The time when kids go back to school is full of hope and excitement. It can also be a time of nervousness and apprehension. And, for as long as most people can remember, one of the greatest ways to cure the blues, for kids and adults, is to read a good book.
Not all great back-to-school books have to be specifically about school or jitters. But sometimes that kind of thing helps. From Pre-K kiddos to high schoolers, here’s a selection of great books that will help kids feel calmer, brighter, and more confident about heading back to the classroom.
Amelia Bedelia’s First Day of School
You might remember Amelia Bedelia as a bumbling housekeeper, but her more recent adventures as a younger woman are great for young ones. This picture book contains some of the same wordplay of the old books, with a great message.
Age: Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade
Why Do I Have to Go to School?
This board book is part of Usborne’s “Very First Questions and Answers” series and, as such, addresses the basic question of why school, or some form of education and structure, is important. Neither pandering nor confusing, this book is literally designed to explain the concept to very young school-age ones. The talking points here take some of the guesswork out of a parent’s speech, so you may want to read it quickly to yourself before sharing with your kid.
Ages: Pre-K and Kindergarten.
Clementine’s Great Big UH OHs
This sweet picture book isn’t about school specifically at all. But it is a book about how kids can plan for and manage their disappointments. The titular mouse, Clementine, worries about all sorts of things going wrong. But, the key lesson here is to plan for “Uh Ohs.” Great for parents who have anxious kids or children who feel like everything has to be perfect.
Ages: Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade.
The Dory Fantasmagory series
As first chapter books go, Abby Hanlon’s brilliant Dory Fantasmagory books are really without any peers. Hilarious, heartfelt, and easily readable for kids just starting chapter books, the Dory books don’t just make kids feel better about being kids; the books actually capture the hilarious nature of little kid logic.
All of Dory’s adventures are good for back-to-school jitters, but the second book, The Real True Friend, is perhaps the best primer for meeting new kids and trying to fit in.
Ages: 1st grade and up.
Superfudge
Judy Blume’s immortal book is technically the third in a series that began with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Focused on the trials and tribulations of 5th and 6th graders, and their changing feelings toward the world, this book has only gotten better since 1980. The humor and realism still work, over 40 years later, and the analog nature of this very recent past can be nothing but positive for modern kids.
Ages: Late Elementary school and Middle School
Choose Your Own Adventure (New Covers!)
That’s right, the classic Choose Your Own Adventure books are back. And now, with new, slick covers for the 2020s. Why are these good for back-to-school? As nuts as some of the classic Choose Your Own Adventure books are, the thing that makes these stories so great for emerging readers is the fact that it’s totally okay to fail.
The bite-sized adventures are also great for kids who think that they don’t enjoy reading. These books are modern classics for the specific reason that kids feel like they’re in control.
Ages: Second grade and up.
Wings of Fire Series
Imagine a series sort of like Harry Potter, but instead of humans, you’re following a bunch of talking dragons. That might not fully represent Wings of Fire, but it does give you a sense of the appeal of this series. With different dragon characters that every kid can identify with, Wings of Fire is a truly inclusive series, which is impressive since most of the characters are fire-breathing reptiles.
Ages: 4th grade, and up.
Olympians graphic novel series
Sometimes the best way to educate kids about the classics is to barely disguise the classics at all. The brilliant thing about George O’Connor’s Olympians graphic novel books is that these are fairly straightforward takes on classic Greek mythology. Middle-grade kids will love the awesome illustrations, but they’ll also be way ahead in history class.
Ages: 4th grade, 5th and up.
Wildwood series
The story of siblings finding a secret world within a normal city has become an instant classic since 2012. Not exactly coded for back-to-school, middle-grade or early middle-school kids should read the Wildwood series for one reason: Other bookworm kids will have probably read these books, too.
Ages: 5th grade, 6th grade, or Middle-School
New Kid
A graphic novel from author and illustrator Jerry Craft, New Kid is perhaps the perfect contemporary back-to-school book for older kids. Focused on a 7th grader named Jordan Banks, the book is all about feeling like an outsider, relative to both class and race. A good point of view for all kinds of kids.
If your kid likes this one, there are others in the series, including Class Act and School Trip.
Ages: Middle School and High School
Sunrise on the Reaping (Hunger Games series)
Yes, after all these years, Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games universe is still relevant and great for older kids. The newest 2025 book, Sunrise on the Reaping, is the second in the Hunger Games prequels series that began with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in 2020. In some ways, these prequels are better than the classic Hunger Games books. But if your kiddos get hooked, the other books are waiting for them after they finish the new ones.
Ages: High School
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
Sometimes tweens and teens need a little bit of inspiration. And that comfort and inspiration don’t always have to come in the form of narratives. Instead, why not turn to the poetry of one of the greats? Every kid who has ever had a deep feeling about something will relate to at least one of Maya Angelou’s poems. And, in terms of centering oneself before the stress of back-to-school, nobody touches the soul quite like Angelou.
Ages: Middle School and High School
