School is out and summer has officially begun! Here at Kidsreads.com we're celebrating the long lazy days of summer with cool contests, hot features and books, books and more books!

We have all the details of our upcoming Summer Story String Contest that features NASTYbooks series author Barry Yourgrau and gives YOU the chance to continue a story that Barry starts. It's running all summer long and is sure to be wacky, funny and totally crazy. See below for details and stay tuned...the contest launches Wednesday, July 5th on Kidsreads.com.

Like cats? Love adventure? Then you're bound to get caught up in the Warriors: The New Prophecy series. If you're not a fan already, you're sure to be hooked on these tales of feline fantasy. Our series feature for Warriors: The New Prophecy will be posted this summer. See below for more about the books, a link to the series website, and a chance to play Warriors: The New Prophecy Quest Game.

Along with our selection of Cool New Books, our New in Paperback feature, our Coming Soon titles and this month's reviews, we're spotlighting two very special "Don't Miss" titles --- OLIVIA FORMS A BAND by Ian Falconer and LUCILLE LOST: A True Adventure by Margaret George and Christopher J. Murphy, DVM, PhD. We also have series updates for Geronimo Stilton and Nancy Drew (All New) Girl Detective.

Our poll and question this month are about school reading lists. Do you have one? Do you like the books on it? Are you looking forward to or dreading your summer reading for school. Weigh in --- we want to hear from YOU!

So in between reading, swimming, camping or whatever else you have planned this summer, make sure to log on to Kidsreads.com and celebrate the summer with us!

Carol Fitzgerald for Kidsreads.com

ANOTHER NASTYbook by Barry Yourgrau: 
Rollo's mom has been kidnapped by goblins. And, boy, is he excited. All those hours of reading manga action heroics will finally pay off, because now he gets to stage a brave rescue himself! Armed with his trusty hockey stick and a stash of NuttiNutz Bars, Rollo embarks on his noble quest. Except that nothing is noble in Barry Yourgrau's NASTYuniverse. And even after Rollo tangles with an evil doctor, maniacal fake teeth, goblin booby chutes and a horde of yipping toy poodles, he still needs to contend with the dreaded Curse of the Tweeties! (Not to mention his older sister.)

To celebrate the release of ANOTHER NASTYbook and the start of summer freedom, Kidsreads.com has teamed up with NASTYbooks series author Barry Yourgrau to create a wild, wacky and kinda nasty Summer Story String Contest that will launch on Wednesday, July 5th. Barry will write a wacky, nasty and funny opening scene for a different story each month of summer --- there will be three stories altogether --- and YOU will have the chance to continue the story, week by week.

Send your submissions to SummerStory@Kidsreads.com and Barry will choose his favorite, weekly.

We will announce the winners and add their string to the story, weekly as we say --- you can visit Kidsreads.com and watch the story unfold. We will also send out a newsletter every two weeks with the additions to the story. At the end of each month, Barry will wrap things up and write the story's nasty conclusion.

You can enter as many submissions as you wish. Remember, Barry will be starting three different stories over the summer, so if your submission isn't picked the first time around, it could be for story number two or three!

Stay tuned to Kidsreads.com for Barry's opening scene for July's story.

-Click here to visit NastyBook.com.

-Click here to read Barry's bio.

WARRIORS: THE NEW PROPHECY by Erin Hunter
A new prophecy, a new quest --- a new generation of warrior cats!

In the Warriors: The New Prophecy books, meet a new generation of warrior cats as they follow the prophecies of their ancestors and travel to a new home. Their journey is difficult and they must struggle to establish new territories and learn the hidden dangers of an unfamiliar world and unfamiliar enemies. The future seems uncertain, and the warriors wait for a sign....

Stay tuned to Kidsreads.com for our Warriors series feature later this summer.

-Learn more about the Warriors series here.

-Play Warriors: The New Prophecy Quest Game here.

OLIVIA FORMS A BAND by Ian Falconer
Everyone's favorite piglet is back, and she's making some noise! Olivia and her family are getting ready for a night of fireworks, and Olivia can hardly wait to hear the band. But when she finds out there won't be a band, she can't understand why not. How can there be fireworks without a band?! So a determined Olivia decides to put a band together all by herself. Using pots, pans, her brother's toys, and even her father's suspenders, Olivia forms a band spectacular enough to startle any audience.

LUCILLE LOST: A True Adventure by Margaret George and Christopher J. Murphy, DVM, PhD
In this charming story based on true events, Lucille is a pet Burmese tortoise who's on the loose! She has found a way out of her safe pen and will now have the adventure she's always wanted. But after meeting a nice, old tortoise, and a not-so-nice snapping turtle in a nearby forest, Lucille learns firsthand that adventure can be more scary than fun. Meanwhile, her human family is heartbroken that she's missing and has organized a neighborhood search. Will they ever find her?

June's roundup of Cool New Books includes two titles from popular middle-grade novelist Andrew Clements: ROOM ONE, in which a fifth-grader tries to figure out why he sees a face in the window of a supposedly empty house, and A MILLION DOTS, an informative picture book that actually contains one million dots. We're also featuring a hip, contemporary retelling of the classic Cinderella fairy tale, a charming true-life story about a missing pet tortoise, and the exciting return of everyone's favorite porcine diva in OLIVIA FORMS A BAND, courtesy of author and illustrator Ian Falconer.

June's roundup of New in Paperback titles includes GAME OF SILENCE, Louise Erdrich's sequel to THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE that continues the moving story of a young Ojibwe girl in the mid-1800s; LAUGH TILL YOU CRY, a mystery novel for middle-grade readers by the late Joan Lowery Nixon; and CARNIVAL AT CANDLELIGHT, the 33rd installment in Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series that once again will engage children with history, magic and nonstop action.

FLY BY NIGHT by Frances Hardinge
In Frances Hardinge's first novel, we are introduced to a medieval world gone crazy, full of book burnings, political unrest and power-hungry leaders. This is a non-stop ride through a world turned upside down with intrigues and mayhem. It's a touch of Terry Pratchett, a sprinkle of Philip Pullman, and a dash of great characters sweeping across the pages of this delightful book. Reviewed by Sally Tibbetts.

-Click here to read an excerpt from FLY BY NIGHT.

CINDERELLA (AS IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW THE STORY) by Barbara Ensor
Almost everyone is familiar with "Cinderella," and some probably think they know all there is to know about it. But after reading Barbara Ensor's fun little version of this beloved fairy tale, in which Cinderella tells her story through a series of letters to her dead mother, readers will be in for a pleasant surprise. Reviewed by Sally Tibbetts.

GEROMINO STILTON, Book 25: THE SEARCH FOR SUNKEN TREASURE by Geromino Stilton
As we all know, Geronimo is not the happiest traveler around --- so an ocean-going adventure is not his top pick for a good time. However, there's treasure to be found, so who can resist? Certainly not Geronimo, Thea, Benjamin and Trap. But they aren't the only treasure hunters on this particular quest, as they will soon discover to their dismay.

PIT OF VIPERS: Nancy Drew (All New) Girl Detective, #18 by Carolyn Keene
There's been a snake-napping at the River Heights Zoo, and all clues about the thief seem to point to Nancy's friend Charlie Adams. But why would Charlie want to steal a snake? Nancy is not convinced that he's the perpetrator, but with all the circumstantial evidence that keeps popping up, the cops sure are.

Curious about what books will be released in the months ahead? Then be sure to check out our Coming Soon section on Kidsreads.com. We have titles from July and August listed. Please note that we have not included every book coming out, but rather some that caught our eye --- and that we thought should catch yours as well.

THE CLUE OF THE LINOLEUM LEDERHOSEN: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales #2 by M. T. Anderson
Katie, Lily and Jasper search for a little R&R at the remote Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort, but to no one's surprise they run into a kidnapping, a jewelry heist, and some seriously strange characters on their "vacation." M. T. Anderson's thrilling tale continues to pay homage to old-time adventure series while still providing plenty of laughs along the way. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE RANGER'S APPRENTICE, BOOK TWO: THE BURNING BRIDGE by John Flanagan
Will is an apprentice Ranger in a country on the brink of war. Sent on a routine diplomatic mission to seek the support of his country's allies, he must defeat a plot that threatens the lives of the people he loves. With bigger battles and higher stakes, John Flanagan's epic adventure charges ahead with this rousing follow-up to THE RUINS OF GORLAN. Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood.

THE FAIRIES OF NUTFOLK WOOD by Barb Bentler Ullman
In the country town of Plunkit, where Willa and her mom start anew after her parents' divorce, Willa catches sight of a strange sparkle by the creek and in the old woods. Her elderly neighbor's amusing story about these surroundings and an imagined family of tiny people that inhabit a tree stump doesn't seem so unbelievable to young Willa. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

FIREGIRL by Tony Abbott
This middle-grade coming-of-age novel centers on a defining moment in the life of its main character, Tom Bender. The story packs a powerful punch and elicits a wide range of emotions --- sympathy, pity, disgust and hatred --- from the reader. Reviewed by Renee Kirchner.

DO-OVER by Christine Hurley Deriso
The unexpected death of her mother turns Elsa Alden's life upside down. The problem is that everyone feels sorry for the 12-year-old and treats her differently. She just wishes she could go back in time and live a normal life again. What will she do without a mother to guide her through her rocky teenage years? Reviewed by Renee Kirchner.

SAFE AT HOME by Sharon Robinson
Ten-year-old Jumper is having the most difficult summer of his life. His father has just died, his mother has moved them from the suburbs to New York City's Harlem area, and he has to spend the summer at baseball camp. He doesn't know anything about America's pastime, or city life, or how to keep going without his dad. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

ROSA, SOLA by Carmela Martino
Living with her Italian immigrant parents in 1960s Chicago, nine-year-old Rosa, an only child, often feels alone and different. But then amazingly her mother gets pregnant and Rosa is overjoyed --- until the awful day comes when a tragic event threatens the happiness of her entire family. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

Do you have a summer reading list for school?

Yes
No

When will you read your summer reading books?

As soon as possible to get them over with.
Over the entire summer.
Just before school starts.
I do not know what I am going to do.
I do not have a summer reading list.

What book would you most like to see on a summer reading list?