Do you want to travel, see new sights, and experience new cultures, but don't have the time or money? Well, look no further. Snuggle up in the nearest cozy chair and travel without leaving the comfort of your own home. Follow along with the sometimes reluctant, but always intrepid, travelers in the following books as they take trips into the great unknown.  The best part is you don't need to pay for transportation, figure out what to pack, or worry about finding the nearest bathroom. 

Travel to Asia:

Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood by Varsha Bajaj 

Abby has never met her father. All she knows is that he and her Mother met when they were in college. But after she has a severe allergic reaction to coconut, they track him down and find out that he is now a huge Bollywood star. Before she knows it, she's on her way to Mumbai to meet him and her grandmother. As if that's not enough stress, add in the culture clash, the paparazzi camped outside her father's door, and the fact that she must keep their true relationship a secret.

 

 

In the Shadow of the Sun by Anne Sibley O'Brien 

Mia was only seven months old when she was adopted from Korea. Her father, who works for a famine relief organization, takes her and her older brother Simon to North Korea for a guided tour so she can learn more about her heritage. But is that really the reason? Things get dangerous when her father is arrested for spying and Mia finds an illegal cellphone hidden in her father's belongings —a cellphone filled with photos taken at one of North Korea's notorious labor camps. Pursued by the North Korean Secret Police, Mia and Simon must find a way to travel 120 miles through the Korean countryside and make their way to the Chinese border where they can get help.

 

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

This was not how Mai thought she would be spending her summer vacation—accompanying Ba (her grandmother) to Vietnam to find out what happened to Ong (her grandfather) who disappeared during the Vietnam War. Her parents think it will be a great way for her to connect to her roots, but Mai isn't so sure. She barely speaks Vietnamese, and the heat, humidity, insects, living arrangements (huts with no air conditioning or internet access), and extended family are more than she can take. But as she makes friends with two of her cousins and gets more involved in the mystery of Ong's last days, she slowly comes to a deeper understanding of her family's history.

 

A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi

Houston-born Mimi is not thrilled to be spending the summer in Karachi, Pakistan visiting grandparents she hardly knows. But her estranged journalist father is in Karachi covering the upcoming elections and she has an entire journal of questions for him. This may be her only chance to find and see him. Sakina is the daughter of Mimi's grandparents' cook and dreams of attending school. She's already secretly taken the entrance exam and just needs to improve her English to be admitted. But her Abba needs her help in the kitchen and her family might not survive without her wages. Can the two girls overcome their cultural and economic differences and help each other achieve their dreams?

 

Travel to Europe:

Midnight in the Piazza by Tiffany Parks

Move to Italy? Beatrice is not at all happy when her father announces that he's accepted a position at the American Academy in Rome. Although she doesn't know any Italian, she falls in love with the history and architecture of the city. She especially loves the Fontana delle Tartarughe (Turtle Fountain) that she can see from her window. Late one night, she sees someone stealing the Bernini-designed turtles that top the fountain, but in the morning, the turtles are still there. She's sure it wasn't a dream and that they have been replaced with fakes. But why would someone do that? And is it connected to the other art thefts that have been happening around the city?

 

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

Ever since Cassidy almost drowned, she can pierce the Veil between the living and the dead, and send ghosts on to the Afterlife.  When her parents, hosts of a TV show dealing with the paranormal, travel to Paris to tour and film haunted sites, Cassidy follows, sending ghosts on through the Veil. All goes well until her visit to the Catacombs of Paris, an underground crypt of disinterred bones, where she accidentally awakens a poltergeist who follows her out into the living world. Now, the angry spirit is creating havoc and she must find a way to banish him before he destroys Paris.

 

 

Travel to Latin America:

Forest World by Margarita Engle

Edver didn't know what to expect when his plane landed in Cuba.  He hasn't seen or spoken to his father since his mother took him to the States when he was just a baby. He knew that food would be scarce and there would be little to no internet access, but an older sister that he never knew existed was not something he was prepared for. In this novel in verse, as Edver and Luza explore the remote rainforest where their father is a ranger, their mutual love for nature bridges their differences. Hoping to entice their cryptologist mother to the island, they post an internet story about finding a thought-to-be extinct species of butterfly. But their fake post attracts the attention of a dangerous wildlife poacher and they must work together to save the jungle they love.

 

Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya

After getting suspended for fighting at school, Marcus' mother takes him and his younger brother Charlie to Puerto Rico. This would be a chance to take a break, think things over, and visit Marcus' father's relatives. But Marcus has only one goal in mind—to find the father who left them ten years ago, sure that once he finds him, everything will be all right. As his relatives take them around San Juan in search of Marcus Sr., Marcus comes to appreciate the island's food, music, and culture, and to accept the support of his newly-found extended family.

 

 

Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes

Whether she liked it or not, Paloma was in Mexico City for a whole month. She should be excited to be in the birthplace of her deceased father and to learn about her Mexican heritage, but all she could think about was the fun she was missing at home. That is until she meets Lizzie and Gael who tell her about the famous artist Frida Khalo's missing peacock ring. When Frida died, her husband, Diego Rivera, was so devastated that he sealed all her clothes and jewelry into a small room. When it was discovered and unlocked 50 years later, Frida's favorite peacock ring wasn't there. It may still be hidden somewhere in Frida's house, which has been turned into a museum. Paloma, Lizzie and Gael are sure that they can find it. But they are not the only ones searching for that valuable ring.

 

Travel through the United States:

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

Scoob couldn't say "yes" fast enough when G'ma asked  him to accompany her on an impromptu road trip in her new RV. Using the maps, postcards, and Travelers' Green Book from her "treasure box", G'ma, who is White, is determined to re-create and complete the journey from Georgia to Mexico that she and G'pop, who is Black, started in 1968. At first, Scoob is happy just spending time with G'ma, visiting important sites of the Civil Rights Movement, and learning more about his deceased grandfather and the life he and G'ma had as an interracial couple in the 1960's,  but then G'ma starts acting strangely. She switches the license plates on the RV, throws away her cellphone, and Scoob is sure that she stole a pair of diamond earrings from a jewelry store they visited. What is going on?

 

This Would Make a Good Story Someday by Dana Alison Levy

An all expense paid train trip across the United States, from Massachusetts to California, sounds fabulous, right? Sara's not so sure, especially when the trip includes her two Moms (Mom & Mimi), her younger sister (Ladybug), and her older sister (Laurel) and her boyfriend (Root) all crammed into two train compartments. Add in the fact that Mimi won this trip by committing to writing a book based on their experiences and Sara's pretty sure she doesn't want to be part of this family. Can she survive a whole month of togetherness?

 

 

 

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