2026 DPL Recommended Summer Reading List

These great books are highly recommended by our librarians.

Early Learners (Ages 0-5)

You are My Rainbow by Michael Joosten

The City of Jasmine by Nadine Presley

Orpheline by Katelyn Aronson

I Am La Chiva!: The Colorful Bus of the Andes by Karol Hernandez

The Interpreter by Olivia Abtahi

Fireworks by Matthew J. Burgess

The Ofrenda that We Built by Jolene Gutiérrez

My Hair is Like Yours by St. Clair Detrick-Jules

Kids (Ages 6-12)

The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls by J. Anderson Coats

Lei and the Fire Goddess by Malia Maunakea

The AI Incident by J.E.Thomas

Away by Megan Freeman

The Library in the Woods by Calvin A. Ramsey

Twig and Turtle 1: Big Move to a Tiny House by Jennifer Richard Jacobson 

Carlotta's Special Dress by Carlotta Walls LaNier

Teens (Ages 13-18)

Brownstone by Samuel Teer

Dust by Alison Stine

Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories by Cynthia Leitich Smith

On the Wings of la Noche by Vanessa Torres

Split the Sky by Marie Arnold

The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody

Water in Her Veins by Shannon Schuren

The Underwood Tapes by Amanda DeWitt

Special thanks to our partner, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, for their collaboration in bringing Summer of Adventure to life.