It’s back to school time (or will be very soon) for kids in the United States, so it’s the perfect time to share some of our favorite school stories. In this list you’ll find some “back to school” books, but the point of this list is more about sharing good stories that just happen to take place at school. Whether your kids are in school or not, we hope you find some favorites in this list of old and new school books.
Read: Any book with a school theme, whether it takes place at school or is related to school in some way. Choose from this list or find some others at your library. There are lots of school books to choose from!
Discuss:
After reading a book, discuss the story and characters. Did you enjoy the story? Who is your favorite character, and why?
How did you relate to the story? Does the story remind you of anything (or anyone) in your life?
Do you go to school? What do you like or dislike about it?
In some school stories, characters struggle to make friends. Have you ever had a hard time making friends? Talk about it!
Describe the perfect school! What would you study? What would be on the lunch menu? The playground?
Do:
Create some school bus art with your kids. Here is a Pinterest page with some ideas for inspiration. Or simply have your kiddos draw or paint a school bus on their own!
Make up an alternate ending for the book you read.
Design your dream school. This can be a writing or drawing activity, or both!
Not in school yet? Encourage school-themed creative play.
Go outside for “recess.”
Play some fun, educational games.
And now, for the list!
Picture Books about School
David Goes to School by David Shannon. A funny book about one of our favorite mischievous characters and his naughty school antics.
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins. Penelope is excited for the first day of school, but the problem is that she’s a T-Rex, and her classmates are too delicious!
The Yellow Bus by Loren Long. This story follows the life of a yellow bus--school trips, serving older adults, then becoming a home for the unhoused animals on the farm.
School's First Day of School by Adam Rex and Illustrated by Christian Robinson. Take a look at the first day of school from the School's perspective!
The Crayons Go Back to School by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. It's time to go back to school and the crayons must decide what to wear and be ready! Can you guess which class is their favorite?
My School Stinks by Becky Scharnhorst, illustrated by Julia Patton. A boy accidentally winds up at a school for wild animals and he's very apprehensive about his new classmates. Told in diary entries, the boy learns that friends come in any shape, size, or species!
How to Get Your Teacher Ready by Jean Reagan, illustrated by Lee Wildish. Follow a group of kids as they make sure their teacher is ready for the entire year of school! This is a playful look at teachers and all they do.
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi. When Unhei moves to the United States from Korea, she isn't sure kids can appreciate her name, so she tells them she still needs to pick a name. The students contribute name ideas to a name jar, but as they get to know her, they come to realize the best name of all.
My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I am Not.) by Peter Brown. Bobby thinks his teacher is a monster until he starts to get to know her outside of school. A funny and relatable story!
Sophie’s Squash Goes to School by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. Sophie brings her squash friends to school and resists making friends with her classmates.
Two Tough Trucks by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez, illustrated by Hilary Leung. Two trucks are paired up on their first day of truck school and struggle to work together. A rhyming story that my grandson asked for repeatedly for months!
Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. A rat named Rodney, who can’t say his Rs, is teased at school until he unwittingly defeats the school bully. This was a favorite in our house when my kids were young.
Middle Grade Books about School
School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari. A group of children’s attend a special school that is meant to help them get over their fears over the summer. And they will get over them, or else!
The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin. A dark and delightfully spooky story based on the tale of Hansel and Gretel.
Frindle by Andrew Clements. Nick has always been a prankster, but now that he’s in fifth grade he might not be able to get away with being a troublemaker. But then his new language arts teacher’s love for the dictionary inspires his latest plan: to come up with a new word. So a pen will be called a frindle!
Mari in the Margins by Rebecca J. Gomez. When Mari learns of a poetry contest at school, she decides to enter. But then the chaos of her large family—especially the demands of her annoying little sister—begin to sap her time and her inspiration. But she finds inspiration again in the most unlikely place. A middle grade novel told in poems and doodles.
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