In a time when even superb SAT scores and valedictorian status don’t necessarily secure a spot at a top college, The Cooper Hill College Application Essay Bible offers useful insight into what students can do to make their applications stand out.

The Bible reprints essays from students who gained admission to their schools of choice, then analyzes the essays to show what the students did right. Divided into essay topics, from athletics to disability to ethnicity, the book advises students on producing something fresh that will distinguish their essay from the thousands of others flooding the admissions office mailboxes. The proof is in the pudding: these essays helped students get into Yale, MIT and many high-quality institutions in between. This book is an indispensable tool for students seeking to stand out from the crowd.

Amy Scribner writes from Olympia, Washington.

How many of us have said with a shrug, “I’m just not good at math”? Untrue, says mathematician John Mighton, who contends that anyone can succeed in math. In The Myth of Ability: Nurturing Mathematical Talent in Every Child, Mighton shares his methods for helping students overcome their inherent fear of numbers. Math, according to Mighton, is “simply a different way of perceiving nature.” Those who dread math might be relieved to hear that The Myth of Ability really does break down basic mathematical concepts into understandable components: a whole chapter on fractions begins by advising teachers to have their students count on one hand by twos, threes and fives. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to add, multiply or even convert improper fractions to mixed fractions.

With his simple yet effective method, Mighton helps take the fear out of what for many is a mystifying discipline.

Amy Scribner writes from Olympia, Washington.

Ron Clark begins The Excellent 11: Qualities Teachers and Parents Use to Motivate, Inspire, and Educate Childrenby recalling his most terrifying teacher, a science teacher of singular intensity. She came to school every day, even when back problems forced her to be carted into the classroom on a stretcher. She expected the same devotion from her pupils. Every school has these so-called “tough” teachers, and Clark contends they are the ones who make a difference. He should know he was named the Disney Teacher of the Year in 2001, and his first book, The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator’s Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child (2003), became a best-selling phenomenon.

For his new book, Clark traveled to schools in virtually every state, observing teachers and generating a “wish list” of 11 qualities such as appreciation and creativity that parents and educators alike should possess in order to help children flourish. For example, he advises school administrators that one of their most important tasks is to shower teachers with much-deserved appreciation. Pay teachers what they’re worth, support them, ask for their feedback.

Clark’s chatty, anecdotal writing and common-sense advice yields a book that will help parents, teachers and administrators alike in their quest to boost student achievement.

Amy Scribner writes from Olympia, Washington.

No one who has ever lived through the hormonal coming-of-age known as senior prom is likely to forget it. The suburban community of Levittown, Pennsylvania, takes this rite of passage very seriously. A committee of students spends all year planning the senior prom’s theme and decorations, and residents line up early to watch and cheer as Pennsbury High School students arrive for the event.

Sports Illustrated reporter Michael Bamberger spent a year behind the scenes at Pennsbury, documenting the prom preparations. The result, Wonderland: A Year in the Life of an American High School, is much more than a book about a dance. Bamberger has produced a sweet, moving story about students balancing between the safety net of high school and the uncertainty of looming adulthood.

Bamberger was able to coax some powerful stories from normally reticent teenagers. One young couple struggles after becoming teenage parents. A star athlete faces doubts about his post-high school career. A classic overachiever spends the entire year begging pop singer John Mayer to sing at the Pennsbury prom. Bamberger’s chronicle of one year in the life of ordinary teenagers is pitch-perfect. Reading Wonderland is like stepping back in time.

Amy Scribner writes from Olympia, Washington.