introducing my spring-summer reading list 2024

Hey, friends!

If you’ve been around for a bit, you might remember my book list from last spring. This was such a fun way to share what books I want to read and have some accountability to actually move them from tbr list to my read list. 😂 So in today’s post I’m going to be sharing some books that I’m hoping to read over the next couple of months!

dicey’s song by cynthia voight

This is the second book in the Tillerman Cycle and I listened to the first one, Homecoming, during the quarintine and then last month, I had to read the third one for school. I noticed that we have the second one, Dicey’s Song, on Audible and I want to listen to it soon.

Blurb: When Momma abandoned Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings in a mall parking lot and was later traced to an asylum where she lay unrecognizing, unknowing, she left her four children no choice but to get on by themselves. They set off alone on foot over hundreds of miles until they finally found someone to take them in. Gram’s rundown farm isn’t perfect, but they can stay together as a family—which is all Dicey really wanted. But after watching over the others for so long, it’s hard for Dicey to know what to do now. Her own identity has been so wrapped up in being the caretaker, navigator, penny counter, and decision maker that she’s not sure how to let go of some responsibilities while still keeping a sense of herself. But when the past comes back with devastating force, Dicey sees just how necessary—and painful—letting go can be.

saltwater secrets by cindy callaghan

From the blurb, I feel like this book could go either way. I could really like it or hate it and never finish it. I’ll just have to read it and see 😂

Blurb: Stella and Josie live for their summers at the boardwalk—each one a carbon copy of the last. Josie lives in Australia most of the year; her half-sister, Stella, lives in New Jersey. But every year, they come together for a beach vacation with their dad, and to make more memories. The real excitement for them is their secret special place under the boardwalk, where they hide their sister scrapbook, adding memories from each summer.

stargirl by jerry spinelli

I watched the movie, Stargirl in 2020, I think and I really liked it. My sister said the book was good, too and I love Jerry Spinelli’s book, Maniac Magee, so I’m excited to try this one.

Blurb: Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don’t stand out–under any circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes–for Leo and for the entire school. After 15 years of home schooling, Stargirl bursts into tenth grade in an explosion of color and a clatter of ukulele music, enchanting the Mica student body. But the delicate scales of popularity suddenly shift, and Stargirl is shunned for everything that makes her different. Somewhere in the midst of Stargirl’s arrival and rise and fall, normal Leo Borlock has tumbled into love with her.

the luminous life of lucy landry by anna rose johnson

I was on Anna Rose’s street team for both of the launches of her books but I didn’t get a chance to finish the ARC before it released. I pre-ordered a copy before it launched and it has been sitting waiting to be read for weeks now. So I’m hoping to read the rest soon! If you love middle-grade historical fiction that’s a bit of Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, I would recommend both of Anna Rose’s books.

Blurb: Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers—and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking. If Lucy can find that treasure—a priceless ruby necklace—won’t it be like having Papa back again, just a little bit? But someone else is hunting for the treasure, too. And as the lighthouse company becomes increasingly skeptical that the Martins can juggle Lucy and their duties, Lucy and the Martin children will need to find the necklace quickly—or they may not have a home at all.

the firefly summer by morgan matson

The second I saw that this book was described as The Penderwicks meet The Vanderbeekers since those are two of my favorite series. This seems like a book that would be perfect to read on a roadtrip or at the beach.

Blurb: For as long as Ryanna Stuart can remember, her summers have been spent with her father and his new wife. Just the three of them, structured, planned, and quiet. But this summer is different. This summer, she’s received a letter from her grandparents—grandparents neither she nor her dad have spoken to since her mom’s death—inviting her to stay with them at an old summer camp in the Poconos.

Ryanna accepts. She wants to learn about her mom. She wants to uncover the mystery of why her father hasn’t spoken to her grandparents all these years. She’s even looking forward to a quiet summer by the lake. But what she finds are relatives… so many relatives! Aunts and uncles and cousins upon cousins—a motley, rambunctious crew of kids and eccentric, unconventional adults. People who have memories of her mom from when she was Ryanna’s age, clues to her past like a treasure map. Ryanna even finds an actual, real-life treasure map! Over the course of one unforgettable summer—filled with s’mores and swimming, adventure and fun, and even a decades-old mystery to solve—Ryanna discovers a whole new side of herself and that, sometimes, the last place you expected to be is the place where you really belong

finding normal by stephanie pharis

The cover on this one is so pretty and it seems like another interesting but fun read.

Blurb: After a horrible storm floods her neighborhood, twelve-year-old Temple and her family are forced to move to a new town. They are some of the lucky ones, able to secure temporary housing relatively quickly. But Temple doesn’t feel so lucky starting over at a brand-new school halfway through the year and feeling a weird spotlight on her family’s situation from her new classmates. At home, things aren’t any better as her family struggles to adjust while figuring out how they can afford to rebuild. When Temple sees a flyer for a local fundraiser, she decides she can do the same thing for her family. It would get her one big step closer to her old school, friends, and life. After enlisting the help of some new friends, Temple kicks her plan into action, quickly realizing it needs to be much bigger to help not only her family, but the dozens of others affected by the flood. But adding the pressures of the fundraiser to the strain of grappling with all the recent changes may be more than Temple can handle. As she searches for a return to normal, can she figure out what’s truly important?

annie’s life in lists by kristin mahoney

This is another book that has two of my favorite characters listed that made me want to read it (this time, Ramona Quimby and The Penderwicks.) and it just seems like a cute younger MG read.

Blurb: For Annie, lists are how she keeps her whole life in order. And there is a lot to keep track of!Annie’s a shy fifth grader with an incredible memory and a love of making lists. It helps her keep track of things when they can seem a little out of control, like her family, her friends, and her life in a new place. Annie has: 1. An incredible memory (really, it’s almost photographic) that can get her in trouble 2. A desire to overcome her shyness 3. A brother who is mad at her because he thinks she is the reason they had to move to Clover Gap, population 8,432. 4. A best friend who she is (almost) certain will always be her best friend. 5. New classmates, some of whom are nicer than others. 6. A rocky start finding her place in her new home. Annie’s Life in Lists introduces a sweet new voice that finds that even amid the chaos of everyday life, it’s important to put things in order.

books on last years list that i still haven’t read yet

These are books from my reading list last year that I never ended up reading but I still want to. Hopefully I’ll actually end up reading or listening to them this time around! If you want to read my thoughts on them, go check out last year’s post!

Other book list posts of mine: introducing my spring-summer reading list 2023 | 10 books on my fall reading list {ft. middle grade reads & more} | 8+ middle-grade books for your summer book list {2023 version}

now, it’s your turn!

What books do you want to read this spring and summer? Any recs for what other books I should add to my list? Comment below!!