It probably comes as no surprise that the 2021 summer reading lists reflect the tumult of the last 16 months. Librarians are intentionally spotlighting books by diverse authors that grapple with themes of social injustice, multicultural identity and experience, and the pandemic itself.
Without further ado, here are LAPL’s picks for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Happy reading!
K-3
“Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us” by Lauren Castillo, 2020
“Your Place in the Universe” by Jason Chin, 2020
“Milo Imagines the World” by Matt de la Pena, 2021
“Three Billy Goats Buenos” by Susan Middleton Elya, 2020
“Swashby and the Sea” by Beth Ferry, 2020
“Imagination Vacation” by James Gigot, 2019
“Where’s Baby?” by Anne Hunter, 2020
“In a Jar” by Deborah Marcero, 2020
“Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story” by Kevin Noble Maillard, 2019
“What Will These Hands Make?” by Nikki McClure, 2020
“A New Day” by Brad Meltzer, 2021
“Bear Came Along” by Richard T. Morris, 2019
“Hike” by Pete Oswald, 2020
“Outside, Inside” by LeUyen Pham, 2021
“¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat” by Raúl the Third, 2020
4-6
“Amari and the Night Brothers” by B.B. Alston, 2021
“The Only Black Girls in Town” by Brandy Colbert, 2020
“Shine!” by J.J. Grabenstein and Chris Grabenstein, 2019
“Magic Misfit” series by Neal Patrick Harris, 2020
“Hide and Seeker” by Daka Hermon, 2020
“Lupe Wong Won’t Dance” by Donna Barba Higuera, 2020
“The Parker Inheritance” by Varian Johnson, 2018
“Get a Grip” by Sarah Kapit, 2020
“Song for a Whale” by Lynne Kelly, 2019
“Con Quest!” by Sam Maggs, 2020
“The Season of Styx Malone” by Kekla Magoon, 2018
“The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone” by Jaclyn Moriarty, 2018
“Mañanaland” by Pam Munoz Ryan, 2020
“A Wish in the Dark” by Christina Soontornvat, 2020
“The List of Things that Will Not Change” by Rebecca Stead, 2020
“Alice’s Farm: A Rabbit’s Tale” by Maryrose Wood, 2020
7-9
“A Trot & Cap’n Bill Adventure” by Amy Chu, 2020
“Ballad of Song Birds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins, 2020
“Eventown” by Corey Ann Haydu, 2019
“Notorious” by Gordon Korman, 2020
“Dragon Pearl” by Yoon Ha Lee, 2019
“Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky” by Kwame Mbalia, 2019
“Camp So-and-So” by Mary McCoy, 2017
“To Night Owl From Dogfish” by Holly Goldberg Sloan, 2019
“The Fabulous Zed Watson!” by Basil Sylvester, 2021
“Dragon Hoops” by Gene Luen Yang, 2020
10-12
“The Companion” by Katie Alender, 2020
“A Song of Wraiths and Ruin” by Roseanne A. Brown, 2020
“The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling” by Wai Chim, 2020
“The Voting Booth” by Brandy Colbert, 2020
“Daughters of Jubilation” by Kara Lee Corthron, 2020
“Legendborn” by Tracy Deonn, 2020
“Wings of Ebony” by J. Elle, 2021
“Excuse me While I Ugly Cry” by Joya Goffney, 2021
“Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir” by Robin Ha, 2020.
“Every Body Looking” by Candice Iloh, 2020
“The Henna Wars” by Adiba Jaigirdar, 2020
“Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo, 2021
“Nubia: Real One” by L.L. McKinney, 2021
“Out Now: Queer We Go Again” by Saundra Mitchell, 2020
“A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow” by Laura Taylor Namey, 2020
“Everything Sad Is Untrue: A True Story” by Daniel Nayeri, 2020
“The Left-Handed Booksellers of London” by Garth Nix, 2020
“Charming as a Verb” by Ben Philippe, 2020
“The Girls I’ve Been” by Tess Sharpe, 2021
“Today Tonight Tomorrow” by Rachel Lynn Solomon, 2020
“All These Monsters” by Amy Tintera, 2020.
“Zoe Rosenthal Is not Lawful Good” by Nancy Werlin, 2021
“Parachutes” by Kelly Yang, 2020
Continue reading here.
