Book Lists and Recommendations

New Book Spotlight

These are just a few of the great new books you can find in the Harvest Elementary library.  Come check them out!

LONG LOST

Jacqueline West


Eleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn’t exist.

When Fiona’s family moves to a new town to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club—and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated by a long-dead heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance.

Fantasy Fiction

INVISIBLE

Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Can five overlooked kids make one big difference?

There’s George: the brain

Sara: the loner

Dayara: the tough kid

Nico: the rich kid

And Miguel: the athlete

Although they’re sure they have nothing in common with one another, some people see them as all the same . . . just five Spanish-speaking kids.

Then they meet someone who truly needs their help, and they must decide whether they are each willing to expose their own secrets to help . . . or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.

Graphic Novel

Brands We Know: Barbie

Sara Green

You saw the movie, now read the story of how the iconic doll was created. And learn more about her history and influence on culture for generations.

Nonfiction

Capybara is Friends With Everyone!

Maddie Frost

Capybara will do anything for his friends. But it’s exhausting—and when Capybara meets a potential new friend who doesn’t seem to be responding to his advances, Capybara learns a valuable lesson. His friends like him just for who he is!

Picture Book

Book Lists from Around the Web

Beehive Book Award Lists Utah's own reader's choice awards for children and young adults.

Caldecott Award Books List Granted to distinguished picture books for children.

Coretta Scott King Award Books List Awarded to outstanding children's books by African American authors and illustrators.

Geisel Award Books List Given to outstanding beginning readers books.

Learn in Color Huge list of books about history (and some movies too!)

Newbery Award Books List Given to books offering a distinguished contribution to children's literature. (usually chapter books)

NPR Best Books for Children 100 reader favorite books for kids.

Pura Belpre Award Books List  These books are exemplary in showing LatinX life and cultures and are written and/or illustrated by LatinX creators.

Sibert Award Books List Given to outstanding informational (nonfiction) books for children.

Books about starting and going to school

Picture Books

*The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes

Mae's First Day of School by Kate Berube

*I Will Be Fierce by Bea Birdsong

*Lena's Shoes Are Nervous by Keith Calabrese

*Stellaluna by Janel Cannon

*I Am Absolutely Too Small for School by Lauren Child

*The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

*Island Born by Junot Diaz

Twindergarten by Nikki Erlich

*Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

*We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

*Amazing Grace by Alice Hoffman

Sophie's Squash Starts School by Pat Miller

*Happy School Year by Susan Milord

Maple and Willow Apart by Lori Nichols

*The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill

*All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

*School's First Day of School by Adam Rex

*Annabelle Swift, Kindergartener by Amy Schwartz

*Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

Ming Goes to School by Dierdre Sullivan

Raise Your Hand by Alice Paul Tapper

*Teacher From the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler

*I Hate School by Jeanne Willis

*The Pigeon Has to Go to School by Mo Willems

*The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson


Early Readers

*Cam Jansen and the Green School Mystery by David Adler

*Arthur's Back to School Day by Lilian Hoban

*Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry

*New Kid at School by Kate McMullan

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: School Days by Erica Silverman

*Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park

*Morris Goes to School by Bernard Wiseman


Graphic Novels

*New Kid by Jerry Craft

*Nate the Great by Lincoln Pierce

*Guts by Raina Telgemeir


Middle Grade/Chapter Books

*Addi Learns a Lesson American Girls

*Secret School by Avi

*Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

*Wink by Rob Harrell

*Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm

*Alvin Ho by Lenore Look

Judy Moody Was in a Mood by Megan McDonald

*Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson

*Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

*Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks


Nonfiction

*This Is the Way We Go to School by Edith Baer

*Awesome, Unusual and Disgusting Facts About School by Eric Braun

*The Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole

*Hamsters, Shells and Spelling Bees by Lee Bennet Hopkins

*It's Back to School We Go by Ellen Jackson

*I'm Allergic to School by Robert Pottle

Welcome back! There's always some anxiety about starting a new school year. What if I don't like my teacher? What if I don't have any friends in my class? Good thing there are a plethora of books about this very thing. Take a look at our list of books about social emotional learning/feelings/self-esteem as well.

*Indicates a book we have in our school library

books about social emotional learning, feelings, and self-esteem

Picture Books

*When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang

*Rock What Ya Got by Samantha Berger

*I'm Worried by Ian Michael Black

*The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach

*I Am Enough by Grace Byers

*I'm Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis

*The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld

*Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe

If You're Angry and You Know It by Cecily Kaiser

*Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang

*Natsumi by Susan Lendroth

*Hurty Feelings by Helen Lester

*What Should Danny Do? by  Adir Levy

*The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken

*Stand Tall, Molly Lou Mellon by Patty Lovell

*The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

*After the Fall by Dan Santat

*Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea

*The Thing Lou Couldn't Do by Ashley Spires

If Everybody Did by Joann Stover

*Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayor

*Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst


Early Readers

*Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo

*My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems


Graphic Novels

*El Deafo by Cece Bell

*Real Friends by Shannon Hale

*Claudia and Mean Jeanine by Ann M. Martin


Middle Grade/Chapter Books

*Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

*Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli

*Wonder by R.J. Palacio


Nonfiction

*Feelings by Aliki

*How to Be a Friend by Laurene Krasley Brown

*You Are My Friend: The Story of Mister Rogers and His Neighborhood by Aimee Reid


Our world is filled with opportunities and reasons to feel stress, anxiety, even anger. This can be especially true for kids who are still learning to recognize and navigate their different emotions. As always, books have the answer! Below are some great stories to get the conversations started and help you talk about appropriate ways to handle emotions, as well as handling the frustrations of feeling not included or not good enough.

*Indicates a book we have in our school library

Books about race, diversity, and inclusion

Picture Books

*Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beatty

*Those Shoes by Meribeth Boelts

*Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

I Am Enough by Grace Byars

Hair Love by Mathew A. Cherry

*The Name Jar by Nansook Choi

Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper

*Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

*Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De la Pena

*The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane DeRolf

*Island Born by Jonot Dia

*Everybody Cooks Rice by Nora Dooley

Say Hello by Rachel Isadora

The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

*A letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats

*I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoet

Families, Families, Families by Suzanne Lang

*Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

Happy in Our Skin by Fran Manushkin

*Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour

Where Are You From? By Yamile Saied Mendea

*The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Mohammed

*Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o

Between Us and Abuela by Mitali Perkins

Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlman

*All Are Welcome by  Alexandra Penfold

*My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero

*The Bell Rang by James Ransome

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon

*Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayor

Dress Like a Girl by Patricia Toht

*Mommy’s Khimar by Jamila Tomkins-Bigelow

Lillian’s Right to Vote by Jonah Winter

*The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

*The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang


Early Readers

Lola Levine is Not Mean by Monica Brown

Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro

*Sassy by Sharon Draper

*Alvin Ho by Lenore Look

*Ruby Lu Brave and True by Lenore Look

Katie Woo series by Fran Manushkin

*Ellray Jakes is Not a Chicken by Sally Warner


Graphic Novels

Akissi by Marguerite Abouet

*New Kid by Jerry Craft

*El Deafo by Cece Bell

Luz Sees the Light by Claudia Davila

*The Nameless City by Erin Hicks

*Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi

Here I Am by Patti Kim

*The Baby-sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin

*To Dance by Sienna Siegel

*The Arrival by Shaun Tan

*Smile by Raina Telgemeir

Secret Science Alliance series by Eleanor Davis


Middle Grade

*Booked by Kwame Alexander

*Refugee by Alan Gratz

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

Stand Up, Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim

*Inside Out and Back Again by Thannha Lai

*The Lions of Littlerock by Kristin Levine

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

*Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

*The First Rule of Punk by Celia Perez

*Ghost by Jason Reynolds

*Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan

*Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

*Counting By Sevens by Holly Goldberg Sloan

*Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks

*One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

*Front Desk by Kelly Yang


Nonfiction

*The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

We Are the Change by Harry Belafonte

Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson

*Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

*What Is A Refugee? By Elise Gravel

*Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull

*Minty : a story of young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder 

*Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer by Carole Boston Weatherford

...And lots and lots of biographies!

Race and inclusion can be difficult topics to discuss with children but a great way to start the conversation is by reading a book together. Choose one of the books in the list and let your child guide you by asking questions. Or ask them how they might feel if they experienced the same things as the characters in the story.

Additional Resources on Race Discussion 

*indicates a book we have in our school library

Spooky Books

Picture Books

*Jinnie Ghost by Berlie Doherty

*Wolves by Emily Gravett

*The Monster Trap by Dean Morrissey

*Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

*The Teeny Tiny Ghost and the Monster by Kay Winters

Easy Readers

*Beneath the Bed by Max Brallier

*Bunnicula by James Howe

*Good Night for Ghosts by Mary Pope Osborne

*In a Dark, Dark Room by Alvin Schwartz

*You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Scary Stories by Mary Ann Hoberman

Graphic Novels

*Monster Mash by Jennifer L. Holm

Johnny Boo by James Kolchaka

*Treasure in the Lake by Jason Pamment

Camp Midnight by Steven Seagel

*Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

Fiction
*Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

*The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

*The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

*Doll Bones by Holly Black

*The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier

*The Lake Monster Mystery Choose Your Own Adventure

*The Witches by Roald Dahl

*The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

*A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

*Took by Mary Downing Hahn

*Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian Heidicker

*The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

*Goosebumps by R. L. Stine

*Nightbooks by J.A. White

*A Ghost in the House by Betty Ren Wright

Nonfiction

*Beastly Tales by Malcolm Yorke

*True or False: Ghosts by World Book

*Ghost Ships by Megan Cooley Peterson

*Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

*Monster Goose by Judy Sierra

*Through the Tempests Dark and Wild by Sharon Darrow

Scary stories are one of my most requested type of book. Kids love to be scared in an environment where they are in control. Unlike life when they may experience scary situations or feel fear they don't know how to combat or deal with, a book gives them a familiar setting (they know when it will end and that it will most likely be "happy"-ish etc.) as well as power to skip pages, close it and walk away, and/or come back when they are ready. They see problem solving skills at play, and watch to see how characters successfully (and unsuccessfully) meet the fears in the book which helps to teach them powerful psychological and processing skills to more easily and readily face their own fears in reality. After all, if ghosts or a zombie apocalypse can be battled and won then surely  I can face bullies, new challenges, or the things I see on the news, right?!

*indicates a book we have in our school library

Student recommendations

The best recommendations come from our peers. If your child has read a book they'd like to recommend to others (or one they'd recommend I purchase for the library) they can fill out this form below. We have a special section in the library dedicated to highlighting books recommended by students. :)