*"A charming, eight-armed hug of a story that won’t hide long on library shelves"-- School Library Journal (starred review) Learn how to get your octopus to school in this hilarious and endearing back-to-school story! Getting your octopus to school won't be easy. He would much rather stay home with you and play hide-and-seek or dress-up. But you know your octopus will love school if he gives it a chance. And you'll tell him that . . . as soon as you can find him . . . Reminiscent of If You Take a Mouse to School, get your little one ready for school with this silly and sweet back-to-school story. Perfect for any parent who has struggled to get their child ready for school in the morning! Includes an embellished list of octopus facts in the backmatter. Praise for How to Get Your Octopus to School: "A charming back-to-school book for the nervous octopus in all of us."-Kirkus reviews "A visual treat of a picture book. The octopus serves as a sweet buffer for viewers who are shy about going to school themselves, and older siblings may benefit from a reminder to be patient with little ones who don’t know the drill just yet." --BCCB "Scharnhorst offers funny and endearingly patient point-by-point advice on a morning routine . . . All the while, Sinquett’s breezy digital art depicts a small, salmon-hued octopus humorously exhibiting arrayed behaviors both human and cephalopod . . . [a] sweetly humorous take on a familiar rite of passage." --Publishers Weekly

Edutopia's "25 Essential Middle School Reads from the Last Decade," NPR Best Book of 2018, Bank Street List for Best Children's Books of 2019, Named to the Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher List, Maine's Student Book Award List, Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award List, Rhode Island Middle School Book Award 2020 List, 2020 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Nominee, 2021 South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee, 2020-2021 Truman Award​ (Missouri) Nominee, Middle School Virginia Readers’ Choice Titles for 2020–2021​, Charlie May Simon Award 2020–2021 List, South Carolina Book Awards Nominee, 2020–2021, and 2023 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award nominee​. Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they've got to do. Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there's Lenny, her mom's boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer. At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it's best if no one notices them. Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses. Unfortunately, she's not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom’s relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia's situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they're better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she's ever had? This moving debut novel explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl, living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward.

Your buffalo is growing up. He plays with friends. He shares his toys. He's smart! But is he ready for kindergarten? (And is kindergarten ready for him?) Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? is a hilarious look at first-day-of-school jitters from author Audrey Vernick and illustrator Daniel Jennewein.

"Ocho is nervous for his first day of school. So nervous, in fact, his body turned blue! Find out if he can conquer all of his fears And learn to love school for the rest of the year."

"Just might convince complaining children that their school isn't so bad after all."--Kirkus reviews A hilarious back-to-school story told through journal entries about a boy who finds himself at a new school where the other students are REAL animals. Perfect for fans of Ryan T. Higgins's We Don't Eat Our Classmates and Elise Parsley's If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don't! Dear Diary, Today is the first day at my new school and I think there's been a mistake. My desk mate stinks, my locker buddy bites, and my teacher is unbearable! I told Mom my classmates are WILD ANIMALS but she said all little kids are wild animals. I think I'm going to be sick tomorrow. Celebrate back to school (and even calm some back-to-school nerves) with this clever and funny story about a boy who accidentally winds up at a school for animals, but soon realizes friends can come in all shapes, sizes, and species. A great read for kindergarten through second grade! Praise for My School Stinks!: "Along with being a good choice for children anxious about their own upcoming “first day,” this offers a nifty exercise in reading between the lines."--Booklist "An encouraging new-kid narrative told from an entertaining perspective." --Publishers Weekly

Creatures big and small introduce pairs of opposites.