we got the book in great shape and in great time. Good book for my daughters first day of school.

My nieces haven't read this one yet.

The book runs through the excuses Sarah makes to avoid going to her new school (note that she's nervous about switching schools), and she's steadily cajoled into the front of the class where our Surprise! Announcement! reveals (and I admit, I was surprised - this is really well-done) that she's the teacher.

Well, no doubt teachers do get nervous on the first day of school, same as anybody else does :) Kids are likely to be surprised and laugh at the ending too, maybe even not believe it.

I do find it a little off-putting that Sarah's husband and boss essentially talk to her (and, in the beginning, treat her) like she's a child, but that's necessary to make the reveal an actual surprise.

I found the conversation between Sarah and the other characters to be very realistic (maybe a little less so for an adult, but, remember, we have to be surprised at the end), just like the conversations I had with my parents as a kid about school some days.

I love this book! My kids were so surprised to see that the character that was nervous about school wasn't a child. Great ending! This book allows students to see that grown-ups are afraid and/or become nervous before school too.

I read this book to my students on the first day of school. They just love it!! The surprise ending never fails to create giggles and thus relieve some of the tension we all feel on that first day of school. Every teacher should have this one!

This book is wonderful! The whole way through, you have no IDEA that the main character is not a child! At the end you find out it is an ADULT - AND that she is a teacher, afraid of her first day of school. As a teacher myself, I thought the book was ingenius! :)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. I bought it several years ago for my nephew who was starting kindergarten and he found it interesting and reassuring to know that grown-ups get nervous, too, and that his teacher was probably as nervous about meeting him as he was about meeting her. Now that my own daughter is starting kindergarten, I got the book for her. She loves the illustrations and was surprised and delighted at the end of the story to find out that the teacher was nervous about going to school. I am working on my master's degree in teaching and when I get my own classroom, I intend to read this to my students on the first day. It is a delightful book! I'm surprised by the reviewer who was actually returning the book. I can't imagine how she could possibly be disappointed in it. Yes, it does use the word 'hate' but just in the way an average child might use the word. How many of us have heard our young children say "I hate peas?" - I know I have. This is a great book. I highly recommend it.

Funny, cute book with a little twist at the end. Great for going back to school!

This book is heartwarming and funny. The kids love it. It's about a teacher who is nervous about the first day of school. I used it to talk about how everyone is nervous the first day, even myself. It can even be revisited when you have a new student. The students love reading it and the other books by this author about the same teacher.

I am in the process of returning this book right now. I thought the book might be about a first day starting school - as in Kindergarten or Preschool. Any age would have been fine. I thought the character might be a little nervous not terrified. We are talking about a grown woman - a teacher! I know they get nervous and who can blame them. But this is not the kind of example I want for my daughter. They use the word hate - the teacher says 'I hate this new school' - that's not the kind of language I want to hear from my daughter at the age of 4. If the teacher "hates" school how can we encourage our daughter to be excited about going. This book maybe would have been more appropriate if we had an older child with school experience moving to a new school - its not for preschool or kindergarten kids. The illustrations aren't cute. I have never returned a book. Usually I just pass a book I don't care for on but I just couldn't take it. You may find it cute and clever. I gave it 1 star because I had to. My advice - if you buy it, read it yourself first and keep the handy return policy in mind. We also bought My First Day of School by P. K. Hallinan - that one is very cute for preschool & kindergaten. Thanks for listening.

I was so impressed with this book and its ending that I am going to read it to my 8th graders this year on the first day of school. ALL students like to be read to - even the older ones. I teach math and science but we still take time to read and write every single day (and usually NOT about math or science!). The wonderfully colorful and engaging illustrations don't give away the ending before the last page! Highly recommended!

This book lets you teach 60 vowel-spellings with 318 vocabulary words.

The author did a very good job with this book. I love it from beginning to end.

I read this to my daughter, before she entered kindergarten. And we were both surprised with the ending, she realized that adults too can be scared. A very good book to read.

I sent this to my 5 year old grandson entering kindergarten this August. He had said he was a little bit nervous. This has become one of his nightly stories in this transitional month.

Many students are concerned and nervous about how their first day of school will go. So are teachers. What a wonderful surprise for students to get to the end of this book only to discover that it is the teacher who is suffering from a case of nerves! This book is a great way for teachers and students to connect and find common ground.

My son loved this book the first time I read it; he just finished his 1st year of pre-school and since he's an only child, he had a challenging time getting used to school and lots of kids all in one room! They changed the location of his school starting in the fall, so this was a timely book, as he won't be in the same building, and many of his new friends will be going elsewhere, thus he will have to look at new faces once again. This book has a great ending that made us laugh. I recommend the book highly.

This book is a must have for all teachers. I've read it to students as old as 4th grade and they've really enjoyed the twist at the end. It's a good discussion starter and can be used for all grades. I am also a fan of the author because I was her daughter's 3rd grade teacher! Get the book and have fun reading it to your class!

How would you manage a whole new class every year? In First Day Jitters, by Julie Dannenberg it happens. It's about a person who doesn't want to go to school. She wonders "Will they like me?" You find out. I liked this because it was a surprising book. I also liked it because it wasn't obvious what the surprise was. You know its not only kids that are scared. Find out the surprising ending, you never know what you might discover.

Well, this is a superb book for children on the first day of school. The story tells about Sara Hartwell and how she does not want to go to school. She is worried that no one will like her and is extremely nervous about all the things people get nervous about on the first day of school. Mr. Hartwell with much fighting gets Sara to school as the princial is waiting on her to take her to class. When he shows her to the room you find out that Sara is really the teacher! It definitely a new perspective! This is a great way to start a discussion with students about how adults also get nervous and scared and share how they deal with those feelings. I use this book as a great story starter and have my first grade students write about what they have ever been nervous about and have them share and learn from each other's stories. Excellent job Julie Danneberg and Judith Dufour Love!

Favorite characters: Sarah, Mr. Hartwell, and Mrs. Burton

Everyone has had it, the fear of that first day of school. This is what First Day Jitters is all about. But this book puts a humorous twist on those fears. The ending will warm your heart, no matter if you're eight or eighty years old.
Colorful pictures that follow that first day of school you remember, only this time with a surprise ending. This is a great book for kids that are nervous to go to school, or adults who want to read books about their childhood. You really can't go wrong with a book like this.

As a brand-new teacher (first grade), I thought this would be a great icebreaker and nerve-soother to read to my kids on the first day of school. None of them expected the surprise ending. The book helped both my criers and the rest of the class -- I talked to the criers about jitters, and how I had them, and how most everyone has them on the first day of school. I was able to use the book as an example to those better-adjusted kids, explaining that some people have worse first-day jitters than others. It was a great book to ease the kids into school again!

Julie Danneberg's "First Day Jitters" ought to be mandatory reading for all preschoolers and kindergarteners before they go off to school the first day. Sarah Jane Hartwell is snuggled down tightly under her covers, not wanting to go to her new school, while Mr. Hartwell urges and cajoles her into moving along. Mr. Hartwell drives her to school, where the principal, Mrs. Burton, kindly meets Sarah Jane at the car and personally escorts her into the classroom. And on the last page is a wonderful surprise that is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any young child who's concerned about that all-important first day!

Judy Love's vivid ink and watercolor drawings have a great sense of movement and are pleasingly colorful. She does an especially fine job of hinting at the surprise to come on the last page without giving it away via the illustrations.

I sent this to my niece in the mid west who just started kindergarten. It was brought to school and her teacher read it to the class, it was apparently such a hit that her Teacher loaned it out to the other Kindergarten Teacher so she could read it to her class.

As this delightful picture book shows, first day jitters aren't just for kindergarteners. The first day in a new school has Sarah Jane Hartwell ducking for the covers. Mr. Hartwell tries to ease her nerves with calm reassurance and wise advice.

But Sarah Jane is convinced that staying home in bed is the answer to her general fears about a new school: she doesn't know anyone, no one will like her, it's just too hard and besides, she hates school.

Kids will identify with Sarah Jane's free-floating school anxiety, even if this isn't their first year in a new school. Love's richly-colored ink and watercolor illustrations help build anticipation for the surprise ending to Danneberg's story, a twist that will delight kids and give them a new perspective on the first day of school.

Perfect late August reading for everyone heading back to school.