If you are an elementary teacher looking for end of the school year books for your classroom or simply some quality books to read at the end of the school year, then you found the right place! This list of end of school read alouds are a great way to celebrate the end of the year. Your students will love them! Check out the full list of end of the school year books below!
This post highlights the following children’s books for the end of the school year:
6 End of the School Year Books
Below are 6 great end of the school year books to read aloud to elementary students. Your kids will love these end-of-year read alouds!
1. Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden by Edith Pattou
In Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden, Mrs. Spitzer is a teacher at Tremont Elementary School. Throughout this story, the narrator is comparing Mrs. Spitzer to a gardener planting new seeds: her students. At the end of each school year, her principal gives her a new packet of seeds which she will plant. Mrs. Spitzer tends to the new seeds, making sure they get everything they need to grow.
When the plants start to emerge, each one is different. Some of them take longer to grow while others grow quickly. Each plant is unique and needs something different. As the seasons change Mrs. Spitzer watches over her garden and cares for all of the plants. When the year is over, Mrs. Spitzer’s job is done. The plants go forward and continue to grow while Mrs. Spitzer prepares for the new seeds she will receive from her principal. This is one of my favorite books for the end of the school year!
Check out these Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden activities!
2. Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
In Thank You, Mr. Falker, when Trisha turned five, her grandfather explained that learning to read would give her the gift of knowledge. Trisha loved being read to and couldn’t wait until she learned to read herself. However, when Trisha started school, reading did not come easy to her. Her classmates continued to move forward in reading but Trisha struggled to sound out words. Throughout her years in school, Trisha’s classmates would laugh at her and call her names.
When Trisha started fifth grade, her teacher was Mr. Falker. He was always supportive of Patricia and her gift of drawing. Students continued to call Trisha awful names, and she started to believe them. Soon, Mr. Falker realized how much Trisha was struggling and that she learned differently. He started staying after school with her, determined to teach her how to read. After months of practice, Trisha was excited to be able to read a paragraph. Years later, she saw Mr. Falker again and explained that she grew up to be an author. This is one of the sweetest end of school year read alouds!
Check out these Thank You, Mr. Falker activities!
3. Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg
In Last Day Blues, Mrs. Hartwell and her students have reached the end of the school year and summer vacation is quickly approaching. Although the students are looking forward to their summer vacation, they worry that Mrs. Hartwell will be sad and lonely all summer. The class decides to make their teacher a gift to cheer her up.
On the last day of school, the students are ready to give Mrs. Hartwell their gift. She is happy to see they made her a poem listing all their best memories from the school year. As the students make their way home for summer vacation they consider how sad all the teachers must be. Little do they know, the teachers are just excited about summer vacation and ready to celebrate! This book makes a great read aloud for the end of the school year!
Check out these Last Day Blues activities!
4. Lizzie and the Last Day of School by Trinka Hakes Noble
In Lizzie and the Last Day of School, Lizzie has always loved school. She loved preschool and was very sad when kindergarten was over. When it came time for first grade, Lizzie was excited to be in school for a whole year! Lizzie’s teacher was Miss G and this was her first class. Over the year, the class shared many memories together: reading 100 books, learning to hop, skip, and jump, planting a garden, and eating all their vegetables before dessert at lunch.
She then asked students to bring in a bag since it was almost the last day of school and they would be taking their supplies home. Lizzie really struggled with first grade being over, and she left on the last day without saying goodbye! Lizzie decides to sneak back to school to give Miss G a hug, and she finds that Miss G is also sad about the last day. Suddenly, the two find out Miss G will be teaching summer school in the park! Lizzie is happy she gets to go to school over the summer with Miss G.
Check out these Lizzie and the Last Day of School activities!
5. When It’s the Last Day of School by Maribeth Boelts
In When It’s the Last Day of School, it’s the last day of school and James is so excited he runs all the way to school. As a student that typically misbehaves, James has big plans for the last day of school. He won’t talk during silent reading, he will complete all his work on time, and thank the lunch ladies in the cafeteria. Throughout the day, James thinks about his exciting plans for summer, like riding bikes, camping, looking for crabs and watching fireworks.
Throughout the school day James is a respectful and well behaved student. When the last bell rings, James gives his teacher Mrs. Bremwood a big hug goodbye. As he leaves the school for summer, James explodes with excitement! This book makes a perfect read aloud for the last day!
Check out these When It’s the Last Day of School activities!
6. A Letter to My Teacher by Deborah Hopkinson
In A Letter to My Teacher, a woman about to start her first job is writing a letter to her second grade teacher. She was the student that showed up on the first day grouchy and soaking wet. The girl did not like school because she had to sit still and was not good at reading or writing. Second grade was the girl’s favorite year in school thanks to her teacher. The teacher always gave her extra help and made learning fun for the students by planting a class garden. Even when the girl shouted out, made mistakes, and got into trouble, the teacher showed her kindness and care.
The story is told through the letter the woman is writing to her teacher, sharing all of her memories. At the end, the reader learns that the girl is about to start her first day as a teacher, inspired by her own second grade teacher. This story will quickly become one of your favorite end of the school year read alouds!
Check out these A Letter to My Teacher activities!
Or Get All of the Activity Packets for 600+ Picture Books!
Starts with a Story is a collection of hundreds of book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Each book companion includes:
- reading comprehension questions with sample student responses
- 30 writing prompts targeting 10 different types of writing
- SEL lesson ideas based on character and events from each story
- printable student activities
- editable teaching slides with book-based clipart
- and more.
Learn how to get unlimited access to all 600+ book companion packets below!
Teachers Love these Other End of the School Year Activities for Kids
We have lots of End of the School Year activities you can use in your classroom. Check out the blog post End of the School Year Activities for Kids to get more ideas and teaching resources!
One Last Thing Before You Go… Grab this Free Reading Resource!
If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It includes:
- seasonal read aloud books lists for teachers
- printable reading logs to track students’ reading
- monthly reading challenges to motivate students to read more
It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!
In closing, we hope you found this list of end of the school year books helpful! If you are a member of Starts With a Story, you have access to all of these book companion activities. Lastly, you may also be interested in these spring books for kids if you love read alouds like us!
