- Share - [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://about.ebsco.com/markdownify/node/163005) - []() - []() - []() # Best Books to Read and Recommend This Summer In every month of every season, you can trust these newsletters to arrive on schedule, filled with high-interest, human-curated book suggestions to keep your patrons engaged. ![Girl reading book in the park on a summer day](https://assets.ebsco.com/asset/bb4a7b37-a2fd-4331-92ca-727730b35eaa/summer-reads-blog.jpg) [Rebecca Honeycutt](/novelist/bio/rebecca-honeycutt) 5 May 2026 Summer in the library — it's a time of great busy-ness, for readers and library workers alike. Kids are working on summer school assignments; staff are creating displays for summer events, and readers of all ages are participating in community-wide reading programs. Naturally, you don’t want the busy-ness to get in the way of providing your readers with great service, but “great service” means something different to every reader. It’s tough to find book recommendations for everyone, but with NoveList, you’ll be ready for the challenge. And let’s not forget that there’s more to NoveList than databases. [LibraryAware](https://about.ebsco.com/novelist/products/libraryaware) customers (and their patrons) get an extra readers’ advisory boost with [NextReads]() newsletters. Check out some of these summer reads hand-picked by NextReads bibliographers: ## Here are a few highlights from this summer’s NextReads selections: ### Captivating historical fiction - *The Intrigue* by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - *A Pair of Aces* by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray - *Land* by Maggie O'Farrell ### Coming-of-age stories - *Villa Coco* by Andrew Sean Greer - *Ghalen* by Walter Mosley ### Notable nonfiction for adults - *To Catch a Fish: Essays on the Joy, Frustration, Curiosity, and Allure of Fishing* by Mark Kurlansky - *On Witness and Respair: Essays* by Jesmyn Ward - *True Crime: A Memoir* by Patricia Cornwell ### Notable nonfiction for youth - *The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America* by David Levithan and Gabriel Duckels - *Diamond Fever! A True Crime Story in the Wild West* by Steve Sheinkin, illustrated by Jon Chad - *Reading the Bones: Homo Naledi and the Mysteries of Human Evolution* by Marc Aronson and John S. Mead ### New books from Newbery Medalists - *Styx and Stones* by Gary D. Schmidt and Ron Koertge - *The Second Life of Snap* by Erin Entrada Kelly - *Wombat Waiting* by Katherine Applegate ### Writing across age groups - *The Take* by Kelly Yang (adult debut by middle grade author) - *Seek the Traitor's Son* by Veronica Roth (author writes for teens and adults) - *A Fortune of Sand* by Ruta Sepetys (adult debut by young adult author) - *The Haunted Playground* by R.J. Palacio, illustrated by Brett Helquist (picture book debut by middle grade author) ### Can’t-miss young adult reads - *Breakout* by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon - *Medicine Wheels* by Byron Graves - *Change of Plans* by Sarah Dessen ### Funny Genre Fiction - *Kill All Wizards* by Jedediah Berry - *The Devil and Mrs. Gooch* by Oliver Darkshire - *Sex on Murder Island* by Jo Firestone - *Killer Vibes* by Jack Friday - *The MASH Up* by Laura Marie Meyers ### Big names for little readers - *Dad* by Christian Robinson - *Story Rug* by Sophie Blackall, illustrated by Phoebe Wahl - *The House with Nobody in It* by Jon Klassen Each of the books listed above will be featured in an upcoming NextReads newsletter this summer. NextReads is an easy and customizable way tosend librarian-curated book recommendations to readers, as well as a handy way for busy library workers to stay in the know about upcoming books. And NextReads is included in every LibraryAware subscription. [ Request information about LibraryAware ](https://about.ebsco.com/novelist/request-information) --- [Rebecca Honeycutt](/novelist/bio/rebecca-honeycutt "Rebecca Honeycutt") is the Content Development Coordinator for NoveList, which includes creating NextReads newsletters for kids and teens. They are currently reading *Hell's Heart* by Alexis Hall. Category: [Articles ](/blogs/novelist/category/articles) Tags: [Book recommendations](/blogs/novelist/tag/book-recommendations) [Readers' advisory](/blogs/novelist/tag/readers'-advisory) - Share - [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://about.ebsco.com/markdownify/node/163005) - []() - []() - []() ## Related Posts [ ![Three African American children reading outside on the grass](https://assets.ebsco.com/asset/cea2f689-ac1e-4159-9bed-3854dd4ad43a/Summer-Reading-Guide-2026-blog.jpg) ](/blogs/novelist/summer-reading-library-your-2026-guide) [Summer Reading at the Library: Your 2026 Guide](/blogs/novelist/summer-reading-library-your-2026-guide) 26 March 2026 [ ![Librarian helping an older child select a book from a library shelf](https://assets.ebsco.com/asset/e7bdabd8-af38-4a44-87de-09df16b6ab66/readalikes-blog2.jpg) ](/blogs/novelist/heres-how-use-read-alikes-novelist) [Here’s How to Use Read-alikes in NoveList](/blogs/novelist/heres-how-use-read-alikes-novelist) 30 April 2026 [ ![Young man on a bus wearing headphones and smiling at a smart phone.](https://assets.ebsco.com/asset/3505e99c-69f5-49ea-9f7b-556326cb347d/For-Fans-Of-blog.jpg) ](/blogs/novelist/fans-just-about-anything) [For Fans Of… Just About Anything!](/blogs/novelist/fans-just-about-anything) 3 February 2026