Summer Reading 2026
Thank you to everyone who participated in summer reading 2025, and stay tuned for more information on the 2026 summer reading theme: Plant a Seed, Read!
“Plant a Seed, Read is rooted in the concept of farm to table. A farm grows food that nourishes our bodies; a library grows ideas that nourish our minds.“
Reading Assignments for Ipswich Students (2025)
Ipswich High School no longer assigns general summer reading. If you are looking for specific titles for an honors or AP class assignment, let YA Librarian Viktoria know so the library can find the materials you need.
Ipswich Middle School students (rising 6th-8th grade) will select & read one TIGER Tale from the list below. Copies will be available in the Teen Nook. You can also place a hold on a copy from another library, or find an eBook/eAudio version on Overdrive!
Learn more about the IMS Summer Reading assignment.
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
When six students are chosen to participate in a weekly talk with no adults allowed, they discover that when they’re together, it’s safe to share the hopes and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world.
House Arrest by K. A. Holt
Young Timothy is sentenced to house arrest after impulsively stealing a wallet, and he is forced to keep a journal into which he pours all his thoughts, fears, and frustrations. (Novel in verse.)
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
New friends and a mystery help Aven, thirteen, adjust to middle school and life at a dying western theme park in a new state, where her being born armless presents many challenges.
Lily & Dunkin by Donna Gephart
Lily Jo McGrother, born Timothy, is a girl. Norbert Dorfman, nicknamed Dunkin, is bipolar and has just moved from the New Jersey town he’s called home for the past thirteen years. When they meet one summer morning, their lives forever change.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
After facing a tragedy and traveling to a remote island off the coast of Wales, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers an abandoned orphanage. Upon further investigation, he learns that the children who lived there were considered dangerous… and may still be alive.
Starfish by Lisa Fipps
Bullied and shamed her whole life for being fat, twelve-year-old Ellie finally gains the confidence to stand up for herself, with the help of some wonderful new allies. (Novel in verse.)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg’s father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.
