Teachers and librarians are accustomed to hearing about what their students read over the summer, but we asked them to tell us about the titles they’ve been enjoying during the break.
Andrea Trudeau, library information specialist, Deerfield, Ill.
Anyone concerned about intellectual freedom must read That Librarian by Amanda Jones. In Amanda’s powerful memoir, she recounts how speaking out at her public library [in Livingston Parish, La.] in support of Pride Month book displays completely altered her life. Since that pivotal moment, she has endured vitriol, threats, and significant personal challenges. Her story, which is written with such a heartfelt, vulnerable voice, allows readers to feel as though they are sitting beside Amanda as she shares her journey. She highlights the personal risks and backlash that librarians and educators across the nation face today when they stand up for intellectual freedom, while demonstrating the importance of supporting diverse perspectives and advocating to support inclusivity and access to information. Ultimately, Amanda stands as a powerful symbol for courage and a beacon of light, inspiring us all.
Diane Jackson Schnoor, CEO of Dr. Diane’s Adventures in Learning, Winchester, Va.
I’m teaching a children’s literature course for the University of Virginia this summer, so part of my stack of reading has been keeping up with my graduate students, who are amazing teachers, librarians, and reading specialists. Some of my favorite books I’ve read this summer for class include Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia, The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera, Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi, and We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly.
I’ve also been doing a lot of reading for my Adventures in Learning podcast and for the workshops I do for students and teachers around the world. Some of the books I’ve loved this summer in that pile include Shake It Off by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis, Not Nothing by Gayle Forman, The Little Blue Bridge by Brenda Maier and Sonia Sanchez, and Hey Wall: A Story of Art and Community by Susan Verde and John Parra. And just for me, I’m reading Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet by Thich Nhat Hahn, and We Alive, Beloved by Frederick Joseph.
Kristi Starr, high school library media director, Mustang, Okla.
Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin and Nick Bertozzi is the graphic novel adaptation of the 2012 book of the same title. For teachers or students who watched Oppenheimer but who haven’t really read about it, the graphic novel is a great entry point. Told in flashbacks as Harry Gold, an American courier for Soviet agents, is interrogated, we learn about the discovery of atomic fission, the rise of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the creation of the Manhattan Project. The story takes us from the University of California at Berkeley to the deserts of New Mexico, from the Norwegian Vemork power plant to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It’s a sweeping, engaging history easily accessed in a graphic novel format.
I devoured That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally, a debut YA novel. A girl wakes up in a ditch and flags down a police officer in a small town. She can’t remember her name and has absolutely no memories. So, when a man named Wayne Boone shows up at the police station claiming that the girl is his daughter Mary and produces her high school ID and birth certificate, there’s no reason she shouldn’t go with him. Right? Meanwhile in the same town, Drew is the prime suspect in the disappearance of his girlfriend Lola. He’s not ready to share everything about the night Lola went missing. But he’s also desperately searching to find her. This fast-paced read—or listen, in my case—is told from both Mary’s and Drew’s perspective and has lots of twists. It’s a great book to share with fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus.
Erin Ruggiero, high school English teacher, Moon Township, Pa.
One of my favorite reads thus far for the summer of 2024 is Being Henry, Henry Winkler’s autobiography. I grew up watching Happy Days and absolutely loved Fonzie, Winkler’s character. He has gone on to wow me in his later years, particularly on the show Barry. His book is a pleasurable and unexpected read. He is a true storyteller, and offered so many twists and turns, such as his lifelong struggle with dyslexia. It’s a nostalgic and enjoyable celebrity story.
Faith Huff, school librarian, Greensboro, N.C.
To the excitement of many of my friends, I’ve finally started the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. These are the only physical books I’ve been able to read since they are all quite long and there are seven of them (eight if you count the prequel, The Assassin’s Blade, which is where I began). It’s a commitment, and I know I’m late to the party, but I’m here now and I get it: strong female leads, morally gray characters, fantasy, and drama of all kinds. I’m on book six right now and managing to avoid spoilers.
The audiobooks I’ve read have been a varied assortment this summer. I started off with The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh. It’s a middle grade novel about the famine in Soviet Ukraine in the 1930s, and the story had me hooked (and weeping). It’s told from various perspectives, both during the famine and against the backdrop of the 2020 pandemic, and I found myself enthralled with each character’s journey. The book is on the NC School Library Media Association’s 2024–2025 Battle of the Books list for middle schoolers, and I can’t wait to experience this story with my students!
Another great audiobook this summer has been True Biz by Sara Nović, an adult book that centers around a school for the deaf and features a variety of perspectives including the headmistress who is the child of deaf adults, a student who was born into an almost entirely deaf family and extended family, and a deaf student who struggles to learn sign language as a teen after getting a cochlear implant at three years old. In order to signal the use of sign language in the audiobook, the sounds of the characters’ signing [with their hands] could be heard under the spoken translation. It created an incredibly engaging listening experience.
Steve Tetreault, school library media specialist, Holmdel, N.J.
My summer reading so far has been a real hodge-podge. I took home a big box of books from my school library to help me get a better handle on my collection. I just finished the second and third books of Marissa Meyer’s Renegades trilogy. It’s a YA superhero action-romance with some fun twists and turns, and an interesting take on what the world might be like if there were people with special abilities out there.
A friend was reading Project: Hail Mary by Andy Weir, which was a great excuse to dive back into that book. It’s just as good on a second read as it was the first time around! A guy wakes up to find himself in a small white room with two dead bodies and no apparent way out. He doesn’t remember who he is or where he is. His only companion is a low-level robotic assistant. He has to reverse-engineer what’s going on based on his observations, which leads him to conclude that he’s on a spaceship a long way from Earth. Things quickly grow much more interesting—and complicated. It’s got action, suspense, some pretty solid science, and plenty of humor. Tonally, it’s like Weir’s The Martian, but without the swears (which is why I have three copies in my school library!).
I’ve also been exploring some books just for me, after spending a big chunk of the year reading MG and YA titles. I just finished the memoir Joyful Recollections of Trauma by comedian Paul Scheer. I’ve been a fan of his for a while; he has a podcast, How Did This Get Made, on which he occasionally mentions something about his childhood, which almost always leaves his co-hosts asking for clarification. This book goes into some details about his past that are pretty traumatic, and yet he manages to spin most of them into humorous anecdotes. And all of it culminates in the idea that we can all be better than our pasts if we’re willing to work for it.
Oh, and I devoured Robert Jackson Bennett’s gritty fantasy trilogy Divine Cities in a week. I wasn’t familiar with his work until recently, and I am obsessed! In what I’ve read so far, he writes extremely engaging fantasy stories that take things in really interesting and unexpected directions. I’d inhaled his Founders Trilogy a few months back, and as soon as I had time in my reading schedule, I had to track down more of his work.
Kim Fields, school library media specialist, Tampa, Fla.
This summer I decided to start out by re-reading my favorite book, Stephen King’s The Stand. It always made me wonder what I would do if such a thing as a plague wiped out 95% of the population. This re-read was no exception. I’ve read it/listened to the audio version at least 15 times and it never gets old! I get so invested in the events and characters, and it doesn’t matter that I already know how it will turn out; it’s such a fascinating story. It’s so intriguing and frightening both to consider how fast nature can revive itself and how lonely, yet freeing such devastation could be.
James Ponti is a favorite author among school librarians in Florida. He writes wonderful tales of adventure and intrigue for middle grade readers. This summer, James has a new series coming out called The Sherlock Society and I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy. I loved it. It’s about a group of four “misfit” friends who live in Miami. Together with Grandpa as the designated driver, the kids make a scary discovery in the Everglades. They’d begun looking for Al Capone’s lost treasure but stumble on something far more sinister. This is definitely one I will have available for my students. I already have some ideas to form a mystery book group for my students in the coming school year.
After I read The Sherlock Society I was reminded of my own youth and reading the Trixie Belden series. My sister and friends all wanted to be like Honey and Trixie and solve mysteries. We wanted to be part of a secret club with a secret whistle and a clubhouse. I re-read the first two books this summer and found them to still be charming and sweet.
I’ve read a bit of poetry this summer, too. I love Mary Oliver, and because I traveled a bit in some natural settings—the Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah Parkway, our family summer camp in the northern tier of New York, the mountains of New Hampshire and coastal Maine— Mary Oliver was a perfect companion to bring along. Her words about nature and life just resonate with me.
Jarred Amato, middle school English teacher, Montvale, N.J.
With two young children at home all summer, I don’t have much time to read for pleasure. (We are reading a ton of outstanding board and picture books, however.) The one book I’m making time for, though, is Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation. I care deeply about the wellbeing of the students in my community and across our country, and I want to do my small part to advocate for real change, particularly in our classrooms. For example, I’d love to see all schools restrict cellphone use while providing more time for independent reading.
