Kids are heading to the classroom with new pencils, new teachers, and some new areas of study. The classroom brings on challenges for many students in terms of learning new things, making friends, and discovering talents. Let’s make sure kids are armed with materials that ease them into the school year. Here are some of my selections:

Books You Should Know About

Tryouts by Sarah Sax

Buy the ebook here

Buy the audiobook here

In this graphic novel we meet Al who loves baseball. She’s been playing for years and loves to watch it, but her middle school only has boys baseball and the team has won the championship nine years in a row. Softball is great, but it’s not her sport. With the encouragement of her friends, Al decides to try out for the boys team. With hopes of a tenth championship on their backs, Al may be exactly what this team needs, IF they can come together.

With the Olympics behind us, enthusiasm for sports is high. This book is a combination of competition and the anxiety of trying something outside of the norm. Tryouts is a perfect reminder to kids that although sometimes trying something new can be scary and can lead to failure, it can also lead to success and new experiences.

Club Microbe by Elise Gravel

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Although this sounds like a club the character Stefon would mention during one of his SNL sketches, this is a picture book. It’s an adorable book with the cutest drawings of microbes you’ve probably ever seen. From Lactobacillus, a bacteria that helps make cheese, to influenza, this book briefly touches on the helpful and harmful microbes in our world. There are lists of how to prevent yourself from getting germs that cause disease, but also how to encourage growth of good microbes in your gut. The author is enthusiastic about her subject and that enthusiasm comes across in the writing and drawings. This is a beginners look at microbes, so it’s perfect for a younger audience.

Eyewitness Horse by DK

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Is it really back to school time if kids don’t have Eyewitness books? The DK Eyewitness series has been around since the ‘80s. This is a bedrock series. Want to learn about a specific era in history? Eyewitness book. Obsessed with horses? Eyewitness book. Whether kids pick these books up for the pictures or they are diving into the subject matter, these are excellent books for elementary school students.

 

Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo

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A picture book that feels a little like a graphic novel, this book is a beautiful look at a young girl who is starting at a new school in the US and doesn’t know much English. Through a series of drawings and sparse dialogue bubbles, the reader recognizes that this little girl is lonely, homesick for the place she once lived, and looking to find her place. Lunch is the only time of day where she finds comfort through the homemade lunches her mother packs for her. Through the actions of an observant classmate, the girl makes friends with other kids. This book captures the feeling of starting a new school and being an ESL student. This is a perfect back to school book as it talks about the loneliness of being a new kid at a new school in a new country.

Everything You Need to Ace World History in One Big Fat Notebook by Workman Publishing

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If your library is looking to add to its homework help area, the Big Fat Notebooks series is what you’re looking for. The pages in these titles look like you are borrowing a friend’s very well-organized notes. The pages look like notebooks and there are lots of colors and drawings that keep the subjects from feeling dry. The World History notebook is mostly western focused, but with many sections outlining things that were happening in ancient India, the rise of Islam in the Middle Ages, the Medieval Mongol Empire, and resistance to colonization just to name a few of the sections outlined. This is a great series for students looking to brush up on a subject or who want a more approachable text about specific topics.

Hot Off the Press

Is childhood complete if you haven’t read Highlights magazine? I think not. This monthly publication lets kids do hidden object puzzles, read short stories and play other games. It’s an interactive magazine that packs a punch.

Visit the Simultaneous Use section of Marketplace here to add magazines to your digital collection today.  

 

Must-Watch TV

Watch on Kanopy here

For families who are sending their young children to school, maybe for the first time, the Franklin episode called Franklin Goes to School is an excellent watch before the first day. Franklin’s first day of school is an exciting prospect, but what is expected of him?

Looking for more back to school content?

Check out these recommended lists put together by our Digital Content Librarians to prepare students in your community for the excitement of a new year and help them tackle challenges like meeting new people and struggling with school work.

Thank you for joining us on this week’s round up of back to school materials! Reach out to your Digital Content Librarian or Account Manager for more information on how to provide the best content for your community.

About the author: Kristin loves books. Since she was a small child, any extra money she had went towards buying a new book and her library book bag was always stacked with books she usually didn’t have enough time to read. As for her taste in books, she will pick up books that are spooky and/or cozy and her genres of choice are horror, fantasy, mystery, romance, and anything else that sounds intriguing. Due to this love, Kristin went into libraries and got her MLIS in 2012. She worked as an Adult Services Librarian for two years before coming to OverDrive. She loves doing collection development work for public libraries.