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Classroom Library Tips for the Beginning of the School Year

Refresh your classroom library with these handy recommendations!

By Scholastic Editors
June 24, 2024

When you need to restock your teaching materials and are looking to get a jump-start on the year ahead, getting your classroom library in order is easy with these six tips and recommendations.

Plus, raise funds and breathe life into your classroom library using a ClassroomsCount™ campaign!

1. Instantly Grow Your Library With Class Collections

Give your students the power of reading choice. A robust class library ideally has multiple copies of popular titles, so several students can read the same texts at the same time (even if they can’t share books at your school right now). At least 30 percent of the books in your classroom library should have been published in the last 3 to 5 years, if possible.

Thankfully, class collections allow you to instantly add a variety of titles to your classroom library that support both your curriculum and your students’ preferences. Whether or not it’s your first year teaching, teacher collections are the perfect foundation for building your library—and there are plenty of grade-appropriate collections to get you started!    

Paperback Book Collection

Best of Scholastic Grades K-1

Grades K - 1
$125.00$202.99
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This collection of quality Scholastic titles was hand selected to provide you with the best books at the best prices.

Paperback Book Collection

Best of Scholastic Grades 2-3

Grades 2 - 3
$125.00$194.07
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This collection includes The Adventures of Captain UnderpantsThe Adventures of Sparrowboy, and more great titles. 

Paperback Book Collection

Best of Scholastic Grades 3-5

Grades 3 - 5
$139.00$211.11
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This collection of quality Scholastic titles was hand selected to provide you with the best books at the best prices.

Paperback Book Collection

Best of Scholastic Grades 6-8

Grades 6 - 8
$129.00$189.87
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This collection of quality Scholastic titles was hand selected to provide you with the best books at the best prices.

Shop more class collections at The Teacher Store.

2. Foster Inclusivity With Books About Diversity

Fostering a safe environment where every student feels welcome is an important part of teaching, and books can play a big role in that. Books that help students learn about characters whose lives are different and similar to their own (the concept of books serving as both “windows” and “mirrors”) are highly valuable additions for any class library. 

Not only will books about diversity encourage insightful discussions about acceptance, but they will also help your students actively practice inclusivity in the classroom and beyond.

Paperback Book Collection

Equity and Inclusion Grades PreK-2 (12 books)

Grades Pre-K - 2
$64.00$97.52
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It is vital that students be able to see themselves in the books they read; and for students to read about people unlike themselves. This collection features characters and stories that have often been overlooked.

Paperback Book Collection

Diverse Leaders and Heroes Grades 3-5

Grades 3 - 5
$79.00$115.33
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Discover the stories of diverse leaders and heroes in this collection of titles from Scholastic.

Paperback Book Collection

LGBTQ+ Grades 6-8 (7 books)

Grades 6 - 8
$38.70$61.85
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This collection of fiction titles deftly explores the diverse experiences of LGBTQ+ youth through captivating stories and relatable characters.

Paperback Book Collection

Diverse Characters Grades 6-8

Grades 6 - 8
$75.00$112.64
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This collection features an array of diverse titles to add to your classroom library, including Feathers, Heat, and more. 

Paperback Book Collection

Indigenous Peoples Voices Grades 6-8

Grades 6 - 8
$68.00$97.70
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It is vital that students be able to see themselves in the books they read; and for students to read about people unlike themselves. This Native American collection features authentic stories most of which are written and/or illustrated by Native Americans.

Shop more books about diversity at The Teacher Store.

3. Support a Wide Range of Interests With Nonfiction Reads

A classroom full of students with the exact same interests? Unlikely! To combat the inevitable mix of passions in your class, opt for a wide variety of nonfiction titles that will suit a range of tastes. In fact, a class library that is approximately 50 to 70 percent nonfiction books can be highly effective in supporting students’ literacy development.

Series favorites such as Fly Guy and National Geographic are always popular with students, and with their steady stream of new releases, you are bound to always find a new title that one (or more!) of your students will absolutely love.

Paperback Book Collection

Fly Guy Presents Grades PreK-2

Grades Pre-K - 2
$29.00$44.92
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This collection from Scholastic features titles from the Fly Guy Presents series. Animated characters Fly Guy and Buzz add comic appeal to this colorful introduction to a host of subjects, packed with straightforward fun facts, humorous asides, and photographs throughout.

$39.00$68.40
out of stock
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This collection of National Geographic Kids titles was hand selected to provide you with the best books at the best prices.

Paperback Book Collection

Latin Biographies Grades 3-5

Grades 2 - 5
$39.00$56.65
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A quality classroom library includes a wide variety of genres for students to choose from. This Biography collection provides a convenient and cost effective way to provide your students with a selection of engaging titles focused on members of the Latin community.

Paperback Book Collection

Narrative Nonfiction Grades 6-8

Grades 6 - 8
$69.00$105.82
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This collection from Scholastic features titles that present facts in a narrative style for a richly detailed story.

Paperback Book Collection

NonFiction Library Grades 7-8

Grades 7 - 8
$345.00$491.34
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This collection of quality nonfiction titles was hand selected to provide you with the best books at the best prices.

Shop more nonfiction reads at The Teacher Store.

4. Build Key Literacy Skills With Captivating Read-Alouds

Class read-alouds are fundamental for developing literacy skills. Considered a key primer for long-term reading and learning success, hearing a book out loud helps build students’ listening, comprehension, and vocabulary skills, even in upper elementary and beyond.

While some students will beg to have their favorites read aloud again and again, a fresh mix in your library will encourage your students to remain engaged throughout every class read-aloud. It is recommended to add five new books per student to your classroom library each year.

Paperback Book Collection

Best New Books Grade 6 2023-2024

Grades 6
$130.50$208.64
out of stock
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Enhance your classroom library with the newest paperbacks in one easy-to-purchase collection!
New Books Collections are just what they sound like-completely new every year showcasing only those titles that are:
• Newly published
• New in paperback
• New to the Scholastic Education catalog

Shop more read-alouds at The Teacher Store.

5. Nurture Social-Emotional Learning

A strong supply of social-emotional titles will ensure your students always have a reliable and relatable resource on hand — whether they're learning how to deal with crankiness or how to be kind. Make sure all of your students' social-emotional learning needs are met by expanding your library’s reading level to cover two to three years above and below the grade level you teach.

Paperback Book Collection

Kindness Grades PreK-K

Grades Pre-K - K
$36.00$54.76
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It is vital that students learn social emotional skills like confidence, compassion, resilience, and responsibility. This collection from Scholastic features titles that teach kindness to children.

Paperback Book Collection

Empathy & Compassion Grades 1-2

Grades 1 - 2
$42.00$60.19
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It is vital that students learn social emotional skills like confidence, compassion, resilience, and responsibility. This collection from Scholastic features titles that teach empathy and compassion to children.

Paperback Book Collection

Compassion & Caring Grades 3-5

Grades 3 - 5
$42.00$62.68
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It is vital that students learn social emotional skills like confidence, compassion, resilience, and responsibility. This collection from Scholastic features titles that teach compassion and caring to children.

Paperback Book Collection

Tolerance & Acceptance Grades 3-5

Grades 3 - 5
$36.90$57.64
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It is vital that students learn social emotional skills like confidence, compassion, resilience, and responsibility. This collection from Scholastic features titles that teach tolerance and acceptance to children.

Shop more social-emotional learning titles at The Teacher Store.

6. Stay Organized All Year Long!

The key to staying organized is to get your classroom library in order from the very start. There are a number of supplies and resources that make organizing your library a simple task.

Book bins and labels are all essential to keeping your library neat, while incentive charts and reward stickers will help cultivate a classroom community of enthusiastic readers.

Shop more classroom library supplies at The Teacher Store.

$10.00
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Convenient and sturdy plastic bins for storing books and teaching materials help keep your classroom resources neat and organized!

Supplies

Library Labels Accents

Grades K - 5
$5.24$6.99
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Keep your library organized with these useful labels.

Pocket Chart

Standard Pocket Chart

Grades K - 5
$17.99$23.99
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This pocket chart features 10 see-through plastic pockets.

Pocket Chart

File Organizer (Black) Pocket Chart

Grades K - 5
$11.24$14.99
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This sturdy pocket chart features 10 pockets that fit letter-size folders. Perfect for organizing student files, file-folder games, forms, and other paperwork!

Shop more best-sellers for your library below! You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store.

$14.99$19.99
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From the New York Time bestselling and award-winning author, Joanna Ho, comes an uplifting call to action that highlights Asian American history, paired with vibrant and colorful illustrations by artist and activist, Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya.

$5.24$6.99
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It's a special week at Treetop Elementary because it's time to choose a class president! Eva is excited because she loves to make choices and vote for things! Who will win the big vote to become president of the class?

P.U.! Dog Man got sprayed by a skunk! After being dunked in tomato juice, the stink is gone but the scarlet red color remains. Now exiled, this spunky superhero must struggle to save the citizens who shunned him! Will the ends justify the means for Petey, who's reluctantly pulled back into a life of crime in order to help Dog Man? And who will step forward when an all-new, never-before-seen villain unleashes an army of A.I. robots?

The Cat Kid Comic Club is in crisis! After learning that one of their comics will be published, the baby frogs are filled with anxiety and doubt. How will they get their creative groove back? Will Naomi or Melvin emerge as a leader? Will Flippy convince them to finally straighten up and fly right?

Branches books help boost reading confidence and stamina with easy-to-read text, high-interest content, and illustrations on every page. "A nice stepping stone to more advanced chapter books."-Booklist

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bad Guys comes another hilarious illustrated series starring a pampered cat who is way tougher than anyone realizes.

The magic of the New York Times and PW bestselling Whatever After series comes to life in this brand-new graphic novel adaptation that will appeal to fans of the BSC and Wings of Fire alike! Fractured fairy tales have never been this fun.

Hardcover Book

Nightmare Island

Grades 3 - 7
$13.49$17.99
out of stock
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Twelve year-old Serenity Noah has never told anyone about her recurring nightmares -- the haunting images of silver butterflies whose flapping wings drive away all sound, leaving only suffocating silence in their wake. Her parents already favor her "perfect" younger brother, Peace, and she doesn't want to be seen as the "problem" child.

Hardcover Book

The Golden Frog Games (Witchlings 2)

Grades 3 - 7
$13.49$17.99
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Get ready for more magic, mayhem, and monstruos! From Claribel A. Ortega, author of Frizzy and Ghost Squad, comes the sequel to the instant New York Times bestselling and #1 Indie bestselling Witchlings.

$13.49$17.99
out of stock
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Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores . . . especially the dreaded L-A-U-N-D-R-Y. If he can wears every item of clothing in his wardrobe, summer will be halfway over before he has to do laundry!


On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie ends up grounded until he can get his clothes clean. While left home alone to do his laundry, the power goes out mid-cycle. With his first load of laundry soaking wet and the rest still filthy, Eddie sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood in just his swim trunks and flip-flops.

 

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