Recommended Reads for Youth

Recommended Reads are a monthly series of books that can be found in our collection.

Recommended Reads for Summer 2024

Early Learners

BR025025 Adventures of Marshmallow and Peter by Peter James Heath. Meet Peter Heath, a seven-year-old blind child who loves soccer, LEGOs, karate, and the outdoors. Available in Print/Braille.

BR025050; DB112845 Hot Dog by Doug Salati. A dog who’s had enough of summer in the city gets the opportunity to explore the great outdoors with its human. Caldecott Medal; Erza Jack Keats Award. Available in Print/Braille and Audio.

BRG04238; DB100816 Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt by Ben Clanton. Collection of under-the-sea escapades featuring a waffle-loving narwhal and a cynical jellyfish from a WA author. Available in Print/Braille and Audio.

DBC08691 Toad Weather by Sandra Markle. On a rainy day, Ally's mom asks her to come outside where, amidst the oil slicks, dripping awnings, and splashing cars, they find a toad migration taking place. Available in Audio.

BR025027; BR025064 (Spanish); DB113202; DB113555 (Spanish) Where Wonder Grows / Donde las maravillas crecen by Xelena González. Three girls follow their grandmother into her garden, where they examine her collection of rocks, crystals, shells, and meteorites and learn about the marvels they reveal. Pura Belpré Award. Available in English and Spanish language Print/Braille and Audio.

BR025049; DB109716 Hello, Puddle! by Anita Sanchez. Nonfiction picture book exploring a deceptively simple but unexpectedly crucial resource for wildlife: puddles! Available in Print/Braille and Audio.

DB116496 Willa's Wilderness Campout by Valerie Tripp. The Wellie Wishers go camping, but when they arrive at the campsite, they discover they are missing some key items. Available in Audio.

BR021095; DB084801 Wolf Camp by Andrea Zuill. Homer the dog persuades his human family to let him go to wolf camp to learn how to bring out his inner wolf. Available in Print/Braille and Audio.

BRJ01452; DBC01895 Oskar & Klaus Present: The Search for Bigfoot by Mick Szydlowski. Oskar & Klaus go on a camping trip in the majestic Pacific Northwest. After a fur-raising campfire story, Oskar leads a reluctant Klaus on an unforgettable quest: The Search for Bigfoot! Available in Print/Braille and Audio.

DB088530 Crocodile Encounters! And More True Stories of Adventures with Animals by Brady Barr. Follow explorer and zoologist Brady Barr on his adventures as he comes face to face with several crocodiles in four action-packed stories. Available in Audio.

DB113430 The Indestructible Tom Crean: Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic by Jennifer Thermes. Reveals the incredible true stories of Crean's adventures on the Discovery, Terra Nova, and Endurance expeditions. Available in Audio.

DBC15750 Curious Kids Nature Guide: Explore the Amazing Outdoors of the Pacific Northwest by Fiona Cohen. Get out and explore the big backyard of the Pacific Northwest with this field guide for nature lovers young and old. Available in Audio.

BR016047 Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart by Pat Mora. When the villagers hear the terrible roar of a dangerous animal, they are too frightened to investigate. Their giant protector Doña Flor, who can speak with animals, makes a surprising discovery about the loud noise. Available in Print/Braille.

DB112256 The Legend of Gravity by Charly Palmer. Have you ever heard of Gravity? No, not gravity, the centrifugal force pulling us to the Earth. I'm talking about Gravity - the greatest ball player to ever lace up a pair of sneakers! Available in Audio.

DB117484 Stranded! A Mostly True Story from Iceland by Ævar Þór Benediktsson. This is a story about my grandfather: how he got stranded on a volcanic island, was almost turned into barbecue, and found the most important moment in the world. Available in Audio.

DBC13037; DBC13038 (Spanish) Penguinaut! by Marcie Colleen. Orville lives at the zoo, surrounded by animal pals who go on exciting adventures. A hang gliding rhino! A deep-sea diving giraffe! Orville struggles to keep up, until one day he concocts an adventure all his own: build a spaceship and fly to the moon. Available in Audio.

DBC00454 Bessie Coleman: Trailblazing Pilot by Carol Alexander. Meet Bessie Coleman. She was the first African-American woman to earn her international pilot's license. And she did so against great odds! Available in Audio.

DBC16622 Bright Sky, Starry City by Uma Krishnaswami. A story about the wonders of the night sky that includes a non-fiction afterword full of information for budding astronomers. Available in Audio.

DBC14932 Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play by Kathryn Heling. Spot seven clotheslines what do you see? Socks and shinguards, a uniform in grey, helmet and shoulder pads, opponents make way, who wears these things for the sports that they play? Let's take a guess today. Available in Audio.

LP026195 Layla and the Bots: Built for Speed [Layla and the Bots, #2] by Vicky Fang. Blossom Valley is having a go-cart race! Layla and the Bots cannot wait for race day, but their friend Tina needs a new go-kart. Layla knows how to help… She and the Bots will build her one! Simplified graphic novel format. Available in Large Print.

BR025053; DB107123 (Spanish) Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall. Even though he's successfully finished his swimming lessons, Jabari discovers that he's frightened at the thought of jumping off a diving board. Available in English Print/Braille and Spanish language Audio.

DB093712 Lucía the Luchadora and the Million Masks by Cynthia Leonor Garza. A little girl gets spicy mad when the boys on the playground insist that girls can't be superheroes. Available in Spanish/English bilingual Audio.

DBC18969 Run, Little Chaski! An Inka Trail Adventure by Mariana Llanos. Will Little Chaski reach the king before the sun goes down? Discover the messenger system used by the Inka in this heartwarming adventure. Includes notes on the Inka Trail, the Inka Empire, Quechua language and more. Available in Audio.

DB106723; DB116914 (Spanish) Wonder Walkers / Caminantes curiosos by Micha Archer. Two curious children go for a walk, asking imaginative questions about the natural beauty that surrounds them. Available in English and Spanish language Audio.

Children

DB096217; LP026440 Dragon Masters Series by Tracey West. Dragons, a Dragon Stone, a king, a wizard, and magic! In the first book in this series, 8-year old Drake is snatched up by King Roland's soldier and taken to the castle to be trained as a Dragon Master. Available in Audio and Large Print.

BR024805; DB111961; LP026432 The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat. A high-seas adventure set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world. As assistant to Mangkon's most celebrated mapmaker, twelve-year-old Sai plays the part of a young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a conman, and in a kingdom where the status of one's ancestors dictates their social position, the truth could ruin her. Available in Braille, Audio, and Large Print.

BR024124; DB104419; LP026453 Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young. When Nathan visits his grandma, Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation, he knows he's in for a pretty uneventful summer. But things change after he meets a water monster that needs his help. Available in Braille, Audio, and Large Print.

DBC15750 Curious Kids Nature Guide: Explore the Amazing Outdoors of the Pacific Northwest by Fiona Cohen. Get out and explore our big backyard with this field guide for nature lovers young and old. Available in Audio.

DB112411 Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes. When Lizzie and Gael share an irresistible challenge to find the peacock ring that once belonged to artist Frida Kahlo, Paloma decides it is the perfect way to honor her father. Available in Audio.

BRG04159; DB085191 Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton. Chronicles the life and achievements of Lonnie Johnson, a NASA engineer and inventor. Highlights range from his inquisitive childhood to his accidental invention of the Super Soaker water gun. Available in Braille and Audio.

BR023776; DB103355 Dog Diaries: Ruffing It by James Patterson. Excitedly accompanying his human family on a camping vacation in the woods, canine Junior happily chases raccoons, fetches sticks, and swims in the lake, before an obedience-obsessed human arrives and spoils his fun. Available in Braille and Audio.

DB106218 Campfire Stories [# 8, Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol Series] by Andres Miedoso. Desmond, Andres, and their ghost-friend Zax take turns trying to tell the scariest story of all while gathered around the campfire on a camping trip. Available in Audio.

BR023509; DB098301; LP026034 Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker. A collection of connected terrifying tales that follows a group of fox kits as they fight to survive in an unforgiving wilderness. Available in Braille, Audio, and Large Print.

BR023532; DB101818 All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat. Chronicles the events of June 23, 2018, when twelve young soccer players and their coach were trapped for days in a flooded cave in northern Thailand. Available in Braille and Audio.

DBC16953 The Spirit of Springer: The Real-Life Rescue of an Orphaned Orca by Amanda Abler. Learn about the remarkable rescue of an orphaned orca calf, Springer (A73), whose story captured the hearts of whale lovers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Available in Audio.

BR024049; DB106499 The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen Paeff. Joseph Bazalgette, a 19th-century engineer, designed London's first comprehensive sewage system. In doing so, he saved thousands of lives from cholera outbreaks that regularly plagued the city. Available in Braille and Audio.

DB112720 Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting by Roseanne A. Brown. After her home is attacked by shapeshifting vampires, twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng is sent to live with her aunt and cousin in Maryland, but the aspiring vampire hunter discovers that middle school is harder than it appears on television, especially when she has to avoid detention and turn her classmates into warriors before they become vampire food. Available in Audio.

DB093046 Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power! by Mariko Tamaki. The five scouts of Roanoke cabin - Jo, April, Molly, Mal, and Ripley - love their summers at camp. They get to hang out with their best friends, earn Lumberjane scout badges, annoy their no-nonsense counselor Jen, and go on supernatural adventures. Based on the Lumberjane comic book series. Available in Audio.

DB093938 Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet by Curtis Manley. A curious young girl explores questions about the wondrous search for a planet outside our solar system that can sustain life like Earth. Available in Audio.

DB111659; LP026478 A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga. Meet Resilience, a Mars rover determined to live up to his name. Res was built to explore Mars. He was not built to have human emotions. But as he learns new things from the NASA scientists who assemble him, he begins to develop humanlike feelings. Available in Audio and Large Print.

DB090066; LP025964 See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng. Eleven-year-old Alex Petroski, along with his dog, Carl Sagan, makes big discoveries about his family on a road trip, and he records everything on a golden iPod he intends to launch into space. Available in Audio and Large Print.

DB110423; LP026514 Surely Surely Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly. Marisol Rainey’s two least-favorite things are radishes and gym class. She avoids radishes with very little trouble, but gym is another story - especially when Coach Decker announces that they will be learning to play kickball. There are so many things that can go wrong in kickball. Available in Audio and Large Print.

DB101300; DB111753 (Spanish); LP026390 Lupe Wong Won’t Dance by Donna Barba Higuera. Lupe Wong needs an A in all her classes in order to meet her favorite baseball pitcher, Fu Li Hernandez, but her plan goes awry when she has to learn square dancing in gym class. Available in Audio and Large Print.

DB104596 Slamdown Town by Maxwell Nicoll. A birthday wish and vintage chewing gum transform eleven-year-old Ollie into wrestler Big Chew, which might win back his older brother's respect but destroy his friendship with best friend Tamiko. Available in Audio.

BR024094; DB105877 Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds. Portico Reeves' secret identity as Stuntboy allows him to use his superpower keep everybody safe, but when his superhero parents start fighting a lot he feels the responsibility to save them. Available in Braille and Audio.

DB080353 The Princess in Black [#1, Princess in Black series] by Shannon Hale. Princess Magnolia lives a double life, and when Duchess Wigtower pops in for tea, she almost discovers Magnolia's carefully guarded secret--that she is really the monster-fighting Princess in Black. Available in Audio.

DB093712 Lucía the Luchadora and the Million Masks by Cynthia Leonor Garza. A little girl gets spicy mad when the boys on the playground insist that girls can't be superheroes. Available in Audio.

Tweens & Teens

DB109640; LP026489 The Fort by Gordon Korman. Five middle schoolers find a fully stocked bomb shelter constructed decades ago in the local woods by an eccentric tycoon and lost until a hurricane exposes the entrance. So, how to keep the hideout secret from interfering grown-ups--and, more particularly, from scary teen psychopath, Jaeger Devlin. Available in Audio and Large Print. For middle school readers.

DB102878 Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas. When children start to go missing in the local woods, eighteen-year-old Wendy Darling must face her fears and a past she cannot remember to rescue them. Available in Audio. For high school readers.

DB095832 The Young Adventurer's Guide to (Almost) Everything by Ben Hewitt. Step-by-step instructions for activities from foraging for a wild snack to building a debris-hut fort. Available in Audio. For middle and high school readers.

DB107239 The Impossible Climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan, and a Climber's Life by Mark Synnott. Recounts Alex Honnold's unprecedented solo climb of Yosemite's El Capitan, describing the feat along with the other climbing expeditions that populated his amateur and professional experiences. Available in Audio. For middle and high school readers.

DB096513; LP026543 House of Salt and Sorrows [#1, Sisters of the Salt] by Erin A. Craig. On a remote island estate, Annaleigh Thaumas, the sixth-born of twelve sisters, enlists the aid of an alluring stranger to unravel the family curse before it claims her life. Available in Audio and Large Print. For high school readers.

BR023967; DB105729; DB114174 (Spanish); LP026388 The Last Cuentista / La última cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera. Petra Peña's world is ending, and only the chosen few will journey to a new planet. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to discover that she alone remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. Available in Braille, Audio, and Large Print. For middle and high school readers.

DB110780 Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. Transformed by the goddess Yemoja into a Mami Wati, an African mermaid charged with collecting the souls of those who die at sea, Simi goes against the gods to save a living boy, Kola, from drowning. Available in Audio. For high school readers.

DB118177 Rise Up and Sing! Power, Protest, and Activism in Music by Andrea Warner. Explores how music has contributed to the fight for social justice across eight areas of activism. Available in Audio. For middle and high school readers.

DB110512; LP026542 Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First US Women's Olympic Basketball Team by Andrew Maraniss. Twenty years before women's soccer became an Olympic sport and two decades before the formation of the WNBA, the '76 US women's basketball team laid the foundation for the incredible rise of women's sports in America. Available in Audio and Large Print. For middle and high school readers.

DB114223 Michi Challenges History: From Farm Girl to Costume Designer to Relentless Seeker of the Truth by Ken Mochizuki. A powerful biography of Michi Weglyn, the Japanese American fashion designer whose activism fueled a movement for recognition of and reparations for America's World War II concentration camps. Available in Audio. For high school readers.

DB100642; LP026330 Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia. Her mother's stories of the monstrous La Llorona are thrilling but unbelievable to science-loving Paola until she and her best friends take a walk through a cactus field near the Gila River. Available in Audio and Large Print. For middle and high school readers.

DB090066; LP025964 See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng. Alex Petroski, along with his dog Carl Sagan, makes big discoveries about his family on a road trip, and he records everything on a golden iPod he intends to launch into space. Available in Audio and Large Print. For middle school readers.

BR024005; DB106420; LP026389 Kaleidoscope by Brian Selznick. Two people are bound to each other through time and space, memory and dreams. At the center of their relationship is a mystery about the nature of grief and love, which constantly changes. Available in Braille, Audio, and Large Print. For middle and high school readers.

DB117984 A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars by Hakeem M. Oluseyi. Born into extreme poverty and emotional deprivation, James Edward Plummer was blessed with a genius I.Q. and a love of science. But in his community, a young bookworm quickly becomes a target for violence and abuse. This is a true story of street smarts and extreme intelligence. Available in Audio. For high school readers.

BR023090; DB098876 Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Suspended unjustly from elite Middlefield Prep, Donte Ellison studies fencing with a former champion, hoping to put the racist fencing team captain in his place. Available in Braille and Audio. For middle school readers.

DB104116 Skate for Your Life by Leo Baker. Professional skateboarder Leo Baker shares their journey within the sport and the importance of authenticity and allyship. Available in Audio. For middle and high school readers.

BR023408; DB101185; DB111919 (Spanish); LP026272 Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez. Seventeen-year-old Camila Hassan, a rising soccer star in Rosario, Argentina, dreams of playing professionally, in defiance of her father's wishes and at the risk of her budding romance with Diego. Available in Braille, English and Spanish language Audio, and Large Print. For high school readers.

BR023370; DB100731 Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor. In southeastern Nigeria, twelve-year-old Nnamdi is determined to avenge his police chief father, who was murdered while trying to rid the town of criminals. But Nnamdi feels powerless until he receives a magical object which gives him superpowers. Available in Braille and Audio. For middle school readers.

DB105871; LP026428 Me (Moth) by Amber McBride. A novel in verse. Moth has lost her family in an accident. Though she lives with her aunt, she feels alone and uprooted until she meets Sani, a boy who is also searching for his roots. Moth and Sani take a road trip that has them chasing ghosts and searching for ancestors. The way each moves forward is surprising, powerful, and unforgettable. Available in Audio and Large Print. For middle and high school readers.

BR022415; DB091780 Sanctuary by Caryn Lix. Prison-guard-in-training Kenzie is taken hostage by the superpowered criminals of the Sanctuary space station--only to have to band together with them when the station is attacked by mysterious creatures. Available in Braille and Audio. For high school readers.

Washington Talking Book & Braille Library

Recommended Reads for Summer 2024