Summer is winding down (though the heat says otherwise) and school will be starting up again before we know it (sorry teachers!) To fight off the end of summer blues, we’ll read one of our favorite books from our childhood and another about a tight-knit group of friends.

As always, the books listed are merely suggestions, and you are not limited to only the books I have listed. Also, I haven’t read all of the suggested books. Some of them I pulled from other reader’s lists because the synopsis sounded interesting. Do your due diligence to check trigger warnings, etc before jumping in. Happy reading!

It’s almost time to go back to school. Let’s revisit our childhood and read a book that conjures happy childhood memories. The options are wide open, but here are a few classics that I loved as a kid.

And a few others:

• Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
• Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• Bunnicula by Deborah Howe
• A Wrinkle in TIme by Madeline L’Engle
• How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

College was one of the highlights of my life, mostly because of my amazing friend group that I had and am still super-close with today. In honor of those who are off to college soon, let’s read a book about close friends. Here are a few suggestions:

And a few more:

• Another Country by James Baldwin
• Circle of Friends by Maeve Blinchy
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt
• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
• The Clover Girls by Viola Shipman
• The Collective by Don Lee

For more reading prompts and to see my progress on these and other challenges check out this page.

If you’re playing along, don’t forget to tag your posts on Instagram or Threads using the #JRIA25 hashtag.

Happy reading!