Back to School Book Recs

Well folks! It’s official, summer vacation is over. I now have an ENTIRE WEEK of the 2018/2019 school year under my belt, and I am determined to make it a good one.

I heard someone say recently that August feels more like the new year than January, and for me that is so true. I find myself making all kinds of New Year’s Resolutions, about being a teacher and just about life in general. So if your New Year’s Resolution is to read more, or to promote a culture of reading in your family, this is the post for you!

I’m going to be recommending my favorite book for kids in each grade level K-12. I can’t guarantee that each book is going to be right for every kid in the world, but I’m trying to recommend things that I think most kids will like. I’m especially paying attention to books I think would be enjoyed by both boys and girls.

So here we go! Back to school recommendations coming your way.

Elementary

Kindergarten – Hop on Pop

This is kind of a long book, so if you’ve never read anything substantial with your kids before, you might want to ease into this one! I recommend subtly skipping pages in the middle so they feel like they’ve accomplished something big.

What I love about Hop on Pop is that beginning readers can work on their phonics and sight words with the big words at the top of the page, but then parents can read the longer sentences. But by the end of the year they should be able to read everything in this book, with help, of course. I also love how silly and fun this is, perfect for young imaginations! It is impossible to go wrong with Dr. Seuss.

Fun Fantasy Recommendations

About 5 years ago (maybe a little more) a fun idea for a book came to me in a dream. I may have even written a page or two in my journal, but I’ve never been able to write more than a chapter or two of a book. One summer I got halfway through a Northanger Abbey contemporary YA, but other than that ideas have always ended pretty much at the idea board. Besides which, I don’t think I’m a particularly good writer, and this idea is too good to waste on bad writing. So I’ve not ever done much other than dream about it.

But recently something I said offhand on twitter made my husband say something to me which got all kinds of lightbulbs going on this story again. I now have a bare-bones outline and ONE character name! But it’s still mostly living in the idea realm.

Most likely this story will never get written. As I said, it’s too good of one to waste on my poor attempts at writing fiction. However, I am officially not giving up on it. Instead I am leisurely pursuing it. No actual writing yet, just jotting down ideas as they come to me. However, I am starting to run out of ideas and need some inspiration.

That, bookish friends, is where you all come in! I want to read some books or watch some movies in a similar vein. Not for ideas, so much as to get more familiar with the genre. In particular, I’m not very funny and I would like to absorb some good humor, and I am not very whimsical and need to find my inner-whimsey.

So!

Recommendations for fantasy books/movies/TV that are of the action/adventure variety, especially if they are funny. Bonus points if they’re really just for fun and not especially serious. Examples include: The Princess Bride, The Neverending Story, The Pirates of Penzance, Hook, Dragonheart, and Stardust (movie or book, they both get the idea).

Thanks guys! Looking forward to adding some stuff to my to-be-read and to-be-watched lists! ❤