Dive Into a New Series for Summer

By Ashly Moore Sheldon • May 27, 2026

Summer is almost here! Longer days and travel plans mean more reading time. It's great to have plenty of reading lined up and ready to go when you're headed off on a beach vacation or enjoying the lingering daylight in a backyard hammock. For kids, the break from school calls for a stack of books that they already know they'll love. It's the perfect season to dive into a new series. Here are 21 series we love for a range of ages and interests.

Middle grade

Get your young readers hooked on summer reading with one of these terrific series starters for kids, ranging in age from six to twelve.

• Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne

Where did the tree house come from? Before Jack and Annie can find out, the tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. The first book in the beloved Magic Tree House series introduces the spunky siblings who travel through time and space investigating mysteries. (Ages 6–9)

• Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

Having a little sister like four-year-old Ramona Quimby isn't easy. With a wild imagination, disregard for order, and an appetite for chaos, Ramona tries the patience of her responsible older sister. But is it possible that Beezus has a few things to learn from Ramona's bold nature? (Ages 6–10)

• Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

It's 1871 when we meet four-year-old Laura who lives in a Wisconsin log cabin with her Pa, Ma, and two sisters. Pioneer life isn't easy for the Ingalls family as they catch or grow all their own food to get ready for the long winter. Don't miss out on the award-winning Little House series! (Ages 8–12)

• Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman

Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Eragon, the Skandar series follows a thirteen-year-old boy who must answer the call to become a unicorn rider and enter a world of epic sky battles, dangerous clashes with wild unicorns and rumors of a shadowy villain amassing a unicorn army. (Ages 8–12)

• The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

Clay and his friends are five young dragons who have grown up under a mountain, secretly raised by the Talons of Peace to fulfill a mysterious prophecy. They're destined to end the war that's been raging between the tribes of Pyrrhia. This is the beginning of the thrilling Wings of Fire series. (Ages 8–12)

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

In the first book of the hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, meet Greg Heffley: an unforgettable, unlikely hero. Being a kid can really stink. And no one knows this better than Greg. Thrust into middle school, he's sharing the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. (Ages 8–12)

• Map of Flames by Lisa McMann

X-Men meets Spy Kids in this story of the Forgotten Five, supernatural children, raised by their fugitive parents in an isolated tropical hideout. When they find themselves alone and abandoned, they must make their way to civilization and a modern world they aren't prepared for. (Ages 8–12)

YA

Find the perfect series for your teen to get lost in with one of these engaging reads including mystery, romance, fantasy, and historical fiction.

• Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to ancient laws. But now the Warriors code is at risk and ThunderClan is in danger. In the midst of this turmoil comes an ordinary housecat named Rusty. And he may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all. (Ages 9–14)

• Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

When eleven-year-old Anne Shirley arrives at the snug white farmhouse called Green Gables, she wants to stay forever. This imaginative, expressive, redheaded girl is not what Matthew and Marilla were expecting. But the longer she stays, the harder it is for anyone to imagine life without her. (Ages 9 and up)

• The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

When billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies he leaves his fortune to teen Avery Grambs. The catch? Avery has no idea who Tobias is. To win the Inheritance Games, Avery must move into the sprawling, riddle-filled Hawthorne House and face down the four grandsons who Tobias has dispossessed. (Ages 12–17)

• Sabriel by Garth Nix

Sent away to school as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the powerful forces in the Old Kingdom. But then her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him—a journey that brings Sabriel face-to-face with her own destiny. (Ages 13 and up)

• Divergent by Veronica Roth

Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, this dystopian series starter set in a futuristic Chicago imagines a society divided into five factions. Beatrice Prior, aka Tris, faces a choice that will change everything. And now you can preorder Sixth Faction, the first book in a new spinoff series. (Ages 14–17)

• Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

After her mother dies, sixteen-year-old Bree wants to escape family memories. A residential program for promising students offers the perfect escape. But when Bree witnesses an otherworldly attack on her first night there, she's ushered into a secret society called Legendborn. (Ages 14 and up)

• Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

When shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to popular rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning, neither expects what lies ahead. Boy meets boy, boys become friends, and boys fall in love in this charming graphic novel series that explores friendship, love, and coming out. (Ages 14 and up)

Adult

Tuck into these engaging newish series for adults for a summer of literary adventures, romance, and more.

• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail has grown up thinking that she will pursue the quiet life of a scribe. But when her father dies, the general, aka her tough-as-talons mother, orders Violet to compete to become a dragon rider. The first book in The Empyrean series kicks off a romantic, adventure-filled fantasy.

• Game Changer by Rachel Reid

Pro hockey player Scott Hunter takes his pregame rituals seriously. When a particular smoothie—served by the cute, sexy Kip—precedes the end of Scott's scoring slump, he comes back for more. This is the first installment in the steamy series behind Heated Rivalry. Book #7, Unrivaled, comes out soon!

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

After nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives demanding retribution. He drags her to a treacherous, magical land, where she learns that her captor, Tamlin, is not truly a beast, but a lethal, immortal faerie. Immerse yourself in the ACOTAR experience.

• Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Each of the sparkling romances in this charming series features a different set of characters connected to a fictional hospital network in a small, tight-knit Minnesota town. When sophisticated city girl Alexis arrives as a E.R. doctor, she finds an unexpected connection with Daniel, a local carpenter ten years her junior.

• In the Woods by Tana French

When a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the woods outside Dublin, detective Rob Ryan is the last person who should be investigating. But his secret past is exactly why he's so intent on solving the crime. A different detective stars in each of the novels in the brilliant Dublin Murder Squad series.

• The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe. Essun is a woman who must hide her secret power as she embarks on a high-stakes quest to find her kidnapped daughter. The first novel in The Broken Earth trilogy is a Hugo Award-winning epic fantasy of power, oppression, and revolution.

• The Deal by Elle Kennedy

When straight-laced Hannah makes a deal with Garrett, campus bad boy, neither of them expects it to lead to love. The Off-Campus series follows four college hockey teammates as each finds love. Fans will want to check out the Collector's Editions with hardcase design, printed edges, designed end papers and more.

• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

The aliens have come, and they've transformed Earth into a televised multilevel, video game-like dungeon. Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, are fighting to survive—or just get to the next level. This zany LitRPG series, which started as a free web serial, has become a monster hit.

• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

England in the 1520s is poised on the edge of a precipice. Despite powerful opposition, Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell, a wholly original man, both idealist and opportunist, implacable in his ambition.

Whatever your age or interest, hopefully there's something here that sounds like a great reading adventure for your summer. Do you have any series recs to add?

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