Three local librarians give us their picks for the books you won’t be able to put down this summer. Plus, suggestions for kids and teens, as well as the rundown on the most in-demand books maxing out library wait lists this year.

Guests:

Susannah Borysthen-Tkacz - Adult services librarian at theCambridge Public Library.

Robin Brenner - Teen librarian at the Public Library of Brookline.

Veronica Koven-Matasy - reader services librarian at the Boston Public Library.

Full Summer Reading Lists

*Previously reviewed on Under the Radar

Callie's Picks:

Children's Books

Parker Looks Up by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry
Illustrated by Brittany Jackson

The Last Last Day of Summer by Lamar Giles
Illustrated by Dapo Adeola

* The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins
Illustrated by Sara Palacios

Young Readers

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi

Pride by Ibi Zoboi (hear our conversation about other Pride and Prejudice reimaginings)

Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Grown Readers

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay

Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century by Lorene Cary

Dancing on the Edge of the Roof: A Novel by Sheila Williams

* The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers by Bridgett M. Davis

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight

* On the Same Page by N.D. Galland

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (coming September 24, 2019)

Susannah's Picks:

Fiction

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

Home After Dark by David Small (graphic novel)

Walking on the Ceiling by Aysegül Savas

Lie With Me: A Novel by Philippe Besson

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (release date July 16)

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (release date June 4)

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang (short stories)

Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (short stories)


Non-Fiction

The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay

Impossible Owls: Essays by Brian Phillips

Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls: A Memoir by T Kira Madden

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob

Mother Winter: A Memoir by Sophia Shalmiyev

Robin's Picks:

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Sadie by Courtney Summers

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

The Last Best Story by Maggie Lehrman

The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Internment by Samira Ahmed

York series (second installment York: The Clockwork Ghost) by Laura Ruby

Royals series (second installment Her Royal Highness) by Rachel Hawkins

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann

The Disasters by M. K. England

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Veronica's Picks:

Fiction:

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga

The True Queen by Zen Cho

Saint Young Men by Hikaru Nakamura

Circe by Madeline Miller

The Bride Was a Boy by Chii

A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole

Sleepless by Sarah Vaughn and Leila Del Duca

Exit Strategy: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat

Nonfiction:

Educated by Tara Westover

* Becoming by Michelle Obama

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

Very Short Introductions from Oxford University Press

The U.S. Constitution: A Very Short Introduction by David J. Bodenhamer

Big Ideas Simply Explained from DK

The Feminism Book edited by Hannah McCann