It’s Top Ten Tuesday and most schools are back in school or soon will be! I’ve always loved BTS especially since my September birthday always meant getting school supplies as presents. Yes I was a weird kid even then. It probably helps explain my pen, paper, journal obsession 🤔.

This weeks theme is a “Back To School/Learning” freebie which means we get to interpret the topic in our own way.

I picked ten books that are either schoolhouse classics or young adult or just plain silly and lighthearted. I even added a couple of YouTubers! But even oldsters will enjoy these back to school titles!

The Amazing Book Is Not on Fire: The World of Dan and Phil

Since uploading their first ever videos as teenagers, Dan and Phil have become two of the world’s biggest YouTube stars. Now they invite you on a behind-the-scenes journey, filled with absolutely essential advice, tons of humor, lots of awkwardness, and TMI honesty that they will probably regret.

Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality: A Field Guide to Curiosity, Creativity, and Tomfoolery

Myth•i•cal•i•ty (mi-thi-ˈka-lə-tē) noun 1. the quality or state of being that embodies a synergistic coalescence of curiosity, creativity, and tomfoolery (sometimes referred to as curiotomfoolivity), ideally experienced in the context of friendship and intended to bring goodwill to the universe. Origin: 2009; RhettandLinkish.

I Survived – Series

History’s most exciting and terrifying events come to life in these stories of amazing kids and how they survived. My 5th grader loved this series and it appeals especially to those who balk at reading the thicker novels. The series also appeals to students who enjoy historical fiction filled with a sense of adventure.

Hatchet, Gary Paulsen

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson, haunted by his secret knowledge of his mother’s infidelity, is traveling by single-engine plane to visit his father for the first time since the divorce. When the plane crashes, killing the pilot, the sole survivor is Brian. He is alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present.

I Even Funnier: A Middle School Story (I Funny), James Patterson

Poignant…. Readers learn about Jamie’s devastating loss and recovery from a tragic event….The affecting ending, which reveals a more vulnerable Jamie behind the guise of his humor, celebrates Jamie’s resilient spirit.

The Outliers, Kimberley McCreight

It all starts with a text: Please, Wylie, I need your help. Wylie hasn’t heard from Cassie in over a week, not since their last fight. But that doesn’t matter. Cassie’s in trouble, so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself.

The Worst Class Trip Ever, Dave Barry

On a class trip to Washington, DC, eighth grader Wyatt Palmer and his best friend Matt believe that they have uncovered a terrorist plot. The men seated behind them in the airplane are oddly protective of their luggage and spend their time during the flight studying aerial photos of the White House. During a scuffle with these passengers, Matt removes an odd device from one man’s backpack. This event gets Matt and Wyatt into trouble with their teacher, not to mention a stern lecture from the Federal Air Marshal, but they figure it will be worth it if they have foiled a terrorist plot.

Wonder, R. J. Palacio

I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an XBox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I guess. And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know ordinary kids don’t make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don’t get stared at wherever they go.

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face.

Ship It, Britta Linden

From Riverdale screenwriter Britta Lundin, Ship It is a funny, tender, and honest look at all the feels that come with being a fan. CLAIRE is a sixteen-year-old fangirl obsessed with the show Demon Heart. FOREST is an actor on Demon Heart who dreams of bigger roles. When the two meet at a local Comic-Con panel, it’s a dream come true for Claire. Until the Q&A, that is, when Forest laughs off Claire’s assertion that his character is gay. Claire is devastated.

Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book

Internet sensation Grumpy Cat’s epic feline frown has inspired legions of devoted fans. Celebrating the grouch in everyone, the Grumpy Cat book teaches the fine art of grumpiness and includes enough bad attitude to cast a dark cloud over the whole world.

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Tell me, what are your favorite Back To School reads?

Do you have a treasured classic that takes you back to school days?

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.