Summer is in full swing. Your kids are out swimming and running through the sprinklers, but their brains need exercise too!
Keeping up with back to school reading eases the transition between grades. Reading outside of the classroom can boost your kids’ self esteem, build their social emotional skills, and teach them important lessons about their classmates and the world around them. Plus, with audiobooks, your kids can level up their vocabulary while traveling, playing outside, or winding down for the night. Learning and having fun work well together!
To help, we’ve put together a list of our favorite back to school books for young readers and older kids.
Top Picks for Young Readers
The King of Kindergarten
Starting kindergarten is a big milestone—and the hero of this story is ready to make his mark! He’s dressed himself, eaten a pile of pancakes, and can’t wait to be part of a whole new kingdom of kids. The day will be jam-packed, but he’s up to the challenge, taking new experiences in stride with his infectious enthusiasm! And afterward, he can’t wait to tell his proud parents all about his achievements—and then wake up to start another day.
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My Name Is a Story
First days aren’t easy for a girl with a name like Ashanti. It feels like no one can pronounce it correctly! But with some encouragement from her mom, Ashanti spells her name and learns just how special it is. Inspired by Ashanti’s own experience, this delightful book shares the joy that one child finds in her name.
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My Weird School Special: Back to School, Weird Kids Rule!
Summer is almost over, and you know what that means—time to head back to school! Andrea and A.J. are sent to Camp Ockatollyquay. The catch? It’s a camp to get kids ready for school! But not to worry—Andrea and A.J. rally their Ella Mentry School friends to end their summer on a note they’ll never forget.
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The Day the Crayons Made Friends
Duncan’s crayons just can’t seem to stay put! But this time, they’ve gone out into his room to make friends. From Red Crayon, who fulfills his dream of driving a firetruck to fan favorite Esteban, who is off to tame a teddy bear, each crayon has an exciting story to share about the new objects they’ve met and the new adventures they’ve had.
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Llama Llama Back to School
Summer days are getting shorter and it’s almost time for the first day of school for Llama! But Llama Llama isn’t ready for summertime to end. It’s been full of backyard camping, family picnics, and ice cream with friends. He’s anxious about his first day back at school but maybe, with some help from his friends and Mama Llama, going back to school will be fun after all!
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If I Built a School
If Jack built a school, there would be hover desks and pop-up textbooks, skydiving wind tunnels and a trampoline basketball court in the gym, a robo-chef to serve lunch in the cafeteria, field trips to Mars, and a whole lot more. The inventive boy who described his ideal car and house in previous books is dreaming even bigger this time.
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The Rainbow Parade
One day in June, Emily takes the train into the city with her two moms to attend the Rainbow Parade. She loves how all the people marching are extra loud, extra proud, and extra colorful. But when her mama suggests they join the parade, Emily isn’t so sure she belongs in the throng.
View the audiobookEngaging Reads for Middle Schoolers
Rainbow Fair
Sophie’s family is Hui, Chinese Muslim. The Muslim part is something she doesn’t know much about. So when it gets slipped to an overenthusiastic teacher that Sophie is the only Muslim in her class, suddenly she is in charge of representing a religion she doesn’t practice. It turns out Sophie isn’t the only one at Monroe Middle School whose identity isn’t so simply categorized by the Rainbow Fair’s limited booths. One thing is for sure, this year’s Rainbow Fair won’t look anything like it did in the past, and Sophie begins to realize that that might not be a bad thing at all.
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New Kid
“Meet Jordan, an African American boy attending a prestigious New York middle school where he’s torn between two worlds-rich and working class, black and white. On the first page, Jordan says, “This is how I feel every single day of my life, like I’m falling without a parachute,” and illustrates his experiences (via a book within the book) with insight and ironic humor that all young students, especially students of color, will really appreciate. A humorous yet poignant story.”
— Noreen, Bookshop Santa Cruz
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Fighting for YES!
From a very young age, Judy Heumann heard the word NO. Judy and people with disabilities everywhere were tired of hearing “NO.” In the 1970s, an important disability rights law, Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, was waiting to be signed. Judy and other disability-rights activists fought for “YES!” Along with a personal reflection from Judy herself, this biography captures the impact and influence of one of America’s greatest living activists.
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Alice Austen Lived Here
Sam is nonbinary, and their best friend, TJ, is nonbinary as well. Sam’s family is very cool with it… as long as Sam remembers that nonbinary kids are also required to clean their rooms. When Sam’s home borough opens up a contest for a new statue, Sam finds the perfect subject: photographer Alice Austen, whose house has been turned into a museum, and who lived with a female partner for decades. Soon, Sam’s project isn’t just about winning the contest. It’s about discovering a rich queer history that Sam’s a part of.
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Best Friends
Sixth grade is supposed to be perfect. Shannon’s got a sure spot in the in-crowd called The Group, and her best friend is their leader, Jen, the most popular girl in school. But the rules are always changing, and Shannon has to scramble to keep up. She never knows which TV shows are cool, what songs to listen to, and who she’s allowed to talk to. Who makes these rules, anyway? And does Shannon have to follow them?
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The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale
Upon learning that the books with kids who look like her have been banned by her school district, Kanzi descends into fear and helplessness. But her classmates support her, and together—with their teacher’s help—they hatch a plan to hold a bake sale and use the proceeds to buy diverse books to donate to libraries.
View the audiobookMust-Read Books for Young Adults
Battle of the Bands
A daughter of rock ’n’ roll royalty has a secret crush. A lonely ticket taker worries about his sister. An almost-famous songwriter nurses old wounds. A singer-songwriter struggles to untangle her feelings for her best friend and his girlfriend. In this live-out-loud anthology, the disparate protagonists of sixteen stories are thrown together for one unforgettable event: their high school’s battle of the bands.
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The Art Thieves
It’s the near future. Stevie Henry is a Cherokee girl working at a museum in Texas, trying to save up enough money to go to college. The world around her is in a cycle of drought and superstorms, ice and fire, but … people get by. But it’s about to get a whole lot worse. When a mysterious boy shows up at Stevie’s museum, saying that he’s from the future—and telling her about the apocalypse that is to come—she refuses to believe him. But soon Stevie will have no choice.
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This Thing of Ours
In an instant, Ossie Brown’s entire future is in jeopardy when a torn ACL ends his promising basketball career. Now that basketball is no longer a major part of his identity, Ossie—a Black teen who doesn’t come from wealth and privilege—must navigate his new place in the social and academic ecosystems of his affluent, predominantly white school.
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The Black Flamingo
Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he’s navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican—but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough. As he gets older, Michael’s coming out is only the start of learning who he is and where he fits in. When he discovers the Drag Society, he finally finds where he belongs—and the Black Flamingo is born.
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The Vinyl Underground
During the tumultuous year of 1968, four outcasts find sanctuary in The Vinyl Underground, a record club where they spin music, joke, debate, and escape the stifling norms of their small southern town. But Ronnie’s eighteenth birthday is looming. Together, they hatch a plan to keep Ronnie from being drafted. But when a horrific act of racially-charged violence rocks the gang to their core, they decide it’s time for an epic act of rebellion.
View the audiobookSummer may feel endless, but that first day of school can creep up on you and your young readers. Explore all our back to school recommendations to find the perfect book for your kid to start the school year off right!
And if you’re interested in exploring more audiobooks for your young readers, we’ve got you covered.