How do you encourage your tweens to complete a summer reading list? Any mom will confirm that trying to find books that tweens enjoy reading can seem almost impossible. Well, let me share a summer reading list from Disney Publishing that will have not just your tweens reading, but the entire family!
Disney Publishing
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Their new summer titles that we are reading include:
Star Wars: The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear
Chewbacca the Wookiee accepts a job that he understands is just ferrying tooka cats but soon finds out that the job is so much more! In fact, its more than he thinks he can handle. The story includes a droll cargo droid – who, unbeknownst to the others, is rebel spy droid K-2SO. Their interaction lands them in a forest that emits a fear-causing mist! It is here that Chewie realizes the job he accepted just might be too dangerous for him. Throughout the book, Chewie has to battle snarlers, sniffers, and face some of his own fears as he searches to recover a sacred book and try to rescue his long time buddy Han Solo.
This would be a perfect book to read before or after seeing Solo: A Star Wars Story in theaters! It is available in both Paperback and Hard Cover, as well as Audio CD.
The Trials of Apollo, Book One: The Hidden Oracle
Kicking off this series in the Trials of Apollo – The Hidden Oracle starts by asking the question: How do you punish an immortal? Of course the worse punishment for an immortal is to be made human.
Apollo finds that after angering his father Zeus, he is banished and cast down from Olympus. He is placed as a teenage boy in New York City. Without his powers, he is not only weak and disoriented; he must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus’ favor.
With all the enemies that are after Apollo, he knows he needs help and decides there is only one place that he can go; IF he can get there. Camp Half-Blood, which is the camp of modern demigods.
The Trials of Apollo, Book Two: The Dark Prophecy
In this book, the story continues where Apollo, the son of Zeus, finds himself as a gawky, acne-covered sixteen-year-old mortal named Lester.
Apollo learns that the only way he will be able to reclaim his rightful place on Mount Olympus is if he can locate and restore several Oracles that have gone dark. Of course he doesn’t know what has caused the Oracles to go dark; or how he with no special powers will be able to restore them.
Book one ended with Lester at Camp Half-Blood and this is where this storyline picks up. Lester goes through a lot of trials at the camp as he trains. Most are dangerous and frankly, humiliating to his ego.
In order to regain his position in Mount Olympus, Lester sets off to find and restore the Oracles. His travels and battles are hair raising as he takes on the evil Triumvirate, a Roman emperor who is well known and feared for his love of evil.
Finding help in another now-mortal Calypso and other unexpected allies, the battle rages to find and restore the dark Oracles.
The Trials of Apollo, Book Three: The Burning Maze
In book three of the series, Apollo – now known as Lester since he was cast down to earth in punishment by Zeus, is now trying to restore five Oracles that have gone dark so he can regain his position in Mount Olympus.
Having survived several trials, and finding out that the evil triumvirate of Roman emperors planned to attack Camp Jupiter, his companions divide up and some go to warn the Roman camp while Lester must go through the Labyrinth to find the Oracle who speaks in word puzzles.
There are so many twists and turns in this book that keep you on the edge of your seat!
Willa of the Wood
This new series by Robert Beatty, is filled with the history, mystery, and magic of the Great Smoky Mountains. The main character is Willa who is a young night-spirit forest girl. She also has the honor of being her clan’s best thief. Her motto is “Move without a sound. Steal without a trace”.
As the story unfolds, Willa lets her curiosity get the best of her and she finds herself hurt and stranded in the day-folk world. As she struggles to escape she learns a shocking truth.. not all of the day-folk are dangerous.
This story is about a girl coming to terms with what she has known all her life and what she learns while outside the protection of home, that is in conflict with her baseline beliefs. Girl power at the core! Does she stay with what she knows or accept and embrace a new life.
Captain Superlative
If your younger readers are a fan of Captain Superlative, you have heard them shouting as they fly off some piece of furniture.. “Have no fear, citizens! Captain Superlative is here to make all troubles disappear!”
But would they wear the red mask, blue wig, silver swimsuit, rubber gloves, torn tights, high top sneakers and a cape?
This book is about being a super hero. And surprisingly it isn’t as easy as one would have thought. The story is about friendship, secrets and when you really should be a super hero type friend to someone else.
Charlie and Frog, A Mystery
This book is about Charlie and a new friend Francine (aka Frog) as they embark on their adventures.
Charlie finds himself once again left pretty much alone at his grand parents home while his parents are off yet again on another mission somewhere in the world. While wandering the area looking for something to entertain himself, Charlie meets a frightened old woman gives him a desperate message-in sign language. When she suddenly disappears, Charlie is determined to find answers.
Enters Francine (aka Frog) who works at the local cafe but has high expectations of becoming the world’s greatest detective. Frog is Deaf and the two are an unlikely pair but they team up to solve a real life mystery.
They set off to solve the message from the missing old woman. Charlie learns to “listen” with his hands as he is forced to learn American Sign Language in order to keep up with Francine (Frog).
It is a page turner for sure. Packed with humor, intrigue, and a heartwarming friendship.
The Chasing Helicity Series, Book One: First She Has to Face the Storm
Having been name something super unusual, it makes sense that Helicity would herself be a little unusual too…and she is!
She has always been fascinated by the weather. In fact her name means to “spin” in a twisting motion like a tornado. Burying herself in the study of weather, she is able to escape from her own issues in life that she is struggling to deal with like school, her father’s strict discipline, or her brother’s imminent departure for college, where he’s all set to play football. Helicity is struggling to deal with the emotions that changes bring on in life.
One day, Helicity takes off on her horse for an afternoon of riding and as a way to get away from life at home for just a little while. When a sudden change in the weather rolls in, Helicity finds that she is not prepared for the tornado or the damage she it does to her town and those she loves.
The choices Helicity made that day were life changing for her and for those around her. This story is about believing in yourself and chasing your dream, even when no one else understands.
Aru Shah and the End of Time
This is an adventure story about a twelve year old that well…likes to embellish the truth.
Wanting to be included Aru Shah stretches the truth about her home life. Her friends begin to wonder if she she telling the truth and decide to show up at her home one day. Questioning her story about her claim that the Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare her to prove it by lighting it. Hoping the get out of her fib, she makes the decision to light the lamp..setting off a chain of events that she could never have imagined.
The Mortification of Fovea Munson
One of the comments on the cover was that this book was “hilarious and disgusting” and I agree..with both being on the youth end of what fits that description.
How would you like it if your parents owned a cadaver lab where they perform surgeries on dead bodies? What would your friends think about your family if you were in the seventh grade?
Welcome to the life of Fovea Munson. And now she is stuck working in the lab for her parents since her plans to attend summer camp didn’t work out. Not sure how she will get through the summer, she has her world rocked when one day she discovers three disembodied heads start talking to her!
The story takes several twists and turns while Fovea figures out how to help…or should she? This is a story about finding yourself and figuring out your friends, and how you need to live in the moment.
A Friendly Town That’s Almost Always by the Ocean!
This book is about a young boy that doesn’t feel he fits in..anywhere. Davy and his Mother move to a new town to get a fresh start a new life.
Davy is worried about how he will fit in and really just wants things in his life to be normal again. Sounds good..except they move to the one town that is anything but normal! Nothing in Topsea is normal, so Davy quickly learns that there are many levels of normal and when everything is turned upside down, there are other things that become important to us like being kind to each other, showing generosity to someone in need, and just being a good friend.
If you are looking for a summer reading list that covers a wide range of ideas grab any of these books from Disney Publishing. They also carry a huge line of books for all ages and skill levels.
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We’ve added Disney Publishing to our Summer Fun on MDR 2018 Gift Guide! Check it out here!