Mrs. Laura Bush's 2020 Summer Reading List for Kids

Now, more than ever, it is important to keep children engaged in reading. This summer reading list includes picks for the youngest readers through middle schoolers – with topics ranging from race and kindness, to staying true to yourself, to the special bond of sisterhood — ensuring all readers are kept entertained throughout the summer and into the school year.

Books for youngest readers

 

 

A is for Apple
by Tiger Tales
Illustrated by Georgie Birkett

 

 

 

Little Blue Truck
by Alice Schertle
Illustrated by Jill McElmurry

 

 

 

Sisters First
by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
Illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki

 

 

 

Mae Among the Stars
by Roda Ahmed
Illustrated by Stasia Burrington

 

 

 

Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes
by Eva Chen
Illustrated by Derek Desierto

 

 

 

Hair Love
by Matthew A. Cherry
Illustrated by Vashti Harrison

 

 

 

All Are Welcome
by Alexandra Penfold
Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman

 

Books for elementary school readers

 

 

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali
Illustrated by Hatem Aly

 

 

 

Separate Is Never Equal
author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh

 

 

 

A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation
by Barry Wittenstein
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

 

 

 

The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown

 

 

 

Wrecking Ball (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 14)
by Jeff Kinney

 

 

 

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
by Chris Grabenstein

 

 

 

The Year of Billy Miller
by Kevin Henkes

 

 

 

Stella Diaz Never Gives Up
by Angela Dominguez

 

Books for Middle School Readers

 

 

Best Friends
by Shannon Hale
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

 

 

 

Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis

 

 

 

New Kid
by Jerry Craft

 

 

 

Inside Out & Back Again
by Thanhha Lai

 

 

 

Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson