Beth Wood is the senior collection development librarian for the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries. Email her at [email protected].
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As usual, the summer has fairly flown by, and the new school year is approaching. Our children or grandchildren might be thinking about the new school year with a variety of emotions, based on everything from perceived social standing to preferred level of sleep and general inactivity.
And, of course, as parents and grandparents, we look at the start of the school year differently based on what our relationship to our progeny has been like over the summer. We may miss them terribly, every moment they are out of the house. Or not.
Regardless of what age the child is, or how they feel about the new school year, we have delightful books for all. Here are some favorites:
Picture books
“Bus! Stop!” by James Yang (2018): When a boy misses the city bus he takes to school, each vehicle that arrives at the bus stop is increasingly odd.
“Best Frints at Skrool” by Antoinette Portis (2018): Two aliens go to school with experiences that Earth children can relate to.
“I Walk With Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness” by Kerascoët (2018): This wordless picture book about bullying is great for beginning a conversation.
“We Don’t Eat Our Classmates!” by Ryan T. Higgins (2018): T. rex Penelope keeps getting reprimanded for ingesting her classmates, and she just doesn’t get it.
“Mae’s First Day of School” by Kate Berube (2018): Mae hides in a tree so she won’t have to go into school. She is joined there by another child — and a teacher.
“The Pigeon Has to Go to School!” by Mo Willems (2019): Like he always does, the pigeon has feelings about starting school.
“The Koala Who Could” by Rachel Bright (2017): Kevin never leaves his tree, until it falls down, and he learns that the ground isn’t as scary as he thought.
Middle school
“Invisible” by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (2022): This graphic novel brings together five overlooked Hispanic middle school students. Will they be able to work together to make a difference at their school?
“Unschooled” by Allan Woodrow (2017): Best friends end up on opposing teams during Spirit Week.
“Dread Detention” by Jennifer Killick (2022): In this horror book, four students must work together to survive Saturday detention.
“Simon Sort of Says” by Erin Bow (2023): After suffering a trauma, Simon and his family move to a small town where cellphones and the internet are banned.
Nat Enough series by Maria Scriven (2020): This graphic novel series focuses on Nat as she goes into middle school and learns to focus on who she is instead of who she isn’t.
There are many more titles I haven’t listed that cover new friends, new situations and new feelings. Feel free to look for your own at the library!