Saying Goodbye to Summer: The First Day of School

School starts in the next few weeks, which signals the ultimate end of summer. I've survived a lot of first days of school: two elementary schools, two middle schools, two high schools and three colleges. I got good at making new friends and settling in really fast. But each first day at a new school brought it's own unique challenges, and I'd like to think I brought each school unique experiences all my own.

The first day of school changes everything. It doesn't matter what grade you're going into--from the very first day of kindergarten to leaving for college, boy or girl, smart or not, new or retuning--we all try to reinvent ourselves for that very first day. So here are some books for different age groups crossing a lot of genres that take place on (or close to) the first day of school:

Picture Books

Kissing Hands by Audrey Penn
Sea Monster's First Day by Kate Messner
David Goes To School by David Shannon
Arthur's Teacher Trouble by Marc Brown

Early Reader/Chapter Books

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park
Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls #2: The New Girl by Meg Cabot
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Middle Grade

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Bobby Vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

YA

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Upper YA

Jake, Reinvented by Gordon Korman
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sheman Alexie
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter