2. The Enemy's Daughter by Anne Blankman—This middle-grade historical novel is about Marta, a young German girl who is traveling on the Lusitania with her father in 1915. Although they've kept quiet about their identities to avoid being accused of espionage, her dad is detained after the ship sinks. Clare, an Irish girl, believes Marta to be a Dutch refugee and brings her home to be taken care of by Clare's family. While struggling to keep her true origins a secret, Marta must also wrestle with the idea of what an "enemy" is. Her family and Clare's are on opposite sides of the war, but how can she hate people who have been so kind and welcoming to her? And what will happen if Clare discovers who Marta really is?

3. Murder Past Due by Miranda James—In this cozy series opener, we're introduced to Charlie Harris, a librarian in small-town Mississippi who's known for walking his cat, Diesel, around town on a leash. When Charlie's former classmate, now a famous novelist, is killed, it's up to Charlie (with a little help from his favorite feline) to find a killer.

4. The Experiment by Rebecca Stead (available September 16, 2025)—This middle-grade science fiction tale doesn't come out until the Fall, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get my hands on an early copy. The story revolves around Nathan, a boy living on Earth who is secretly from another planet. When other members of The Experiment suddenly start disappearing, Nathan's family is called back to the mothership. Confused and frightened, Nathan begins to question everything he knows about who he is, why he was on Earth, and just what he's supposed to do now.

5. Born of Gilded Mountains by Amanda Dykes—It's 1948 and Mercy Windsor is fleeing Hollywood after a scandal knocked her from her glamorous life as a leading lady. She purchases an abandoned estate with a mysterious past in an isolated Colorado town and throws her efforts into restoring it. The more she works, the more she uncovers about her new home, including rumors of a disappearing train and the priceless treasure it carried. As Mercy mines the past for answers, she finds renewed purpose and hope in her present.

6. The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly—When Lila's grandfather dies, her family heads to Ohio to figure out what to do with his creepy old Victorian inn. On the way, they get into a car accident, after which things start to get decidedly weird. Lila is seeing things, ghostly things. Like her grandfather, who tells her he was murdered, probably by someone who wants to control his inn, which isn't just a hotel, but a portal between the lands of the living and the dead. Now Lila has to find his killer and stop evil spirits from wreaking havoc on her world.

7. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie—I've read several Hercules Poirot novels, but I've yet to read the one that started it all. In this most classic of mysteries, Poirot's wealthy benefactor is poisoned in her home and the Belgian must use his little grey cells to pick out a murderer from among a plethora of suspects, all of whom have something to hide.

8. A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver—This is the first book in a historical mystery series featuring Electra McDonnell, a thief who is caught while trying to steal valuable jewels from a posh home. Instead of incarceration, Electra is given a reprieve. If she will help the British government by stealing an important set of blueprints before they're delivered to a German spy, her attempted theft will be pardoned. With little choice in the matter, Electra accepts, only belatedly realizing just how dangerous of a mission she's been given. 

9. Dead As a Door Knocker by Diane Kelly—The first in an older cozy mystery series, this opener introduces Whitney Whitaker, a Nashville house flipper who discovers a dead body buried in the yard of her new fixer-upper. Who is the stiff and who is responsible for their death? Whitney is determined to find out.

10. Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson (available July 22, 2025)—I've got an e-ARC of this up-and-comer, Jackson's first novel for adults. The story concerns 27-year-old Jet Mason, who suffers a deadly head injury after being attacked by an unknown assailant. Jet's doctor is sure she will be dead of an aneurysm within the week. That may be, but until then, she is alive and determined to solve her own murder.

There you go, ten more books I'd like to read this summer. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which titles are you planning to read over the next few months? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

Side note: I only watched the first ten minutes or so of the Netflix version of My Plain Jane, but that's all it took to show me that the television show is much raunchier than the book, which is PG-rated (at least as far as I remember).

2. Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity by Elizabeth C. Bunce—This installment is the latest in another of my favorite children's series. It stars Myrtle Hardcastle, a brilliant young woman in Victorian England who has an "unnatural" obsession with murder and forensics. She solves crimes with the help of her governess and assorted others. This particular book is set on a Scottish island, where Myrtle's governess has just inherited a crumbling castle. It doesn't take long for our heroine to find herself on the hunt for a missing brooch and a murderer.

3. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson—Even though I like Sanderson, I likely wouldn't have read this YA fantasy if it hadn't been for book club. That would have been a shame, too, because this novel is a gem. It's an action/adventure/pirate story about a young woman who sets sail in search of her missing best friend and finds herself along the way.

4. The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly—This YA novel stars Michael, a 12-year-old boy with severe anxiety, especially with the threat of Y2K looming before him. When he meets Ridge, a confident teen who seems to have no worries at all, Michael is fascinated—and that's before Ridge announces that he's the world's first time traveler. Ridge even has a special book all about the future, a book that could assuage all of Michael's worries, if only he could get his hands on it. 

The plot sounds kind of weird, I know, but this book features some warm, wonderful characters and imparts important lessons about being present in the now instead of obsessing over what the future might bring.

5. Artifice by Sharon Cameron—Isa de Smit was raised in her father's Amsterdam art gallery, a home filled with life, color, and vibrancy. Now that the Nazis have taken over the city, everything has changed. Isa's struggling to hold on to her beloved gallery while her best friend is risking his life by working with the Dutch resistance to smuggle Jewish babies out of the city. He needs money for his important work and Isa has a way to get it. By selling the Nazis the forgeries her father made of famous paintings, she can help the resistance and save her gallery. If she gets caught? She will lose everything, including her life. 

If you like historical fiction, I also highly recommend Cameron's Bluebird. I liked it even better than Artifice.  

6. One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome—This middle grade verse novel takes on a unique subject: the Black homesteader movement. It features three women pioneers headed for an unknown future in the Nebraska wilderness. The story is poignant and powerful. 

7. Dust by Dusti Bowling—Another MG read, this one is about a girl with severe asthma who becomes obsessed with the mysterious new boy at her school. Adam is sullen and angry, with no desire to interact with anyone. Considering that dust devils seem to swarm around the kid, Avalyn really should stay away from him. But she can't. She's determined to get to the bottom of Adam's heavy emotions, whether he likes it or not—and whether it's safe for her or not.

8. The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier—When I volunteered at my daughter's elementary school library a few years back, this graphic novel series was wildly popular. I finally picked up this series opener and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a quick read that's chock full of action, humor, and heart. I can't wait to read the sequels.

9. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett—I don't remember if I read this classic as a child or not, but I loved it as an adult. It's a sweet, wholesome riches-to-rags story about the importance of kindness, humility, and fortitude.

10. Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine—Even though it deals with the still-raw subject of COVID, I enjoyed this hopeful MG novel about working together to get through hard times. The author grew up in Wuhan, so the setting feels especially authentic. 

There you go, ten of my favorite children's books that I read in 2024. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What are you grateful for today? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!