Riptide's Young Readers Summer Book Recommendations
- 12 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Inspired by my three nieces, my summer book recommendation list for young readers is all about animals. We’ll look at six novels that make us smile, touch our hearts, take us on adventures, and teach us about friendship and love in the way only animals can.
Please support your local independent bookseller where possible. Thank you!
The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan
This is a tale of two animals who couldn’t be more different. In nature, they might even be seen as adversaries. Yet Finnegan, a rescue dog with a broken heart, and Chase, a newly orphaned cheetah cub, prove that friendship and love can be stronger than nature.
One day, these two very different animals are brought together for the unlikeliest of reasons: Finnegan must help calm Chase and build her confidence. Chase has an important job as part of an educational program at a children’s zoo.
Both Finnegan and Chase have suffered losses, and trust doesn’t come easily. Yet in each other, they find what they need. However, the stakes are exceptionally high for Finnegan because if he can’t help Chase overcome her fears, he won’t just be letting his new friend down; it could mean losing his new home as well.
This is a story of friendship, creating family, connection, love, and joy—and of a bond that changes these two youngsters’ lives forever. Author Jasmine Warga is the Newbery Honor-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Rover’s Story.
The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan is based on the real-life practice of pairing cheetah cubs with puppies, implemented in zoos across America. The delightful book reminds me of a similar relationship at my own Dallas Zoo. Winspear, the cheetah, and Amani, a black Labrador, were brought together as 8-week-old youngsters and became beloved ambassadors of the Dallas Zoo until Winspear’s death from illness. Everyone loved Winspear and Amani, and I know you’ll love Chase and Finnegan! Ages 9-12
Wombat Waiting
Wombat isn’t a wombat—a cute, stout, burrowing marsupial. She’s a homeless dog found singed and ash-covered following a terrible fire that destroys her community. After someone gives her the funny nickname, it sticks.
But Wombat isn’t your average dog. She’s a “destiny dog” who listens to the thing inside her, which she calls “Voice,” that keeps telling her there’s someone out there meant to be her special person.
In the center of town, an old brick warehouse remains, having survived most of the devastating flames and become a makeshift community center. Here, Wombat takes her post on a bench to wait. And wait.
A small part of the community center evacuation site has been repurposed for the local wildlife rehab sanctuary that burned down. Fortunately, all the animals were spared in the fierce fire, and among those gathered in the temporary quarters are an elderly fruit bat and a young Northern saw-whet owl.
Wombat refuses to leave her post. Many attempts are made to move her, but Wombat isn’t having it. She’s waiting for someone. But for whom? Did they survive the horrific fire?
Wombat Waiting is a middle-grade novel about compassion, resilience, and friendship in the aftermath of disaster. Katherine Applegate, the Newbery Award-winning, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The One and Only Ivan and Odder, has written it. Fans of Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlotte’s Web will love Wombat’s story. Ages 8-12
The Lions’ Run
While not specifically about animals, The Lions’ Run shows how compassion and love for animals can bring out the best in people even in the worst of times and be among life’s greatest teachers.
Young Lucas DuBois is tired of being called a coward, just as he’s tired of the war and the Nazi occupation of his French village. As an orphan, he is mercilessly mocked as “petit éclair” (little éclair) by village boys, which only fuels his drive to prove how brave he can be.
He gets his chance when he saves a litter of kittens from cruel boys and sneaks them into an abandoned stable to care for them. There, he comes upon a stranger who isn’t happy to find him in the stalls: Alice, the daughter of a horse trainer, who is hiding her filly from the occupying soldiers.
It doesn’t take Lucas long to realize that he and Alice aren’t the only ones in the village with secrets. The housekeeper at the German maternity home and a priest at the orphanage are passing coded communications; a young mother at the home has dangerous plans to keep her baby from being forced into adoption; and a neighbor in town may be harboring a Jewish family from the Nazis.
Emboldened by the unlikely, inspiring heroes all around him, Lucas is forced to decide whether he’s brave enough to make the most courageous rescue of all.
Fans of Alan Gratz will enjoy The Lions’ Run. Sara Pennypacker is also the acclaimed author of the classic PAX. This brilliant and thrilling novel illuminates a little-known aspect of World War II history. I appreciate that it offers an age-appropriate lesson about the war and how the battle affected everyone's lives, especially children and animals. Ages 9-12
The Eyes and the Impossible
By Dave Eggers, Author; Shawn Harris, Illustrator
Johannes is a rather different kind of guard dog, living in an urban park by the sea. He’s a free dog, but gainfully employed. His job is to be the Eyes—to see everything that happens within the park and report back to the park’s elders, three wise, ancient Bison. Johannes is backed up by his friends and Assistant Eyes—a seagull, a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican. Their job is to observe the humans and other animals who share the park, ensuring the equilibrium remains intact.
Johannes and his friends notice changes in their park. An influx of humans has arrived, and a new building filled with mysterious, hypnotic rectangles has been erected. And then there are the goats—an actual boatload of goats—who appear. With the changes to the park comes a shocking revelation that alters Johannes’s view of the world.
The book is beautiful with lush illustrations of old-world paintings and new artwork from Caldecott honoree Shawn Harris. The Eyes and the Impossible is a story about friendship, beauty, and running—very, very fast—that will make readers see the world around them in a new way. Author Dave Eggers is a Newbery Medal Winner and No. 1 New York Times bestseller.
I’m a fan of any story told from an animal’s point of view, especially one from such an endearing dog surrounded by lovely artwork. Ages 8+
A Wolf Called Fire
By Rosanne Parry Author, Mónica Armiño, Illustrator
Warm is the smallest pup in the wolf pack, the one his father calls the heart of the pack. The wolf pup doesn’t see this as important; all he sees are his bigger brothers, Sharp and Swift, and his sisters, Pounce and Wag, winning every wrestling match.
Warm ultimately finds his place in the pack, helping care for the younger pups. It’s a role he’s assured is important, though it doesn’t always seem so.
When enemy wolves attack, the pack is forced to defend itself. Warm jumps into action, leading the pups to safety, only to find himself alone on the mountain with four helpless pups. His pack has scattered, and the pups are now his responsibility.
Fearful and unsure of himself, Warm leads the pups higher and higher into the mountains. Their journey is grueling, lonely, and fraught with danger: hunger, storms, fire, and enemy wolves nipping at their heels. Will Warm summon the courage to be the leader his pack needs when the most dangerous enemy of all comes to challenge him? Will Warm and the pups ever find a place to call home?
A Wolf Called Fire by Roseanne Parry, illustrated by Mónica Armiño, is a stand-alone companion novel to A Wolf Called Wander. “Warm’s story is inspired by Wolf 8, a real Yellowstone wolf who was the smallest in his pack and was constantly bullied by his bigger brothers. Wolf 8 survived a tumultuous first year and grew up to be a different sort of leader—one who fought many rival wolves into submission but never killed any. He became the patriarch of the largest wolf pack in Yellowstone, not by being the biggest or strongest, but by choosing to be collaborative and generous.”
The novel, the fourth in the A Voice of the Wilderness series, includes some special tools for readers:
Spectacular black-and-white illustrations throughout
A map of Warm’s journeyInformation about the real-life animals who inspired the story
Detailed descriptions of the habitats, flora, and fauna mentioned in the book
Resources for young readers who want to learn more
Ages 8-12
Charlotte’s Web
By E.B. White, Author; Garth Williams, Illustrator
Amid the plethora of new books each summer, young readers should always be introduced to the classics, none better than America’s beloved childhood favorite, Charlotte’s Web, written by E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams. What can a pig and a spider teach us about the power of friendship? In a word: everything!
Words spun in Charlotte’s web, high up in Zuckerman’s barn, tell of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who, more than anything, wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur’s life when he was born the runt of his litter.
Charlotte’s Web, a Newbery Honor-winning book, is a tender novel about friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. E.B. White also gave us Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan. Illustrator Garth Williams also created the artwork for Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, among many other books.
It’s quite possible that Charlotte’s Web sparked my love of books featuring talking animals. One of the greatest gifts of this book is its gentle, honest way of addressing death, presented in a way children can understand without being traumatized. Ages 5+
Comments