Great Summer Books for Teens

The Darien Library recommends these new books for teens. They are included in our May visit to Middlesex Middle School.

Realistic Fiction

The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World | AUDIO by E.L. Konigsburg
Amedeo discovers a treasure with an astonishing past in his neighbor’s house.

Re-Gifters by Mike Carey
Dixie competes with her crush in a martial arts tournament.

Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
Jane loses her arm in a shark attack and must cope with the loss.

The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It by Lisa Shanahan
Gemma is torn between two boys while playing Miranda in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Toby Wheeler, Eighth-Grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring
Toby joins the school basketball team only to end up sitting on the bench.

Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick
In his new school, San wins friends by pretending to be a Zen Buddhist master.

Fantasy

The Black Book of Secrets by F.E. Higgins
Ludlow is apprenticed to a man who buys people’s darkest secrets.

Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles de Lint
T.J. makes friends with a 6-inch tall girl who lives in her wall.

My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick
Vampires are rising in 17th-century Europe—can Peter stop them?

Runemarks | AUDIO by Joanne Harris
Maddy uses her magical powers to prevent a war between Norse gods.

Temping Fate by Esther Friesner
Ilana takes a summer job working for Greek goddesses.

Adventure

Camel Rider by Prue Mason
Two teens are stranded in the Middle Eastern desert.

Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury
A group of Boy Scouts are hit by an earthquake and tsunami while camping in Hawaii.

Science Fiction

First Light by Rebecca Stead
Peter discovers a hidden world under the ice in Greenland.

Historical Fiction

The Golden Rat by Don Wulffson
In 12th-century China, Baoliu is falsely accused of murdering his stepmother.

Much Ado About Grubstake by Jean Ferris
A mysterious city slicker comes to the town of Grubstake in 1888.

Parade of Shadows by Gloria Whelan
Julia has eye-opening adventures when she travels to the Middle East in 1907.

Mystery

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Ted and Kat’s cousin disappears on a Ferris wheel.

Non-Fiction

Animals in the House: A History of Pets and People by Sheila Keenan
When and why our favorite animals became domesticated.

Do Not Open by John Farndon
An encyclopedia of the spooky, mysterious, and unusual.