Top 5 Tuesday #74: These Ones Give Summer Vibes

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm, and now hosted by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.

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This week’s topic:

Top 5 books that remind you of a season

I’m supposed to list books that remind me of the four seasons, but (luckily for Meeghan — HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!) I can only think of books that remind me of summer, lol! So here are five books that give me strong summer vibes.

To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan & Meg Wolitzer

This one falls toward the older end of middle grade, bordering on YA. It’s a contemporary novel about two girls whose single dads are dating and want their daughters to meet and get along. It’s an epistolary novel, as the story is relayed via emails and texts the girls use to communicate. And it gives me summer vibes because it takes place in the summer while the girls are at camp and because it reminds me of the movie Parent Trap. The story is light, fun, and sweet.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares

By now, this one is an oldie but goodie. It’s YA contemporary about four friends who share a pair of pants that fits them all, no matter their size, and good things (or life changes) happen while wearing the pants. The pants also help to keep the girls connected as they part for summer vacation at the end of every school year. I enjoy reading these books and have read four of the five books in the series. I don’t want the series to end (and I have a feeling I won’t like the fifth book), so I’ve been delaying reading the last one.

Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson (illus.)

Here’s another one set in the summer that’s about friendship and summer camp and fun. It’s actually a middle grade fantasy graphic novel about a group of girls who go on crazy, weird adventures at a summer camp for girls. Many people enjoy this series, but I didn’t like this first volume much, so I didn’t continue with it. I agree, however, that it has a light, fun tone that will appeal to many.

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall (illus.)

This children’s picture book does not take place in only summer, but despite that, it gives me summer vibes. I guess it’s because it’s about lighthouses, which I associate with summer for some reason. I categorize it as historical fiction. It focuses on a new lighthouse keeper, the last one, and by following him, we see what it’s like to live in and tend a lighthouse. At the end, the author provides facts about lighthouses. I learned quite a bit reading it.

When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten

It’s a middle grade contemporary novel about a girl named Clara living in a small village in Jamaica where everyone knows each other. Clara is struggling to come to terms with a tragic incident that occurred last summer, leaving her unable to remember what happened. It’s a good read and a quick one, but it has some sad, touching moments.

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Let me know if you’ve read any of these.