12 back-to-school books to ease you into the new school year

As summer break comes to an end and kids transition from late sleeps and pool days to homework and bus rides, it may be a struggle to get into the school spirit. Luckily, the Libby app from your library is chockfull of titles that take place in academic institutions to get everyone excited for this school year!

This month, I polled my fellow Sora school librarians for their “back-to-school” reading recommendations to help get you and your kids into that school year frame of mind.

Lena’s Shoes Are Nervous by Keith Calabrese & Juana Medina

Today is Lena’s first day of kindergarten, and she’s so excited! She’s picked out all her favorite things to wear: Her blue dress, pink striped socks, and floral headband. There’s just one problem… Lena’s favorite shoes are nervous. She can’t possibly go to kindergarten without her favorite shoes. Can Dad help Lena find a solution? This is a must-read for little ones who are nervous about their first day.

Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo

This is the story of a young Chinese girl trying to rediscover home in her new country as she struggles to connect with the kids at school. Largely told without words, Cherry’s illustrations perfectly represent Jun’s emotions—vibrant, colorful images depict her joy when remembering the home she left behind, while scenes from her new life appear in muted greys. After days of struggling to find the right words and connect with her classmates, one girl makes an effort to include Jun by connecting through food—and suddenly the vibrant tones Jun associates with Hong Kong spill into her new world.

Matilda by Roald Dahl
🎧 Audiobook

In this beloved Dahl tale, a brilliant young girl with surprising telekinetic powers must overcome a series of obstacles—most in the form of abusive adults—to find her happily-ever-after.

I’m sure we’re all familiar with this one, if not for the book then certainly for the 1996 film adaptation, but we highly recommend you check it out if you haven’t experienced this classic yet.

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park
🎧 Audiobook

Another classic for young readers, this first in series title depicts “almost six-year-old” Junie B. Jones as she navigates her first day of kindergarten. Junie B. is not happy about having to ride the bus—the kids are loud, the doors are scary, and the bus’s breath is smelly. So instead of taking the bus home after her first day, she hides under the teacher’s desk and then proceeds to get up to all sorts of mischief. Will Junie B. learn to like the bus, or will she keep hiding forever?

Recently released as a graphic novel, this is another fun recommendation for kids who are nervous about starting school.

The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series by Marcia Thornton Jones & Debbie Dadey
🎧 Audiobook

This supernatural series for young readers revolves around a group of rambunctious third graders at Bailey Elementary who are convinced the adults at their school are mythical beings. The series kicks off when the kids, having driven off their last teacher with various pranks, are introduced to their new teacher, Mrs. Jeepers. While each story’s conclusion is ambiguous, the combination of humor and kid-appropriate horror is sure to delight young readers.

Plus, Scholastic began releasing graphic novelizations of the series in 2021, with four currently available, so these are an easy recommendation for kids who devour comics.

The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson

Middle schooler Jackson Greene is a reformed troublemaker trying to go straight after an incident that cost him both his best friend and his potential love interest, Gaby de la Cruz. But when Gaby decides to run for student council president against the conniving school bully, Jackson decides it’s time for one last con.

Think Ocean’s 11 for middle-grade readers. This one is perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and James Ponti or anyone who enjoys a good caper.

Girl Haunts Boy by Cesar Vitale
🎧 Audiobook

After his father’s death, Cole Sanchez and his mom move from New York City to small town Jersey to get a fresh start. But Cole soon realizes his new bedroom is already occupied by a 17-year-old ghost girl named Bea. Dead since the 1920s, Bea’s been stuck in this house thanks to a cursed ring. While the two quickly bond over a shared love of music and begin to fall for each other, Cole eventually discovers a way to undo the curse. But doing that would mean losing Bea forever.

This young adult romance was made into a Netflix movie last year and has definite cross-over appeal for fans of My Life with the Walter Boys or The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Dan in Green Gables by Rey Terciero

In this modern twist on a classic, graphic novelist Rey Terciero tells the story of an extroverted teen dumped off with his estranged grandparents in rural Tennessee. Fifteen-year-old Dan Stewart-Álvarez has grown up on the road with his free-spirited mother, caring for her through abusive boyfriends and nights of too much drinking. So when she abandons him with his previously-unknown paternal grandparents, he’s confused and heartbroken, especially because his new rural community isn’t exactly welcoming toward his obvious queerness. But as Dan grows closer to his mawmaw and forms friendships with classmates, he discovers that home can be found in the most unlikely places.

Girlmode by Magdalene Visaggio

After recently-transitioned high schooler Phoebe Zito is shipped off to live with her father in L.A., supposedly for a fresh start, she quickly finds herself the center of attention at school. Caught between two new groups of friends, both of whom have very different ideas of what it means to be a girl, Phoebe struggles to find herself.

A both heartbreaking and heartwarming exploration of friendship and young womanhood, this is a perfect next-read for fans of Heartstopper or The Girl from the Sea.

I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang
🎧 Audiobook

Jenna Chen feels like she’s spent her entire life eclipsed by her flawless cousin, Jessica. Smart, beautiful, and beloved by everyone, Jessica Chen is everything Jenna wishes she could be. Literally. So when Jenna wakes up as Jessica after making a desperate wish, she thinks all her dreams have finally come true. But it turns out that being Jessica isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And worst of all, the real Jessica seems to truly be gone, and people are starting to forget Jenna ever existed at all. Can Jenna learn to accept herself and find a way back to the way things used to be?

Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drew
🎧 Audiobook

Wickwood Academy seniors Andrew Perrault and Thomas Rye collaborate on twisted fairytales featuring terrifying, grotesque monsters. When Thomas becomes evasive and withdrawn, Andrew decides to get to the bottom of things. The last thing he expects to discover is Thomas battling the very monsters they’ve imagined, come to horrifying life and bent on attacking the other residents of their boarding school. Soon, the two friends are dealing with bullies by day and fighting monsters by night. But when their monsters grow out of control, Andrew begins to fear the only way to stop them may be to destroy their creator.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
🎧 Audiobook

In this first-in-series dark academia, a group of young sorcery students team up to fight Lovecraftian monsters to survive—and eventually graduate from their magical boarding school. Told from the perspective of El, a dark sorceress with big plans to prove everyone’s perceptions of her wrong, this adult fantasy has definite high school appeal, especially for fans of magical academy stories where the lines between good and evil are blurred.

*Title availability may vary.

RELATED READ: 6 coming-of-age stories to kick off the school year