Best books set in school

Well, it’s that time of year again, summer holidays have been and gone (how?!) and many students/teachers are heading back to school… but fear not! It doesn’t have to be all bad because we have books! And in books, school can be a lot more fun… I mean some of them teach you spells for one thing 😉 I decided to take a mixture of different settings and themes and even share some books set in college. Let’s don our freshly pressed uniforms and boldly go where many people have gone before, shall we?

Harry Potter– let’s be real, Hogwarts is absolute *magic* and everyone’s dream school (yes, even with the crazy teachers, deadly activities and Forbidden Forest)

Groosham Grange– sure, this might not be the happiest take on schools, but you can’t deny it’s a lot of fun to be swept up in this E-V-I-L education system. I know that, as a kid, I’d have rather gone here than my actual school… (dunno what that says about the English education system 😉)

Wizard Heir– such an underrated book!! You guys know I love the author, but any opportunity I get to rave about this story I’ll take. This may be a less positive representation of a school… yet it’s no less fun to read!

Naughtiest Girl in School– I know a lot of people grew up with Malorie Towers, but for some reason, my mum gave me these… I wonder if she was sending me a subliminal message about how I should behave in school? 😉

Wonder– I just love what a life-affirming story about kindness this is- there aren’t enough of these around!

Stargirl– this is such an important book about being different and how that impacts people in a school environment- a must read!

Never Let Me Go– okay, in a far, far darker vein, Hailsham may seem like an ordinary boarding school, but readers will soon find there’s more to it than there seems.

Anna and the French Kiss– on a lighter note, I just love the setting of Paris and this school seems GREAT! (one thing that I didn’t get about the narrator for ages is that she complains about going here?!)

Always and Forever– one thing that the finale for the Lara Jean series did exceptionally well was exploring the challenge that is graduating from school and moving on to college. I thought this was such a great representation, because it didn’t just go the *oh look you get the college of your dreams and life is perfect* route- which is perpetuated by a lot of books/movies but is unfortunately unrealistic for most people. Instead, this was about finding your way, in spite of falling just shy of your dreams (and that maybe, just maybe, things can work out when life doesn’t go to plan).

Secret History– moving up in the education system, this is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read recently. Its portrayal of college and learning really struck a chord with me… apart from the fact I was completely gripped by the murder mystery aspect of course 😉

Unseen Academicals– to be fair, this book is more about football (the most beautiful game in the world) but I had to squeeze the Unseen University into this list somewhere, didn’t I? Plus, this book is a lot of fun, so you’re welcome for the recommendation 😉

Vicious– alright, admittedly not all of this book is set in uni, but one of the most significant parts is and it deserves a shoutout for being an ambitious book about ambition (also did I mention lately that I love it)

American panda– even if the germaphobe aspect wasn’t to my personal taste, one of the things I can safely say this book did best was dealing with the struggles of finding yourself.

Fangirl– another fantastic book about finding out who you are in a modern college setting, Rowell’s story will feel relatable to a lot of young adults.

180 Seconds– and finally, I’m off the list with a super sweet and yet emotional rollercoaster of a romance! Set in college, this definitely delivers when it comes to *feels*.

And just when you thought “this post can’t get any longer”, I have to add a bonus book I recently finished and was well worth the hype: Radio Silence! What a fantastic story about school, growing up and being creative!!

So do you agree with any of my choices? Do you have any books set in school you’d like to add? Let me know in the comments!

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