive the terrifying tryouts, with their whole grade watching? And will their friendship withstand the pressures of competition?

Hilarious and highly relatable, The Tryout by two-time Newbery Honoree Christina Soontornvat and shining new talent Joanna Cacao will make you laugh, cry, and cheer!

An American Library Association Notable Children's Book * A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year * A Horn Book Fanfare Title * A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * and MORE

The Universe in You is a mind-boggling adventure that makes complex science accessible and enjoyable to readers of any age.

This short, generously illustrated novel is packed with action, humor, heart, friendship, and surprises. Award-winning author Lynne Rae Perkins’s Violet & Jobie in the Wild will resonate with readers who love books about animals.

A bold, lyrical collection of poems that highlight some of the most celebrated activists from around the world and throughout history.

Each portrait offers a vision of action and love that gets up and does something, no matter the forces ranged against it, no matter the odds.