Blog

For the twelfth consecutive year, the We Are KidLit Collective has released its summer reading list, just in time for the end of school in much of the country (though not in New York, where the last day of school is at the end of June). It’s important for kids to spend some time reading during the summer, as two months away from books often results in learning loss. In fact, two months away from any learning activity leads to losing what one has achieved in class, which is why I’m signing up for an online remedial German grammar and conversation course over the summer.

But reading shouldn’t be seen as a chore. That’s why the We Are KidLit Summer Reading List offers books at all reading levels, genres, and formats. Kids are gravitating toward graphic novels, and we have many of those featured. We also have verse novels and books that combine verse and prose. Picture books are not just for beginning readers. The best of them work on multiple levels, and readers of all ages can appreciate the art work and its interaction with the text. So much in the pictures is left unsaid, open to the reader’s inference and interpretation.

All of the books on the list have at least one creator — author, illustrator, or translator — who is BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color). We have focused on stories with intersecting identities — religious minorities, LGBTQ+ characters, and disabled or neurodivergent characters. At least two of our six collective members have read each book on the list to make sure it’s a book we can proudly give to any child at the appropriate age level. Besides me, the collective members are Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez, Sam Bloom, Edith Campbell, Ariana Sani Hussain, and Sujei Lugo Vázquez.

This year, as in other years, we remember those children’s book creators we have lost. Most of them have had books on the list, and in several cases we added books (and in one case an article on diversifying radio and podcasting) by creators who passed away in 2025. The creators we remembered this year are Marjorie Agosín, Keturah A. Bobo, DéLaNa R.A. Dameron, Ken Mochizuki, Malcolm Jamal Warner, and Alice Wong.

In all, there are four board books, 13 picture books, nine early readers/chapter books, 13 middle grade titles (a majority of them graphic novels), 11 YA books, and four titles for adults that teens can read and appreciate. The full list with annotations are available on the We Are KidLit site, which features all of the past lists as well. School Library Journal has once again published the list, and the acclaimed education site Teaching Books also features the list as a one of the major awards that it links to each author’s and illustrator’s page. We are grateful to SLJ and Teaching Books for their support over the years.

Happy reading!