July is almost over, and before you know it, the Little League World Series will be here and kids will be heading back to school. Before they head back, help get them prepped by giving them something to read. Listen, I know, it’s summer and that means pools and bikes and creeks and campfires. But when it rains, or your teen is lounging by the pool, maybe offer them something to read to start re-engaging their summer brains! Here are some great tween/teen/young adult options!

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins: This series is practically a classic now, and for good reason! The Hunger Games trilogy takes place in an unspecified future time, in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, located in the ruins of North America. The country consists of the wealthy and eccentric Capitol, and 12 (formerly 13) poorer districts ruled by the Capitol. The Capitol is lavishly rich and technologically advanced, but the 12 districts are in varying states of poverty. The trilogy’s narrator and protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, lives in District 12, the poorest region of Panem, formerly known as Appalachia, where people regularly die of starvation. As punishment for a past rebellion against the Capitol (called the “Dark Days”), wherein 12 of the districts were defeated, and the 13th was supposedly destroyed, one boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts, between the ages of 12 and 18, are selected by lottery to compete in the Hunger Games on an annual basis. The Games are a televised event in which the participants, called “tributes”, are forced to fight to the death in a dangerous public arena. The winning tribute and his/her home district are then rewarded with food, supplies, and riches. The purposes of the Hunger Games are to provide entertainment for the Capitol and to remind the districts of the Capitol’s power and lack of remorse. The Hunger Games follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games in place of her younger sister Primrose Everdeen.

There are three books in this series and this is one of my favorite series of all time. This series is great for anyone from teens to adults.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: OK, OK, I know, everyone knows HP, but in case you haven’t gotten on the bandwagon yet…The novels revolve around Harry Potter, an orphan who discovers at the age of eleven that he is a wizard, though he lives in the ordinary world of non-magical people known as Muggles. The wizarding world exists alongside the Muggle world, albeit hidden and in secrecy. His magical ability is inborn, and children with such abilities are invited to attend exclusive magic schools that teaches the necessary skills to succeed in the wizarding world. Harry becomes a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Wizarding School in Scotland, and it is here where most of the events in the series take place. As Harry develops through his adolescence, he learns to overcome the problems that face him: magical, social and emotional, including ordinary teenage challenges such as friendships, infatuation, romantic relationships, schoolwork and exams, anxiety, depression, stress, and the greater test of preparing himself for the confrontation in the real world that lies ahead, in wizarding Britain’s increasingly-violent second wizarding war. Follow Harry, Hermione, Ron and the rest of Dumbledore’s Army as Harry discovers he’s a wizard, searches out Horcruxes and proceeds to work to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the rest of the Death Eaters in this classic series.

This is probably my favorite book series of all time. There are seven books in the series, but well worth the time investment whether you are 10 or 40. Also, if you happen to have a Kindle Unlimited Account, all seven books are available there!

Anything from John Green. Green’s books are no brainer for angst-ridden teens. Be it The Fault in our Stars, Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines or Paper Towns, they are all great books and perfect summer reads.

Hocus Pocus and The All-New Sequel by A. W. Jantha. Hocus Pocus is beloved by Halloween enthusiasts all over the world. Diving once more into the world of witches, this electrifying two-part young adult novel, released on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1993 film, marks a new era of Hocus Pocus. Fans will be spellbound by a fresh retelling of the original film, followed by the all-new sequel that continues the story with the next generation of Salem teens.

Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on Earth to torment Salem for all eternity.

Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don’t quite go as planned, it’s a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches’ latest death-defying scheme.

I hope I gave you something fun to read this summer! Enjoy!