Summer means a lot of things --- going to the beach, relaxing by the pool, going to camp, taking a break from school and...drumroll please…summer reading!

There are so many books that came out this spring (and are coming out later this summer), and we asked some of our bookseller friends to weigh in on their very favorites. Read below for some of their suggestions, and get yourself to a bookstore, stat! Then slather on the sunscreen, head to the nearest sunny locale and crack open your literary prize.

THE HALLOWEEN TREE by Ray Bradbury, illustrated by Gris Grimly (8/04/15): This Bradbury classic will surely be energized with Gris Grimly's superb marriage of macabre and just-scary-enough illustrations. Grimly made the 19^th century staple FRANKENSTEIN come alive, and he will surely bring a new generation of readers to Bradbury's most accessible work. A ghostly delight for both Bradbury and Grimly fans alike!

RETURN TO AUGIE HOBBLE by Lane Smith (5/05/15):Young readers will love this story, created by famous illustrator and funny-man Lane Smith. This is a tale of oddity and eccentricity, where young Augie works for his parents in their bedraggled amusement park Fairy Tale Place. It's not his favorite place to be but school is worse: bullies, a failing grade in his art class and unrequited love make his life even more miserable. But the town's plague of werewolves instantly livens up and alters Augie's life in ways he never could have imagined. Smith tells Augie's story with heart and humor, and successfully integrates the paranormal with normal. The added illustrations and excerpts from Augie's notebook encourage readers to read page after page of this wonderful story.

--- Maureen Palacios, Owner and Romy Griepp, Bookseller at Once Upon a Time (Montrose, CA)

GOODBYE STRANGER by Rebecca Stead (8/04/2015): I am so excited about this book. Stead’s luminous prose reveals characters with complexity and dimension that truly reflect the ever-evolving lives of middle schoolers.

UNUSUAL CHICKENS FOR THE EXCEPTIONAL POULTRY FARMER by Kelly Jones (5/12/15):This book features an endearing heroine and chickens with superpowers, making it a decidedly offbeat and hilarious story!

---  Hannah DeCamp, Bookseller at Avid Bookshop (Athens, GA)

CIRCUS MIRANDUS by Cassie Beasley (6/2/15): This is the book we're recommending to readers of all ages.  It's magical and heartfelt and will remind you of all your favorite books from your childhood.  

GEORGE by Alex Gino (8/25/2015):   No one says it better than David Levithan, editor of this beautiful middle grade debut: "This is a very special, very important, very wonderful book." GEORGE tells the story of a young girl trapped in the wrong body --- a boy's body --- but at its crux, it is also a heartwarming story of acceptance and what it means to be true to yourself. We're sure anyone who has read GEORGE would agree: Everyone should read this book!

--- Johanna Albrecht, Children's Manager & Marisa DiNovis, Children's Coordinator at Flyleaf Books (Chapel Hill, NC)

THE CURIOUS WORLD OF CALPURNIA TATE by Jacqueline Kelly (7/07/15): I loved THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE and this seems to be a satisfactory sequel.

AUGGIE & ME: THREE WONDER STORIES by R.J. Palacio (8/18/15): I was apprehensive when I started 365 DAYS OF WONDER and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  I found the vignettes interspersed between the precepts quite interesting.  So, I am looking forward to the release of AUGGIE & ME, another WONDER spin-off.

--- Fran Elise Mermelstein, Children’s Book Buyer at New England Mobile Book Fair (Newton, MA)

THE EDUCATION OF IVY BLAKE by Ellen Airgood (6/09/2015): Ivy is inspired by her teacher to "amaze herself" over the summer. It's just hard when she is trying to hide the truth about her home from everyone, including her best friend. Ivy's mother is not quite what we would all want in a mother. Her unpredictable behavior makes it very difficult for others to understand her, but she's still Ivy's mom, and there is no limit to the chances she will give her. In the meantime, Ivy is learning that there are a lot of people around her who love her and want to help her through some very difficult times. With a gentle, soulful protagonist, this book will live inside of young readers forever in the way that ELLEN FOSTER by Kaye Gibbons lives in adult readers. My favorite middle reader of the year.

BOOK SCAVENGER by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman (6/02/2015): BOOK SCAVENGER is without a doubt my favorite children's book of the year. It has it all: mystery, friendship, humor and ...the coolest game ever. Emily has just moved to San Francisco, which happens to be the hometown of her idol, Garrison Griswold. Mr. Griswold is the founder of an online game where books are hidden in cities throughout the country, and they can only be found by solving puzzles. Sounds awesome, right? It's like geocaching but with books and puzzles. Garrison was just about to launch an exciting new level of the game when he was tragically attacked and put into a coma. This is the story of Emily and the strange book she finds, which may just be the only copy ever made of Garrison's new game, but whoever attacked Mr. Griswold is after it, too. Emily must race against time and against the attackers to find out the secret hidden at the heart of this puzzle. 

--- Jessilynn Norcross, Owner, and Sam, bookseller, at McLean and Eakin Booksellers, (Petoskey, MI)

WOUNDABOUT by Lev Rosen and Ellis Rosen (6/23/2015): WOUNDABOUT is a fantastical story about two children who go to live with their aunt after their parents suffer a fatal accident.  The town that their aunt lives in is quite unusual. It’s drab and colorless, and it’s against the law to ask questions of any kind.  Then one day the children discover a key, and their search for locks starts them on an expedition they cannot return from.  If you like Lemony Snickett, then you will be just as entertained!

--- Judith Little, Bookseller at Octavia Books (New Orleans, LA)