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Read All About It: Back-to-School Books
Reading about back-to-school adventures can help you and your child talk about her real-life hopes and fears.
By GreatSchools.net Staff
More on GreatSchools.net

Our Experts' Book Picks
Reading about going back to school is a great way to ease the transition. Especially with younger children, as you turn the pages together, you can talk about their hopes and fears, as well as discussing the wonderful characters in these books.

To get you started, here are some suggestions for children of elementary school age:

  • The Berenstain Bears Go to School. Berenstain, Stan and Jan. Random House, 1978.
  • Arthur’s Teacher Trouble. Brown, Marc. Trumpet, 1986.
  • Clifford's First School Day. Bridwell, Norman. Scholastic, 1999.
  • Never Spit on Your Shoes. Cazet, Denys. Scholastic, 1993.
  • Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown. Danziger, Paula. Puffin, 2003.
  • Kindergarten Rocks! Davis, Katie. Harcourt Children’s Books, 2005.
  • Back to School for Rotten Ralph. Gantos, Jack. HarperTrophy, 2000.
  • Back to School with Betsy. Haywood, Carolyn. Odyssey Classics, reissue edition, 1990.
  • Chrysanthemum. Henkes, Kevin. HarperTrophy, 1996.
  • The Day the Teacher Went Bananas. Howe, James. Penguin, 1987.
  • It’s Back to School We Go! Jackson, Ellen. Millbrook Press, 2003.
  • Sumi's First Day of School Ever. Pak, Soyung. Penguin Putnam Books, 2003.
  • Amelia Bedelia Goes Back to School. Parish, Herman. Harper Festival, 2004.
  • Curious George Goes to School. Rey, Margret. Houghton Mifflin, 1989.
  • The Best School Year Ever. Robinson, Barbara. HarperTrophy, reprint edition, 2005.
  • Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten. Slate, Joseph. Puffin Books, 2001.
  • The Teacher from the Black Lagoon. Thaler, Mike. Scholastic Paperbacks, 1989.
  • The Night Before Kindergarten. Wing, Natasha. Grosset & Dunlap, 2001.
For Middle and High School Students
  • The Middle School Survival Guide : How to Survive from the Day Elementary School Ends until the Second High School Begins. Erlbach,Arlene. Walker Books for Young Readers, 2003.
  • High School Bound: The Ultimate Guide for High School Success and Survival. Spethman, Martin J. and Klein, Chuck. Westgate Publishing & Entertainment, 1997.
  • The Real High School Handbook : How to Survive, Thrive, and Prepare for What's Next. Lieberman,Susan Abel. Mariner Books, 1997.

Updated June 2006

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Comments From GreatSchools.net Users
08/8/2005:
"Great information! I also highly recommend that middle school and high school age children read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. It is a great book for teens!"
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