Brilliant books about summer for older children

Jakub usually looks after his mum – and now he’s caring for an injured otter. A gentle, compelling read. 

It’s the summer holidays, and the Walker children are excited to set sail on their boat Swallow and camp on Wild Cat Island.

This sophisticated picture book invites the reader to become a ​“Wild Child” and embark on a breathtaking journey of discovery through nature. 

A collection of exciting, action-packed mystery stories from 13 brilliant contemporary authors – all with a summer theme. A perfect summer holiday read. 

Rex is not the sort of person to rob a bank… until he’s sent to stay with his Uncle Derm for the summer! Expect high jinks, close calls and lots of silliness in this delightful heist adventure.

A detective duo pounce into action en route to their holiday when a woman is murdered on a train.

Bertie must help Nugget the alien chicken find Earth’s most valuable resource – before the aliens blow up the planet! A brilliant humorous, dyslexia-friendly story.

Kofi is always coming up with ways to make money and when he discovers his friend Kelvin can remember every song lyric, it’s time to hit the big time! Funny and packed with brilliant dialogue, readers will fall for the irrepressible Kofi and his crazy schemes.

High-Rise Mystery is the perfect ​‘whodunnit’. As the two girls sift through red herrings and reveal a series of tower block secrets, short snappy sentences and sparkling dialogue will keep readers turning the pages. A mystery as hot as the summer heatwave in which it’s set!

Prez has one summer to find ten things about the earth that make it worth saving – but can he do it? This book is heart-breaking and hilarious in equal measure.

Jacqueline Wilson pays tribute to her ​‘all-time favourite classic children’s author’ E. Nesbit in this contemporary reimagining of Five Children and It.

It’s summer and Margot, Kyra and Janna are staying with their granny in Frygea Forest, a place full of legend. Trolls stalk the forest, as does the Hellhound, a beast with burning eyes. Worst of all are the Fog Furies who abduct the young girls they find in the forest.

Can Finn and his new friend Skye save the beached minke whale? A charming story about how you can make a difference to the planet, no matter how small you are.

Nani is becoming very forgetful and Xanthe doesn’t know how to help – until a mysterious cat leads her to long-lost artefacts that help bring Nani’s memories back to life. Captivating.

With no garden or children to play with Tom feels lonely and unhappy, until one night he hears the clock striking thirteen and discovers a secret garden.

When Ginika meets a boy who lives in the sea, they strike up a secret friendship – but what will happen when he gets ill? A very exciting, unusual and truly imaginative adventure story which is expertly told.

During his week’s holiday, Sam had expected football on the beach but instead finds himself ballroom dancing, holding a funeral for a canary and hatching a plan to help Tess meet her father; a father who doesn’t even know she exists.

This gripping mystery will keep readers guessing to the end and asks some difficult questions about right and wrong and how sometimes they can both look the same.

In 2032, Polly dives into the world of the submerged town Syndercombe in 1952, where Nellie has set herself a swimming challenge she can only complete with the help of two good friends. Another superb story from the Queen of Historical Fiction.

It’s Luton, it’s the holidays and there is a heatwave. Low on friends, ten year old Leo is passing the long, lonely summer practising the thing he loves most – dancing. Then he meets his new next-door neighbour – confident and chatty, Richa is everything he isn’t but the two instantly become friends.

In this leftfield comic fantasy novel, 12-year-old Percy Jackson discovers that the Greek gods of Olympus are alive and living in modern-day New York.

Twelve year-old Clara can’t remember what happened last summer, or understand why her best friend is so angry with her. What mysteries will she uncover this summer?

It’s 1988 and Charlie Bell is 12 and going through the hardest time in his life. But while staying with his grandparents, he is introduced to basketball and jazz – and everything changes. Rebound is funny, moving and almost impossible not to read in one sitting.

Abby’s father is a magician but when things go awry in his latest performance he decides it’s time to call it a day on magic. While Dad finds a new job, Abby finds it hard to bid farewell to the past.