Ready to fill your summer reading list with all the latest books? We’ve got you covered! We scoured the reviews to find the best new books for July 2024, with picks for kids, teens, and teachers. So slather on the sunscreen, slip one of these picks into your beach bag, and spend your summer days relaxing with a new read or two.
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July 2024 New Fiction Picture Books
Danté Plays His Blues by Allen R. Wells, illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice
Danté and his mom have lost their home. Uncle Ron and Uncle Joe welcome them in, but Danté doesn’t know anyone in his new neighborhood and feels a little lost. Then, Uncle Ron teaches him to play the saxophone, and he discovers that playing the blues is the perfect way to lift his mood.
Buy it: Danté Plays His Blues
Dare To Be Daring by Chelsea Lin Wallace, illustrated by Lian Cho
Inspire little ones to try something new alongside the engaging characters in this new picture book. From tasting new foods to braving the dark, scary basement, these kids prove it’s always worth stepping outside your comfort zone to experience new things.
Buy it: Dare To Be Daring
I Am La Chiva! by Karol Hernández, illustrated by Lorena Alvarez Gómez
In the high mountains of Colombia, a colorful bus named La Chiva travels from village to village picking up farmers and their wares. Eventually, they arrive at the town square and its lively marketplace. In a mix of Spanish and English, this tale brings a cherished custom of rural Colombia to life for readers young and old.
Buy it: I Am La Chiva!
Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin
Millie’s new neighborhood is full of perfect houses with perfect gardens, but her own house is a little scruffy and run-down. That doesn’t bother Millie, though, and she sets to work planting a garden full of weird magical plants. The other kids are wary at first, but soon everyone wants a bit of Millie’s unique botanical style in their own gardens!
Buy it: Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden
Think a Thought by Conor McGlauflin and Hannah Zisman
Even young kids can be prone to anxiety, with thoughts that race around in their heads. This gentle book offers them ways to quiet their brains, bringing the basics of mindfulness and meditation to a young audience in a very accessible way.
Buy it: Think a Thought
New Easy Reader/Chapter Books July 2024
Felix Powell, Boy Dog by Erin Entrada Kelly
When Felix finds a threadbare blanket at a thrift store, he feels sure it contains magical powers of some kind. Sure enough, this blanket has the ability to turn him into a dog! While he loves seeing the world through dog eyes alongside his own pup, Mary Puppins, he worries that perhaps his family won’t accept him as a dog instead of a human. What’s a Boy Dog to do?
Buy it: Felix Powell, Boy Dog
Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla, illustrated by Tania de Regil
Isabel’s life is ruled by anxiety, which manifests as “worry-moths” that cause pains in her stomach. The adults in her life tell her it’s all in her head, but to Isabel herself, it feels all too real. Can she find a way to make people see and listen to her before the “too-muchness” of the world overwhelms her completely?
Buy it: Invisible Isabel
Squirlish: Shark in the Park by Ellen Potter, illustrated by Sara Cristofori
This series shares the adventures of Squirlish, a girl who was abandoned in Central Park as a baby and raised by squirrels. In the latest installment, Squirlish teams up with squirrel Prince Oliver to find the Royal Sceptre. Unfortunately, all Oliver can think about is sharks! Together, the two explore New York City to complete their quest, causing mischief and mayhem wherever they go.
Buy it: Squirlish: Shark in the Park
Middle Grade New Books July 2024
The 66th Rebirth of Frankie Caridi by Johnny Marciano, illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie
When Frankie’s younger brother is invited to attend a special boarding school for “exceptional students,” Frankie joins him there. Her brother is special both mentally and physically (he sports a pair of horns on his head), as are other students and teachers. But Frankie discovers she has her own magical powers, and they might be the most important of them all.
Fowl Play by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb
Kids who love a good mystery will dive into this new middle grade book. Chloe’s uncle left her his beloved African grey parrot, Charlie, in his will. Charlie mimics human speech well, so when he begins repeating words like “homicide” and “cyanide,” Chloe decides it’s up to her (and a few fellow sleuths) to determine what truly caused Uncle Joe’s death. Along the way, she discovers unexpected truths about her family, and her uncle in particular. In the end, solving the mystery may also be the best way to comfort a family grieving a major loss.
Buy it: Fowl Play
Majestica by Sarah Tolcser
Imagine taking a safari in a refuge filled with magical animals and mystical beasts. That’s exactly what guests do at the Hotel Majestica, where 13-year-old orphan Hattie lives and works. But one such safari aboard a luxury train goes terrible wrong, turning an adventurous vacation into a survival expedition. Hattie and two other children on the train must work together to save their own lives and the lives of all the inhabitants of the mystical animal preserve.
Buy it: Majestica
Once Upon a Crime by Robin Stevens
In the Most Unladylike Mystery series, a group of students at a 1930s boarding school solve high-profile murder mysteries. But they also tackle smaller cases, like the six rounded up in this collection of short stories. Delve into their case files and see if you can find the answers before these clever teenage sleuths do!
Buy it: Once Upon a Crime
This Opening Sky by Kelly Hollman and Charlotte Watson Sherman
Looking for a quality new historical fiction read? Try this middle grade book about two girls living in Virginia just after the Civil War. White Aurelia and Black Halle each face their own challenges in the ravaged South, but both have set out on journeys to find someone they love. They soon realize they’ll be safer together, and during their travels, a friendship blossoms that changes both of their lives forever.
Buy it: This Opening Sky
New July 2024 Young Adult Books
A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman
Sophomore Cal just transferred to the exclusive Essex Academy in Connecticut, where everything is very different than it was back home in Mississippi. Cal’s looking for a fresh start after “The Incident” (and a past he’s hoping to leave behind). A secret society offers the chance to join the school’s elite, and a new romance with fellow student Luke ups the intensity. As Cal faces ever more risky challenges for the society’s initiation, he must decide what’s most important and determine who he can really trust. The answers aren’t what he expects.
Buy it: A Darker Mischief
I Will Never Leave You by Kara A. Kennedy
High school senior Maya has been with her girlfriend Alana for a long time, and loves her despite Alana’s controlling and sometimes cruel behavior. During a hiking trip, Maya finally finds the strength to end things with Alana, and leaves her standing alone in the wilderness to prove her point. But Alana fails to return home, and now Maya must face personal (and literal) ghosts as she deals with Alana’s disappearance and her own lingering trauma.
Buy it: I Will Never Leave You
Not About a Boy by Myah Hollis
Melie grew up in the foster care system but has just received one final placement with a wealthy white couple in Manhattan. Far from her former friends, Melie falls back into bad habits, including substance abuse and risky behavior with a charming classmate. Then Melie discovers she has a long-lost twin sister living in Brooklyn, one she can’t remember at all. Suddenly, Melie is no longer able to hold everything together and has to learn to deal with past griefs and present anxieties to find her way to a better future.
Buy it: Not About a Boy
On the Bright Side by Anna Sortino
When her residential Deaf school closes, 18-year-old Ellie must move back home and attend public school. There she faces ableism, compounded by an incompetent interpreter. Her own family doesn’t seem to understand what she’s dealing with, but then she meets Jackson. He has problems of his own, including a mysterious illness that grounded his sports career and a mother who’s trying to cure him with alternative medicine. Their romance is the lifeline each so desperately needs in these final days of high school.
Buy it: On the Bright Side
We Don’t Have Time for This by Brianna Craft
Two teens join their school’s environmental club, but each has very different ideas of why they’re there. Isa is driven to action by devastating local wildfires and a new natural gas pipeline. Darius is initially more concerned with how his actions will improve his college applications. As they each learn more about the climate crisis, though, they discover common ground, and soon sparks fly between the two. Together, they just might be able to make a real difference in their community.
Buy it: We Don’t Have Time for This
July 2024 New Graphic Novels for All Ages
Wagnificent by Bethanie Murguia
Young animal lovers will be excited for this new series featuring Sage and her mostly obedient dog Thunder. This excitable pup wants to make Sage happy but often finds it hard to live by “human” rules. Then, one day, Thunder’s “inner wolf” rears its head, and she realizes that she might not always be able to tame her instincts. What starts out as a simple girl-and-her-dog tale becomes something deeper, but it’s all a lot of fun. (Grades 1–4)
Buy it: Wagnificent
The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln
We all know there seems to be a little magic in libraries, but twins Page and Turner are about to find out that the New York Public Library has some actual magic. With the help of the Night Librarian, they must recapture the heroes and villains that have broken free from famous books. Avid readers will want to head to their own library to look up literary characters old and new, sending them off on adventures of their own. (Grades 3–7)
Learn more: The Night Librarian
Gamerville by Johnnie Christmas
Max is incredibly excited to qualify for Gamerville and the chance to show he’s the best at his favorite game, Lone Wolf of Calamity Bay. But his mother has other ideas—and now he’s headed to a summer camp called Reset, where electronics are forbidden. Max uses video game strategies to cope at first, but over time, he begins to realize real-world skills can help him in both video games and everyday life. (Grades 3–7)
Buy it: Gamerville
Save Our Forest! by Nora Dåsnes, translated by Lise Laerdal Bryn
Bao and her friends love to play in the forest by their school, but climate changes are causing changes to their beloved woods. A new school parking lot poses another threat. Bao must rally her troops and start a movement to save what matters most to her and her community. (Grades 5–9)
Buy it: Save Our Forest!
The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor
You’ve heard of ghost whisperers, but what about ghost therapists? That’s Dorian Leith’s job, and he’s come to Rookwood to help its resident ghosts heal their “rot” and move on through Death’s Door. (He’s pitted against the exorcists who use painful gas to accomplish the same goal.) When the key to Death’s Door goes missing, the ghosts are stuck in limbo, and it seems only Dorian can save them all. (Grades 7–10)
Buy it: The Ghostkeeper
Woe by Lucy Knisley
This collection of webcomics about Linney, who relates “a housecat’s story of despair,” is a fun read that’s perfect for your high-low shelf. The clever illustrations bring life to storylines both poignant and funny, as the author embraces the zaniness of her beloved pets and experiences the bittersweet moments that inevitably come with pet ownership. (Grades 6–12)
Buy it: Woe
New Nonfiction Books for July 2024
When Beavers Flew by Kristen Tracy, illustrated by Luisa Uribe
In 1948, a game warden in Idaho used some creative thinking to relocate dozens of beavers from an area where they were pests to a wilderness where they could thrive. His ingenious solution? Parachutes! Kids will love this crazy-but-true animal adventure story. (Grades pre-K to 3)
Buy it: When Beavers Flew
A Party for Florine by Yevgenia Nayberg
Ask a child to name a famous painter, and they’re unlikely to come up with Florine Stettheimer. After exploring this new picture book, though, that may change. Both the illustrations and the text are engaging and beautifully evocative of the lesser-known artist’s modernist style (Grades pre-K to 3)
Buy it: A Party for Florine
Wings of an Eagle by Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman, illustrated by S.D. Nelson
Did you know the first American to win Olympic gold in the 10,000-meter race was a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe? Billy Mills overcame medical challenges and prejudice to bring home that precious medal in 1964. This is his story. (Grades pre-K to 3)
Buy it: Wings of an Eagle
Sleepy by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Robin Page
If you think you know what “sleep” looks like for all animals, you’re probably wrong. Whales and dolphins shut down half of their brain at a time to rest, while giraffes nap for only about five minutes at a time. Learn facts like these about 16 different animals, all of whom have their own definition of the word “sleep.” (Grades K–5)
Buy it: Sleepy
The Dark! by Lindsey Leigh
Head underground to meet the “wild life in the mysterious world of caves” in this engrossing new graphic nonfiction book. Learn about those who spend their entire lives in caves, those that split their time above and below ground, and those who simply visit from time to time. Don’t be surprised if your kids want to head out to a cave and explore on their own after reading this one! (Grades 3–8)
Buy it: The Dark!
Meet the Neighbors by Brandon Keim
Rather than wondering what makes humans different from other animals, this book wants us to focus on what makes us the same: emotions. Through research, case studies, and even folk stories, the author drives home the point that we owe our animal neighbors the same compassion and consideration we offer to other humans. (Grades 9–12)
Buy it: Meet the Neighbors
July 2024 New Books for Teachers
Being Black in America’s Schools by Brian Rashad Fuller
Throughout his K–12 education, author Fuller’s academic excellence kept him separated from most other Black students. He continued to encounter systemic racism through his time at a HCBU and while working as an educator. Now, he’s using his memoir to offer his thoughts on what it will take to dismantle systemic racism in our schools. It’s a tough read, but one every teacher should consider.
Buy it: Being Black in America’s Schools
The Education Wars by Jennifer C. Berkshire and Jack Schneider
Teachers are at the forefront of what seems like a war on public education, as funding and freedoms are increasingly stripped away. Though much of what’s here might not be new to anyone who spends time in or around a classroom, this book offers practical, concrete actions communities can take to preserve and protect their public schools now and in the future.
Buy it: The Education Wars
The Genius of Judy by Rachelle Bergstein
Nearly everyone has read a Judy Blume book or two, from her humorous tales of Superfudge to classics about growing up like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. This new book explores the massive impact Blume has had on children’s and young adult literature, and will send you back to reread some of your nostalgic childhood favorites with a whole new perspective.
Buy it: The Genius of Judy
