Staff Picks

Summer Soundtrack

Crank up the volume on your summer reading with a collection of fiction, memoirs, and music-inspired reads for adults and teens that capture the energy, nostalgia, and rhythm of the summer concert season.

Are We Out of the Woods Yet?

Any fan of mysteries or thrillers knows: nothing good happens when you wander into the woods alone. This book list for kids and adults brings together a bit of fun with suspenseful, twisty, and sometimes eerie stories set deep in the forest—perfect for summer reading (preferably in daylight).

The Skull

Jon Klassen

The Midnight Feast

Lucy Foley

Evergreen

Matthew Cordell

The God of the Woods

Liz Moore

The Leaf Detective

Heather Lang

The Nature of Disappearing

Kimi Cunningham Grant

Camp Sylvania

Julie Murphy

Listen to Your Sister

Neena Viel

The Visitors

Greg Howard

The Staircase in the Woods

Chuck Wendig

Sloth Sleuth

Cyndi Marko

A Girl Walks Into the Forest

Madeleine Roux

Bigfoot Crossing

Gail Anderson-Dargatz

The Forest Grimm

Kathryn Purdie

Bear and Bird Find a Footprint

Jonathan Lambert

The Forest of Stolen Girls

June Hur

Cougar Clues

Kayla Whaley

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight

Kalynn Bayron

The Lake House

Sarah Beth Durst

What Wild Women Do

Karma Brown

The Sweet Goodbye

Ron Corbett

Moon of the Turning Leaves

Waubgeshig Rice

The Boy Who Cried Bear

Kelley Armstrong

Book It! Around the World

Our staff have specially selected a list of picturebooks, fiction, non-fiction and graphic novels all about travel and adventure to celebrate this year’s Summer Reading Club for kids.

Trains, Boats and Planes

Michelle Robinson; illustrated by Jez Tuya

Epic Cities: Take a Tour of 24 Cities

Sam Sedgman; illustrated by Daniel Long

Summer of Rocks

Jenna Greene

A First Time for Everything

Dan Santat

The Great Expedition

Peter Carnavas

Explore: A Collection of Maps and Diagrams That Explain the World

Lizzie Munsey

Ticket to Ride: An Unexpected Journey

Adrienne Kress; art by David Miles

Survival Scout: Lost in the Mountains

Maxwell Eaton III

Getting Us to Grandma's

Nadia L. Hohn; illustrated by TeMika Grooms

Alfie Explores A to Z: A Seek-and-Find Adventure

Jeff Drew

Never Thought I'd End Up Here

Ann Liang

Sea Legs

Jules Bakes & Niki Smith

Finley: A Moose on the Caboose

Candace Spizzirri; illustrated by Chantelle & Burgen Thorne

You Decide Your Adventure: Join Bear Grylls on the Ultimate Expedition

Bear Grylls; illustrated by Jake Alexander

Usborne Puzzle Adventures: The Mummy Mystery

Russell Punter; illustrated by Fabiano Fiorin

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir

Pedro Martin

City Summer, Country Summer

Kiese Laymon; illustrated by Alexis Franklin

Adventures in Desolation Sound

Grant Lawrence; with illustrations by Ginger Ngo

On a Wing and a Tear

Cynthia Leitich Smith

The 39 Clues (Volume 1): The Maze of Bones

Ethan Young

Read Canadian

In honour of Canada Day (July 1), we’re celebrating the richness and diversity of Canadian voices in literature. This collection of picturebooks, fiction, and non-fiction for kids and adults showcases a range of perspectives, cultures, and experiences from across the country.