Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

Pepper is barely making it with her hectic schedule and pressure to perform at an elite private school in New York. But on top of everything else, her mom expects her to help the family business by running the Big League Burger’s Twitter page. At the same time, her classmate Jack goes to Twitter to defend his family’s deli when Big League Burger steals their grilled cheese sandwich recipe. What starts out as a few harmless tweets becomes a huge social media war with unexpected consequences for both Pepper and Jack. Eventually they both have to decide, “Is it business or is it personal?”

This light, romantic comedy is a fun read for hot summer days. Plenty of witty dialogue between interesting characters and also enough depth to the story to put it one step above a fluff read. Harmless and enjoyable, but with meaningful lessons about friendship, family, and responsibility.

Recommended ages--12 and up

The Length of a String by Elissa Brent Weissman

Imani is ready to find her birth parents, but she doesn’t know how to tell her family. She loves her adoptive family, but she wants to know where she came from. While she is trying to tell her family, Imani finds her great aunt Anna’s diary. Reading about Anna’s experience, Imani learns that her great aunt escaped from Luxembourg during World War II and lost her family in the process. But as Imani learns about Anna, she finds a little bit of herself.

This wonderful narrative alternates between Imani’s present day story and Anna’s World War II experience. It is a powerful story about losing and finding family as well as finding your place in the world. A perfect read for lovers of history as well as lovers of family relationships and coming of age.

Recommended ages--9 and up

House Arrest by K.A. Holt

Timothy is on one year of house arrest. It didn’t matter that he stole the credit card to pay for his brother’s medicine. It only matters that he broke the law. Now he has one year of strict rules, a parole officer, and counselor visits. House Arrest is Timothy’s court ordered journal that chronicles that year and all it entails.

Told in Timothy’s honest and unique voice, this verse novel tells a story both heart-breaking and life-affirming. Timothy is a young teen faced with seemingly insurmountable problems, but through perseverance and truthful observations he changes his world and the people around him. A perfect, quick read for anyone who might be struggling with life.

Recommended ages--11 and up