Kids Picks
It’s hard to believe that summer is coming to an end – it went by so fast! Hopefully, you spent your days playing on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and just having tons of fun! It’s time to get ready to go back to school. Some of you might be excited, some not so much. It’s totally normal to be feeling all sorts of things about a new school year. Here are some fun books to finish out summer and help you get into the back-to-school spirit!
Ages 3-5
“We Will Rock Our Classmates” by Ryan T. Higgins
Penelope Rex is a dinosaur who decides to take part in the school talent show. This wasn’t easy, considering she is the only dinosaur in a school filled with humans. But she loves to play the guitar. During rehearsal, someone yells, “Can dinosaurs even play guitar?,” causing Penelope to doubt herself. Can she prove to everyone that she is more than just a dinosaur?
“It Will Be OK” by Lisa Katzenberger
Giraffe and Zebra are best friends. They meet every day by their favorite tree and walk to the watering hole together. One day when Zebra gets to the tree, Giraffe isn’t there! It turns out he was scared by a spider and is hiding in the tree. Zebra sits with Giraffe and patiently talks to him until he feels better, because that is what friends do!
Ages 6-8
“School Is Cool!” by Sabrina Moyle
In the newest book from the Hello!Lucky team, young readers are treated to huge doses of humor and encouragement to help get them prepared for the first day of school. “School Is Cool!” is the perfect read for any child who is nervous about their first day, whether it’s learning the rules, making new friends, or trying to fit in. After all, school is cool!
“First Day Jitters” by Julie Danneberg
Sarah Jane Hartwell is starting over at a brand-new school and she isn’t happy about it. Actually, she’s terrified. She doesn’t know anyone, and no one knows her. She is convinced this school year is going to be awful. With help from her father, she finally gets herself ready to face her first day. Thankfully, she meets Mrs. Burton right away and she helps ease her first-day jitters.
Ages 9-12
“New Kid” by Jerry Craft
Starting over at a new school is hard. Really hard. Especially when the school’s diversity is low, and you are seriously struggling to fit in. Jordan Banks is going into seventh grade and loves drawing cartoons about his life. He dreams of going to an art school, but his parents put him in a prestigious private school instead. Jordan is one of just a few kids of color in his grade. He soon finds himself caught up in two totally different worlds: one is his apartment in Washington Heights, and the other is his upscale school. Jordan will have to figure out how to manage his school friends and his neighborhood friends without losing himself in the process.
“Awkward” by Svetlana Chmakova
Penelope “Peppi” Torres knows there are two main rules to follow if you want to survive middle school. Rule No. 1 is to not get noticed by the mean kids. Rule No. 2 is to seek out similar kids and join them. In the hall on her very first day, Peppi trips into a quiet boy, Jaime Thompson. The mean kids start calling her “nerder girlfriend.” She’s so embarrassed that she shoves Jaime and runs away, but later is ashamed of how she treated him. To make it worse, she finds out he is a member of the science club, an archrival of her art club. Maybe the only way to really survive is to break the rules instead of follow them.
