Owl's Nest Summer Book Club, 2026
This summer, Owl’s Nest Publishers invites teens and tweens to participate in our second annual Summer Book Club!
Owl’s Nest Summer Book Club is free for all and the perfect summer activity for middle graders and high schoolers who already love to read, or those who may need a bit of encouragement to pick up a book.
The Owl’s Nest Summer Book Club is completely virtual, so you can participate from anywhere AND invite your friends who live across the country or down the street to join in the fun. Plus, this year we are bringing back the summer-long Reading Challenge (bigger and better)! The Reading Challenge is perfect for teen and tween readers—and their friend groups—but families are welcome to participate together, as well. (Click here for all the details on the Summer Reading Challenge!)
Who Can Participate in the Summer Book Club?
The Owl’s Nest Summer Book Club is intended for middle grade readers (ages 8-12) and teen readers (ages 13-18).
The book club will provide a fun and safe reading space and targeted discussions for teens and tweens in keeping with the mission and vision of Owl’s Nest Publishers.
Can Parents and Siblings Participate in the Summer Book Club?
Parents and siblings are encouraged to read the books alongside our readers and are welcome to be in the room for Owl's Nest Summer Book Club discussions! We want to emphasize, however, that the book clubs will be moderated by Owl's Nest staff member Lisa Varner and will center the voices, insights, and opinions of our teen and tween readers.
Who is Leading the Summer Book Club?
We are thrilled to have staff member and long-time adolescent book club leader Lisa Varner returning to host our book clubs again this summer. Lisa has led book clubs for middle grade and teen readers for many years, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to our Owl’s Nest Summer Book Club program!
(Find out more about Lisa on our Staff Page.)
What Books are We Reading?
Summer Book Club will be broken into two types of books—middle grade and teen—and each book club will have a monthly meeting to discuss a different book. The full schedule and our titles are listed below!
When is Book Club?
Owl’s Nest Summer Book Club will meet in both June and July for a discussion time facilitated by Lisa Varner in the last week of each month. Discussions will last between 45 minutes to one hour in length.
The middle grade book club will meet on the last Tuesday of the month and the teen book club will meet on the last Thursday of each month. Both book clubs will meet at 5pm EST via private video chat available only to those who have registered.
Book club will be low stress and educational, not a place for kids to feel called upon to speak, but a way to grow a love of reading with other middle grade and teen readers!
Will the Authors Be at Book Club?
Authors will join* in the second half of the meeting, after the discussion concludes, for a Q&A and to say hello to readers. More details about individual author appearances will be forthcoming!
*Author appearances are contingent on individual schedules and availability. Many of our authors are in the process of big life events this summer, so while all hope to join, some conflicts may arise.
Owl’s Nest Summer Book Club is free for all and the perfect summer activity for middle graders and high schoolers who already love to read, or those who may need a bit of encouragement to pick up a book.
The Owl’s Nest Summer Book Club is completely virtual, so you can participate from anywhere AND invite your friends who live across the country or down the street to join in the fun. Plus, this year we are bringing back the summer-long Reading Challenge (bigger and better)! The Reading Challenge is perfect for teen and tween readers—and their friend groups—but families are welcome to participate together, as well. (Click here for all the details on the Summer Reading Challenge!)
Who Can Participate in the Summer Book Club?
The Owl’s Nest Summer Book Club is intended for middle grade readers (ages 8-12) and teen readers (ages 13-18).
The book club will provide a fun and safe reading space and targeted discussions for teens and tweens in keeping with the mission and vision of Owl’s Nest Publishers.
Can Parents and Siblings Participate in the Summer Book Club?
Parents and siblings are encouraged to read the books alongside our readers and are welcome to be in the room for Owl's Nest Summer Book Club discussions! We want to emphasize, however, that the book clubs will be moderated by Owl's Nest staff member Lisa Varner and will center the voices, insights, and opinions of our teen and tween readers.
Who is Leading the Summer Book Club?
We are thrilled to have staff member and long-time adolescent book club leader Lisa Varner returning to host our book clubs again this summer. Lisa has led book clubs for middle grade and teen readers for many years, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to our Owl’s Nest Summer Book Club program!
(Find out more about Lisa on our Staff Page.)
What Books are We Reading?
Summer Book Club will be broken into two types of books—middle grade and teen—and each book club will have a monthly meeting to discuss a different book. The full schedule and our titles are listed below!
When is Book Club?
Owl’s Nest Summer Book Club will meet in both June and July for a discussion time facilitated by Lisa Varner in the last week of each month. Discussions will last between 45 minutes to one hour in length.
The middle grade book club will meet on the last Tuesday of the month and the teen book club will meet on the last Thursday of each month. Both book clubs will meet at 5pm EST via private video chat available only to those who have registered.
Book club will be low stress and educational, not a place for kids to feel called upon to speak, but a way to grow a love of reading with other middle grade and teen readers!
Will the Authors Be at Book Club?
Authors will join* in the second half of the meeting, after the discussion concludes, for a Q&A and to say hello to readers. More details about individual author appearances will be forthcoming!
*Author appearances are contingent on individual schedules and availability. Many of our authors are in the process of big life events this summer, so while all hope to join, some conflicts may arise.
Listen to Our Podcast Episode Explaining Our Summer Book Club:
Registration for 2026 Summer Book Clubs is Now Open!
2026 Owl's Nest Summer Book Club Schedule
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June
Teen Book: Daughter of Rage and Ruin (K. B. Hoyle)
Summary: When Jack lost her sister to the giant Galifron, she thought she would never see her again. Which would have been true if a witch and a prince hadn’t gotten involved. Prince Quil has no idea the strange girl he’s fallen head over heels for is on a quest to raise her sister from the dead, and when he finds out, he’s all in. How else is he going to get her to fall for him, too? But when the quest goes horribly wrong, Jack and Quil find themselves faced with consequences neither of them anticipated—and doomed to seek answers at the top of a towering beanstalk. Fixing what they never meant to break will ask of each of them more than they imagined—and it just might teach them, in the end, what true love really is.
Summary: Eleven-year-old Grace Arrow’s dream is to swim with dolphins at her nearby marine park, but when her great-grandma guardian has a mental health breakdown, Grace is shipped off to live with her long-lost fisherman father. There she must decide how she will live her dream of swimming with dolphins, and how to find trust in family again. (Novel in verse!)
July
Middle Grade Book: Fern of the Forest (J.L. Thaxton)
Summary: Thirteen-year-old Fern Masden might be turning into a monster, and not just because she’s hit adolescence. Fern has to figure out what’s going on inside her before the creature within takes over the human girl she longs to be.
Summary: In the age of Imperial Russia, deep in the Ural Mountains, two teenage stonecarvers plot their escape from serfdom and dream of a destiny beyond their birth. When their desperate bid for freedom leaves Petr trapped in a cursed underworld, Lena must rescue him before the mountain entombs them both.
Why Isn’t There a Book Club Selection in August?
Many schools across the country start the year in August. Instead of hosting a book club meeting during the month of August, we encourage readers to participate in our Summer Reading Challenge!
Teen Book: Daughter of Rage and Ruin (K. B. Hoyle)
Summary: When Jack lost her sister to the giant Galifron, she thought she would never see her again. Which would have been true if a witch and a prince hadn’t gotten involved. Prince Quil has no idea the strange girl he’s fallen head over heels for is on a quest to raise her sister from the dead, and when he finds out, he’s all in. How else is he going to get her to fall for him, too? But when the quest goes horribly wrong, Jack and Quil find themselves faced with consequences neither of them anticipated—and doomed to seek answers at the top of a towering beanstalk. Fixing what they never meant to break will ask of each of them more than they imagined—and it just might teach them, in the end, what true love really is.
- Meeting Time: 5PM, EST, Thursday, June 25
Summary: Eleven-year-old Grace Arrow’s dream is to swim with dolphins at her nearby marine park, but when her great-grandma guardian has a mental health breakdown, Grace is shipped off to live with her long-lost fisherman father. There she must decide how she will live her dream of swimming with dolphins, and how to find trust in family again. (Novel in verse!)
- Meeting Time: 5 PM, EST, Tuesday, June 30
July
Middle Grade Book: Fern of the Forest (J.L. Thaxton)
Summary: Thirteen-year-old Fern Masden might be turning into a monster, and not just because she’s hit adolescence. Fern has to figure out what’s going on inside her before the creature within takes over the human girl she longs to be.
- Meeting Time: 5 PM, EST, Tuesday, July 28
Summary: In the age of Imperial Russia, deep in the Ural Mountains, two teenage stonecarvers plot their escape from serfdom and dream of a destiny beyond their birth. When their desperate bid for freedom leaves Petr trapped in a cursed underworld, Lena must rescue him before the mountain entombs them both.
- Meeting Time: 5 PM, EST, Thursday, July 30
Why Isn’t There a Book Club Selection in August?
Many schools across the country start the year in August. Instead of hosting a book club meeting during the month of August, we encourage readers to participate in our Summer Reading Challenge!
