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.

Favorite Dragon Books

It’s not much of a secret around here that I absolutely love dragons. Any type of dragon! Big dragons, small dragons, tame dragons, wild dragons, evil dragons, dragons that fly, dragons that don’t, fire breathing dragons, gold hoarding dragons, intelligent dragons, non-talking dragons, I pretty much love them all. My favorite dragon books usually present dragons in a new or different way from the books I’m used to reading.

So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are some of my favorite books about or featuring dragons.

His Majesty’s Dragon

An alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars where in addition to the army and navy, each side has an aeronautical division.

“When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.”

If you enjoy historical fiction and fantasy, this mash-up is absolutely brilliant!

Me In Book Characters Tag

Thanks to Anatomy of a Book Thief for tagging me in this one! I’ve been watching it go around, and it’s really interesting to see what characters people identify the most with. I think it’s going to be a difficult one for me, partly because I identify with pretty much every character I read, and partly because none of them are quite the same as me. At the very least we should all get a good laugh out of my bending and stretching! Haha.

The Rules:

• Thank the creators of the tag (Us! Ash and Lo @Windowsill Books)
• Thank whoever tagged you
• List 5 book characters who you are most like and why
• Tag your friends!

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Hermione from Harry Potter

by tho-be on Deviant Art

I feel like this almost goes without saying. Is there a bookworm out there who doesn’t relate to Hermione? I know that growing up, especially, I really looked up to her and wanted to be like her. It’s not just her love for books that I relate to, but also her feeling of being an outsider. I never really feel like I fit in either. I also strongly identify with her long-standing crush on Ron. Not that I have a crush on Ron, haha. But once I would get attached to a boy, no amount of lack of interest on his part would cause me to stop crushing.

Feel-Good Books for the Holidays

I don’t like to read Chritmas-themed books. I don’t know, they seem a little hokey to me. Also, they tend to be romancy, which isn’t really my thing.

However, at this time of year I do prefer a lighter read, preferably one that gives me all the warm fuzzies. Bonus points if its set in the winter, but I’m really not going to go out of my way to find that.

So. Here are five books along those lines that I would recommend at this time of year.

1. Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I’m an absolute sucker for Rainbow Rowell’s books, and of the ones I’ve read this has been the most feel-good. It really left me overwhelmed with all of the feels. I loved the realistic adult romance, as well as the family aspect. Bonus points, it’s actually set over Christmas!