If You Like Stories with Boarding Schools, Then Read… (Part One)

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Seven-year-old Sara Crewe arrives at Miss Minchin’s London boarding school for girls lacking nothing.  She even receives special treatment from the headmistress because her daddy is rich.  Then disaster strikes and Sara finds herself alone and penniless.  Can she find it within herself to act like a princess even in the face of abuse and poverty?

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Gene and Phineas are complete opposites, but best friends.  Gene is introverted and a loner.  Phineas is an extroverted and popular athlete.  Their days seems idyllic until war breaks out in Europe–but even then it seems impossible that death and destruction could be happening when their school remains so peaceful.  But then tragedy strikes and Gene must find his own way to find forgiveness in the face of death.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Sent away her senior year of high school to a boarding school in France, Anna is furious that she must leave her friends and her crush behind.  Then she meets Etienne St. Clair and suddenly is world is full of stars.  The only problem is, he already had a girlfriend.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Miri lives in a remote community that quarries stone in order to trade for enough food to live.  Nothing is further from her thoughts than the state of the country until the day a messenger arrives and announces that all eligible young girls from her territory are to be sent away to an academy.  There they will train to act like princesses so that one day the prince can choose his future bride from among their number.

Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms by Katherine Rundell

Wilhelmina Silver’s life in Zimbabwe is perfect, a whirl of horses and freedom and friends and love.  Then tragedy strikes and she finds herself packed off to London to attend an all-girls’ school.  But can those girls with their perfectly plaited hair and their crisp uniforms ever understand the life that Will once knew?  Or will the things that make her different cause the girls to tear her apart more effectively than an animal in the bush ever could?