The most recommended books about teachers

I fell in love with Alison's work when I first saw her Instagram profile: "@bunny_fart". Not only did I laugh out loud at the name on her profile, I was also blown away by her wonderfully creative illustrations and animation.

I love her award-winning collabo with author Angela Shante: The Noisy Classroom which follows a young girl who is nervous on her first day of school and her fun-loving, sing-songy teacher. It’s a charming glimpse into a relatable subject: that awkward feeling you get adjusting to an unfamiliar environment. Perfect for any family struggling to embrace a new change. 

This book is based on fact and is more of a memoir. Pete Springer takes us, sometimes with humor, through the ups and downs of his 30-year teaching career.  In doing so he gives much advice suitable for new recruits to the teaching profession.  My son Leon, once labelled by teachers as ‘distracted and distracting’, would have benefited from Pete’s superior teaching skills I’m sure.  

Jewell is a gem. She published this guide for Black writers around the turn of the new century, but it’s full of valuable advice for creators of all ethnicities. An educator, Dr. Parker Rhodes is a New York Times bestselling author of children’s books that include Ghost Boys and Black Brother. Her emphasis in this tome is on motivating readers to tell their life stories vividly and to find inspiration all around them in their communities. Part literary analysis and part how-to guide, the book teaches about crafting biographies, memoirs, personal essays, and other nonfiction into publishable pieces. In my book, I advise readers to “diversify voices” when they write. Parker Rhodes’ words influenced how I think about researching and crafting my work for all types of readers. 

I’m always excited when a new Kortney Keisel book comes out.

Compared is the first in her closed-door romcom series, and it’s a brilliant debut. This book follows Meg and Tyler in a single dad, teacher/parent romance that is completely swoon-worthy and hilarious.

Kortney does a fantastic job dealing with some harder subjects while keeping the material light-hearted and fun. I always turn back to this book if I want to read something deep and meaningful, but woven with funny scenes and banter.

I also love this book for the close connection between Meg’s siblings and dad. They’re exactly what a family should be.

Greg Lemoine and I share several parallels. We are both teachers on the international circuit, we have both completed a tour of duty in Kuwait and we both see the funny side. But what we share most is an insatiable appetite for travel and an inherent nosiness for learning about culture, discovering new places, and adventure, which sometimes finds its way onto a page.

With Finding the Right Fit you get two books in one: a guide to international teaching containing helpful tips and advice on how to land a job overseas, and a very entertaining memoir of someone who has years of experience in the field. As a solo traveller, Lemoine sees humour and comedy that come about when left to your own devices.

Okay, well, I’ve kind of been in my romance era this year. I think that’s pretty common, haha. But this book. Oh my lawd. Not only did it hit the romance sweet spot, it hit this beautiful void I didn’t even realize I had: wonderfully written neurodivergent characters.

Oh yes, that’s right. The main love interest in this one is a broody neurodivergent, and he is SO well-written. I could easily see myself in him and that was a feeling I don’t often have reading books in general, let alone romance.

We see the ups and downs of what neurodivergency means and it layers his character in a really unique and relatable way. And that’s not to discount the protagonist; she’s also neurodivergent and the way their personalities layer together was really refreshing. I LOVED this book.

Bilger’s spellbinding memoir hit me powerfully since both our Nazi grandfathers propelled us on journeys of detection and reckoning.

A staff writer for the New Yorker, Bilger grew up with German parents who never talked about their past. However, when a bundle of yellowed letters arrived at their home, it set Bilger on a breathtaking WWII mystery tour.

He tracked down people and documents to discover that his grandfather had been a Nazi party chief in Alsace. He promoted Nazi propaganda and tried to turn his French pupils into “good little Germans.”

Yet since he never used his power to hurt anyone, even protected some in danger of deportation, Bilger sees him as both guilty and innocent. I faced a similar dilemma, but readers are challenged to find their own answers.

This book details the life of Ada Bell, a young woman who traveled all by herself to the tiny community of Bakeoven, Oregon to teach school. The “town” consisted of a hotel, a blacksmith’s shop, a store, a post office, a stage stop - and not much more. Ada got off the stage with no idea where to go or how to start her life as a teacher. Ada encapsulates the pioneer spirit as she forges a life and impacts the lives of her students over the years.

This was a controversial book when it was released a few years ago, with some calling it “Lolita from a Woman,” and I think the comparison is accurate.

Like Nabakov, Nutting’s protagonist is likable and compelling, and before we know it, we are drawn into her twisted world. When these characters are written with skill, it is almost jarring to the reader to realize that they are in some way rooting for the protagonist until they consider what is really happening. 

Years is a beautiful age-gap romance that also allows the reader to get to know a gentle older brother, a feisty mother, a risk-taking son, and many other townsfolk. The Heroine is a teacher, and the author paints such a beautiful picture of the students. Each of them has their own personalities. Years overflows with so much heartache, sweetness, and love that I have read it multiple times.