7 kid-approved road trip reads

Have a family trip planned? Snuggling up in a cozy corner? Or maybe you’ll be staying up late? You know, under the covers with a flashlight. This book list has a page-turner that's just right for you.

Beatrice and Croc Harry

By Lawrence Hill
Best for: Ages: 9 and up

A young girl wakes up all alone in a treehouse. She doesn't know who she is, her last name or that she is Black. Outside she meets a new friend, a 700-pound crocodile named Harry. Together they try to find out how she got there and how to get her home. Secrets, surprises and magical discoveries!

Every Home Needs an Elephant 

By Jane Heinrichs
Best for: 6-8 

This is an early chapter book about a not so common pet. Nine-year-old Sarah went to the grocery store and came home with a new pet — an elephant! This is the start of a special friendship and many adventures. They have fun. Maybe too much fun. Well, the neighbours are not too pleased. But Sarah stands firm. Every home should have an elephant!

The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei 

By Christina Matula
Best for: 8 and up

Holly-Mei Jones is a young girl from Toronto. She moves to Hong Kong when her mother gets a new job there. What an adventure! Right? Well, maybe not. Everywhere she goes there are new rules, new expectations and new friends to make. Holly has to be focused and keep a positive attitude if she’s going to adjust to her new home.

On the Line

By Eric Walters and Paul Coccia
Best for: 9 and up

Thirteen-year-old basketball player Jordan Ryker faces a new world. His parents separate. Then his dad announces he's gay. Jordan feels like his dad abandoned him and he definitely doesn't want to meet his new boyfriend. Then there’s the championship game coming up. Jordan will need his family and friends more than ever to find his groove again.  

Rabbit Chase 

By Elizabeth LaPensée, illustrated by KC Oster, translated by Aarin Dokum
Best for: 8 and up

An Anishinaabe twist on Alice in Wonderland. Aimée is a non-binary Anishinaabe student on a school trip. They're going to offer gifts to the water spirits known to protect the land. When they wander off, they are transported to another world full of traditional Anishinaabe figures. If they want to get back home, they'll have to help Trickster and face off with the Queen and her robotic guards. 

Trip of the Dead

By Angela Misri
Best for: 9 and up 

Trip is a crafty raccoon living through a zombie apocalypse with the help of his animal friends and some kind humans. He seems to be the last raccoon … in the world? Where have all the raccoons gone? Could they be the best way to get rid of zombies forever? And what does that mean for Trip? 

The Witch's Apprentice

By Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Cherise Harris
Best for: Ages: 9 and up 

The latest in the Dragons in a Bag book series. The baby dragons have returned to the magical realm. But something isn't right. The summer has been very cold. A sleeping sickness has spread across the city. And Jax is hiding a secret — a phoenix egg! Can he find the magic to help his friends and hatch the phoenix before it's too late?