30 Best Books to Read This Summer

With increasing access to information due to the internet, content is now available on every screen in every hand. At times like these, it becomes very important to ponder over how the internet has impacted and brought about a decrease in reading as a hobby.

Books have not just been the greatest source of knowledge but are said to ignite curiosity and increase the attention span of a person. In addition to making people lifelong learners, reading a book also helps in augmenting critical thinking abilities and instil a sense of empathy.

It is said that the right book can make a person a lifelong reader and here are some books that can do just that for you!

Primary School

1. AMMACHI’S GLASSES by Priya Kuriyan – This picture book provides a hilarious account of what happens when a granny’s spectacles go missing.

2. GETTING GRANNY’S GLASSES by Ruskin Bond – This book for young readers talks about the journey and experiences of Young Mani and his grandmother to get a pair of glasses in the nearby town.

3. THE NAME JAR by Yangsook Choi – This book is about a family that moves to USA from Korea and their experiences with adjusting to the new environment.

4. WHEN I GROW UP, I WANT TO BE A TIGER by Prerna Singh Bindra – This story narrates the tale of a cub and how important it is to save tigers.

5. DREAMERS SERIES by Lavanya Karthik – In this series of books, there are brilliant stories to read where the author writes life stories of famous personalities and talks about their unique talents to inspire young readers.

6. THE LAST BEAR by Hannah Gold – This debut book of the author deals with a girl who visits Arctic region with her scientist father. This book throws light on the lives of polar bears and their plight due to climate change.

7. WOOF! ADVENTURES BY THE SEA by Aparna Karthikeyan – This book for dog lovers highlight the stray dogs as the protagonist and how dogs talk about other animals and humans.

8. KENSUKE’S KINGDOM by Michael Morpurgo – This historical fiction book narrates a tale of survival when the protagonist gets stranded on an island with no food after their boat wrecks.

Middle School

1. THE GUPTA EMPIRE TRILOGY by Nandini Sengupta – The three books talk about the reign of the Gupta Empire and the journey of Chandragupta Maurya as the emperor.

2. THE BOY WHO DARED by Susan Campbell Bartoletti – This is a story of a 16-year-old boy who dared to speak the truth during the World War II regardless of the consequences.

3. WORDS TO LIVE BY: This Best Indian Non-fiction for Children by Deepa Agarwal reflects famous personalities and has proved to be a great source of inspiration for readers.

4. SPACESHIP TO THE UNIVERSE: THE STORY OF LIBRARIES by Shruthi Rao and Anuradha Jagalur: This book is for the readers who want to explore the history of libraries. It also throws light on how during the COVID-19 pandemic various initiatives were taken by libraries to reach the readers.

5. A VELOCITY OF BEING: LETTERS TO A YOUNG READER edited by Maria Popova & Claudia Bedrick: This collection of letters from various fields talks about the power of reading and why it is important.

Senior School

1. DARKLESS by Tanushree Singh – This book describes the darkness that every person faces within and what happens when one encounters the light that changes everything.

2. THE CLOTHING OF BOOKS by Jhumpa Lahiri: This is a wonderful book that talks about the cover pages of books and their impact on readers.

3. ART MATTERS by Neil Gaiman: This book talks about why art matters, and why libraries and librarians are important.

4. WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS and DEAR IJEAWELE OR A FEMINIST MANIFESTO IN FIFTEEN SUGGESTIONS by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – These are some good books to read for teens which deal with Feminism in a simple yet very powerful way and stress on the importance of equality among different genders.

5. WHEREABOUTS by Jhumpa Lahiri, THE PALACE OF ILLUSIONS by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and SONG OF DRAUPADI by Ira Mukhoty – These books bring out various aspects and versions of a women’s perspectives about things.

6. THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes – This book describes the describes the journey of women who were packhorse librarians during 1930s in a remote area of Kentucky.

7. IT’S OKAY TO FAIL MY SON by Vasant Kallola: This book deals with the stress that can be seen in relations and emotions shared between parents and children.

8. MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF LOVE by Michael Rosen: This collection of poems for poetry lovers talks about how the author led his life during the pandemic, how he went into coma and how he recovered.

9. ANALOG/VIRTUAL by Lavanya Lakshminarayan – This science fiction book portrays a scenario where the world’s nations have collapsed, and the erstwhile Bangalore is now ruled by a giant tech company. The only key to survive is technology.

10. THE GOLLANCZ BOOK OF SOUTH ASIAN SCIENCE FICTION edited by Tarun Saint – This is a collection of stories where authors from South Asia dive deep into the world of science fiction.

11. MY FAMILY by Mahadevi Varma – This book translated from Hindi deals with the famous author/poet Mahadevi Varma’s life and her association with her pets.

Some Books for Teachers:

1. THE 10 LAWS OF LEARNING by Steven Paul Rudolph
2. DIVASWAPNA by Gijubhai Bhadeka
3. ONCE UPON A STORY: DIVASWAPNA AND THE GIJUBHAI METHOD by Swati Popat Vats & Vinitha

According to Maria Bustillo, a journalist, and a critic, it is magical how books can connect different minds across centuries and cultures regardless of any barrier or obstacle. Books liberate readers from the prison of their temporality and the feeling of returning to one’s favourite author in times of trouble is completely indescribable.

Please note that the above classification of books into class groups is merely a suggestion. Reading books of a higher level is at the discretion of the reader or parent.

We hope you enjoy your summer break with these books. HAPPY READING!

Mr. Aruna Kumar G

Senior Librarian

I consider myself a reader and a lifelong learner. Books constantly remain a source of inspiration for me – to get into the world of imagination and to widen my world view. I am what I am today because of books. My profession of association with books made me grow as a person.

I strongly believe in the words by Alain de Bottom, the founder member of The School of Life, “They (Books) are friends waiting for us any time we want them, and they will always speak honestly to us about what really matters. They are the perfect cure for loneliness. They can be our closest friends.”