Portal to a Different World Reading Suggestions

Portal to a Different World Level Up Your Reading Suggestions 

Kids Summer Reading Challenge 2022

Historical Fantasy     Mythology & Folklore     Dystopian/Haunting     Magical Realism     New Culture/Tradition     Science Fiction & Space     Book Whose Main Character Differs From You

Historical Fantasy

  1. The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier 
  2. The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell 
  3. The Sheep, the Rooster, and the Duck by Matt Phelan 
  4. Root Magic by Eden Royce 
  5. Once Was a Time by Leila Sales 
  6. The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero 
  7. The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove 
  8. The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove
  9. The Apothecary by Maile Meloy 
  10. Ophie’s Ghost by Justina Ireland 
  11. Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne 
  12. Day of the Dragon King by Mary Pope Osborne 
  13. Revolutionary War on Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne 
  14. Castle in the Stars: The Space Race of 1869 by Alex Alice 
  15. The Time Museum by Matthew Loux 
  16. Cleopatra in Space graphic novel series by Mike Maihack 
  17. The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox 
  18. Hollow Chest by Brita Sandstrom 
  19. Constable & Toop by Gareth P. Jones 
  20. Magical History Tour by Fabrice Erre 
  21. Thieves of Weirdwood by Christian McKay Heidicker 
  22. Amber & Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz 
  23. Da Vinci’s Cat by Catherine Gilbert Murdock 
  24. The Inquisitor’s Tale or the Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz 
  25. Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty 
  26. Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older 
  27. The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands 
  28. The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood 
  29. Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith 
  30. Secret Spy Society series by Veronica Mang

Mythology & Folklore

  1. The Eye of Zeus by Alane Adams
  2. Goddess Girls series by Joan Holub
  3. Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
  4. Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
  5. The Serpents Secret by Sayantani DasGupta
  6. When the Sea Turned To Silver by Grace Lin
  7. Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin
  8. Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee
  9. Unicorn Rescue Society series by Adam Gidwitz
  10. The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
  11. The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson
  12. Aru Shah series by Roshani Chokshi
  13. The Storm Runner by Jennifer Cervantes
  14. Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
  15. Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha Lee
  16. The Fire Keeper by Jennifer Cervantes
  17. Tristan Strong series by Kwame Mbalia
  18. Paola Santiago and River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
  19. City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
  20. The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim
  21. Aviva vs the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe
  22. Girl Giant and the Jade War by Van Hoang
  23. Zeus the Mighty series by Crispin Boyer
  24. Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds by Samira Ahmed
  25. The Dreamweavers by G. Z. Schmidt
  26. Loteria by Karla Valenti
  27. Blancaflor by Nadja Spiegelman
  28. Olympian series by George O'Connor
  29. Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola
  30. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves by Matthew Manning
  31. Norse Mythology for kids by Mathias Nordvig
  32. Greek Myths by Jean Menzies
  33. Celtic Mythology for Kids by Christopher Pinard
  34. Treasury of Egyptian Mythology by Donna Napoli

 

Dystopian or Haunting

  1. The Last Kids on Earth series by Max Brallier 
  2. Alone by Megan Freeman
  3. City of Ember series by Jeanne Duprau
  4. The Last Human by Lee Bacon
  5. The Giver by Lois Lowry
  6. Took: a ghost story by Mary Downing Hahn
  7. The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn 
  8. Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine 
  9. Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol series by Andres Miedoso
  10. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
  11. Zombiekins by Kevin Bolger
  12. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  13. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
  14. Fearless by Cornelia Funke
  15. Interworld by Neil Gaiman
  16. The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf
  17. Hide And Don't Seek by Anica Mrose Rissi
  18. The Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki
  19. The Pit & the Pendulum: and other stories by Edgar Allen Poe
  20. A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano
  21. The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie
  22. What Lives in the Woods by Lindsay Currie
  23. Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie
  24. Dead Voices by Katherine Arden 
  25. Only if You Dare: 13 stories of darkness and doom by Josh Allen
  26. Hush-A-Bye by Jody Lee Mott
  27. The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret
  28. Hide & Seeker by Daka Hermon
  29. Great Ghost Stories by Barry Moser
  30. The Haunted House: A Collection of Original Stories by Jane Yolen
  31. The City of Ember: The Graphic Novel by Jeanne DuPrau 
  32. The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas 

 

Magical Realism

  1. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller 
  2. Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder 
  3. Me and Marvin Gardens by A.S King 
  4. Josephine Against the Sea by Shakira Bourne 
  5. Midsummer’s Mayhem by Ranji LaRocca 
  6. The Magical Reality of Nadia by Bassem Youssef and Catherine R Daly 
  7. The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu 
  8. Loteria by Karla Arenas Valenti 
  9. The Magic of Melwick Orchard by Rebecca Caprara 
  10. Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood 
  11. Mañanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan 
  12. All the Answers by Kate Messner 
  13. The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne 
  14. Magic Puppy series by Sue Bentley 
  15. Owl Diaries series by Rebecca Elliot 
  16. The Pepper Party is Completely Cursed by Jay Cooper 
  17. The Notebook of Doom series by Troy Cummings 
  18. The Bailey School Kids series by Debbie Dadey 
  19. The Pup Who Cried Wolf by Chris Kurtz 
  20. The Witch at The Window by Ruth Chew 
  21. Night Frights series by Joe McGee 
  22. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier 
  23. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner 
  24. Lilla the Accidental Witch by Eleanor Crewes 
  25. Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani 
  26. Coraline by Neil Gaimen 
  27. Lumberjanes series by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn A. Allen, and Noelle Stevenson  

 

New (to you) Culture or Tradition

  1. Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia Leitich Smith 
  2. Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte 
  3. The Many Meanings of Meilan by Andrea Wang 
  4. Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte 
  5. Red, White and Whole by Rajani LaRocca 
  6. Island’s End by Padma Venkatraman 
  7. Listen, Slowly by Thanha Lai 
  8. Inside Out & Back Again by Thanha Lai 
  9. I Remember: Poems and Pictures of Heritage by Lee Bennett Hopkins 
  10. Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac 
  11. Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh 
  12. I Can Make this Promise by Christine Day 
  13. Playing the Cards You’re Dealt by Varian Johnson 
  14. Samira Surfs by Rukhsanna Guidroz 
  15. Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu 
  16. Azzi In Between by Sarah Garland 
  17. A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi 
  18. A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi 
  19. Akissi: Cat Invasion by Marguerite Abouet 
  20. Some Places More than Others by Renee Watson 
  21. American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar 
  22. Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices by S.K. Ali 
  23. Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan 
  24. Amina's Song by Hena Khan
  25. Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga 
  26. Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian 
  27. Astrid & Apollo and the Happy New Year by V.T. Bidania 
  28. Jo Jo Makoons: the Used-to-Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley 
  29. The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani 
  30. More to the Story by Hena Khan 
  31. While I Was Away by Waka Takahashi Brown 
  32. Danny Chung Sums it Up by Maisie Chan 
  33. Loteria by Karla Valenti 
  34. Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee 
  35. Solimar: the Sword of Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Science Fiction & Space

  1. We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly 
  2. Long Distance by Whitney Gardner 
  3. Weird Kid by Greg Van Eekhout 
  4. Cog by Greg Van Eekhout 
  5. We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey 
  6. The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby 
  7. Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper 
  8. Space Case: a Moon Base Alpha novel by Stuart Gibbs 
  9. Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke 
  10. Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot by Dav Pilkey 
  11. Diary of a Minecraft Zombie by Herobrine Books 
  12. Albert Hopper, Science Hero by John Himmelman 
  13. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle 
  14. The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier 
  15. Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia 
  16. Masterminds by Gordon Korman 
  17. Explorer Academy: the Nebula Secret by Trudi Strain Trueit 
  18. Bloom by Kenneth Oppel 
  19. Area 51 Interns: Alien Summer by James S. Murray 
  20. The Lion of Mars by Jennifer Holm  
  21.  Star Scouts by Mike Lawrence 
  22. Horizon by Scott Westerfeld 
  23. Glitch by Laura Martin 
  24. Six by M.M. Vaughan 
  25. Cleopatra in Space by Mike Maihack 
  26. Rocket to the Moon! By Don Brown 
  27. Hidden Figures: Young Reader’s Edition by Margot Shetterly 
  28. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown 
  29. Magic Tree House: Midnight on the Moon by Mary Pope Osborne 
  30. Pi in the Sky by Wendy Mass 
  31. CatStronauts by Drew Brockington 
  32. Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce 
  33. Life on Mars by Jennifer Brown
  34. Professor Astro Cat's Stargazing by Dominic Walliman
  35. Laika the Space Dog: First Hero in Outer Space by Jeni Wittrock
  36. Stinky Moody in Master of Disaster by Megan McDonald
  37. Mars: You Decide How to Survive! by Hena Khan

 

Book Whose Main Character Differs From You (ethnicity, gender, religion, ability, etc.)

  1. Unsettled by Reem Faruqi
  2. Dream, Annie, Dream by Waka T. Brown
  3. Danny Chung Sums it Up by Maisie Chan
  4. Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt 
  5. The Ship We Built by Lexie Bean 
  6. Boy, Everywhere by A. M. Dassu
  7. Partly Cloudy by Tanita Davis
  8. Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs
  9. Mighty Inside by Sundee T. Frazier
  10. Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor
  11. A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
  12. Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia
  13. The Many Meanings of Meilan by Andrea Wang
  14. Becoming: adapted for young readers by Michelle Obama 
  15. Burying the Moon by Andrée Poulin
  16. Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen by Kate McGovern
  17. Playing the Cards You're Dealt by Varian Johnson
  18. It All Begins with Jelly Beans by Nova Weetman
  19. Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow 
  20. The Samosa Rebelliion by Shanthi Sekaran
  21. My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula Freedman
  22. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
  23. Buzzing With Questions by Janice Harrington
  24. Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf
  25. Show Me A Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte
  26. Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker 
  27. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
  28. Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi
  29. A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi
  30. Santiago's Road Home by Alexandra Diaz
  31. Hazel's Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow 
  32. Five Things About Ava Andrews by Margaret Dilloway
  33. Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominquez
  34. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai 
  35. Just Like Me by Nancy Cavanaugh
  36. The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert
  37. Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
  38. Once Upon an Eid
  39. Lifting As We Climb: Black Women's Battle for the Ballot Box by Evette Dionne 
  40. New Kid by Jerry Craft
  41. Black Heroes of the Wild West by James Otis Smith 
  42. Amina's Song by Hena Khan
  43. Half A World Away by Cynthia Kadohata
  44. When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson
  45. King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callendar
  46. The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh by Helen Rutter 
  47. The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani
  48. Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton
  49. Ellen Outside the Lines by A. J. Sass
  50. Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers by Caela Carter 
  51. Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender