graduation hat and map
High school graduation. A time for moving tassels from right to left and throwing caps into the air. It may also be a time of stress as you look for a gift you know will hit the mark. Buying gift cards to major retailers is easy, but it’s also somewhat impersonal. If you want to wrap up something a bit more thoughtful, pair the gift card with a book.
Leaving home for the unknown can be nerve wracking for high school grads, and books especially for them can inspire, give practical information, and help them figure out how to make the transition from high school to the next stage in their lives. Here’s a list of six titles sure to help grads in the weeks and years ahead.
Seuss-isms! A Guide to Life for Those Just Starting Out...and Those Already on Their Way by Dr. Seuss
A small book that carries big messages from several of the good doctor’s books. Consider these words of wisdom: “UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Seuss art illustrates the quotes.
What Color is Your Parachute? for Teens, Third Edition: Discover Yourself, Design Your Future, and Plan for Your Dream Job by Carol Christen and Richard N. Bolles
This iconic guide for figuring out what you want to do in life is geared especially to teens on the cusp of making decisions about life and career. Step-by-step exercises help them identify their strengths and interests.
The Quick and Easy College Cookbook: 300 Healthy Low-Cost Meals that Fit Your Budget and Schedule by Adams Media
Especially designed for first-time cooks with limited cooking facilities, this cookbook is good for any high school grad moving away from home and cooking on his own for the first time. Recipes highlight low-cost ingredients with high nutritional value.
The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College, 6th Edition by Harlan Cohen
Full of easy-to-digest bits of information that help prepare college-bound students for life away from home, living around people who are not their family. Tips are useful, especially when dealing with topics that may be too embarrassing for teens to bring up on their own.
77 Things You Absolutely Have to Do Before You Finish College by Halley Bondy and James Lloyd
These tips range from practical to fun, and they can inspire students to seek new experiences and activities easily available to them on campus or nearby.
Adulting: How to Become a Grownup in 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown
These ideas for young adults leaving home offer advice in many areas of life, including managing money, navigating friendships and romances, thriving in jobs, and so much more. The tone is conversational, and the steps seem like something a wise, trusted friend would tell you about how to live life.
Cindy Hudson writes about books, reading, and family literacy at MotherDaughterBookClub.com.