What does escape reading mean to you?
For adults, it’s often the ‘beach read’ we pack for our holidays, or perhaps an epic fantasy story that takes us away from our everyday lives.
And it’s the same for younger readers, too.
But, as adults, we get to choose whatever we want to read and, for the most part, nobody is questioning our choices. You love romance novels? Go nuts. Crime fiction floats your boat? Fabulous.
As I often see in the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community, however, there are more expectations for young readers.
These are expectations that come from love and worry and all of the concerns of parenting, but so often we want our young readers to be diving into books that are worthy, or award-winning, or challenging, or mind-expanding.
Whereas for me, half the joy of reading is the escape factor. The ability to be tucked up in bed and yet to be transported somewhere else in our minds.
Don’t get me wrong, I am the world’s biggest advocate for wide reading and so I want the challenging, award-winning, worthy and mind-expanding books on the menu.
But I also want the joy. The fun. The escape. The pleasure.
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What I love about escape reads for Tweens and Teens
It’s one of the reasons I wrote The First Summer of Callie McGee, my middle-grade novel about a nearly-13-year-old girl who is desperate to reinvent herself for high school – but who has to spend the last week of the summer holidays with the ‘family friends’.
It brings together everything I loved about books at that age – the confusion of growing up, the joy of discovering yourself, a mystery to solve, and a group of kids figuring things out for themselves. All in a tiny holiday village on the NSW south coast, with a stretch of beach and a rocky cove.
Books like this one take you on holidays any time you like.
With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of recommendations for escape reads for tweens and teens.
Some are mine, some are from teacher-librarian Megan Daley (my co-host on the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast) and some are from the YKNR community.
I hope there’s a joyous escape read here for your young reader.
Escape Reads for Tweens
The First Summer Of Callie McGee by A. L. Tait
'The water in a rip current is always calmer than the waves on either side. Once in it, you’re best just to go with the flow.' It’s the last summer before Callie starts high school and she’s been dragged along to yet another ‘family friends’ holiday. Determined to change her nerdy reputation, Callie sets out to make waves but nothing is quite as she expects. Her usual ally, Sasha, has outgrown Callie; her nemesis, Mitch, has brought his cousin Owen along; and the boring south coast town of Sawyer’s Point has been rocked by a series of burglaries. Callie, Owen and Mitch decide to investigate the robberies, bringing them face to face with a local gang … and a possible ghost.
But when Sasha goes missing, Callie must draw on all her smarts to find her friend, and discovers that being Callie McGee has its benefits. A middle-grade mystery about growing up, figuring things out, and solving the puzzle of who you are.
The Grand Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler by Lisa Shanahan
The warm-hearted story of Henry Hoobler and the summer when a new friend, a silver bike and unexpected adventures turn him inside out like a pocket, into something new - laugh-out-loud funny and moving, from the author of my My Big Birkett.
It struck Henry that perhaps he was waiting for the exact right moment to be daring and brave. The exact right moment where he felt no worry at all, not one tiny flicker. But what if that moment never came?
Henry Hoobler is a reluctant adventurer who is worried about his summer holiday camping at the beach: bugs, spiders, snakes, stingers, blue-ringed octopi or sharks. Worst of all, his family and friends are pushing him to ride his new silver bike - without training wheels. But when Henry meets Cassie, he discovers that courage is there to be found when you have a friend who is straight-up and true.
A joyous, heart-warming story from the much-loved author of My Big Birkett.
The Quicksand Pony by Allison Lester
Alison Lester's classic horseback adventure, set in the rugged yet romantic Australian coastal bush.
'Biddy, I'm sorry, we're going to have to leave her.'
'What?' Biddy struggled out of the quicksand. 'You can't leave her! The tide's coming in. She'll drown!'
But the pony is trapped and Biddy is forced to go on without her. Next day the only signs of Bella are hoofprints in the sand with small footprints and the paw marks of a dog. Who could be so small and be alone on this remote beach?
Biddy's search takes her into wild, secret country where she discovers the truth about a mysterious disappearance that happened many years ago.
Alison Lester's picture books are loved by families all around the world. In this timeless Australian children's classic, she proves herself as a born storyteller.
Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat by Monica McInerney
Marcie Gill hasn’t had a great start to the Christmas holidays. Her parents aren’t talking to each other and the family business – the Snorkel Bay Caravan Park – is in financial trouble. Her younger brother will only talk about his 23 goldfish and her sister is obsessed with tennis. To make matters worse her gran is in the hospital after a bad fall and won’t be home for ages.
But then something magical happens. Something that involves a Christmas competition, a black cat called George and a wishing stone. Marcie is about to discover that if you wish hard enough, dreams can come true.
Copycat by Kelli Anne Hawkins
There are some things about Seagulls Nest that 11-year-old Skye Starling likes …
Egg sandwiches (tick)
Admiral Mittens (her cat), who's always trying to get her attention (tick)
Writing mystery stories about star detective Red Fox (tick)
Spying on suspicious townsfolk with her new friend Bailey (tick)
The Annual Squawk Awards (tick)
and there are some things she doesn't like at all …
Winston, the Mayor's chicken (he pecks!) (cross)
Her freshly finished novel being stolen (cross)
The crimes in her novel happening in REAL LIFE! (cross)
Everyone in the town acting suspiciously (cross)
Being the only one who can find the real criminal! (cross cross cross!)
Will Skye uncover the culprit in time to save the town?
Uncle Xbox by Jared Thomas
'Nooooo,' I yelled and then Mum ran into the room in panic.
'What is it, what is it?!' she yelled, shaking me by the shoulder.
'Mum, Marcus took the Xbox,' I cried.
'Good!' Mum said, 'Maybe now you can help out with the chores a bit more.'
Dusty spends a lot of time playing games online, and usually with his stepdad, Marcus. One Saturday morning, Marcus loads his things into his car and leaves, taking his Xbox with him. Dusty is determined to buy an Xbox of his own and tries odd jobs that don't quite work out. That is until cool Uncle Rick turns up. Uncle Rick introduces Dusty to surfing and teaches him about his culture and connection to Country. Dusty swiftly discovers that there is more to life than gaming.
A coming-of-age story for young gamers, that offers gentle insights into growing up, family and finding your place not only in a digital world, but in the messy soup of life.
From the author of The Game Day series, My Spare Heart, Calypso Summer, and Songs that sound like blood, Jared Thomas has sensitively captured Dusty's world and childhood challenges, with integrity, humour and heart.
Keeper of the Lost Cities (series) by Shannon Messenger
Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret.
She is a Telepath, and has the power to hear the thoughts of everyone around her - something that she's never spoken about, even to her own family.
But everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who also reads minds. She discovers there's somewhere she does belong, and staying where she is will put her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a magical world.
Sophie has new rules to learn, and not everyone is thrilled with her "homecoming". There are secrets buried deep in Sophie's memory, secrets that other people desperately want.
Would even kill for . . .
Get Your Act Together Doris Kozlowski by Jo Dabrowski
Doris Kozlowski’s life is anything but normal. Her mum plays singing vegetables in TV commercials. Her little brother befriends pebbles and potatoes. And don’t even get her started on her babcia.
But Doris is good at pretending to be just like everyone else, and she has a plan to get through Year Six: keep her head down, keep her family away from the school, and keep her best and only friend, the perfect Felicity.
So when Felicity ditches her for the popular girls before their first class even starts, Doris needs a new plan. She figures if she can win the talent show, Felicity will want to be friends again, and Doris can get her life back.
That is, if her babcia stops trying to ‘help’. And if her mum avoids more embarrassing commercials. And if her brother manages to keep her secrets.
Who is she kidding? Doris is DOOMED.
Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski is a hilarious yet touching middle grade debut about embracing who you are, finding your true friends and the unstoppable magic of a good musical number.
Big Magic (series) by Sarah Armstrong
Eleven-year-old Tulsi comes from a long line of women magicians, but her mother has always forbidden her to learn Big Magic. It’s dangerous, thrilling, and powerful – and Tulsi wants it more than anything. But one hot summer’s night, a magic trick goes horribly wrong, and her mother disappears. Only one person can bring her back, and that’s Tulsi.
But first, she’ll have to learn a lifetime’s worth of Big Magic – in just one month. It’s an impossible task, especially when her teacher – her strange grandmother, Sylvie – was long ago banned from doing any Big Magic at all. Tulsi is determined to save her mum, but does she have what it takes? And where, exactly, has her mother gone?
The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
This warm, delightful middle grade has it all-a mystery, a pop-up library, ghosts, a cat that protects mice, and a beautiful friendship.
The New York Times bestselling authors of Bob, Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass, introduce readers to a little free library guarded by a cat and a boy who takes on the mystery it keeps.
When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large orange cat) appears overnight in the small town of Martinville, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change.
Evan and his best friend Rafe quickly discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event that none of the grown-ups want to talk about. The two boys start asking questions whose answers will transform not only their own futures, but the town itself.
Told in turn by a ghost librarian named Al, an ageing (but beautiful) cat named Mortimer, and Evan himself, The Lost Library is a timeless story from award-winning authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass. It's about owning your truth, choosing the life you want, and the power of a good book (and, of course, the librarian who gave it to you).
Escape Reads for Teens
Selfie by Allayne L. Webster
Celebrated Australian author Allayne L. Webster explores the complexities of teen friendships and the difficulties of navigating social media in this captivating novel for younger YA readers
Dene Walker picked me to be her best friend. She had the whole of Tonsley High's year eight to choose from-and she chose me. Me!
Tully can't believe her luck. Dene is famous. Everyone loves her. She has thousands of followers online and hundreds of sponsorship deals. Being best friends with Dene Walker is a dream come true.
Tully is soon hardly aware that her long-time bestie, Kira, exists, as she shapes her own interests and cares to be the person worthy of Dene's attention. And she's not prepared for the heartache and confusion when Dene's friendship is not all she imagined it to be.
Selfie is an engaging and very real exploration of social media and the trickiness of separating what's real from the glossiness of the online world. It's a tender story about friendship and staying true to yourself.
The Summer I Turned Pretty (series) by Jenny Han
Everything that happened this past summer, and every summer before it, has all led up to this. To now.
Every year Isabel spends a perfect summer at her favourite place in the world - the Fisher family's beach house. It has everything a girl could want- a swimming pool, a private stretch of sandy beach . . . and two boys.
Unavailable, aloof Conrad - who she's been in love with forever - and friendly, relaxed Jeremiah, the only one who's ever really paid her any attention.
But this year something is different. This year, the boys seem to really notice Isabel for the first time.
It's going to be an amazing summer - and one she'll never forget . . .
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (graphic novel series)
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. An LGBT+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between - for fans of THE ART OF BEING NORMAL, Holly Bourne and LOVE, SIMON.
Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they've never met … until one day when they're made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance.
But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised.
HEARTSTOPPER is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.
This is the first volume of HEARTSTOPPER, with more to come.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han (series)
What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them, all at once?
Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever lovedâ"five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.
Crumbs by Danie Stirling (graphic novel)
Falling in love just got sweeter in this charming, romantic YA graphic novel from WEBTOON, the #1 digital comic platform. Ray, a young seer struggling with her powers, discovers first love and friendship in her town's magic bakery.
In a very special town, there’s an even more unusual bakery with a selection of baked treats hand-crafted to help your dreams come true. For Ray, a quiet young woman with special powers of her own, the order is always the same: a hot tea with a delicious side of romance.
When Ray meets Laurie, the kind barista who aspires to be a professional musician, she gets a real taste of love for the first time. But even with a spark of magic, romance isn’t so simple. Both Ray and Laurie are chasing their own dreams and even when Ray starts to see the future, she can’t predict her fate with Laurie.
Based on the beloved webcomic from WEBTOON, this sweet coming-of-age story of friendship and first love comes to life in graphic novel format with gorgeous illustrations and exclusive content.
Batter Royale by Leisl Adams
When seventeen-year-old small-town waitress Rose impresses a famous food critic, she and her best friend, Fred, find themselves thrust into the tough world of competitive baking. The contest is an intense ten days of bizarre challenges, and the competition is cutthroat. Some competitors are willing to lie, cheat, and sabotage their way to the top. Rose may be in over her head, but she is determined to show that she can become a top chef. Batter Royale is a fish-out-of-water style romantic comedy about climbing out of the circumstances you're in and making your dreams come true.
The Aurora Cycle (series) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch . . .
A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy's biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who's totally not into him, in case you were wondering
And Ty's squad isn't even his biggest problem--that'd be Aurora Jie-Lin O'Malley, the girl he's just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler's squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm, ill. by Matthew Holm
Sunny Lewin has been packed off to Florida to live with her grandfather for the summer. At first she thought Florida might be fun - it is the home of Disney World, after all. But the place where Gramps lives is no amusement park. It's full of . . . old people. Really old people.
Luckily, Sunny isn't the only kid around. She meets Buzz, a boy who is completely obsessed with comic books, and soon they re having adventures of their own: facing off against golfball-eating alligators, runaway cats, and mysteriously disappearing neighbors.
But the question remains - why is Sunny down in Florida in the first place?
The answer lies in a family secret that won't be secret to Sunny much longer. . .
The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh
Don't chase fate. Let fate chase you.
For generations, deadly storms have ravaged Mina's homeland. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curse them with death and despair. To appease him, each year a maiden is thrown into the sea, in the hopes that one day the 'true bride' will be chosen and end the suffering.
Many believe Shim Cheong - Mina's brother's beloved - to be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is sacrificed, Mina's brother follows her, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong's stead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina finds the Sea God, trapped in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man and a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits, Mina sets out to wake him and bring an end to the storms once and for all.
But she doesn't have much time: a human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking . . .
It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood
The joyful, hilarious, big-hearted debut is now available in a smaller format, featuring an exclusive sneak preview of Nina's new book, Unnecessary Drama
When her parents announce their impending separation, Natalie can't understand why no one is fighting or at least mildly upset. And now that Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, have fallen in love, she's feeling slightly miffed and decidedly awkward.
Where does she fit in now? And what has happened to the version of her life that played out like a TV show-with just the right amount of banter, pining and meaningful looks?
Nothing is going according to plan.
But then an unexpected romance comes along and shakes things up even further.
It Sounded Better in My Head is a tender, funny and joyful novel about longing, confusion, feeling left out and finding out what really matters.
Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, a group of teens is forced to make life and death decisions in this harrowing story of survival from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman, and Jarrod Shusterman.
Read a sampler of the latest book by New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman and his son, Jarrod Shusterman.
The drought – or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it – has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t take long showers, don't panic. Until the taps run dry. Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbours and families turned against each other on the hunt for water.
And when her parents don’t return, she and her younger brother must team up with an unlikely group in search of water. Each of them will need to make impossible choices to survive.
Allison Tait (A. L. Tait) is the author of three epic series for kids full of adventure, mystery and ‘almost’ history: The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries – and one new contemporary middle-grade mystery novel THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE. She is also a speaker, creative writing teacher and co-host of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast. Find out more at allisontait.com
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