Friday, August 23, 2013

Back-to-School Books Part 2

Hi, Readers!

       Thanks for tuning in to Part 2 of Back-to-School Books!  If you missed my last post on Monday, Part 1, click here.  All of these books are fun reads that will get you jazzed up for the first day of school.  They include relatable characters and interesting plot lines. Each novel is followed by an age recommendation, genre, and short summary.  Click on a title for more information about that book on Amazon Books.


6. Prep, by Curtis Sittenfeld
Age rating: 16 and up
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Lee Fiora, a quiet girl who would rather observe than participate, transfers to the Ault School, a private school filled with stereotypical students.  She learns more about everybody there than they even know about themselves by watching from a distance.  Instead of participating in constant partying, Lee chooses to stay in her room alone.  However, she ends up being more similar to the prep school students than she could ever imagine.  This novel is filled with the insightful observations of the self-conscious teen.

7. School Spirits, by Rachel Hawkins
Age rating: 10 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Izzy Brannick is a trained monster-fighter, but she is no match for high school.  When a strange ghost is sighted at a local school, Izzy gets the chance to attend this school for a month and makes friends with some unusual characters.  She struggles to focus on the case because she is too busy having sleepovers with her new buddies, studying for tests, and playing dodge ball in gym.  Will she be able to banish the ghost, or will she crack under the pressure of being a high school monster hunter?

8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney
Age rating: 7 and up
Genre: Realistic fiction
Greg Heffley is probably the only boy who keeps a diary, but his cartoon drawings of school make readers of all ages laugh out loud.  Some of Greg's tormentors include his older brother, Rodrick, his best friend, Rowley, and his middle school classmates.  His silly tips about making it through middle school and his descriptions of his stereotypical classmates include just the right amount of teenage angst and comedy.


9. The Secret School, by Avi
Age rating: 8 and up
Genre: Historical fiction
In the year of 1925, all Ida Bidson has to do to become a teacher is to finish the eighth grade and attend high school.  However, her plan is thrown out of the window when her local high school is forced to shut down.  Ida has to keep the school opened if she wants to become a teacher.  The fourteen year old must take over the school all by herself, keep up with her chores, teach her classmates, and somehow manage to pass the eighth grade final exams, all in less than a year.

10. Going Vintage, by Lindsey Leavitt
Age rating: 13 and up
Genre: Realistic fiction
Finding out that your boyfriend is cheating on you is bad enough, but Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is with a girl that he has never even met!  Jeremy is flirting with a girl in a social media game, causing Mallory to swear off of technology.  She finds a list that her grandmother made in 1962 about her school year goals, and she pledges to complete all of the tasks.  From becoming pep-squad secretary to sewing her own homecoming dress, all without the help of technology, Mallory sure has some hard work cut out for herself.


       Reading a few of these books will help to get you excited for the upcoming school year.  Many of them are great for both kids and adults alike.  Whether you are interested in reading about a monster-hunting student or a boy who is writing in his diary, you will enjoy these books with a school setting.  Give some of them a try and get excited for the first day of school!

Read on,

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