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Cool School Picks
Updated: Sep 3
It’s happening. Awakening to an alarm, boarding a bus and meeting teachers at the door, excitement builds as a new year begins. Time to kiss the summer goodbye and open the door to academia, to seeing old friends and making new ones. Time to embrace learning and get challenged by classes you thought you might hate, but end up loving.
To kick off the year, Clover’s suggesting “Cool School Picks” that students can check out at their school and public libraries, thanks to the generous contributions of Book Buddy sponsors.
Page On. Enjoy!
The Community Literacy Foundation, in partnership with Neighborhood Reads, and with support from its sponsors, provides these books at no cost to 34 schools in Washington, Union, Pacific, St. Clair and surrounding communities and to the Washington Public Library. Learn more at CommunityLiteracyFoundation.org.
Youngest Read
It’s something every kid dreams of. Waking up with the sniffles and being able to stay home. That’s the scenario for Herbie, who is excited beyond words about all he’ll do in “A Day Off School,” by Oliver Jeffers.
As his sister Daisy trumps off in the cold bundled up in her coat, Herbie enjoys breakfast in a fort he’s built, zapping bad guys in Space Blasters, racing his car around the track and drawing dinosaurs.
Pretty soon he’s done everything he wanted to do.
That’s when boredom sets in and Herbie, horror of horrors, starts thinking about school. Good grief, what’s wrong with him? He’s been gifted the greatest blessing and yet he’s wondering what cool things might be happening at school. Maybe it’s somebody’s birthday, maybe there’s a “dog loose in the corridors?”
When Daisy get home from school with perhaps an enviable object in her backpack, there’s not a chance Herbie will miss school again. The boy’s zany musings come to life in wild, splashy illustrations Kevin Waldron.
Middle Read
Fabric takes fanciful flights in “Story Rug,” a feel-good book by Sophie Blackall, a treasure of an author. While the classes around them are energized and loud, Class 203 at Margaret Bennett Elementary School “is silent.” The students are engaged in braiding, “Left over center, right over center, left over center.” They braid each other’s hair, the tails of toy horses, even shoelaces get the works, until there’s no fabric left, causing Noah to complain to Mr. Morena, who has a fix for everything.
With a big rip, the teacher tears whiteboard rags into strips and Noah soon has a braided length that amazes his friends. Noah takes his braid home and his dad, who has a fix for everything, takes an old green shirt, gives it a rip, and suddenly Noah has more fabric to work with.
Noah’s passion for braiding catches on with the kids in Class 203, who contribute their own fabrics, all of which have special meaning. The end result makes the students proud and provides a comfy seat to sit and share stories. Illustrations with a folk art feel, by Phoebe Wahl, perfectly compliment a story of ingenuity and teamwork.
Oldest Read
Eye-opening and entertaining, Norm Feuti’s graphic novel “A Kid Like Me” introduces readers to Ethan an incoming 8th grader who has less in life than most kids.
When school starts, and all the students have new shoes and designer backpacks, Ethan has to make do—as he does with other school necessities because his mother is the sole breadwinner in their house of two.
Ethan’s desire to fit in is apparent when his friend Ricky comes over and gets out his new phone. Ethan wants a phone too, everyone at school will have one, but his mom says not now, they can’t afford it.
To compound Ethan’s angst, Ricky tells him their middle school is full of “rich kids,” Ethan panics, worried he will look different. His clothes aren’t name-brand because his mom shops at Big Box, where she works and gets a discount. He’s also not going to get a new backpack because money is tight.
When Ethan’s school schedule comes in the mail, it’s a disappointment. His friend Ricky isn’t in any of his classes. Yet the friends decide this might be okay—it will give them a chance to add to their “crew” with new kids they’ll meet.
Middle school is initially the school of hard knocks as Ethan endures embarrassing situations, teasing and bullying doled out by affluent students with little to no empathy or understanding of those with “less than.”
“A Kid Like Me,” offers lessons certain to raise awareness, encouraging kids to be kind, and to consider other students’ feelings before making comments and acting out in hurtful ways.
Written by Chris Stuckenschneider.
Copyright 2026, Community Literacy Foundation.
