Spring is the perfect season to update your classroom library with exciting, recently published titles. But with so many new amazing books published each month, it can be hard to keep up! Fortunately, our title experts are dedicated to reading and researching classroom literature from hundreds of publishers. Recommending the best titles for teachers and students is literally their job! Here are six of their favorite children’s and YA books of Spring 2018—all must-reads for your classroom!

Must-Read Children’s and YA Books of Spring 2018 

 

Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel

Interest Level: K-1

Publication Date: March 2018

Brendan Wenzel’s They All Saw A Cat won a Caldecott Honor, and his follow-up title, Hello Hello, is just as impressive as his first. With simple text and vibrant animal illustrations, plus an Author’s Note about endangered species at the end, this charming picture book will engage elementary students of all ages. 

 

 

Drawn From Nature by Helen Ahpornsiri

Interest Level: 1-4

Publication Date: March 2018

This stunning picture book will intrigue young art and nature lovers alike. Helen Ahpornsiri uses pressed plants to illustrate nature’s journey through the seasons. With strong ties to art and science, Drawn From Nature is a great selection for STEAM libraries.

 

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

Interest Level: 3-7

Publication Date: March 2018

The Parker Inheritance, the newest middle grade title from author Varian Johnson is part mystery, part history lesson. When Candice and her mother spend the summer in her grandmother’s old house in South Carolina, Candice discovers a letter addressed to her grandmother, who left the town in shame several years before. The letter states that a fortune awaits the person who can solve a puzzle related to the town’s ugly history of racial segregation and intolerance. Candice and her new friend Brandon work together to solve the puzzle, unmask the town’s hidden history of ugly deeds and clear her grandmother’s name.

Great for lovers of mystery and history—or any student who enjoyed Johnson’s Jackson Greene series!

 

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Interest Level: 5-7

Publication Date: April 2018

Rebound is the prequel to Kwame Alexander’s popular and acclaimed Newbery Medal winner, The Crossover. As a novel in verse, both the content and format will be appealing to a wide variety of readers, making it an excellent addition to all middle grade libraries. 

 

Can Your Outfit Change the World? by Erinne Paisley

Interest Level: 7-11

Publication Date: February 2018

Erinne Paisley, the author of the engaging nonfiction title, Can Your Outfit Change the World?, made her graduation dress out of old homework assignments and donated the money she would have otherwise spent to the Malala Fund. This new book is ideal for teaching teens about activism and the environmental impact of the clothing industry. Integrate it into a social studies unit focused on social issues or human rights, or add it to a middle or high school independent reading library.

Sunny by Jason Reynolds

Interest Level: 5-12

Publication Date: April 2018

Sunny is the third novel in the Track series by Jason Reynolds. Different from the first two novels (Ghost and Patina) in that it is written as a series of first-person diary entries, this one offers an up close look into the mind and thoughts of middle school track star, Sunny. If you have students who love sports stories, realistic fiction or other books in this series, Sunny is a title worth recommending. 

Which children’s and YA books of Spring 2018 are you excited to share with your students? Have you read any of the titles above yet?