Summer reads for teens
They're off from school and bored, why not get them hooked on reading this summer?
Try out some of these books, there's something for everyone - whether you're after a funny book, an emotional book, a thriller, or a road trip.
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The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
Author: Wai Chim
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
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The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
Author: Wai Chim
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Anna's Ma hasn't got out of bed for weeks and it's up to Anna to take care of her family. But when Ma finally leaves her room, thi…
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Somebody Give This Heart a Pen
Author: Sophia Thakur
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
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Somebody Give This Heart a Pen
Author: Sophia Thakur
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
An internationally acclaimed performance poet and YouTube phenomenon, Thakur writes with passion and conviction about everyday lif…
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Eden Summer
Author: Liz Flanagan
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
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Eden Summer
Author: Liz Flanagan
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Gothy, tattoo-loving teen Jess goes to school one day to find that her best friend – perfect, popular Eden – has gone mi…
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A Throne of Swans
Author: Katharine & Elizabeth Corr
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12-14
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A Throne of Swans
Author: Katharine & Elizabeth Corr
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12-14
If you love Melinda Salisbury’s royal politics and treacherous courts, you’ll love this brilliant Game of Thrones-esque fanta…
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The Paper and Hearts Society
Author: Lucy Powrie
Interest level: 13-16
Reading age: 10+
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The Paper and Hearts Society
Author: Lucy Powrie
Interest level: 13-16
Reading age: 10+
Tabby hopes that moving to a new town will release her from the relentless bullying of her ex-best friend. This debut novel from a…
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The List of Things That Will Not Change
Author: Rebecca Stead
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 11+
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The List of Things That Will Not Change
Author: Rebecca Stead
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 11+
Bea’s dad is gay and he’s marrying his boyfriend Jesse, who Bea loves. Bea lives half of her week with mum, half of the week with …
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Pumpkin Heads
Author: Rainbow Rowell Illustrator: Faith Erin Hicks
Interest level: 12-16
Reading age: 10+
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Pumpkin Heads
Author: Rainbow Rowell Illustrator: Faith Erin Hicks
Interest level: 12-16
Reading age: 10+
A story of friendship and romance told in a funny and inclusive graphic novel that celebrates the joy and diversity of Halloween t…
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The Weird Friends Fan Club
Author: Catherine Wilkins
Interest level: 12-15
Reading age: 10+
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The Weird Friends Fan Club
Author: Catherine Wilkins
Interest level: 12-15
Reading age: 10+
Grace micro-manages her life and friends to make sure her online identity is super-attractive and super-cool (#blessed). Writ…
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How I Live Now
Author: Meg Rosoff
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 13+
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How I Live Now
Author: Meg Rosoff
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 13+
Fifteen-year-old New Yorker Daisy is sent to England to spend a summer with her unconventional cousins
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Lying About Last Summer
Author: Sue Wallman
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
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Lying About Last Summer
Author: Sue Wallman
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Last summer, Skye had lots of friends, was part of the swim team and lived in a nice big house. But then her sister Luisa died in …
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Where the River Runs Gold
Author: Sita Brahmachari
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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Where the River Runs Gold
Author: Sita Brahmachari
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Shifa and her brother Themba live in a world destroyed by climate change, but when they're sent away to work, they're horrified to…
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Infinite Sky
Author: C J Flood
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
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Infinite Sky
Author: C J Flood
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Iris's mum has gone, leaving her to look after her older brother and dad. When a family of Irish Travellers park up on the farm, t…
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Jackdaw Summer
Author: David Almond
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 8+
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Jackdaw Summer
Author: David Almond
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 8+
Fate leads Liam to find an abandoned baby and as a result his life becomes entwined with that of Oliver, an African boy seeking as…
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All My Secrets
Author: Sophie McKenzie
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 8+
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All My Secrets
Author: Sophie McKenzie
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 8+
Fast paced and easy to read, this exciting mystery with unexpected plot twists, new friendships and a touch of teenage romance is …
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The Wicked Deep
Author: Shea Ernshaw
Interest level: 14-17
Reading age: 10+
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The Wicked Deep
Author: Shea Ernshaw
Interest level: 14-17
Reading age: 10+
The Swan sisters have been dead for almost two centuries but their vengeful spirits return to the town of Sparrow every summer, an…
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The Wild Book
Author: Juan Villoro Translator: Lawrence Schimel
Interest level: 10-14
Reading age: 10-14
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The Wild Book
Author: Juan Villoro Translator: Lawrence Schimel
Interest level: 10-14
Reading age: 10-14
When Juan goes to spend the summer with his strange uncle Tito, the last thing he expects is to be sent on a quest in his labyrint…
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What Momma Left Me
Author: Renée Watson
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 10+
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What Momma Left Me
Author: Renée Watson
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 10+
Moving to a new school, making new friends and having your first boyfriend – these are all challenging things. But for Serenity, w…
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One Silver Summer
Author: Rachel Hickman
Interest level: 11-15
Reading age: 11+
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One Silver Summer
Author: Rachel Hickman
Interest level: 11-15
Reading age: 11+
Set in the dramatic landscape of wild Cornwall, this 21st-century take on first love stars a prince, a grief-stricken girl, beauti…
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Roller Girl
Author: Victoria Jamieson
Interest level: 10-14
Reading age: 9-14
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Roller Girl
Author: Victoria Jamieson
Interest level: 10-14
Reading age: 9-14
It’s really exciting to be starting at Roller Derby summer camp, but less so when Astrid finds herself doing it alone. A fantastic…
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A Good Day For Climbing Trees
Author: Jaco Jacobs Illustrator: Jim Tierney Translator: Kobus Geldenhuys from Afrikaans
Interest level: 11-14
Reading age: 11+
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A Good Day For Climbing Trees
Author: Jaco Jacobs Illustrator: Jim Tierney Translator: Kobus Geldenhuys from Afrikaans
Interest level: 11-14
Reading age: 11+
Thirteen-year-old Marnus finds himself at the centre of a protest when he and a girl named Leila camp out in a tree to preven…
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No Fixed Address
Author: Susin Nielsen
Interest level: 11-15
Reading age: 11+
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No Fixed Address
Author: Susin Nielsen
Interest level: 11-15
Reading age: 11+
If Felix can win Canada’s biggest junior quiz show, he and his mum can stop living in a car park. Or is that just wishful thinking…
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How Hard Can Love Be?
Author: Holly Bourne
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 8+
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How Hard Can Love Be?
Author: Holly Bourne
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 8+
Working at a US summer camp, Amber meets Kyle, the all-American boy. He can't seriously be interested in her - can he? Written wit…
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Hour of the Bees
Author: Lindsay Eager
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
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Hour of the Bees
Author: Lindsay Eager
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Carol's summer was supposed to be filled with pool parties and sleepovers - not helping move her dementia-wrecked grandfather from…
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The Summer I Turned Pretty
Author: Jenny Han
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 11+
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The Summer I Turned Pretty
Author: Jenny Han
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 11+
What at first appears to be a frothy beach read ends up tackling some tough issues and exploring both the joys and sorrows which c…
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