I am under no delusion that Back to School means we have more time to read, but I can’t keep quiet about these books for parents. Here are the books I’ve been recommending in family consultations a lot recently:

I intentionally linked to the author or publisher’s website, and most have options to purchase from smaller distributors or independent booksellers. I encourage you to do so when possible. Borrowing (or requesting it) from your library helps them greatly too! If you want to hear more from the authors directly, join our Patreon for exclusive interviews.

DISCLOSURE: In many cases, I received a free copy of the book or Advance Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for honest feedback and review.

Table of Contents

Change Agents: Transforming Schools From the Ground Up

By Justin Cohen

I returned to review Justin Cohen’s book Change Agents before I interviewed he and his Co-founder Mohan Sivaloganathan for the Influencers podcast. If you’re feeling a bit down about the Department of Education, his book refreshes the passion for educators “to become the change agent your students need.”

I started reading it while moving back to arts education, and many of Cohen’s takeaways are useful for parents as well. Buy the book from Cohen’s website here.

How to Dungeon Master Parenting

By Shelly Mazzanoble

Shelly Mazzanoble’s book is a gift for parents who need to learn what their way into parenting is. With chapters like “Know They Game, Know Thy Player” and “The Dice Made me Do it,” this book is the perfection companion on your lifelong quest to become the coolest parent ever.

Buy Mazzanoble’s book from her website.

Subscribe to hear her interview.

Clementine Crane Prefers Not To

By Kristin Bair

I like to mix up the nonfiction with fiction, and Kristin Bair’s latest novel, Clementine Crane Prefers Not To, is coming out at a very good time of life for me and my friends.

My newly middle-aged self felt more seen in Clementine Crane since the time I realized Mrs. Dalloway is about menopause. Also inspired by Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House and Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby the Scrivener,” I promise you there’s a little Clementine in all of us right now.

Pre-order the book from Kristin Bair’s website. Clementine Crane Prefers Not To comes out October 14th, 2025.

Subscribe to our Patreon insiders community to get notified when my interview with Bair goes live.

Growing Feelings: A Kids’ Guide to Dealing with Emotions about Friends and Other Kids

By Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore & Christine McLaughlin

I loved working through parts of this book with my kids. We pick it up as needed, and sometimes I see my children pull it aside to read a section by themselves.

Emotional literacy is the foundation of Digital literacy, and this book offers families more to say to each other than “Try to calm down.” It almost functions as an emotional encyclopedia. Buy from Eileen’s website.

I’ll share more books soon. News just dropped thatYouTube deployed identity verification that’s worse for user privacy than parents are led to believe, and I need to finish that primer for you.

I watch YouTube so you don't have to.