Off To Class

Ages 8+

Open the pages of Off To Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World and you'll hear the voices of kids around the world, telling you about their dreams for an education. You'll see gorgeous colour photos that invite you into the children's worlds. You'll be amazed at the schools they attend and inspired by the dedicated people who helped create them.

Owl Kids
978-1-926818-86-3

Download the Owlkids Off To Class Discussion Guide: http://www.owlkidsbooks.com/Portals/0/off-to-class-discussion-guide.pdf

Reviews

"Photographs, accessible prose, and personal accounts paint a portrait of innovative schools in this vibrant, globe-trotting guide. In post-Katrina New Orleans, students plant an "edible schoolyard." In Kenya, a school provides dowries for fathers-in exchange, their daughters go to school for eight years, rather than marrying. Hughes's examples of grassroots education in action are inspirational and informative."
- Publisher's Weekly, September 2011

"Off to Class is an easy-to-read yet detailed book that should, at the very least, be in every school library, if not every classroom and home."
-Quill & Quire, starred review

Unusual and useful. ― Kirkus Reviews

...an exciting way to connect readers with children in classrooms around the world...the down-to-earth details capture both the excitement and the challenges students face in daily life. ― Booklist

The strong emphasis on humanitarianism will move, excite, and inspire those reading...Off to Class will encourage them to help to 'be the change they wish to see in the world.' ― School Library Journal

The book makes fascinating reading, and the upbeat narrative and successful projects cited allow youngsters to learn about the various challenges faced by kids around the world...in a format that is forthright, immediate, and ultimately uplifting and empowering. -- Joy Fleishhacker ― School Library Journal

Fascinating stories accompany vivid photos and factoids...Packed with valuable lessons. ― ForeWord Reviews

Off to Class is an easy-to-read yet detailed book that should, at the very least, be in every school library, if not every classroom and home. ― Quill & Quire, starred review

Off to Class is a real eye-opener that might spur people to social action...A most inspiring read. ― CM Magazine: Canadian Review of Materials

A rather inspirational look at schools...provides a wonderful opportunity for Canadian students to see the conditions under which children around the world study and learn. ― Canadian Children's Book News

...a fascinating look at the world and its cultures taken from a classroom's view. ― All Voices

...another stellar entry into Hughes's pantheon of non-fiction wonders. -- Monica Kulling

Amazing examples raise this book from standard non-fiction fare to a great book for browsing and sharing, and a strong starting point for talking about how people live. ― Shelf Candy Blog

An important resource for anyone who is interested in new ways to educate our children...It brings home the reality that even in the United States there is a need to rethink our classrooms. ― Alaskan Book Cafe Blog

This is the best across-the-curriculum book I've ever seen for upper elementary and middle school students. ― Bonnie's Books blog

...will amaze and inspire. ― ReaderKidZ blog

Watch

This books trailer, created by my (then) 16-year-old daughter, introduces my non-fiction book Off To Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World.

Here's a great photo of Yordy, at El Hogar, Honduras, holding a copy of OFF TO CLASS. Yordy was one of the many, many children who contributed in a big way to my book. He answered many questions about his life and his dreams for an education. I was thrilled to be able to include him, and his school, El Hogar, in OFF TO CLASS. Find out more about El Hogar orphanage and school at here.

Awards & Nominations

  • Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-fiction nominee, 2011

  • Junior Guild League choice, 2011

  • Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award for English Non-Fiction finalist, 2011

  • Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, selected by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children's Book Council (US), 2011

  • Utah Beehive Informational Book Award nominee, 2012

An Excerpt

When North American kids picture a school, odds are they see rows of desks, stacks of textbooks, and linoleum hallways. They probably don't picture caves, boats, or train platforms - but there are schools in caves, and on boats and on train platforms. There are green schools, mobile schools, and even treehouse schools. There's a whole world of unusual schools out there!

But the most amazing thing about these schools isn't their location or what they look like. It's that they provide a place for students who face some of the toughest environmental and cultural challenges, and live some of the most unique lifestyles, to learn. Education is not readily available for kids everywhere, and many communities are strapped for the resources that would make it easier for kids to go to school. In short, it's not always easy getting kids off to class - but people around the world are finding creative ways to do it.

In Off to Class, readers will travel to India, Burkina Faso, and Brazil; to Russia, China, Uganda, and a dozen other countries, to visit some of these incredible schools, and, through personal interviews conducted by author Susan Hughes, meet the students who attend them too. And their stories aren't just inspiring; they'll also get you to think about school and the world in a whole new way.