Hottest Summer Reads

Escape the Dog Days of Summer

Summer is time for fun and adventure! Right? Unless, of course, you're facing a 14-hour drive to Aunt Nellie's. Or a flight with two layovers and a storm delay. Or maybe you get can't even get out of town because the gas funds dried up. Hey, they're all good reasons to escape into these great summer reads.

Click on titles to reserve them at your favorite CCPL branch. If it says "on order," place a hold on the book. You'll be one of the first to get it once we do!

We'll Always Have Summer
By Jenny Han

The summer after her first year of college, Isobel "Belly" Conklin is faced with a choice between Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher -- the brothers she has always loved -- when Jeremiah proposes marriage and Conrad confesses that he still loves her.

This is the brand new sequel to The Summer I Turned Pretty and It's Not Summer Without You.




 
 

 



Stay
By Deb Caletti

In a remote corner of Washington State, Clara and her father try to escape her obsessive boyfriend. Her summer job at a lighthouse and the friends she and her father meet, especially Finn, make Clara hopeful about the future.

Beauty Queens
By Libba Bray

When a plane crash strands 13 teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, get along with each other, combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.








Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have)
By Sarah Mlynowski

April, a high school junior, and her friend Vi, a senior, get a crash course in reality as the list of things they should not do becomes a list of things they actually did while living parent-free for the semester.







Summer and the City (A Carrie Diaries novel)
By Candace Bushnell

Summer is a magical time in New York City. Carrie is in love with it all — the crazy characters, vintage-clothing boutiques, wild parties, and her glamorous man. Best of all, she's finally in a real writing class taking steps toward fulfilling her dream.

New sequel to The Carrie Dairies!

 




Cruel Summer
By Alyson Noël

Ditching her best friend to become a member of the popular clique in high school, Colby's priorities change after spending the summer on a Greek island and sharing an intense relationship with a local boy. Told through letters, postcards, emails, and journal and blog entries.

Along For the Ride
By Sarah Dessen

Auden impulsively goes to stay with her father, stepmother, and new baby sister the summer before she starts college. Yet, her visit revives the trauma of her parents' divorce, even as she's making new friends, learning to ride a bike, and dating a new guy.








Same Difference
By Siobhan Vivian

Feeling left out since her long-time best friend started a serious relationship, 16-year-old Emily looks forward to a summer program at the Philadelphia College of Art. Yet, she's not sure she is up to the challenges she'll face there, including finding herself and learning to balance life and art.




 



Twenty Boy Summer
By Sarah Ockler

While on vacation in California, 16-year-old best friends Anna and Frankie conspire to find a boy for Anna's first kiss. But Anna harbors a painful secret that threatens their lighthearted plan -- and their friendship.

Girlfriend Material
By Melissa Kantor

Kate has never had a boyfriend. Then, while crashing at her mother's wealthy friends' home on Cape Cod for the summer, Kate meets Adam. When her breezy summer romance becomes more complicated, Kate asks herself if she is girlfriend material.

Shift
By Jennifer Bradbury

When best friends Chris and Win go on a cross-country bicycle trek the summer after graduating -- and only one boy returns -- the FBI wants to know what happened.

Soul Surfer: A Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board
By Bethany Hamilton

The true story of Bethany Hamilton, a 13-year-old surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack off the coast of Hawaii. You'll be inspired to read how the loss of her arm couldn't keep her from the sport she loves. Check out the movie, too!

Scones and Sensibility
By Lindsay Eland

At 12, Polly idolizes the characters and relationships in Jane Austen’s novels. She also spends the summer making deliveries for her parents’ bakery and playing matchmaker for friends and family -- whether they like it or not.








How To Ruin A Summer Vacation
By Simone Elkeles

When 16-year-old Amy, a spoiled American, goes to Israel for a three-month summer vacation with a father she barely knows, she's not prepared for his Jewish family and the changes they bring to her life.

Sequels: How To Ruin My Teenage Life and How To Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation

That Summer
By Sarah Dessen

During the summer of her divorced father's remarriage and her sister's wedding, 15-year-old Haven comes into her own by letting go of the myths of the past.









Why I Let My Hair Grow Out
By Maryrose Wood

When Morgan's boyfriend dumps her, she shaves her head and freaks out her parents. They send her on a bike trip to Ireland to "find" herself. Instead, she meets a cute Irish guy and learns that she's the legendary half-goddess Morganne, sent to help end a faery curse.

Sequels: How I Found the Perfect Dress and What I Wore to Save the World







Swim the Fly
By Don Calame

In a desperate attempt to impress the super-hot new girl on the summer swim team, 15-year-old Matt agrees to swim the butterfly at championships -- despite the fact that he can barely tread water.





 


Huge
By Sasha Paley

When Wilhelmina and April find themselves roommates at a fat camp, they have very little in common -- until they're united by a common enemy. Remember the TV show that followed seven teens at a weight-loss camp?

The Complete History of Why I Hate Her
By Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Wanting a break from family pressures in Boston, 17-year-old Nola takes a waitress job at a summer resort in Maine. But she soon feels as if her new best friend is taking over her life.

Vast Fields of Ordinary
By Nick Burd

The summer after graduating high school, 18-year-old Dade watches his parents’ marriage disintegrate. At the same time, he ends his long-term but secret relationship, comes out of the closet, and savors first love.

Two-Way Street
By Lauren Barnholdt
 
Courtney is about to embark on a cross-country road trip to college with her boyfriend when he dumps her. It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is still on.


 

Mexican WhiteBoy
By Matt de la Peña

At 16, Danny searches for his identity amidst the confusion of being half-Mexican and half-white while spending a summer on the baseball fields and back alleys of San Diego.

How to Build a House
By Dana Reinhardt

Hoping to escape the fallout from her father's divorce, 17-year-old Harper volunteers to spend her summer building a house in a small Tennessee town devastated by a tornado.








The Au Pairs: A Novel
By Melissa de la Cruz

Three teen girls from different backgrounds work for a summer in the Hamptons as au pairs for one of New York's wealthiest families. In spite of many ups and downs, all three end up changing for the better.

Sequels: Skinny-Dipping, Crazy Hot, and Sun-Kissed

Peaches
By Jodi Lynn Anderson

An intoxicating peach orchard works its magic on snooty Leeda, hostile Murphy, and awkward Birdie as they pick fruit for a community service assignment.

Sequels: Secrets of Peaches and Love and Peaches

Suite Scarlett
By Maureen Johnson

At 15, Scarlett is stuck for the summer working at her quirky family's historic hotel. But her outlook is improved by her brother's attractive new friend and a seasonal guest who offers her an intriguing and challenging writing project.

Sequel: Scarlett Fever

 
 

An Abundance of Katherines
By John Green

After getting dumped for the 19th time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend and tries to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships.

Carter’s Big Break
By Brent Crawford

Carter’s summer gets a lot more interesting when the 14-year-old is cast opposite super-star Hilary Idaho in a small movie being filmed in his town. However, her erratic behavior and substance problems put the production in danger.

Sequel to: Carter Finally Gets It

Johnny Hazzard
By Eddie de Oliveira

Johnny's 17th obligatory summer in London with his divorced father livens up when the 15-year-old meets an older girl named January.

Pick-Up Game: A Full Day of Full Court

Check out this series of short stories by various authors, interspersed with poems and photographs. Each offers different perspectives of a steamy July basketball game played on a New York City court known as the Cage.

Orchards
By Holly Thompson

Kana, who is half Japanese and half Jewish, is sent to Japan for the summer after a classmate’s suicide. She tries to fit in with relatives she barely knows and reflects on the guilt she feels over the tragedy back home.

The Juliet Club
By Suzanne Harper

High school junior Kate wins an essay contest that sends her to Verona, Italy, to study the play Romeo and Juliet over the summer. There, she meets both American and Italian students and learns about Shakespeare, star-crossed lovers – and herself.

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty
By Jody Gehrman

Geena, Hero, and Amber spend their 16-year-old summer working at a California coffee shop where they experience romance, identity crises, and newfound friendships.

Sequel: Triple Shot Bettys in Love





Be sure to enter CCPL's summer reading program to win tons of prizes while reading these great books!

Have a great summer.