OK, let’s be honest. Most high school seniors would prefer to get money or a gift card as a graduation gift.
But cold cash doesn’t feel meaningful enough for such a momentous occasion as graduating high school. Somehow, this particular event inspires us to want to inspire them, to pass along words of wisdom or great advice to help them along in their new adventure.
So, it’s probably still a good idea to give the cash or the gift card, as it’s really the most useful. And no matter what the graduate in your life is pursuing, whether it’s college, the military, trade school, employment, gap year, or anything else, we all know that life is expensive right now.
Related: Let’s Stop Asking High School Graduates Where They Are Going to College
But why not add a little dash of meaning or a side helping of tried and true advice by tucking that cash or gift card inside a memorable book for a unique graduation gift?
Or we love this idea we borrowed from a friend. Pick a book you love, then paper clip bills or gift cards to a few pages you find meaningful or something they should know.
It is a way to personalize your gift and show that you care.
Here are a few ideas to help you pick out the book that will be the best fit for your graduate (or graduates).
20 of our favorite books to gift high school
“Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss?
Now, raise your hand if you have now, or did at one time, have multiple copies of this book? Wow! That’s a lot of hands. 😉
It’s a great book, and it is perfect for the occasion. But this is often why EVERYBODY gets this as a gift for graduates. It’s kind of a no-brainer and who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss and all his inspirational rhymes?!
Tradition is a beautiful thing, and if you feel confident you are the only one likely to be gifting this book, then go ahead. But sometimes breaking the mold and going a new direction can be a good thing.
Not sure what to give instead? We gotcha covered!
Beyond Oh, The Places You’ll Go! – 20 Of The Best Ever Books for High School Grads
This selection of books is a mix of modern and time-proven classics. Whether you’re looking for inspirational, practical or just a whole lotta fun, you’ll find the perfectly unique book to gift the graduate in your life. (These are great for College Grads too!)
Inspirational Books for High School Graduation
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. This sweet book, full of beautifully simple illustrations and brief, but powerful words of wisdom and encouragement, is the most perfect graduation gift for anyone on your list. It is touching, meaningful, and just something that will bring comfort, inspiration, and support to any young adult heading out into the world. You should buy yourself a copy at the same time because you’ll want one to keep once you have a chance to look through it. Trust us.
Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson, 20th Anniversary Edition
Tuesday’s with Morrie – A professor and a student reconnect after 20 years and a beautiful friendship is formed. One that shows we still have much to learn even long after we leave the classroom.
Enjoy Every Sandwich: Living Each Day as If It Were Your Last
Enjoy Every Sandwich – When a Medical Director of a leading research institute whose mission is to help those struggling with disease overcome their fear of pain and death, discovers he has terminal cancer, can he apply the same principles to his own life? The answer is a resounding yes! His journey will convince anyone that it is not the duration of our life that matters, but whether we can live each day we are given with purpose and meaning.
The Road to Character – New York Times columnist Dave Brooks looks to some of the world’s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders and illustrates how through internal struggle and a sense of our own limitations, we can build rich inner lives marked by humility and moral depth.
TED Books Box Set – If you’ve heard of TED Talks, imagine a whole collection of them in book form!
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Wild – Sometimes, we never know exactly who we are or what we are capable of doing until we push ourselves to our limit and survive.
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
The Year of Yes – From the creator of “Must See TV” including Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal comes a book that challenges the very definition of success. You can have it all, and have nothing if you aren’t being true to yourself and embracing a life that truly challenges and fulfills you.
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
The Better Angels of Our Nature – “If I could give each of you a graduation present, it would be this — the most inspiring book I’ve ever read.” – Bill Gates. According to this book, our world is actually becoming a safer and less violent place, contrary to what most of us think and the media would have us believe. A compelling argument in favor of optimism and believing that it is still possible to make the world a better place.
Practical Books To Give As Graduation Gifts
What You’re Really Meant to Do: A Road Map for Reaching Your Unique Potential
What You’re Really Meant To Do – Too often, people live unfulfilled lives because they chase after the wrong kind of success. Here’s how to define what “success” means to you and then put a plan together that will get you there.
How to Cook Everything: The Basics – Hopefully, by the time one graduates, they’ve learned enough to at least boil water and make toast. Even that is debatable today when we’re slowly losing the art of cooking.
Here is an excellent introductory book of the essential skills and recipes needed to at least have a foundation in cooking and how to feed oneself without relying on take-out.
Related:15 Easy Recipes for Teens to Help Them Learn to Cook
1000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz (2003-09-29)
1,000 Places to See Before You Die – Just because one becomes an adult, it doesn’t mean losing all sense of adventure. Life should continue to be an exploration and here are the 1,000 suggestions for that bucket list.
Related:Ten Must-Have Travel Accessories for Teens for a Memorable Trip
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – There is a reason this has been a bestseller for decades. Timeless advice that applies both at work and at home, it’s a book many people read over and over again.
The Graduate Survival Guide: 5 Mistakes You Can’t Afford To Make In College
Five Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make in College – Don’t want to end up living with your parents after college? Here are the five mistakes to avoid making in college to save yourself years of pain and expensive life lessons.
Your Turn: How To Be An Adult. From a former Stanford dean of freshmen and undergraduate advising and author of the perennial bestseller How to Raise an Adult. Being an adult, it turns out, is not about any particular checklist; it is, instead, a process, one you can get progressively better at over time―becoming more comfortable with uncertainty and gaining the know-how to keep going. Once you begin to practice it, being an adult becomes the most complicated yet also the most abundantly rewarding and natural thing.
Related: Ten Important Teen Life Skills They Need To Master In Order To Thrive In Adulthood
Money Rules: The Simple Path to Lifelong Security
Money Rules: The Simple Path To Lifelong Security – In a time of great financial uncertainty, this is the book every graduate must read. The bottom line: Money is simple-people make it complicated. Now, bestselling personal finance author Jean Chatzky has distilled this simplicity into a smart, immediate, and entertaining set of rules that will change readers’ financial lives.
Chatzky removes the stress associated with all things money and says it clearly: Readers who follow these basic yet crucial approaches to spending, saving, investing, increasing their income, and most importantly, protecting what they have, will build the wealth and financial stability they’ve been dreaming of.
Funny Books To Give As Graduation Gifts
Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 535 Easy(ish) Steps
Adulting, How to Become a Grown-Up in 535(ish) Steps – Just because you don’t feel like an adult doesn’t mean you can’t act like one. From breaking up with frenemies to fixing your toilet, this fun comprehensive handbook is the answer for aspiring grown-ups of all ages.
The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College.
From sharing a bathroom with 40 strangers to sharing lecture notes, The Naked Roommate is your behind-the-scenes look at EVERYTHING you need to know about college (but never knew you needed to know). This essential edition is packed with real-life advice on everything from making friends to managing stress. Hilarious, outrageous, and telling stories from students on over 100 college campuses cover the basics, and then some.
Graduation Mad Libs: World’s Greatest Word Game
Graduation Mad Libs – Just a little something fun to keep everyone entertained at the graduation party. 😉
Goodnight Dorm Room: All the Advice I Wish I Got Before Going to College
Good Night Dorm Room: All The Advice I Wish I Got Before Going To College.
This heartwarming gift book for high school graduates is the perfect way to celebrate their achievements and launch them into their college experience with helpful, insightful advice for making the best of their new academic experience.
Related:Teen Boy Dorm Rooms Essentials – Why You Don’t Need So Much Crap
There are at least twenty more books that could on this list, but it felt like these were truly the best of the best to gift your high school graduate. Send them off with at least a few words of wisdom or a few laughs to get them started on the right path and to help them navigate this adventure they are embarking upon.
Are you in the thick of raising your tweens and teens? You may like this book by Whitney Fleming, the co-owner of Parenting Teens & Tweens: Loving Hard When They’re Hard to Love: Essays about Raising Teens in Today’s Complex, Chaotic World.
Parenting teens and young adults can be hard, but these popular graduation-related posts that other parents found helpful might make it a little easier.
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