Beat the heat with one of these fantastic new summer reads. There’s nothing better than lying by the water and losing yourself in a good book and this list has something for everyone. For a full list of staff picks for easy breezy summer reading, visit our online catalogue.

Non-Fiction: Canada’s Main Street: The Epic Story of the Trans-Canada Highway by Craig Baird

Non-fiction lovers should check out this fascinating new history of the Trans-Canada Highway by Craig Baird. It is the perfect book to bring on a long family road trip if you want to learn about all the political intrigue, budgetary disasters and the heroic innovation that created our 7000-kilometre national lifeline.

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Memoir: Free Ride by Noraly Shoenmaker

By the YouTube sensation with more than two million followers comes an inspiring account of a woman in her thirties who, in a moment of personal crisis, embarked on an epic, transcontinental motorcycle ride—and along the way found a new sense of purpose.

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Historical Fiction: The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly

Two sisters living on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club for women in this spectacular novel inspired by true events, from the bestselling author of Lilac Girls.

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Romance: One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

Return to Barry’s Bay, ON, in this latest summer romance from bestselling Canadian author Carley Fortune. Toronto photographer Alice takes the summer off to care for her grandmother at their family cottage and unexpectedly finds herself falling for the guy across the lake.

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Cozy Mystery: Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds by Allison Brennan

In this sun-dappled mystery from bestselling author Allison Brennan, a risk-averse bibliophile gets in over her head when strange notes in a book draw her into a real-life investigation. A fun page-turner perfect to enjoy at the beach!

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Young Adult Fiction: Meet me on Love Street by Farah Heron

A fun Canadian YA retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma in which a pansexual teen, Sana Merali tries to save her quickly gentrifying Toronto neighborhood and make her cynical festival-planning partner, Miles, believe in love. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Jenny Han or Jackie Khalilieh.

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Juvenile Fiction: Summer of Rocks by Jenna Greene

Three sisters spend an adventure-filled summer in the Canadian wilderness, exploring rock quarries, escaping bear attacks, and fighting over space in the back seat of the family pickup truck.

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Juvenile Non-fiction: A Field Guide to Summer by Gabby Dawnay; illustrated by Dorien Brouwers

Experience the sunny days and colorful displays of summer as this little book guides you through the season’s changes. Packed with poems, hands-on activities and fascinating facts, this guide is designed to be taken into the wild to encourage curiosity, creativity and connection with nature.

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Graphic Novel: Carousel Summer by Kathleen Gros

When her best friend heads to summer camp, 12-year-old Lucy is left to her own devices in a small town called Milforth. As the season progresses, she navigates a budding romance with confident bisexual visitor Anaïs and comes to understand more about who she is and who she wants to be.

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Picture Book: Big Family Beach Day written and illustrated by Nina Crews

An extended family enjoys a day at the beach in this intergenerational tribute to family, friendship, new experiences, and summertime fun by the acclaimed author-artist Nina Crews. A fresh take on Cynthia Rylant’s classic, The Relatives Came.

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July is Disability Pride Month, originating in the United States after the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990. It has since expanded into a global movement that recognizes those who face barriers every day due to a variety of conditions. With that in mind, library staff have highlighted some great new releases featuring people with different kinds of disabilities. Find more resources on our online catalogue.

Non-Fiction: Trans and Disabled: An Anthology of Identities and Experiences edited by Alex Iantaffi

A powerful anthology that brings together a diverse group of disabled and queer writers sharing vulnerable stories, poems, drawings and deeply personal essays about what it means to be trans and disabled.

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Memoir: It Must be Beautiful to be Finished: A Memoir of my Body by Kate Gies

This debut memoir from Canadian author Kate Gies is the story of a girl born with a malformed ear who is desperately trying to have a body that makes her acceptable and of a woman learning to own a body she never felt was hers to define. In an age of speaking out about the abuse of marginalized bodies, this memoir takes a hard look at the medical system’s role in body oppression and trauma.

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Fiction: Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein

Two sisters examine what they owe each other and what they are willing to sacrifice to make their family dreams come true in this latest from best-selling author Beck Dorey-Stein. Raised by a strong single mother, Mia and Cricket have a passion for soccer but when tragedy strikes older sister Mia sacrifices her dreams for younger sister Cricket and when Mia develops chronic kidney disease, it falls on Cricket to decide if she’s willing to make a sacrifice of her own to save her sister’s life.

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Fantasy/Historical Fiction: When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley

Written with lush illustrations and buoyant prose, Venessa Vida Kelley’s debut novel brings the world of 1910s Coney Island to life in this unforgettable New York fairy tale that sees an asthmatic blacksmith falling for the captured merman who is the newest star in a carnival sideshow of ‘freakish’ attractions.

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YA Fiction: You Started It by Jackie Khalilieh

After getting unexpectedly dumped by her boyfriend, undiagnosed Autistic 17-year old high school senior, Jamie Taher-Foster hatches a plan to fake date Axel, her younger neighbor in the hopes of winning her ex back. Though she and Axel have nothing in common aside from their shared Arab heritage—she’s a messy, type A with anxiety and IBS, he’s carefree but meticulous—their forced time together brings them to better understand one another. And for Jamie, it just might mean learning that not all experiences or people need to be crossed off a list. This latest YA romance from Palestinian Canadian author, Jackie Khalilieh celebrates the diversity of Arab Canadians and the beauty of various Toronto attractions.

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Juvenile Fiction: It’s All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango

A poignant middle grade novel in verse in which, after a life-changing accident, one girl finds her way back to her life’s passion. No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina. And Vale’s thing is fencing. She’s used to be the top fencer in her gym until her accident. After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but it’s much harder than before now that she has to deal with chronic pain and a body that doesn’t move the way it used to.

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Juvenile Non-Fiction: Owning It: Our Disabled Childhoods in Our Own Words edited by Sophie Kamlish et al.

Growing up disabled can be an isolating experience. As much as you might be surrounded by loving and well-meaning friends and family, chances are no one close to you is going through this alongside you . . . until now! From navigating sports at school, to facing the confusion of getting given free stuff all the time, to juggling hospital trips alongside your social life, this anthology of firsthand experiences of childhood disability will be a welcome companion for disabled children. For non-disabled children it provides a welcome own-voice perspective and will help build empathy and understanding. A very powerful, much-needed book.

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Graphic Novel: PAWS: Hazel has her Hands Full by Nathan Fairbairn; illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn (Msassyk)

The fourth book in the PAWS middle grade graphic novel series features Hazel, a young girl with spinal muscular atrophy who uses a wheelchair and is left alone to juggle the dog walking and cat sitting business she runs with her friends as the other girls find themselves too busy over the summer break to help. While Hazel tries to prove to her mother she can juggle it all along with her physical therapy, an unexpected problem arises that will challenge all of her abilities.

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Picture Book: The World we can Build by Sally Rippin and Eliza Hull; illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett

This fantastic new picture book shows young readers that they can make a difference towards making the world a more accessible place for everyone. Carla and Sam want to play together, but there’s nowhere in their neighbourhood that’s accessible to them both! That is, until Carla and Sam put their heads together to dream up a place where all kids can play together, and a wonderful new space is born.

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Picture Books: We are the Scrappy Ones by Rebekah Taussig; illustrated by Kirbi Fagan

Author and disability advocate Rebekah Taussig has written a ground-breaking anthem of belonging that celebrates the wide range of disabled children and affirms their worth, just as they are. With luminous illustrations by Kirbi Fagan, a diverse cast of characters are portrayed living, learning, and playing. This warm, joy-filled debut picture book is a must-read for disabled and non-disabled readers alike.

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May is Mental Health Awareness month and bird watching is a fantastic and scientifically-proven way to help improve mental health. Studies have shown that birding offers a combination of physical activity, engagement with nature, and mental stimulation that can significantly contribute to decreasing anxiety and depression. With that in mind library staff have highlighted some great books on birding for all ages as well as a Bird watching kit patrons can checkout with their Huron County Library card. Find more resources on our online catalogue.

Non-Fiction: The Joy of Birdwatching by Anita Isalska et al.

Soar through this unique guide to birdwatching, which celebrates 60 enchanting bird species and where to find them. Packed with expert insights, trip planning tips, beautiful photography, and a further 120 ideas for birding experiences that explore the simple moments of joy, mindfulness and attentiveness found in watching birds go about their day.

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Memoir: The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

In 2016, author amateur birdwatcher Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds flocking to the feeders in her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater — an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired.

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Fiction: The Economy of Sparrows by Trevor Herriot

This debut novel by Trevor Herriot, one of Canada’s foremost writer-naturalists, is the richly observed story of Nell Rowan, who has inherited her family’s prairie farmstead and returned there to live after many decades away. Nell is increasingly obsessed by a 19th-century bird collector while haunted by memories of her mother’s disappearance.

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YA Non-Fiction: Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty

A moving memoir by Irish and autistic sixteen-year-old Dara McAnulty, a globally renowned figure in the youth climate activist movement, about his love of the natural world and fighting to save it. McAnulty is the youngest ever recipient of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds medal for conservation, and he lives with his family and Rosie the rescue-greyhound at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland.

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Juvenile Fiction: Birds on the Brain by Uma Krishnaswami

Bestselling Canadian children’s book author Uma Krishnaswami returns with another story featuring bird lover Reeni as she and a friend choose to do a school project on Bird Count India – a countrywide event that will have thousands of birdwatchers counting birds as part of a global movement. Shocked that few people know or care about the bird count, Reeni works hard to teach people why it matters. Birds on the brain is a funny, triumphant story about learning to advocate for both the human and non-human inhabitants of your community.

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Juvenile Non-Fiction: The Kids’ Field Guide to Birds by Daisy Yuhas

The Kids’ Field Guide to Birds is an exciting introduction to bird spotting for kids (and their parents), helping to identify common species while keeping things fun with activities and features throughout.

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Picture Book: Birds Sing Their Words by Mélina Mangal ; illustrated by Stella Lim

A fantastic picture book introduction to birding for young readers that teaches children about the ways to connect to birds in nature and what they can learn from birdsong and communication. Included at the end is a great guide for caregivers and resources for ways to learn more about birds and birdwatching.

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Picture Book: Birdlore: The Iridescent Life of Florence Merriam Bailey by Jess Keating; illustrated by Devon Holzwarth

A story about Florence Merriam Bailey the ground-breaking American scientist who inspired a nation to take up bird-watching and worked tirelessly to protect our feathered friends.

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Film: A Birder’s Guide to Everything

David Portnoy, a 15-year-old birding fanatic, thinks that he’s made the discovery of a lifetime. So, on the eve of his father’s remarriage, he escapes on an epic road trip with his best friends to solidify their place in birding history.

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Object Library: Celestron® Bird watching kit

Part of the Healthy Kids Community Challenge series, this kit includes a pair of Celestron® binoculars and two bird watching field guides. Intended for use by those ages 14 and up.

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