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Tuesday 16 August 2016

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Ten books set in school

(Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish!)

When I was gearing up to leave school, I was certain I wasn't going to miss it. I had some amazing friends, but it's such a crazy environment - the cliques, the cafeteria, the constant studying - that I just couldn't wait to get away.
With two years between the end of my education and today, I actually really miss it. It's one of the reasons I'm considering university (even though it's a vastly different environment) and it means I really enjoy YA that's set in schools.
These ten books all share a school setting, and they're very realistic - it'll take you right back to those endless corridors and sneaky naps in lessons.

10) 'Stella' by Helen Eve
I kind of hated 'Stella', because of the fact that it glamorized eating disorders and that always makes me uber-uncomfortable, but I can't lie: the portrayal of the popular girls - and the way that the new girl gets sucked into their world, a la 'Mean Girls' - is very realistic.

9) 'Vampire Academy' by Richelle Mead
Self-explanatory: it's a school for vampires.


8) 'The White Devil' by Justin Evans
I don't mention my love for 'The White Devil' enough. A ghost story set in the hallowed halls of Harrow, this scared the bejesus out of me when I read it, but it also gave a great look into the world of private boarding schools. 

7) 'Am I Normal Yet?' by Holly Bourne
I can't recommend Holly Bourne's Spinster Club novels enough. A large part of Evie's life is spent at her sixth form, which she joins after being off school for an extended period of time due to her OCD. The scenes set in the cafeteria, and lounging around on the field with her group of friends, genuinely gave me flashbacks to specific moments I'd spent with my group doing exactly the same things. 

6) 'Don't Even Think About It' by Sarah Mlynowski
An entire homeroom class develops the ability to hear each other's thoughts after being giving a bad batch of the flu vaccine. High school has never been more interesting: no one's secrets are safe from the Espies. It also follows a huge class, giving us pages following all of the individual characters (over 20!) meaning there's something for everyone in this book.

5) 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda' by Becky Albertalli
Simon's troubles begin when the school bully threatens to out him after finding Simon's Facebook still logged in on one of the school computers. It sounds like it's going to be an introspective novel filled with his worrying, but Simon's self-deprecating attitude is humorous and lighthearted.

4) 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J. D. Salinger
Holden Caulfield hates all of the phonies at his boarding school, so he doesn't care at all when he gets expelled. 

3) The Harry Potter series
If I'm talking about books set in schools, I have to mention Harry Potter. Look at that big ass castle!

2) 'The Problem With Forever' by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I only finished 'The Problem With Forever' a couple of days ago, but I just wanted to talk about it again. It's so wonderful. Mallory finally enrolls in high school after being home schooled for a few years, and she has to learn to deal with lessons, mean girls and reuniting with the cute boy from her past. 

1) 'All of the Above' by Juno Dawson

I loved everything about 'All of the Above', but the scenes that particularly stick in my mind are the ones of Toria and her friends all chilling in the common room. It's the one thing I miss more than anything: spending all of that time when you're supposed to be studying just lazing around with your friends. 

I hope you enjoyed this Top Ten Tuesday! Are there any books set in schools that you'd recommend I try?

3 comments:

  1. School and Space seem to be popular settings this week! I love it :)

    My TTT.

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  2. Harry Potter seems to be very popular on the school settings lists this week!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2016/08/16/top-ten-tuesday-70/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loved the Vampire Academy Series! I still need to read Am I Normal Yet? It sounds so good! Great Top Ten :D My Top Ten Tuesday!

    ReplyDelete