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Summer Reading Lists from Area Schools

Going to School! Books for Children & Parents

Check out our booklist for Going to Kindergarten!

Preschool:

Don't Go! by Jane by Breskin Zalben

Daniel has everything he needs for preschool, but he does not want his mother to go. His mother stays a while and finally Daniel is able to wave good-bye. A checklist and note to parents at the end of the book help everyone to get ready for preschool.

I Am Not Going To School Today by Robie H. Harris

A little boy is nervous about going to school for the first time, until he decides to take his monkey, Hank. Once he sees all the things he'll get to do in school, he and Hank decide that it will be okay to go back.

I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas

Owen's mother reassures him that she loves him all day long, through trials (accidental spills) and triumphs (shared crayons), even though she is not with him.

Little Rabbit Goes to School by Harry Horse

Little Rabbit is excited to go to school with his toy, Charlie Horse, but so much is new that he and Charlie Horse get into some trouble. After school, Little Rabbit decides that Charlie Horse is too naughty to go to school anymore.

We Love School By Marilyn Janovitz

These preschoolers (animals in kids' clothing) discuss all the things they like to do at school--from cutting and gluing and counting, to snacking and napping. This rhyming story is simple, but very reassuring.

 

Preschool Parent Resources:

Everyday Goodbyes: Starting School and Early Care: A Guide to the Separation Process by Nancy Balaban

Everyday Good-Byes helps parents to understand what children might be feeling when separations occur, what the different reactions to separation might be, and how to help children cope.

Preschool for Parents: What Every Parent Needs to Know About Preschool by Diane Trister Dodge and Toni S. Bickart

Covers everything from what to look for when you're selecting a preschool to what's involved in learning math, reading, science, and social skills.

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

The Read-Aloud Handbook demonstrates the importance of reading aloud to kids of ALL ages with a combination of easy-to-understand research, examples, and personal stories. Offers a list of over 1,000 great books for reading aloud.

Ready For Reading: A Handbook for Parents of Preschoolers by Ashley Bishop, Ruth Helen Yopp, and Hallie Kay Yopp

This guide for parents explains how children learn to read and how best to encourage and support this process. Includes a year's worth of reading suggestions.

Ready to Learn: How to Help Your Preschooler Succeed by Stan Goldberg, PhD

This book will help parents help their children learn the skills that will help them be successful in school.

First Grade:

First Day, Hooray! by Nancy Poydar

Ivy is excited and worried about her first day of school. This story includes the worries of the bus driver, the teacher, the custodian, and the principal, showing children that everyone has jitters about the first day.

First Grade Stinks! by Mary Ann Rodman

Haley arrives at school with her friend Ryan, feeling very grown up. However, there are a lot of changes in first grade and getting used to them takes a little time!

First Grade Here I Come by Nancy Carlson

Henry's mom and brother are waiting to hear all about Henry's day in first grade. Even though it is quite different than Kindergarten, there is quite a lot to like!

Lunch Bunnies by Kathryn Lasky

Clyde is almost ready for school. He is ready to learn to read. He is ready to learn to write. he is NOT ready for Lunch. He practices walking across the house holding a tray, but his brother keeps telling him about horrible things that can happen in the cafeteria. Will Clyde survive lunch?

Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth by Alison McGhee

After a second-grader scares her, a new first grader refuses to open her mouth in her new classroom for fear that her teacher really IS an alien who wants to steal children's teeth. Can this possibly be true?

Mr. Ouchy's First Day by B.G. Hennessy

Tomorrow is Mr. Ouchy's first day ever as a teacher and boy, is he worried. Suppose he can't find his classroom? Suppose he forgets everyone's name? He decides to wear his lucky blue shirt and hope for the best!

Second Grade:

The Beast In Ms. Rooney's Room, part of The Kids of Polk Street School Series by Patricia Reilly Giff

In this September installment of the Kids of Polk Street School Series, Richard “Beast” Best must adjust to the fact that he is repeating second grade. Will he ever get the hang of reading?

Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown by Paula Danziger

Amber is nervous about having a new teacher and about being in class with a mean girl, but things turn out okay after all.

Herbie Jones Sails into Second Grade by Suzie Kline

Herbie Jones starts second grade and makes a new friend in the process.

I Don't Want to Go Back to School by Marisabina Russo.

Ben's older sister predicts all kinds of things will go wrong on the first day of second grade, but Ben winds up enjoying himself in spite of his worries.

Pa Lia's First Day by Michelle Edwards

Pa Lia is worried about starting a new school for second grade. She makes a friend, but then does something that might ruin the friendship. Will it all work out?

Third Grade:

How to Be Cool in the Third Grade by Betsy Duffey

In an attempt to foil the school bully, Robbie decides that the only solution is to become cool—which includes giving up his childhood nickname.

Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary

Maggie, a third grader, does not see the point of learning cursive writing, so she refuses. One day, Maggie is chosen to be the messenger and discovers that unless you learn to write cursive, you also can't read cursive writing! Are people talking about her?

Things I Learned in Second Grade by Amy Schwartz

A young boy shares all of the things he learned and how he changed in second grade, what he still wonders about, and what he hopes to accomplish when he is in third grade.

Third Grade Stinks by Colleen O'Shaughnessy McKenna

Gordie was looking forward to third grade—until he got there, that is. He has to share his locker with a girl? How will he ever survive?

Fourth Grade:

Amber Brown Goes Fourth by Paula Danziger

Amber Brown has her school supplies, but what she REALLY needs to start fourth grade is a new best friend. Since Justin moved away, Amber is just not sure who will fill that space.

Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli

Suds knows that fourth graders are supposed to be tough. But does he really have to be a rat to be a cool fourth grader?

Put Your Eyes Up Here and Other School Poems by Kalli Dakos

A collection of poems about being in the fourth grade, covering such topics as class trips, cafeteria food, being worried, and…the pencil cemetery.

Fifth Grade:

Amelia's 5th-Grade Notebook by Marissa Moss

Amelia keeps track of her fifth grade adventures in her diary.

4 Kids in 5E and 1 Crazy Year by Virginia Frances Schwartz

A group of kids pulled from overfilled classrooms and put into a smaller one together discover themselves through their writing.

The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going

Summer stretches before him, but Gabe is already worried about starting fifth grade—in fact, he wants to stay in fourth grade. Frita has other ideas. She has Gabe make a list of all his fears so they can eradicate them one by one. The question is, will Gabe live to tell about it?

The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of 5th Grade by Ken Derby (also published as The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of School )

Tony Baloney is desperate to get on the David Letterman show. Unfortunately, his first stupid human trick, tried on the first day of fifth grade, results in his getting his foot stuck in a toilet. That wasn't the trick! What will Tony think of next?

Sixth Grade:

Agnes Parker...Girl in Progress by Kathleen O'Dell

A new school year and Agnes is ready for self-improvement. Her goals? To become bully-proof, to become cool, and to become sure of herself. Her obstacles? Fights with her best friend, new glasses, a broken arm, and a new boy in her class. Can she make it all work out?

Amelia's Sixth Grade Notebook by Marissa Moss

Amelia continues her notebooks in sixth grade where she has to deal with being in the same school with her older sister, mean teachers, and all the new social rules for middle school.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal by Jeff Kinney

Greg keeps a diary of his sixth grade year, a time when he and his best friend Rowley, still smaller than the other boys, are just trying to survive. When Rowley starts to become popular, where does that leave Greg?

Heads or Tails: Stories from the Sixth Grade by Jack Gantos

Jack is having an up and down year. He's on his fifth neighborhood in six years and uses his diary to help him deal with his problems. What kind of problems does Jack have? Oh, alligators in the canal, failed attempts to contact UFO's, an older sister who teases, and a younger brother who gets hurt every time Jack is watching him. Sheesh!

My Name is Brain Brian by Jeanne Betancourt

When Brian and his friends start sixth grade, they decide to spice it up by starting a joker's club. When “Brian” writes his name as “Brain” on the blackboard, his friends think it's a great joke—but Brian wasn't trying to be funny. When his teacher finds out he has dyslexia, he finds ways to help Brian, but for Brian, dealing with his friends might be the hardest part.

6th Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements

Helen fears that lack of improvement in her reading may leave her stuck in the sixth grade forever, until a good teacher recognizes her reading problem.

Stories about children who use more than one language:

Sumi's First Day of School Ever by Soyung Pak (Korean)

Sumi's mother teaches Sumi the way English-speakers will ask her what her name is and then she teaches her how to answer that question. Too soon, it is time for Sumi to go to school! Although she is nervous, Sumi discovers that school might not be too scary after all.

My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits (Korean)

Yoon is disappointed by the way her name looks in English. When it is time to practice writing her name, she writes CAT instead and imagines that she could run off and hide, if she were a cat. As Yoon becomes more comfortable with school, she decides that it is okay to be herself, even in English.

Moses Goes to School by Issac Millman (American Sign Language)

Moses returns to a new school year and has a great first day back. He and his friends catch up with each other, practice their English by writing to their pen pals, and learn a new song. This story is told in English and, to an extent, in ASL.

 

Resources for Parents:

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

The Read-Aloud Handbook demonstrates the importance of reading aloud to kids of ALL ages with a combination of easy-to-understand research, examples, and personal stories. Offers a list of over 1,000 great books for reading aloud.

How Is My First Grader Doing In School?: What To Expect and How To Help by Jennifer Richard Jacobson (Series includes volumes through sixth grade)

This series offers a developmental overview of the age, explains the stages children will be going through with their reading, writing, and math, offers lots of five minute activities parents can do to support their child's learning, and offers a teacher-approved assessment booklet.

The Between the Lions Book for Parents: Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Child Learn to Read by Linda K. Rath and Louise Kennedy

Based on the show Between the Lions , the authors explain early literacy to parents and suggest ways to support children's emerging literacy.

The Complete IEP Guide: How To Advocate For Your Special Ed Child by Attorney Lawrence M. Siegel

This book offers advice on understanding current IEP laws, how to plan for IEP meetings, and how to make a case for your child, should it becomes necessary.

Games For Learning: Ten Minutes a Day To Help Your Child Do Well In School—From Kindergarten to Third Grade by Peggy Kaye

Suggests games for you and your child to play to help her get ready for school.

The Mom Book Goes to School: Insider Tips to Ensure Your Child Thrives in Elementary and Middle School by Stacy DeBroff

This book offers advice on everything from Parent/Teacher Conferences to Learning Disabilities to being a Parent Volunteer. Subdivided chapters and bulleted format make this guide easy to use.

What Really Happens in School: A Guide to Your Child's Emotional, Social, and Intellectual Development, Grades K-5 by Ann E. LaForge

Prepares parents for what their child will be experiencing in each grade.

Check out our booklist for Going to Kindergarten!

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