Summer at the Library 2026: High School Booklist

Not sure what to read this summer? Perhaps you'll want to pick up one (or more!) of these books below:

1. The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade: When her missing sister Sutton suddenly reappears but is changed in ways she cannot explain, Casey starts uncovering her sister's secrets while searching for the truth surrounding the disappearance of other girls in their area.
2. How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow: Fresh off a breakup, college freshman Shani is distracted from her month-long paleoichthyology internship when she gets involved with May, but when their relationship takes a serious turn, Shani's heartache over her ex-girlfriend's rejection comes rushing back.
3. One for All by Lillie Lainoff: In 1655 sixteen-year-old Tania is the daughter of a retired musketeer, but she is afflicted with extreme vertigo and subject to frequent falls; when her father is murdered she finds that he has arranged for her to attend Madame de Treville's newly formed Academie des Mariees in Paris, which, it turns out, is less a school for would-be wives, than a fencing academy for girls--and so Tania begins her training to be a new kind of musketeer, and to get revenge for her father.
4. The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson: Jordyn Monroe is ready to kill it in pre-law at a prestigious, historically Black university in Washington, D.C., but when her roommate's ex-convict brother moves into their dorm, she senses something sinister beneath his friendly advice.
5. Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon: Longtime academic rivals Rowan and Neil fall for each other and try to make their relationship work in this banter-filled, enemies-to-lovers duology.
6. Throwback by Maureen Goo: Sent back to the '90s where she finds herself in high school with her 17-year-old mother, Samantha Kang finds the right romance at the wrong time while trying to fit into an analog world and make things right with her mom.
7. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo: Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father--despite his hard-won citizenship--Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day. 
8. Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories by Cynthia Letich Smith: Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers and edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of interconnected stories serves up laughter, love, Native pride, and the world’s best frybread.
9. A Greater Goal: The Epic Battle for Equal Pay in Women's Soccer-and Beyond by Elizabeth Rusch: An award-winning journalist traces the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team's fight for equal pay until they secured an equitable contract in 2022, an effort that will benefit future athletes and illuminate the work, support and grit needed to be treated with equality in a world that often undervalues the contributions of women.
10. Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang: Leaving modern society behind for the California wilderness, Ash searches for an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts their daily life but discovers that making the wilds their home isn't easy and wonders if they can really be happy and survive alone.
11. Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao: Gemma has always been close to her mom, believing all her grandparents—and her ties to Taiwanese culture—were gone. That changes when a mysterious man reveals her grandfather's recent death and a clue to a treasure hunt for her inheritance. The catch? She must travel to Taiwan and ask her ex, Xander, for help. Swallowing her pride, Gemma embarks on the journey, hoping to find more than just money. Along the way, she uncovers her family's history, her cultural roots, and possibly true love.
12. The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All, Vol. 1 by Sumiko Arai: Fashionable and upbeat high schooler Aya falls head over heels for an employee at a local CD shop. He’s got an air of mystery about him, always dressed well, and has impeccable taste in music. Little does she know—this supposedly male employee is actually her female classmate Mitsuki! Mitsuki generally keeps to herself, but since her seat is right next to Aya’s, she can't help but be extremely aware of the other’s crush. Revealing the truth is out of the question—but perhaps getting closer to Aya wouldn’t be so bad.
13. Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known by George M. Johnson: Profiling the Black and Queer icons from the Harlem Renaissance, an Emmy nominated, award-winning Black non-binary author and activist interweaves personal stories to bring these flamboyant writers, artists and activists to life, detailing their contributions to American thought and culture that have profoundly impacted our world.
14. Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed: Aspiring journalist Safiya Mirza investigates the murder of a 14-year-old boy who was wrongfully arrested, labeled a terrorist and eventually killed, seeking to tell the whole truth about the boy and those who killed him because of their hate-filled beliefs.
15. Akane-banashi, Vol 1: On That Day by Yuki Suenaga, illus. Takamasa Moue: Shinta Arakawa wants nothing more than to pass his shin’uchi exam—the test that would make him a top-rank headliner and master storyteller in the traditional Japanese art of rakugo. Akane Osaki, his daughter and biggest fan, spies on him while he practices and learns his routines for herself. When rakugo master Issho Arakawa expels everyone after the exam with no explanation, a fire is lit inside Akane. From that day forth, she has had one goal—to avenge her father and prove his art was worthy of the title of shin’uchi.

Happy Summer Reading!