Backpacks are being unpacked, classrooms dusted off, and reading is finding its way back into our daily routines this time of year. As students get ready to learn and parents look forward to a moment to settle in with a good book, build your next reading list with us.
Our Back to the Books picks follow readers wherever this season finds them. Marie Curie comes to life through time travel, while another book turns the science of hurricanes into an adventure of discovery. There is fantasy waiting after the final bell, first love for the YA crowd, and a timely look at raising children in the age of AI.
School may be back in session, but the reading list belongs to everyone.
Human Raised: Nurturing Connection, Curiosity & Lifelong Learning in the Age of AI by Dana Suskind, M.D.
As AI makes its way into classrooms, playrooms, and everyday family life, Dr. Dana Suskind asks parents to consider what technology can offer children and what it simply cannot replace. Drawing on neuroscience and her work exploring how human interaction shapes developing brains, she examines the role parents can play in keeping genuine connection at the heart of childhood while making thoughtful choices about new technologies.
Timely back-to-school reading for parents and educators figuring out how to raise human kids in an increasingly AI-powered world.
Where the Orchard Ends by Sefi Wells, illustrated by Kate Lozovska
After tragedy leaves twelve-year-old Wren Harper silent, she is sent from Arizona to live with her estranged grandmother on an Oregon apple orchard. There, during a violent storm, she discovers an injured Appaloosa mare hiding in the woods. Caring for Talowa gives Wren a connection she desperately needs, but when the horse’s cruel owner comes looking for her, Wren faces an impossible challenge: protecting the animal that is helping her heal may require finding the voice she thought she had lost.
For young readers navigating difficult emotions, this tender story shows how sometimes helping another living creature can help us find our own way forward.
Marie Curie’s Radiant Quest: Dr. K’s Portal Through Time by Dr. Katherine E.A. Korkidis, illustrated by Emilie B. Nuñez
What if learning about one of history’s greatest scientists meant traveling through time to meet her? Jennifer and Daniel join their mentor, Dr. K, on an adventure into the life and laboratory of Marie Curie, witnessing the determination behind her groundbreaking discoveries. Along the way, young readers encounter the real woman behind the Nobel Prizes and discover how her pursuit of knowledge changed medical science.
The perfect back-to-the-books pick for budding scientists who would rather experience history than simply memorize it.
Hurricane by Jason Chin
A beautiful day on Hatteras Island takes on new urgency as a Category 3 hurricane barrels across the Atlantic. Caldecott and Sibert Medalist Jason Chin follows the storm’s progress while showing how meteorologists track its path and families prepare for its possible arrival. Detailed maps and striking illustrations help young readers understand both the science behind these powerful storms and the real-world decisions people make when one approaches.
Bring a little STEM to story time with a fascinating pick that can carry curious kids from the reading rug straight into a science lesson.
PILLYWIGGIN Awakening: The Complete Story Arc (Books 1–2) by Debbie Bishop
Peter has spent his life hiding among humans, but a betrayal and mysterious warning force the light fae to flee. His search for answers eventually leads to a startling discovery: a twin sister he never knew existed and a shared power that makes them targets. Meanwhile, imprisoned young fae are preparing for another fight to escape a brutal fate. Their paths converge in an epic fantasy where becoming a hero has less to do with prophecy than learning to fight for yourself.
For students craving an escape after the final bell, this two-book story arc offers a whole other world to disappear into.
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
In Depression-era Oxford, Mississippi, eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned not to count on anyone after being abandoned at an orphanage. Elsewhere in town, outspoken Birdie Calhoun discovers that her sister’s privileged life is not what it seems. Their paths eventually collide with Charlie, a woman with little left to lose and an audacious idea for taking back some control. From the bestselling author of “The Help,” this historical novel follows underestimated women willing to challenge the rules of their time.
Once the kids are back in class, grown-up readers can do a little history homework of their own with this rebellious trip to 1930s Mississippi.
Gretna Can’t Get Any Greener by L. A. Tramwell
Vadim has eight months before mandatory military service in Israel changes the course of his life. Then he meets Louise. Set in 1990s Jerusalem during their final school year, their first love unfolds against a looming deadline and family expectations that leave little room for choosing their own future. Gretna Green, Scotland’s famous destination for runaway weddings, begins to look like a possible escape, but growing up means deciding what they are willing to risk for each other.
For older teens heading into a new school year, this coming-of-age romance puts a much bigger question behind “What comes next?” when the answer may already be decided for you.
Reflections on Life’s Illusions: A Memoir of Culture and Consciousness by Jane Gallagher
Jane Gallagher looks back at coming of age during a period when American culture itself seemed to be coming apart and remaking itself. Moving through the social upheavals of the mid-twentieth century, she blends personal memory with a broader examination of the cultural stories that shaped the baby boom generation. Rather than simply revisiting the past, Gallagher considers how those experiences continue to influence the beliefs we carry into the present.
For Baby Boomers ready to revisit a defining era, and younger generations curious about the world they inherited.
But I Hate Him by Page Powars
Rory does not lose. At least, he is not supposed to. The high-achieving heir to a wildly successful tutoring company has built his life around being perfect, except infuriating hockey player Luca Melendez keeps beating him at academic competitions. When both land at BRAIN, the country’s most cutthroat academic camp, Rory devises a perfectly reasonable strategy: make Luca fall for him, then break his heart before the final competition. What could possibly go wrong?
Academic rivalry gets a rom-com upgrade in this YA read, just in time to make heading back to class a lot more entertaining.
Wombat Waiting by Katherine Applegate
Wombat is not actually a wombat. She is a homeless dog, singed and covered in ash after a catastrophic fire tears through a community. Convinced there is someone out there destined to be her person, Wombat plants herself near a makeshift community center and waits. Newbery Award-winning author Katherine Applegate tells her story in verse, following a determined dog and the recovering community around her as they search for what comes next after everything familiar has changed.
A poignant middle-grade pick for a new reading season, especially for kids who know that sometimes the best stories come with four paws.
A new school year brings fresh notebooks, sharpened pencils, and the promise of discovering something new. Consider this your invitation to get back to the books and make a little more room for reading as the season changes. Your next great read is waiting.
