Fun fact: I used to want to go to boarding school. When my mum and I argued, I used to wish that she’d send me off to boarding school as a punishment, and I actually brought it up a couple of times. There was no way she would be able to afford it though (I wasn’t aware how expensive boarding schools are when I was 11) so it never happened and I had to live my life vicariously through other characters.
I wasn’t able to pick out any TV shows or movies this time without crossing over to college stories, but if you have any recommendations then do let me know!
i would recommend
I think Harry Potter is the ultimate boarding school book, and pretty much everyone has read the series already, but I couldn’t leave it off the list. Who do you think I am?! My favourite parts of these books (especially the later ones) were the bits set in Hogwarts, because it’s my favourite place in the entire world.
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
This is another extremely popular series that I couldn’t leave out. If you’re one of the 1% who hasn’t read this series, it’s about a girl called Rose Hathaway who goes to a school for Moroi and Dhampir, where they train in magic and defence. Don’t let the whole vampire thing put you off, because these are different kinds of vampires than what you’re probably used to.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
This is the most adorable contemporary set in an American school in Paris. I wasn’t expecting to love it when I read it back when it was published because, honestly, I was put off by that cover. But the setting is one of the best, and I’d highly recommend this if you’re in the mood for a quick and engrossing read.
The It Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
I read this one years and years ago. The It Girl is the first in a long series that is a spin off from Gossip Girl (the books, not the show). I love rich people drama, and I’m pretty sure this book is the one that set that off. It’s so much fun to read about, and even better when there are no adults in the picture. And now that I’m talking about it, I want to reread and finish off the series!
So I don’t normally love books about witches, but Hex Hall is just so damn funny and adorable. There’s a ship, there’s humour, and most importantly, it’s set in a boarding school for magical beings. I think the second book in this trilogy is the strongest, but Hex Hall is a nice introduction to the series.
I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You by Ally Carter
THERE ARE SPIES! The Gallagher Girls are all teenage girls training to be spies at a boarding school run by some of the best in the country. It’s super fun and light, and while I haven’t finished the series yet I would very much like to continue soon.
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
The Name of the Star is set in a boarding school in London, and the basic point of the plot is that Jack the Ripper returns. The boarding school setting isn’t as prominent as it could have been, but it was still nice to see, especially since it was in London and not New York, like a lot of other schools are.
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
This book is one that I really liked. The Mockingbirds is about a girl who is raped, and she learns to deal and to come to terms with it, while figuring out how she wants to deal with the rapist. I’ll be honest, I had a slight issue with the way it turned out, but I still enjoyed it because it was all about girl power.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
The boarding school in this book is specifically to train soldiers or warriors. I really enjoyed An Ember in the Ashes, and I’m so glad that it was picked up to be a series, because otherwise I might die after that ending. It’s about a girl who goes to spy on an evil woman after her brother is taken away, and a boy who’s training to be in an elite task force. It’s a fantasy and there’s magic and things as well.
This is another one where the boarding school is a minor setting, but I couldn’t not include it because I really like this series and I feel like I don’t talk about it enough. The Curse Workers books are about a guy whose family is part of a crime syndicate. These syndicates pretty much rule the world because they have all sorts of powers that make them dangerous. YAY, POWERS!
I love the boarding school setting in Variant because it’s so mysterious! What happens is the main character gets sent to this school, and is then locked in. Turns out that all of the students there are trapped, and they have to figure out how to escape and how to save each other.
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
This isn’t so much set in a boarding school as a boarding… house? It’s a junior crime novel, and a bunch of talented people are brought together to solve a mystery.
This is a true boarding school mystery, in which a student goes missing at the end of the school year, and when the students return (along with said new girl) they have to figure out what happened to her.
Academy-7 is a science fiction novel in which the characters move around space. AKA, one of my favourite things. The academy is set on a separate planet to most other things, and it’s incredibly strict. Aerin, the main character, joins the academy and discovers things about her past that her father had been hiding from her.
i want to read
Great post! I love boarding school books. So much. I don’t think I’ll be the only one to say that my love for them started with Harry Potter. You’ve definitely included some I’ve never heard of, so I’ll no doubt be checking those out. At the same time you’re reminding me that I NEED to read The Naturals! Every single thing I hear about it convinces me that it would be the perfect book for me. That it has everything I love. Then WHY have I not read it yet?
Love your post! 😀
I always wanted to go to boarding school too when I was young. It always seemed like loads of fun – having all of your friends in the same place. You’ve picked out loads of my favourite boarding school books – HP, Hex Hall, VA and Anna being top of my list. Even in Paradise is pretty good
I can only remember one boarding school movie right now – Wild Child. I absolutely love that movie.
Great post, Amber
I love the Gallagher Girls series!! It kind of weirdly reminds me of when I was obsessed with Totally Spies in middle school. I read the first few Private books and they really weren’t my cup of tea, but one of my friends read the entire series and loved it. I DID really enjoy the Gemma Doyle series despite not having read the last one yet. I’m planning on a reread soon so I can finally cross it off my list. Another book you may/may not want to look at is Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. It’s all about boarding school drama. I absolutely hated it, but it seems like the kind of book that’s an all-or-nothing, so maybe you would like it? Personally I think this quote from the top community review on Goodreads, by “Joe”, sums it up: “I always say that if a writer can evoke complete hatred and dislike for their protagonist from me, then they must be a good writer (Lucinda Rosenfeld’s What She Saw… comes to mind). In that regard, Curtis Sittenfeld is an excellent writer (perhaps it’s a last name thing) but Prep sucks.” I completely agree with this Joe guy.
I never wanted to go to boarding school myself but that never stopped me from loving stories with one as the setting. There’s just something so epic about them. I adore this post Amber!
Yesss I love boarding school books!
Read A Great and Terrible Beauty. It’s amazing. Or at least I thought so 5 years ago. I want to re-read it soon though 😀
The Rithmatist was meh… But maybe you’ll like it. And I wanna read Touch of Frost too 🙂
I soooo used to want to go to a boarding school too! That was actually thanks to Harry Potter and Enid’s Blytons books (they were always having midnight feasts, does that actually happen?). I love this list because I love a good boarding school story, you’ve definitely made me add a few more books to my tbr…
Ooh I love this post! I LOVE boarding school books! I really need to finish reading Harry Potter (I KNOW, I’m a disappointment to the book community) and I need to read Vampire Academy (but vampires scare me) and I’ll definitely check the rest of these out!
I really want to read The Name of the Star as well – IT LOOKS AMAZING.
I read the Naturals and LOVED it, I seriously need to get around to the sequels.
I bought an Ember in the Ashes recently which I will be reading verryyyy soon, I had no idea it was a boarding school type of book so YAY!