There Might Be Lobsters 

Sukie is a small dog, and to small dogs, beaches are big and scary! Follow Sukie’s thougths as she finds many reasons not to play . . . until all her reasons run out. An adorably illustrated story about facing your fears and embracing life.

Life 

“In every corner of the world, there is something to love.” Simple text and beautiful illustrations inspire with a message about life and growth. Great to read outside on a summer evening.

Renato and the Lion 

This story about a boy who immigrates to America during WWII, leaving behind a beloved life-sized lion statue in Italy, demonstrates the power of art and memory.

Southern Baby 

This just might be my favorite book in this bookstore. I mean, look at it — can you resist?

Around the World in Numbers 

Did you know that the Statue of Liberty would wear a size 1,145 shoe? Or that Hong Kong has 315 skyscrapers, more than any other city in the world? This fun collection of numbers, facts, and illustrations will have kids (and adults!) learning without even realizing it.

I Love You, Michael Collins 

It’s 1969. Mamie’s class assignment: write to one of the Apollo 11 astronauts. She chooses Michael Collins, the astronaut who will stay with the ship instead of walking on the moon’s surface. The story of her chaotic summer intertwines with NASA’s journey to the moon in this epistolary novel.

Sandry’s Book 

Long before writers with names like Rowling, Riordan, Pullman, or Collins were writing blockbuster fantasy series for young readers, there was Tamora Pierce, Tortall, and Emelan. Sandry’s Book, the first in Pierce’s Circle of Magic quartet, opens a series full of adventure and magic but rooted in the friendship that emerges among four kids who find a home in each other.

The Quest for Z: The True Story of Explorer Percy Fawcett and a Lost City in the Amazon 

Need to add a biography to your summer reading list? This true story of Percy Fawcett’s journey into the Amazon is just right for rising 2nd through 5th graders.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition (Harry Potter, Book 1) 

Even if you’ve read it (numerous times) before, the 20th anniversary year of Harry Potter’s debut is the perfect time to dive back in to the staggeringly brilliant and magical world of wizards and muggles.

Every Exquisite Thing 

Nanette O’Hare’s typical, privileged life takes an unexpected turn after she is introduced to an out-of-print cult classic, its reclusive author, and a fellow super-fan. If you don’t already love his other books, this one will make you want to meet Matthew Quick in person, and you can do that here in the store on July 20!

I Believe in a Thing Called Love 

Fans of Jenny Han will love this hilarious, heartfelt story. Desi can do anything and do it well — except flirt. She decides to follow the “K-Drama” formula for love, and what ensues is maybe the most adorable love story I’ve read in a long time. This might be your new favorite rom-com.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue 

For fans of My Lady Jane, this historical romp is as unforgettable as it is witty. I dare you not to fall in love with Monty as he bashes through Europe with his best friend, Percy, who is also, maybe, sort of, the boy he loves.

Alanna: The First Adventure

This is a bold claim, but I’m going to make it, and if you want to disagree with me, you have to read this book first: Without Alanna of Trebond, we would not have Lyra, Hermione, Katniss, or Tris. Pierce started writing girl-power fantasy in the early 1980s, and she wrote the kinds of stories she wanted to read but couldn’t find on the shelves back then. It all started with Alanna, the story of a girl who dreams of being a knight, disguises herself as a boy, and becomes the King’s Champion. I dare you to pick up this book and not follow it by devouring everything Pierce has written since.

Once and for All 

Sarah Dessen always writes the perfect summer novel with just the right touch of romance. This one ranks up there with This Lullaby and The Truth About Forever, which are my other favorites of hers that take place in the summer and have remarkably believable characters.

ParnassusNext — July Selection

Aftercare Instructions

Close your eyes and imagine having to make the hardest choice you’ll ever have to make. Now imagine that in the aftermath of that choice, you are completely alone. That’s the situation in which Genesis finds herself on the very first page of Bonnie Pipkin’s fiery and breathtaking debut novel, Aftercare Instructions. After terminating her pregnancy, she walks into a Planned Parenthood waiting room expecting that her boyfriend, Peter, will take her home, and discovers instead that he has abandoned her. His decision sends Gen into a tailspin of confusion, anger, pain, and grief. She is lost in all the ways a person can be lost.

Aftercare Instructions shifts between vivid first-person prose and screenplay-style scenes as Gen sifts through moments in her relationship with Peter. Pipkin’s choice to write Gen’s past in a script format brilliantly evokes how our memories are always imperfect, like scenes in a movie we can only partially recall. It also highlights the way that Gen and Peter’s choices have led them to a place in their lives where going back is no longer an option—the only way out is forward and through. The result is a stylistically innovative, emotionally resonant, and deeply necessary portrait of a young woman coming to terms with her past so that she can begin to reach for a hopeful future.

(Note: Keep your eye on Musing later this week for a candid interview with the author.)

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Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s  selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. You’re billed just for the cost of each book (+ shipping). Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Choose 3, 6, or 12 months for yourself, or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader.

Cute alert:

We’ve just gotten in a **spectacular** shipment of stuffed critters, including lots of characters from your kids’ favorite books. Please feel free to come hug-test them.

And don’t miss our special summer storytime residency with entertainer Emily Arrow (perfect for those ages 3-9 who enjoy a singalong). She’ll be here at 11 a.m. for two more Tuesdays this summer, July 18 and 25!