Field trip day begins with a permission slip rescued from the bottom of a backpack and a bus full of children asking whether they are there yet. Then the ordinary rules loosen. A museum has a hamster on the run, the farm has acquired a boa constrictor, and Ms. Frizzle has driven directly into somebody’s bloodstream. The best field trip books understand that an outing is half lesson and half glorious logistical hazard — the one school day when getting a little lost may be the point.
Drawing from Bookroo’s collection of 289 field trip books, our editors chose thirteen that go somewhere worth following: farms, fire stations, museums, an apple orchard, the New York subway, the surface of the moon, and several places no responsible bus driver would attempt. Start with the shortlist, then browse the picture-book shelf for read-aloud trips and first readers, or the chapter-book shelf for mysteries, mishaps, and overnights that last long after the permission slip is signed.
A perfectly normal class visit to a farm somehow ends with a boa constrictor in the laundry and the pigs aboard the school bus.
Arnold swallows the shrunken Magic School Bus, giving the class a tour of the digestive system, bloodstream, and lungs from the inside.
One spacesuited student misses the rocket home, pulls out a box of crayons, and discovers that the moon is not quite as empty as it looked.
A class outing gets stranded when a bridge collapses, leaving the one child who never stops building to design the way home.
On an orchard trip, Farah adds one green apple to her classmates’ red ones and begins to find her first words in a new school.
Splat’s class visits an ice-cream factory, where a production-line tour becomes an avalanche and one cat goes missing in the machinery.
George wanders away from a fire-station tour, tries the pole and the alarm, and finds himself in the middle of a real emergency.
Sam sneaks the class hamster onto the science-museum bus, then has to retrieve him from an exhibit built for much less troublesome hamsters.
Goose feels left out on a farm visit, wanders among the noisy animals, and goes looking for Sophie — and perhaps one more friend.
Pablo gets separated from his class in the New York subway and must read the city — maps, signs, trains, and strangers — well enough to find them again.
An art-museum visit reveals a gallery full of fakes, and the Breakfast Bunch has to investigate while Lunch Lady is busy admiring the exhibits.
Clementine’s class heads to Plimoth Plantation with strict lunch rules, a bus full of fourth graders, and several questions nobody planned to answer.
A school bus breaks down after a farm visit, the scarecrows begin to move, and three classmates run for the small spaces where monsters cannot follow.
Farm visits, museum mishaps, firehouse tours, apple picking, and wildly impossible science outings for read-alouds and new readers ages 3–8.
A class goes on a field trip to a planetarium to learn about stars and planets, but their trip is disrupted by a storm.
A young girl's class goes on a field trip to a museum.
A young boy's basketball dreams are challenged by unexpected advice from his hero.
Students shrink and explore chemistry inside a birthday cake.
Grace and her classmates navigate school politics, learning the complexities of serving diverse needs.
A bus feels overshadowed by a fire truck on a field trip. Will the kids still appreciate him?
A nature hunt turns into a mystery when lunch goes missing.
A school trip reveals art, friendship, and diverse families.
A beach trip turns into an ocean adventure to uncover the link between a sandwich and pond scum.
A mysterious tooth leads to a wild field trip exploring the secrets of teeth.
Dive into an ocean adventure with a magical bus exploring underwater wonders.
Tom's class trip promises chaos, surprises, and unexpected adventures.
Class-trip mysteries, camp overnights, city adventures, haunted farms, and buses that do not make it home on schedule, for independent readers ages 6–12.
A third-grade class goes on a field trip to the zoo, where they encounter various animals and learn about their habitats and characteristics.
A young girl navigates the challenges of elementary school and a field trip to the United States Capitol
A student goes on a chaotic class trip with their eccentric teacher and classmates, facing various obstacles and misadventures along the way.
Frannie seizes a radio host's absence as her big break, but can she handle the unexpected questions?
A young shark named Clark gets lost at the farmers' market during a field trip.
A class trip to D.C. tests friendships and leads to unexpected discoveries.
A school trip to a space museum unleashes rival alien tribes.
A school trip to Rome turns into a spy mission with Mafia whispers.
A class trip to Hawaii turns explosive when a volcano erupts.
A class transforms into lightning for a stormy adventure.
A class transforms into insects, uncovering a world of predators and surprises.
A class trip turns perilous as students must escape a great white shark's jaws underwater.
