Hit These Back-to-School Books This September

September means the kids are back in school, hitting the books. Here are a few school-themed books you can check out for your free-reading time, recommended by Apple Valley's staff member Annemarie Robertson.

"A Separate Peace" by John Knowles      

This classic coming-of-age story about a group of boys in an exclusive New England prep school may be the start of your quest to reread some of the classics this fall. The story is set between the summer session of 1942 and the summer of 1943, and World War ll plays a prominent role in this character-driven novel. The two main characters, Gene Forrester and Phineas (Finny), start out as fast friends, but quickly animosity develops between the boys as they each perceive they are trying to outdo one another. Universal themes about the relationship of these young boys and about human nature make this classic an important read.

"Joy School" by Elizabeth Berg     

Thirteen-year-old Katie suffers through a move to a new town and a new school. With her mother recently deceased, she moves to Missouri with her retired army officer father. Katie has to figure out how to work through the obstacles of a new school and a new group of friends. The characters she meets at school are realistically written and bring back memories of your own school days. An older man rescues her from an accident and she falls in love with him not realizing that he does not return her feelings. Whether chronicling the fun way to bake peanut butter cookies or her heroine's budding passion for literature, Berg sensitively mines the loneliness and bewilderment inherent in being young, insecure and desperate for connection.

"Rule of Four" by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

This book starts with four Princeton senior roommates on Easter break ruing the end of their university days and questioning what the future might bring. By the time the break is over, two people are dead, one of the students is injured and one has disappeared. These events, combined with Renaissance history, code breaking, acrostics, sleuthing and personal discovery, move the story along at a rapid pace. The character’s quest deals with a real 15th-century novel, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, that has long puzzled scholars. Great read for those who love mysteries, history and intellectual scholarship. 

"Kabul Beauty School" by Deborah Rodriquez    

Rodriguez, a hairdresser from Holland, MI, joined a small nongovernmental aid organization on a mission to the war-torn nation of Afghanistan. That visit changed her life. In Kabul, she chronicles her efforts to help establish the country’s first modern beauty school and training salon. This is a true story of a woman who suffers an abusive relationship then uses her skills and her school to change the lives of women from a different culture and with different political sensitivities. Inspirational characters abound from Rodriguez herself to other Americans who help her and to the Afghani woman themselves.

"Savage Inequalities" by Jonathon Kozol    

Although this nonfiction work came out in the '90s, it provides an important backdrop to the educational reform discussions of today. Kozol visits schools throughout poverty stricken cities such as New York, San Antonio, Chicago and Washington D.C., illustrating the disparities of resources that are spent on school children in these various cities. This book is written to spark debate on how we can lift up all of our children to become successful Americans. 

Children's Book: "First Grade Stinks" by Mary Ann Rodman    

First-grader Haley is upset that she can’t return to kindergarten where she had such a wonderful school year and had such a great teacher. She eventually realizes first grade is special too. As your children transition into a new year, this and many other picture and chapter books are available at the library to help!