Looking for something to do this summer? Looking for an escape and ready to flex your imagination? Patch is launching a Summer Reading Guide to recommend book titles and book-related activities for Lamorinda kids this summer.
Our lists of books have something for everyone — fantasy, adventure, and of course, love. What more is there? Read one, or read them all.
Also, take a look at The Contra Costa Library's Summer Reading Festival events.
Below are James Patterson's recommendations appropriate for tweens and teens. Look for our future lists for other age groups.
Great Advanced Reads for Tweens and Teens
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
A thrilling reading experience which combines fantasy with haunting vintage photography. Find out what happens when 16-year old Jacob discovers the ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus series) by Rick Riordan
After rebuilding Camp Half-Blood, Kronos, Percy and their friends inherit a quest for which they need help from a few demigods.
Matched by Ally Condie
What happens when Cassia has to choose between her ideal mate, Xander and Ky, the boy she’s actually interested in? Will she live within the system or challenge its rules?
Witch & Wizard (Witch & Wizard series) by James Patterson
Siblings Wisty and Whit need to defend themselves against accusations of witchcraft, fight against a regime that wants to suppress life, liberty, books and music…..all while navigating the perils of being a normal teenager.
Holes by Louis Sachar
When Stanley Yelnats is given a choice between prison and Camp Green Lake, he readily chooses the easy option. But Camp Green Lake is not what it seems…
Masterpiece by Elise Broach and illustrated by Kelly Murphy
New York City kid James and his beetle friend, Marvin get caught up in a staged art heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that could help recover a famous drawing by Albrecht Dürer.
Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Anya believes that she needs a friend in her life. And she finds one in the bottom of a well. But what do you do when your new BFF is actually a ghost?
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
11-year old Delphine has it all together. But one crazy summer in 1968 with her mother threatens to change everything.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Miranda receives four letters that will change her life forever.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A beloved classic that tells the story of one of the most heroic protagonists in American fiction – Atticus Finch.
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Sixteen-year old Miles leaves his uneventful life behind in pursuit of the “Great Perhaps”.
Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
Read the story of the team that contributed to the success of the first ever lunar mission.
How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg
The deaths of 19 famous people, told in gory and sardonic detail.
Extra Credit
The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
The story of Liesel Meminger, who discovers books and her passion for reading against the backdrop of World War II.
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
The extraordinary novel based on the equally extraordinary true story of the horse that won against all the odds.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
A World War II airman uses ingenuity, determination, humor and resilience to survive in the open ocean after a doomed flight.
The ReadKiddoRead program features bestselling author James Patterson’s picks for the summer. Find reviews of these books and more in the Advanced Reads section of ReadKiddoRead.com.
Tell us what you think! What are you reading this summer? What did you think of this list? Are there other books that should be included? Share your reading experiences with us by posting a comment below.
