Fast Five Fiction

It's Friday and time for Fast Five Fiction! Each week I share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme.  It's officially July and hard to believe tomorrow is the halfway mark for 2021 Summer Reading. Many people are headed on vacations, going to camp or enjoying the summer by a lake or pool. Whether you're physically traveling or looking to travel vicariously through a book these books are perfect to relax and enjoy the summer. 

Click the title to be directed to the book in our catalog. Book descriptions are from Goodreads.

The Adventure is Now by Jess Redman

Sometimes it's hard to be Milton P. Greene. He says all the wrong things, his family is falling apart, and everyone at school avoids him because of the very embarrassing Bird Brain Incident. But when Milton plays his video game Isle of Wild, he becomes someone else--Sea Hawk, the brave and brilliant naturalist explorer who conquers danger at every turn.
Then Milton's parents ship him off to the remote Lone Island for the summer, where his uncle Evan is an environmentalist researcher. The island is chock-full of spectacular species, and Milton realizes this is his chance to become the brave and brilliant naturalist he's always wanted to be--and even meet some fellow explorers!

But as it turns out, the future of the Lone Island is in some pretty serious peril, and the only thing that can save it is a field guide full of cryptic clues. If Milton and his unexpected new friends are going to protect the island, they'll have to trust each other, discover new truths, and embark on a wild and wondrous adventure all their own.

 Hello from Renn Lake by Michele Weber Hurwitz

Annalise Oliver, abandoned as a baby in a small Wisconsin town, has always had a special, almost mystical connection to Renn Lake. Annalise's happiest times are working alongside her adoptive parents at the cabins along the lake their family has owned and run for generations. But the summer Annalise turns 12, a small patch of algae quickly becomes a harmful bloom and Renn Lake is closed. Even worse, Annalise's connection with Renn is gone. Frustrated with the authorities' inaction, she teams up with her friends and vows to find a way to save her beloved lake. Hello From Renn Lake is a heartfelt story about community, activism, and fighting for the things you love. 

Of Salt and Shore by Annet Schaap

Every evening Lampie, the lighthouse keeper's daughter, must light a lantern to warn ships away from the rocks, but one stormy night disaster strikes. The lantern is not lit, a ship is wrecked, and someone must pay.

To work off her debt, Lampie is banished to the Admiral's lonely house, where a monster is rumored to live. The terrors inside the house aren't quite what she thought they would be--they are even stranger. After Lampie saves the life of the neglected, deformed son of the admiral, a boy she calls Fish, they form a close bond. Soon they are pulled into a fairytale adventure swimming with mermaids, pirates, and misfits. Lampie will discover the courage to fight for friendship, knowledge, and the freedom to be different.

Welcome to Wonderland: Home Sweet Hotel by Chris Grabenstein

Eleven-year-old P.T. Wilkie may be the greatest storyteller alive. But he knows one thing for a fact: the Wonderland Motel is the best place a kid could ever live! All-you-can-eat poolside ice cream! A snack machine in the living room! A frog slide! A giant rampaging alligator! (Okay, that last one may or may not be made up.) There’s only one thing the Wonderland doesn’t have, though—customers. And if the Wonderland doesn’t get them soon, P.T. and his friend Gloria may have to say goodbye to their beloved motel forever.

They need to think BIG. They need to think BOLD. They need an OUTRAGEOUS plan. Luckily for them, Gloria is a business GENIUS, and OUTRAGEOUS is practically P.T.’s middle name. With Gloria’s smarts and P.T.’s world-famous stories and schemes, there’s got to be a way to save the Wonderland!

The Best Worst Summer by Elizabeth Eulberg

This is going to be the worst summer ever for Peyton. Her family just moved, and she had to leave her best friend behind. She's lonely. She's bored. Until . . . she comes across a box buried in her backyard, with a message: I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Things are about to get interesting.

Back in 1989, it's going to be the best summer ever for Melissa and Jessica. They have two whole months to goof around and explore, and they're even going to bury a time capsule! But when one girl's family secret starts to unravel, it's clear things may not go exactly as planned.

In alternating chapters, from Peyton in present day to Melissa three decades earlier (a time with no cell phones, no social media, and camera film that took days to develop, but also a whole lot of freedom), a story of a mystery that two sets of characters will never forget.

Happy Friday and happy reading!