As summer starts its cool down, and all the summer-themed activities begin to wind down to usher in a new season, we’re reminded through commercials, radio, TV, and excited parents alike that school’s on the horizon. The sound of school bells, metal lockers, shoe squeaks on freshly waxed linoleum, pens and pencils scratching, and paper shuffling all meld together to create the soundtrack of what’s to come. Back-to-school season is here, and with the first few weeks of August comes prep for the new year. So, here’s a warm welcome back to class as well as a quick list of tips and book recs, both fiction and nonfiction, to help get you started on a good foot and lead into a successful school year.
Books for your Nightly Read:
1. Establish a Bedtime Routine
Phones down, lights dim. Developing a solid bedtime routine can help you get more restful sleep. Everyone’s bedtime routine is different and should be tailored to the individual. Here’s what could help in building yours: avoiding caffeinated drinks before bed, engaging in low-intensity activities like meditation, stretching, and reading, and going to bed at the same time each night.
Goodnight Mind for Teens: Skills To Help You Quiet Noisy Thoughts & Get The Sleep You Need by Colleen E Carney, PhD
Turn off the light. Turn off your phone. Turn off anxious thoughts.
Do you have trouble getting to sleep at night? You aren’t alone. There are so many reasons teens today have a difficult time going to sleep—including early school start times, too much late-night screen time, or just being anxious about what the future holds. You are at an important crossroads in your life, so it’s natural to feel overwhelmed at times. But it’s essential that you get the sleep you need. This book can help.
Written by a renowned sleep expert, Goodnight Mind for Teens offers tips based in proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you get your zzzs and be your best during the daytime. You’ll learn how to set your own ideal sleep schedule, overcome sleep lag, cope with sleep anxiety, and manage the anxious, over-stimulating thoughts and worries that are keeping you up at night.
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
It’s been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town’s children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers’ mysterious circumstances are brought back into light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road, and gets pulled into the mystery haunting the town.
Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, claims that if they don’t do something, the missing children will meet the same fate as her brothers. In order to find them and rescue the missing kids, Wendy must confront what’s waiting for her in the woods.
2. Get Organized
Organization is key. Everything has its own designated place and purpose. You can plan and keep track of assignments and test dates with a student planner. Task tracker apps can help to remind you of your daily to-do’s. Keeping organized helps to keep you well-prepared.
Where’s My Stuff?: The Ultimate Teen Organizing Guide by Samantha Moss
A user-friendly reference offers tips for helping teens to become organized at school, at home, and while out, in a lighthearted and illustrated guide that shares step-by-step recommendations for decluttering, overcoming disorganized habits, and managing a schedule.
A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey
Winchester, England, has always been home for Flora, but when her mother dies after a long illness, Flora feels untethered. Her family expects her to apply to university and take a larger role in their tea-shop business, but Flora isn’t so sure. More than ever, she’s the chaotic “hurricane” in her household, and she doesn’t always know how to manage her stormy emotions.
So she decides to escape to Miami without telling anyone—especially her longtime friend Gordon Wallace.
But Flora’s tropical change of scenery doesn’t cast away her self-doubt. When it comes to university, she has no idea which passions she should follow. That’s also true in romance. Flora’s summer abroad lands her in the flashbulb world of teen influencer Baz Marín, a Miami Cuban who shares her love for photography. But Flora’s more conflicted than ever when she begins to see future architect Gordon in a new light.
3. Build Study Habits
Carve out a space that helps to promote focus, whether it’s at a designated desk, the kitchen table, or on the couch. Whether it’s completely quiet or soft music playing in the background. What’s important here is crafting a routine that works for you to reinforce the ideas and lessons you learned that week in school.
HowExpert Guide to Study Skills: 101 tips to learn how to study effectively, improve your grades, and become a better student by Sarah Fantinel
If you want to learn how to study effectively, improve your grades, and become a better student, then check out the HowExpert Guide to Study Skills. Students are under more pressure than ever to perform well in the classroom, write flawless papers, and excel during testing. Sadly, many students struggle in school because they do not know how to succeed in the academic environment. This book seeks to give students the tools they need to succeed. Written by an experienced tutor, this book examines 101 lessons every student needs to be successful. Academic success is not just about taking the right classes; it’s also about using the right skills and structures to organize and streamline your learning process.
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.
Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies—trust no one.
But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing.
To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.
4. Get Involved
Getting involved can look like joining a school club or program, reaching out and lending a hand to local programs in your community that hold and interest for you. These not only can help you build your social skills, they can also help you to meet new like minded people.
Inspired to Action: How Young Changemakers Can Shape Their Communities and the World provides readers with the knowledge and tools they need to turn passion into effective action. From the basics of how civic engagement and political participation form the framework for lasting social change, to learning how nonprofit organizations function and whether to consider starting one, this book gives young people the background they need to find their place in the world of social activism.
With practical guidance regarding the importance of communication skills, community building, fundraising, and organizing, this book offers an accessible and lively grounding in what is needed to become an effective changemaker. Featuring personal stories and advice from twelve successful young activists, thoughtful recommendations from seasoned professionals, and an extensive list of resources for further information, Inspired to Action is essential reading for any young person interested in the world of advocacy and activism.
The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert
Marva Sheridan was born ready for this day. She’s always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election?
Duke Crenshaw is so done with this election. He just wants to get voting over with so he can prepare for his band’s first paying gig tonight. Only problem? Duke can’t vote.
When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted. She hasn’t spent months doorbelling and registering voters just to see someone denied their right. And that’s how their whirlwind day begins, rushing from precinct to precinct, cutting school, waiting in endless lines, turned away time and again, trying to do one simple thing: vote. They may have started out as strangers, but as Duke and Marva team up to beat a rigged system (and find Marva’s missing cat), it’s clear that there’s more to their connection than a shared mission for democracy.
