Book recommendations: Top five books for "Back to School" season

I am a teacher, which means August is a month that is full of equal parts joy and stress. Between schools always finding new changes to make right when school is starting, meeting my students, and falling in love with a new group of kiddos, it seems like I always manage to feel every emotion on the spectrum within a matter of a few days. These books are ones I feel encompass the high school experience, while still being enjoyable enough for adults to want to read as well!

1. This is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua

After getting rejected from every college she applied to, Perla Perez buckles under the weight of her parent's expectations and forges an acceptance letter to her dream college. She's got a perfect plan after all: attend classes, get to know the campus, and then reapply to show how perfect she is for the spring semester. However, her plan isn't quite as thought out as she expected as the campus police are on her tail - resulting in a comedy of errors with a lot of heart. This book shows the pressure teenagers are under, especially when it comes to getting accepted into college. And while most people won't pretend to be college students, Perla's journey still allows us to see how pressure and insane stress can make people do crazy things.

This is Not a Personal Statement is available through HarperCollins Publishers

2. One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

I read this book for a book club and it had me hooked immediately. I love mysteries and while I don't necessarily gravitate toward high school stories, as they are entirely too close to my real life, However, this one was worth the read. A locked room mystery, a very unpopular school gossip columnist, and detention with a group of students who all have motives to kill him. It's a fun adventure to figure out who the murderer is while navigating how hard being a teenager in today's world. It's perfect not only for teens but for adults to see exactly what the consequences of cyberbullying could look like.

One of Us is Lying is available through Penguin Random House

3. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

This book is a wild ride through the late Victorian era - starting at what seems like a strict, but normal, girl's boarding school and turning into a magical ride of epic proportions. I love the way the author uses details to first show the reader something is wrong, and then to draw you into the magic she's created. It's a fascinating read that shows the darkness boarding schools can hide, and is a remarkable first book in a trilogy that follows our main character Gemma Doyle.

A Great and Terrible Beauty is available through Penguin Random House

4. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green

After a chance meeting, Will Grayson and will grayson (lowercase on purpose) find their lives are intertwined. They go to different schools, have different interests, and completely different friend groups. And yet, they show not all high school friendships are with people from your school! This is a powerful story about staying true to who you are, even if the entire world is against you. It's as powerful today as it was when it was first published fourteen years ago, and the dual narrative shows off both authors at their best.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is available through Penguin Random House

5. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I do not easily cry. I don't know why that is, it's just always been how I am. However, this book had me sobbing as I finished it. After Mia Hall and her family are in a horrific car accident, she finds herself in a coma. However, her spirit can roam the halls of the hospital where she finds out every other member of her family has died. It leaves Mia with a decision: will she stay and live without them, or will she go and join her family in the afterlife? As she makes this decision we see flashbacks of her love of classical music, her auditioning for Julliard, and her relationship with her boyfriend blossom. It's a beautiful tale about what life looks like in high school, how scary the future is, and how brave you have to be to continue in life.

If I Stay is available through Penguin Random House