This is a middle-grade book about Melody Brooks, an 11-year-old girl who was born with cerebral palsy. Melody actually is quite bright, but very people know that because she cannot speak, move or communicate. When Melody enters fifth grade, she gets a communication device that allows her to “speak” with others and those around her start to understand what Melody is capable of. She makes friends and earns a chance to participate in a national trivia competition.

This is a great book to read with children who aren’t yet in middle school as it addresses issues such as friendship, loyalty, bullying and more.

I’m a huge fan of the “Wonder” book and its message to Choose Kind when your actions matter. After watching the movie starring Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts, I bought the children’s book featuring Auggie and his dog, Daisy, as they go on a new adventure. This book allowed me to continue our discussions about empathy, kindness and friendship with my young daughters, who downloaded the Daily Wonder app on their iPod to keep the magic of “Wonder” going every day.

A sweet story I read with my daughters about the importance of time and living a not-so-perfect life.

A mysterious illness is spreading through Santa Lora, Calif., that causes people to fall into such a deep sleep that they appear dead, and unable to wake up. It starts on a college campus but quickly moves through town, causing the entire town to be under a quarantine. Those unaffected by the disease help the “dreamers” so they do not die of starvation or dehydration. When the dreamers suddenly begin to wake up, they experience unusual sensations: knowledge about the future, nostalgia for the past, and a feeling that either no time had passed or more time has passed than really did. There are a lot of characters and no explanation for the disease, so it will appeal to those who enjoy Stephen King or “The Walking Dead.” An interesting perspective about what really happens when we dream.

Adopted young adult Cedar Hawk Songmaker is pregnant and wants to connect with her Ojibwe birth family to know more about hereditary issues that may affect her unborn baby. However, this “future” world of now is struggling to survive as most fetuses are not born alive. Pregnant women are being hunted or asked to “voluntarily turn themselves in” for research and Cedar knows that her baby will survive so she has to keep it a secret. The story is told in diary form by Cedar to her unborn baby. Reproductive freedom is a major theme and this will appeal to fans of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Lady Daniels kicks out her rich husband and the realizes she needs help with her toddler son, so she can write a book. Lady hires Esther “S” as a live-in nanny who can stay in the pool house. But S has her own agenda for taking the job as a means to fulfill her desire to create unusual art. S begins a relationship with Lady’s older son, Seth, and all does not end well. Lady is desperate for friendship and confides in S, who is mostly interested in Lady because she is Woman No. 17 in a photography series by her favorite artist. I kept hoping for more “juice” in the story, but it’s just about motherhood and secrets, so it would be great for fans of “Big Little Lies” by Liane Moriarty.

Nadia Turner is 17 and grieving her mother’s suicide when she sleeps with the pastor’s son, Luke. It’s just a tryst and the two aren’t in love. But when Nadia discovers that she is pregnant, choices are made that affect her life – and Luke’s – forever. When Nadia’s best friend, Aubrey, falls in love with Luke a few years later, secrets are exposed and the characters wonder if they will always be haunted by the choices they made when they were younger, and what would have happened had they chosen differently?

I’m a huge fan of the “Miss Peregrine” series so I was excited for the fourth installment in which the Peculiar children and Miss Peregrine join Jacob in his Florida hometown. While Miss Peculiar would like Jacob to give the children “normal” lessons, he has different plans. After discovering clues about his late grandfather Abe’s secret life, Jacob and some of the Peculiars go on a dangerous mission to save others like him.

There are color photographs in this book – equally creepy and haunting – that guide Jacob and his crew along their adventure. All is not what it seems in America, and not all Peculiars are safe to be trusted. Jacob and his friends get in over their heads but luckily, Miss Peregrine and her wards are there to help them out. A spectacular fourth story in this series full of suspense, time travel and intergenerational friendship.

I kept hearing about this book from friends and seeing beautiful social media images of people reading this book so I was happy that it was available on hoopla at the library.

Rachel Hollis is the founder of TheChicSite.com, a lifestyle website that I had never heard of. Each chapter begins with a lie Rachel once believed about herself and how she overcame it. This book is for fans of Glennon Doyle Melton and features a lot of Christian-based advice. However, there’s not much new here if you’re looking for inspiration, as a lot of her suggestions are clichéd and repetative.

It’s a fast read, so it’s perfect for summer if you’re looking for a feel-good book with a positive message.