Straight to the Source: Recs from Real Young Readers!

We have a great group of booksellers who love reading children’s literature — you read their fantastic recommendations every month here on Musing! We always enjoy sharing our favorites with you, but we also wanted to know what actual young readers are loving right now. So earlier this summer, we asked kids to tell us about their favorite reads, and we were thrilled by how many responses we got! Young readers from ages 4 to 18 shared their thoughts with us, and now we’re sharing them with you. Have a browse and stock up on some young reader-approved summer reading!

P.S. We loved doing this so much, we want to do another roundup next month! Get your young readers to submit their recommendations here.

EARLY READER CHAPTER BOOKSRecommended by Bonnie, age 4 A New Friend (The Adventures of Sophie Mouse #1)Poppy Green, Jennifer A. Bell (Illustrator)

Both are great stories about cute little mouse friends.

 

 

Cornbread & Poppy (Cornbread and Poppy #1)Matthew CordellRecommended by Lily, age 6 Forget-Me-Not Lake (The Adventures of Sophie Mouse #3)Poppy Green, Jennifer A. Bell (Illustrator)

Sophie learned three cool things about mice for her school project with her brother!

GRAPHIC NOVELSRecommended by Jackson, age 8 Pizza and Taco: Dare to Be Scared!Stephen Shaskan

I loved it because Pizza and Taco books are funny!

Recommended by Winnie, age 10 StargazingJen Wang

I think the book showed the many perspectives of all of the different characters. I also think that Stargazing was a very touching book. I enjoyed reading Stargazing so much, and I think that everyone else should be able to experience the same feeling.

Recommended by Heidi, age 10 Squished: A Graphic NovelMegan Wagner Lloyd, Michelle Mee Nutter (Illustrator)

The book is very unique, some of the characters are shy or some are crazy. It was just really good! I’ve never read a book like it before.

INDEPENDENT READERSRecommended by Lilah, age 11 Keeper of the Lost CitiesShannon Messenger

This series is full of magic, adventure, romance and humor. It has it all. It is the second best series of all time after Harry Potter.

Recommended by Mateo, age 13 The Iron Trial (Magisterium #1)Holly Black, Cassandra Clare

I loved this series because it was very entertaining and was a great coming of age story. It followed three kids that grew up as the books went on which made it very relatable.

Recommended by Sophie, age 11 SchooledGordon Korman

I like this book because of the setting and description. Schooled has lots of interesting parts and funny parts of the story. Also the book has great characters like Cap. He was always homeschooled until his grandmother Rain fell out of a tree and was in the hospital. He had to leave his commune and go to a real school. After that he became one of the targeted students at his new school. You should read to find out why the book is amazing.

Recommended by Lucy, age 10 The PenderwicksJeanne Birdsall

I loved this book because the characters are funny and they remind me of my siblings. Their adventures were full of mischief and surprises.

Recommended by Parker, age 11 Warriors #1: Into the WildErin Hunter, Dave Stevenson (Illustrator)

This is my favorite book because it has cats and it has action and there’s mysteries. And lots of cats with different back stories.

Recommended by Carolina, age 13 Greenwild: The World Behind the DoorPari Thomson

I loved the book because it had an interesting concept of fantasy for young readers and it was also about saving our planet’s unique ecosystem. It also has great character names!

Recommended by Lorelai, age 11 The MenagerieTui T. Sutherland, Kari H. Sutherland

I like it because it has mythical creatures and a great plot.

Recommended by Oliver, age 9 Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s LibraryChris Grabenstein

This book was so much fun to read. We read it in class and it made me want to read all of these books.

Recommended by Hannah, age 13 How to Be a Girl in the WorldCaela Carter

I loved this book because it was about a really important topic. I liked that in the end everything turned out okay.

Recommended by Waylon, age 11 The Wild RobotPeter Brown

This book series has a good storyline and the illustrations help bring the book to life! Roz the Robot shows you how to be kind to everyone.

Recommended by Emmett, age 10 Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #1)Jeff Kinney

It was so funny and so real. It relates to my life. It was so entertaining, enjoyable, interesting and I couldn’t get enough of it.

Recommended by Liv, age 9 The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire #1)Tui T. Sutherland

These books are full of magic and adventure. I highly recommend them for kids who love fantasy. There’s over 15 books in the series so anyone who wants to get immersed in a new series should definitely read these.

Recommended by Peter, age 15 Edge Chronicles: Beyond the Deepwoods (The Edge Chronicles #1)Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell

This series is one of my favorites! It has compelling storylines, an interesting steampunk/ medieval vibe and loveable fantasy characters. I highly recommend this read.

Recommended by Allen, age 11 The Wizards of OnceCressida Cowell

I loved The Wizards of Once because the narrator is a secret that you find out later in the series. It is an adventure story with magical characters.

YOUNG ADULTRecommended by Henry, age 12 The Fault in Our StarsJohn Green

It’s so good! I love the relationship between Hazel and Gus. And it made me cry!

Recommended by Harper, age 13 Six of CrowsLeigh Bardugo

The representation is amazing and the characters have deep emotions and backstories. The plot is interesting and the characters are witty. It is a book that will make you feel many different emotions and the people in it aren’t the normal fantasy book protagonists.

Recommended by Zack, age 18 The Perks of Being a WallflowerStephen Chbosky

I first read Perks in my sophomore year of high school. I could relate to the main character and saw my own life in the events of the story. Reading a story similar to my life was comforting.

Recommended by Andy, age 12 The Taking of Jake LivingstonRyan Douglass

It was such a great representation of discrimination in schools and overcoming fear and bullies!

Recommended by Samuel, age 13 Truly Devious: A MysteryMaureen Johnson

I loved this series because it had just the right amount of romance, mystery, and thriller all mixed into one book.

Recommended by Emmaline, age 15 That Was Then, This Is NowS. E. Hinton

Really great young adult book, has the same feel as The Outsiders but different look.

ADULT FICTIONRecommended by Colin, age 15 Lonesome Dove: A NovelLarry McMurtry

It follows an epic and perilous journey across the United States during its frontier. It’s got gunfights, blizzards, desserts, true love, true hate, clashing and blending between good and evil, cowboys, Indians, humor, beauty, violence, superstition, and philosophy. Its characters are so real that closing this book is like saying goodbye to close friends.

Recommended by Cecile-Katya, age 17 The Price of Salt, or CarolPatricia Highsmith

It’s a beautiful depiction of lesbian love in a repressed environment that does not facilitate queer romance and encourages the reader to rebel against oppression in search of self liberation, joy, and love. The metaphor in the title is masterfully explicated in the book. The writing of Therese’s emotions is so visceral that I moved through the same emotions as her while reading the book: the desire, hope, and pain.

Recommended by Colin, age 15 The Princess Bride: An Illustrated Edition of S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High AdventureWilliam Goldman, Michael Manomivibul

It’s hilarious and really exciting. If you like the movie, the guy who wrote the book also wrote the screenplay so most of the dialogue is exactly the same.

Recommended by Tuscan, age 14 Mistborn: The Final Empire (The Mistborn Saga #1)Brandon Sanderson

It was very entertaining. It had action AND comedy.