16 Fantastic Book Deals for the Middle of June
This was such a good week of summer.
I played a lot of pickleball, worked on my garden (the zucchini is just about to explode!), and finished a puzzle on my back porch (I’m still loving this tilted puzzle board!) and, of course, read some good books!
The biggest sale going on right now is for kids audiobooks – I put together a list of the best options for preschoolers and kindergartners here (bonus: they can all be made into Yoto cards!)
Here are some other book deals you won’t want to miss this weekend:
Back After This by Linda Holmes
Kristen from the Everyday Reading team read this one recently and raved about it! It follows a podcast producer who ends up hosting a dating show based on her own love life (reluctantly, of course). The meet-cute involves a giant lost dog and sounds unexpectedly sweet and hilarious. The love interest is quirky and charming in a not-so-typical romance-hero way, which makes him even more endearing. It seems like a warm, witty story with heart and relatable characters you’ll want to root for.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Vera owns a tea shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown. There is nothing she loves more than tea…but after she finds a dead body in her tea shop and steals a piece of evidence, she thinks she can use her detective skills to solve the murder. After buttering up suspects with tea and home-cooked meals, will Vera find out what secrets they are hiding and pin the murderer once and for all?
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Ella listened to this whole series and loved every second of it. My sister has three boys and they are obsessed with it too. There are 13 books in the series and these stories of Vikings and dragons are fast paced and delightful. (Plus, this one is a Libro.FM deal so you can use it to make a Yoto card!)
Beauty by Robin McKinley
I’ve always loved a good fairy tale retelling and this is one of the ones I remember best from my childhood. My mom read this Beauty and the Beast retelling aloud to us and I woke up in the middle of the night to see her reading it in the hallways because she couldn’t wait to see how it would turn out! I love that this one gives you way more backstory for Beauty’s family and I really love her sisters and their sweet relationship. It has such great character development and it’s just a delight all around. (Plus, this one is a Libro.FM deal so you can use it to make a Yoto card!)
Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon
This fractured fairy tale series is one of Ella’s favorites and she’s read and re-read them, reading aloud her favorite lines to me and . . . I have to admit, they are truly laugh-out-loud funny. Don’t let the title fool you – they’re great for boys and girls who love adventure and humor. This one in the series is on sale too! (Plus, this one is a Libro.FM deal so you can use it to make a Yoto card!)
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Imagine if the love of your life died in a plane crash and then, when you’d finally moved on, it turned out he wasn’t dead at all. I stayed up WAYYYYY too late reading this one. . (Full review here).
Top Elf by Caleb Zane Huett
Now is the time to stock up on sales for Christmas books! I love a Christmas read-aloud in December and this one about a contest to find a replacement Santa had lots of good reviews. We’ve all enjoyed it (I bought the audio copy so that we could finish it in time for Christmas by listening when we were in the car or working on puzzles). (Plus, this one is a Libro.FM deal so you can use it to make a Yoto card!)
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
I read this when it first came out and I was working as an elementary school librarian. I knew immediately it would be a hit with my students and I’m pretty sure it never touched the shelf again for the rest of the year! The series starts out with Dwight, a sixth-grade oddball who loves origami. And when he makes an Origami Yoda finger puppet, it suddenly starts to seem that this little paper Yoda can predict the future and give great advice. How could this be!? (Plus, this one is a Libro.FM deal so you can use it to make a Yoto card!)
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
This fractured fairy tale came highly recommended when I asked about your favorite fractured fairy tales for adults. Before she was the Queen of Hearts, Catherine was just a girl who dreamed of love and baking—not the crown. Though the King of Hearts desires her, she falls instead for Jest, the charming court joker, risking everything for a chance at true love. But in a world of magic and madness, destiny has its own plans, threatening to turn her dreams into a nightmare.
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
This one will keep you guessing all the way till the end! It’s told by two narrators- Pippa Gerard, whose husband has a talent for talking people down off a cliff- literally. He has stopped multiple people from jumping to their deaths at a sea cliff near their home. And the other narrator is Amanda, the one person that Pippa’s husband couldn’t talk down off the cliff. All the pieces start coming together until the real cause of her death is revealed.
Lying Game by Ruth Ware
I had been meaning to read a Ruth Ware book for literally YEARS and finally picked up her 2023 release in the fall and then went on to read most of her books in quick succession. This one, about the dangerous game four girls played in their teen years, has come back with sinister consequences.
Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt
It’s no Wednesday Wars (probably one of my all-time favorite books) or Okay for Now, but it’s still DARN good. I just love everything Gary D. Schmidt writes!
The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
Gail Carson Levine writes one of my all-time favorite middle grade fantasies – Ella Enchanted. But I haven’t read this one filled with fairies, fantasy, and a perilous quest!
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
We love this fun story about five siblings who are about to lose their beloved brownstone home in Harlem, thanks to a cantankerous (and mysterious) landlord who refuses to budge.
A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser
The Huey House is a homeless shelter in the Bronx. Tyrell has been there for three years, and June and her sister Maybelle, have just moved in. The kids quickly become close friends, and when the city announces some upcoming new policies that will negatively affect the Huey House, Tyrell and June are determined to do something about it.
The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman
In this fun novel, Coke and Pepsi have to evade their crazed health teacher and two guys in bowler hats by accomplishing some pretty crazy feats. Jumping off cliffs, escaping their burning school and jumping off sand dunes are just a few of the challenges they face in this thrilling tale.
