G oing back to school after a long summer is both exciting and scary, no matter how old you are. Here are some book recommendations from the New Orleans Public Library to ease those back-to-school jitters and get students of all ages back-to-school ready:
from the bookshelf
YOUNG READERS In Owls Make Terrible Teachers!! by Krisi Mahoney & Chantelle & Burgen Thorne, surprises await when you find out what might happen when an owl takes flight in the classroom as a substitute teacher. From hunting for a midnight snack to awkward bathroom breaks, this school day stretches into a night like no other. Told through humorous letters to math over the course of one school year, Dear Math, We’re Not Friends by Lina Chopra Haldar & Teresa Martinez is a perfect choice for math-hesitant kids. Readers observe the main character’s journey from feeling uneasy even thinking about math to embracing how universal—and fun— math can be. In Mi Escuela Is My School by Laurenne Sala & Zara Hoang Gonzalez, kids join a young boy as he takes them through his day at school. This charming bilingual book is full of Spanish and English vocabulary words,
Your Crush in Three Easy Steps could turn middle school into your best years ever or a total disaster. Readers decide what happens next in this choose-your-own-adventure tale, packed with 19 possible endings. TEENS In Worst-Case Scenario by Ray Stoeve, Sidney has two goals for their junior year. One: become president of their school’s Queer Alliance club. Two: keep their self- diagnosed anxiety in check, so their grades don’t tank like they did last year. But when the election results in a tie with Sidney’s arch nemesis, the two are forced to share the presidency until a revote at the end of term. Corpse de Ballet by Megan Kearney introduces readers to Rosamund Hammond as she arrives at a fancy new boarding school in the middle of the year. But something at Saint Anselmus doesn’t feel right. It turns out that just before Rosamund enrolled, a student disappeared without telling anyone. Was it really a leave of absence—or something more sinister?
bringing readers from el gran árbol to la biblioteca, and everywhere in between. MIDDLE GRADE Middle School Monsters by Robin Easter is a fantastic story about fitting in, standing out, and accepting what makes us unique. Readers of this graphic novel meet a “werewolf” looking for a fresh start when she finds an unexpected friendship with her school’s so- called vampire. In Absent by Rex Ogle, three lonely boys are thrown together in detention for skipping school and realize they still have a lot to learn—not just from their teachers, but also from each other. With issues ranging from incarcerated fathers to bullies, Ogle explores absenteeism through three distinct voices: Manny’s in verse, Calvin’s as a comic, and Liam’s as a prose journal, in this unique middle-grade novel.
From boy trouble to BFF drama, every choice you make in Emma Carlson Berne’s Snare
Kacy Helwick is the youth collection development librarian for the New Orleans Public Library’s collections and acquisitions department. Marie Simoneaux is the media and communications coordinator for the New Orleans Public Library.
8 AUGUST 2026 | NOLAFAMILY.COM
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