We’re reading some great new books for all ages from Scholastic to get in the school spirit. Check out the list below that is sure to prepare kids, tweens, and teens of all ages for the upcoming school year!
It's Time for School, Stinky Face (A Board Book) (Ages 3 and under)by Lisa McCourt, illustrated by Cyd Moore: The ever imaginative Stinky Face is not at all sure about starting school for the first time, so he has a whole bunch of questions for his mama! What if the school bus gest a flat tire? What if a spaceship lands next to the jungle gym at recess? And what if all the desks start flying around the classroom? But with some reassuring answers from his always quick-thinking mama, Stinky Face soon realizes that going to school might be more fun than he ever thought possible.
Penguins Love Their ABC’s (Ages 3–5) by Sarah Aspinall: Six of the most appealing penguins ever (featured in Sarah Aspinall's Penguins Love Colors, 2016) set off on an exciting Alphabet Hunt, a fun adventure where Mama has hidden all the alphabet letters in the snow. Each letter is marked by a clue (an “apple” leads to “a”). Will you help the penguins find all the hidden letters? Of course you will!
Back to School with Bigfoot (Ages 4–8) by Samantha Berger & Martha Brockenbrough, illustrated by Dave Pressler: The first day of school is right around the corner. And everything is bigger for Bigfoot—especially back to school problems like getting a haircut, trying on new clothes, and finding new shoes that fit! Told from a giant (and very hairy) point of view, Back to School with Bigfoot deftly tackles the worries kids face as that first day of school draws closer, and ends on a colossal high note.
Wordplay (Ages 4–8) by Adam Lehrhaupt, illustrated by Jared Chapman: When the parts of speech gather on the playground, Verb is always the star. She can DO anything! Her friends Adjective, Adverb, and Interjection all watch admiringly. Then Noun comes along—and Noun can BE anything. But when a new threat menaces the playground, Noun can't move! There's only one part of speech who can DO something about it ... and that might allow Noun and Verb to BE something together: friends.
Restart (Ages 8–12) by Gordon Korman: Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name. He knows he's Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return. Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him. Pretty soon, it's not only a question of who Chase is—it's a question of who he was . . . and who he's going to be.
The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade (Ages 9–12) by Jordan Sonnenblick: In sixth grade, bad things can happen to good kids. Maverick wants to change all that. One of the last things his father left him was a toy sheriff's badge, back when Maverick was little. Now he likes to carry it around to remind him of his dad—and also to remind him to make school a better place for everyone...even if that's a hard thing to do, especially when his own home life is falling apart. The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade is a story about standing up for yourself—and being a hero at home and in the halls of your school.
Unschooled (Ages 8–12) by Allan Woodrow: This year's fifth graders are the worst Principal Klein has ever seen. But he's hoping that Spirit Week can teach them teamwork, with a top secret prize for the winning team as incentive. When classes are named rivals, suddenly there are slimed lockers, sabotaged costumes, and class pets held hostage. As the pranks escalate, it threatens everything, including the prize. Because if Principal Klein finds out, Spirit Week will be cancelled and the students will spend the rest of the year in detention. Is the most awesome week of fifth grade about to make this the worst school year ever?
Swing It, Sunny (Ages 8–12) by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm: Summer's over and it's time for Sunny Lewin to enter the strange and unfriendly hallways of . . . middle school. When her Gramps calls her from Florida to ask how she's doing, she always tells him she's fine. But the truth? Sunny is NOT having the best time. Not only is the whole middle school thing confusing . . . but life at home is confusing, too. Sunny misses her brother Dale, who's been sent to boarding school. But when Dale comes back, she STILL misses him . . . because he's changed. Luckily Sunny's got her best friend and a mysterious new neighbor on her side . . . because she is NOT going let all this confusion get her down. Instead, she's going to remain Sunny-side up!
The Date to Save (Ages 12 and up) by Stephanie Kate Strohm: After a scheduling mishap occurs, one student tracks how her high school's homecoming game, the academic battle, and class election all ended up on the same day with hilarious results!
Mean Girls: A Novel (Ages 14 and up) by Micol Ostow: You know the story—or do you? The 2004 cult phenomenon MEAN GIRLSis now a young adult novel!Based on the screenplay by Tina Fey and written by author Micol Ostow, is a retelling of the film told through different characters’ points of view. Ostow takes the story everyone knows and loves and turns it inside out … which is like so “grool.”
