Looking for your next “beach read” (aka book to read while you dream of going to the beach again someday)? Or maybe you live in the southern hemisphere like me and are looking for a good book to curl up with this winter. Either way, the releases this June have you covered, from epic final battles to heartfelt guiding spirits.
Title: The Way to Rio Luna
Representation: POC protagonist, foster care, diverse cast
Back of the Book: Eleven-year-old Danny Monteverde believes in magic. He knows that pixie dust is real, that wardrobes act as portals, and that rabbit holes lead to Wonderland. Most of all, he believes that his older sister, Pili, is waiting for him somewhere in Rio Luna, the enchanted land in their favorite book of fairy tales.
Danny doesn’t care what the adults say. He knows that Pili isn’t another teen runaway. When the siblings were placed in separate foster homes, she promised that she’d come back for him, and they’d build a new life together in Rio Luna.
Yet as the years pass, Danny’s faith begins to dim. But just when he thinks it might be time to put foolish fairy tales behind him, he finds a mysterious book in the library. It’s a collection of stories that contain hints about how to reach another world. A map to Rio Luna . . . and to Pili.
As his adventure takes him from New York to Ecuador to Brazil, Danny learns that meeting your favorite characters isn’t always a dream come true. But nothing will stop him from finding his sister . . . even if it means standing up to the greatest threat the magical realm has ever known.
*Title: Asha and the Spirit Bird
Representation: Indian Protagonist, Indian mythology and folklore, Own Voices
Back of the Book: Asha lives on the family farm with her mother in rural India. Her father is away working in the city, and when the money he sends stops suddenly, a wicked debt collector arrives. She’s determined to seize the property – and the treasure rumoured to be hidden on the land. Guided by a majestic bird which Asha believes to be the spirit of her grandmother, she and her best friend Jeevan embark on a journey to the city, across the Himalayas, to find her father and save her home …
*Note: Published in the UK/Australia/NZ in 2019, North American debut June 2020
Title: Elementals: Battle Born
Representation: Diverse cast (including disabled and lgbtq+ characters)
Back of the Book: Tensions are at an all-time high in the final book of this rip-roaring adventure series about siblings with magical shapeshifter powers.
Though Anders and his friends have delayed a war between ice wolves and scorch dragons, their mission is far from over. With adults on both sides looking for them, they’ve sought refuge in Cloudhaven, a forbidden stronghold that could hold the key to saving their home.
Meanwhile, Holbard has been ravaged, and its citizens are reeling. Many have been forced into bleak camps outside the city, and food is running short.
To rebuild Vallen and unite scorch dragons, ice wolves, and humans, Anders and Rayna must put everything on the line…before the damage done is beyond repair. But the price of peace may hit closer to home than they could’ve ever imagined.
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