Hi Reader,

The last week and a half has given me all the feelings, and I do mean ALL of them.

You've probably heard that the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, perhaps the most important piece of civil rights legislation in the past hundred years.

Just days later, the Tennessee State Legislature called a special legislative session to carve up Memphis' majority Black Congressional district. It was a three day clown show where legislators disrespected hundreds of protestors who showed up. They promptly gerrymandered new district maps that don't serve anyone.

I now - apparently - am represented by a white suburban Republican who lives 200 miles away and is being investigated by the House Ethics committee, even though I live smack in the middle of a majority Black city.

I cycled between so many feelings. Rage. Despondency. Pride in the Black leaders and their allies who did everything they could to stop this. Hope because there are so many people who are ready to continue the fight.

As all these events unfolded so quickly, I was reading book after book for my Summer Reading Guide, and it was a balm for my soul. So many laugh out loud moments that I deeply needed. Plenty of times that a young character's kindness or bravery and even their mistakes moved me.

In between sending furious emails to politicians and checking the latest developments on social media, I read and read and read some more.

I'm more convinced than ever that the stories that we share with children matter - deeply.

Children need stories where Black children climb through time portals to follow mystical birds. Young readers deserve stories of Latine kids who claim their culture even if they aren't fluent in Spanish. Every child should have stories where kids who look like them pull pranks, mess up, repair friendships, solve mysteries, or conquer the forces that try to squelch their spirits.

Inclusive stories matter.

​That's why I hope you'll pre-order my 2026 Summer Reading Guide.​

The guide will be released on May 20th, but if you pre-order now, you'll save 15%!

I am also donating 15% of the proceeds to The Equity Alliance, a Black woman-led community and political organizing group that is fighting back against suppression of Black voters in my home state of Tennessee.

The 2026 Summer Reading Guide is designed with rising 1st through 8th graders in mind. It includes reviews for more than 40 books across many genres and reading levels. Here's what's included:

• In-depth reviews of more than 40 recently published books from a variety of genres including contemporary fiction, comedic books, mysteries, books about animals, fantasy and sci fi, historical fiction, and mythology.
• A mix of traditional chapter books (illustrated and non-illustrated), beginning reader books, graphic novels and novels-in-verse. If you have a reluctant reader at home – so do I! You’ll find plenty of possibilities to choose from.
• Annotations to give you key info about the book and its author. If you’ve ever read a blog post review of a book and still weren’t sure if it was right for your child’s reading level, you’ll love the annotations in the 2026 Summer Reading Guide.

Maybe you're wondering why you would pay for my Summer Reading Guide when you could look online for free resources.

What makes my guide worth its modest cost is:

📕the in-depth nature of each individual book review (usually 3 paragraphs) plus all the valuable info in the annotation. You can see an example of one of the annotations and book reviews here. As the parent of a reluctant reader who also has a learning disability, I know there are no one size fits all book list. I’ve reviewed 40 new books in all, so there’s lots to pick from.

📘 RECENT books, not ones that have been around for decades that you’ve probably already heard of. Most of the titles in the guide were published in 2025 or 2026. There are several new book series for you to discover, multiplying the number of books your readers can enjoy! My reviews are all new - you won't find these books anywhere on my blog or in any of the other products I offer.

📗prioritizing of diverse & inclusive books and authors in a time when we need these stories – and the people who create them – more than ever.

📙flexible age recommendations. Especially in the lower elementary grades, children’s reading levels can vary widely. While I do have books organized by suggested grade level, each book also has a recommended age range that indicates which kids would likely resonate with the content of each book. Almost all of the books can be read by kids in more than one grade.

⭐ One final reminder: about 90% of the book lists and other content I create is freely available to everyone. When you purchase the 2026 Summer Reading Guide, you help make those free resources possible.

I can't wait for you to share these fantastic books with the readers in your life!

Happy reading,

Rebekah

P.S. Remember, if you pre-order the 2026 Summer Reading Guide now, you can save 15% off regular price. (Pre-order discount ends May 19th at noon CDT.) I'll also be donating 15% of the proceeds to the Equity Alliance to fight the suppression of the Black vote in Tennessee.

Rebekah Gienapp (she/her/hers) | rebekahgienapp.com | Connect on​ Instagram | Coffees for Gaza | Knit 4 Justice​