It's that time of year again! Nerdy's top 10 back-to-school reads.
The collective groans of kids across the nation are ringing through the last days of summer freedom, but sometimes going back to school is just the thing for a good story! Whether you're headed back to the books or you've left the hallowed halls of learning for a while, here are my top 10 back-to-school books:
10. Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
What would you do if you found out that your summer camp was full of vampires, witches, werewolves and fairies? Born at Midnight is the first installment of C.C. Hunter's Shadow Falls series, and has just enough drama to make you want to continue reading without going "blech" like so many paranormal teen romance books do. It's a light, fun read and a last hurrah for summer before school kicks back in.
9. The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
We were all, at some point, that lonely kid in the hallway who was too shy to make friends. Imogene is just the girl to grab that lonely kid in all of us and run laughing down the hallway. In The Blue Girl Charles de Lint takes normal struggles (moving to a new town, not having any friends, being a ghost....) and weaves his magic around them, introducing us to characters and places we wish we knew in real life. The Blue Girl is a great introduction to de Lint's city of Newford and its quirks too - Once you've taken your first step in Newford, you'll want to visit again and again.
8. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Everybody needs to escape from reality every once in a while, and everyone wants to be loved. The Neverending Story is one of those books that hits you right in the feels (in a way the movie just can't). I spent many a middle school end-of-year class watching the movie, but it doesn't until I read that book that I was really able to connect to Sebastian and equate his struggles with issues I faced in my own life. The Neverending Story is about motivation, inspiration, love, and the need to keep your feet on the ground - but let your head stray among the clouds a little. It's a great end-of-summer read to face the troubles a new school year may bring.
7. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
Now, I know what you're thinking: Why is Wicked on a back to school book list? Sing it with me: "Dear old Shizzzzzzz"! While Wicked wonderfully illustrates the effects of power, corruption, and political nuance, it also shows how the seeds for civil unrest are sown in a nation's youth. The collegiate culture and its contribution to political indoctrination is beautifully examined in Elphaba and company's experiences at Shiz and provides the basis for their later actions. This is probably the most serious book on this list (in terms of social studies), but serves to remind us: What happens in school matters later in life, no matter which path you choose.
6. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Whenever I want something that will make me laugh, I turn to Georgia Nicholson for advice. This series provided the comic relief for my dramatic teenage years. It's full of girly ha-ha jokes, the joy of tormenting that teacher everyone hates, and universal truths: shaving off your eyebrows is not a good idea, and you're really lucky if you get the be the girlfriend of a sex god. This is a great book (and series!) to show that teenage girls all around the world are pretty much the same: amazing.
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
I love A Tree Grows in Brooklyn because it shows us that no matter what curve balls life throws at us, we can overcome them. Not only does this book show the importance of education, but it highlights how a family working together benefits from even the smallest effort. If A Tree Grows in Brooklyn wasn't assigned as required reading in your school, you should stroll into Betty Smith's incredibly encouraging novel and see how one girl's tenacity changed her world.
4. Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
We've all had dreams of being sent away to boarding school (okay, maybe just me). If I had to pick one I'd want to go to Madam Geraldine's, where girls learn to become intelligencers, in an airship, with vampire and werewolf teachers.
Sometimes when an author moves from adult fiction to young adult the writing style gets toned down and you can tell the books are aimed for a younger audience. Gail Carriger artfully avoids this trap by packing the Finishing School series with spies, steampunk mechanical finery, and the odd awkward romantic moment. If you liked the Parasol Protectorate but haven't ventured into the YA genre for fear of poor writing, please read this book!
3. Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast
What would you do if you found out that you were Marked, picked to become a vampire when all you wanted was to have a normal teenage life? Marked is not your normal vampire-teen-angst story, and P.C. and Kristin Cast have done an amazing job of taking on a genre that's seen too many sparkles and revitalizing it in a whole new way.
The idea of a special school for the extraordinary is not entirely original, but the House of Night is the first of its kind in a particular way: Like Etiquette and Espionage, while everyone knows that the school exists there's something running beneath the surface that's itching to get out. Marked not only has the oh-man-i'm-a-vampire-now-what problems to face, but also the new-kid-in-school drama which elevates the entire story. It's a great beginning to a great series, and things only get better (if bloodier) from here.
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter had to be on this list. You might be thinking "But why the first one?" Well, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the book where Hogwarts as an educational institution is really described and we get to be first year students with Harry, taking in all the quirky moving stairwells and talking portraits with wonder for the first time.
Each Harry Potter book really requires its own full review, but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone deserves a special mention on this list for reminding us why school is magical to begin with.
1. Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
This is my favorite stand alone fantasy book, and I'll be doing an in-depth review after I read it again in October. Yes, I read this book every October, and here's why: Tam Lin makes me feel like I'm in college again.
The story starts off with the main character (Janet) moving into her dorm room at the beginning of her freshman year, and follows her relationships, growth, and love for learning through the next three and a half years. Pamela Dean ran straight through my English Major heart with the numerous references to classical texts and the way Janet falls in love with languages.
While this is an urban fantasy based off the traditional ballad of Tam Lin, the really fantastical elements are so subtle even real-to-life fiction reader would enjoy this book.
Overall, this book makes me think of the excitement of starting a new class, the nervousness of meeting new classmates, the prospects of friendship and romantic connections that college brings, and reminds me why I love reading in the first place.