20 Titles for Young Outdoor Enthusiasts – Summer Reading 2020

I’ve been mulling around the idea of creating summer reading lists this year. It’s been slow going as so much of m energy is put into figuring out how to run a library during a global pandemic! But, I didn’t want to re-create the wheel offering “Summer Reading for 5th Graders” either. Those types of lists can be found all over the Internet! And although they’re super helpful for parents looking for a great starting point for summer reading plans, I wanted to go a different route.

This year, I decided to focus on creating lists around different interests – sports, the arts, gaming, etc. Each list will include 20 books and will be all ages from board books to young adult titles. The lists will also include various formats and hopefully both fiction and nonfiction titles.

Let’s head outdoors today! Today’s titles are all about the great outdoors and the adventurous souls who love to explore and discover new places! Learn about the camping trip that changed America or read a page-turning YA adventure novel – these books are sure to keep your outdoor enthusiast entertained on the rainiest of days! (That is if they’re not out jumping in puddles!)

20 Titles for Young Outdoor Enthusiasts

1. The Camping Trip That Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Our National Parks by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein
2. Dear Yeti by James Kwan
3. Explorers of the Wild by Cale Atkinson
4. Feral Youth by various authors
5. Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
6. Gray Wolf Island by Tracey Neithercott
7. Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
8. I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall
9. Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
10. A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor 
11. Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French
12. Peak by Roland Smith
13. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and The Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong
14. Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow
15. Summer Days and Nights by Wong Herbert Yee 
16. Survival Handbook: An Essential Companion to the Great Outdoors by Marc Sumerak
17. Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival by Denise Long
18. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
19. Wildwood by Colin Meloy, illustrated by Carson Ellis
20. Yes, Let’s! by Galen Goodwin Longstreth, illustrated by Maris Wicks

Maybe your kids are headed to a summer camp this week (or maybe that was the plan before it was cancelled), check out these middle grade titles all about summer camp! If you’re looking for more great outdoor adventure books for kids, check out this list created by the OARS travel company.

More Resources

Check back every day this week for a new summer reading list:

• Activists
• Artists
• Gamers
• Readers
• Sports Stars
• STEM Enthusiasts