Five Fantastic Novels about School

It’s September and that means we’re back to school. Of course, we all know that school is the place where some of the best stories and most exciting adventures happen! Just ask Harry Potter, right? Here are some more junior back-to-school picks that we think you’ll enjoy as the new term gets underway:

The Malory Towers Series by Enid Blyton

JF / Copies available to Reserve

It’s hard to believe that the first Malory Towers book was written in 1946! Set in a girls' boarding school that Blyton's daughter attended, the series follows the protagonist, Darrell Rivers, on her boarding school adventures. There are 6 books in the initial Blyton series, and 6 more were added to the series by author Pamela Cox in 2009 so there are plenty to enjoy!

Wonder by RJ Palacio

JF / Copies available to Reserve or to check out on Borrowbox

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

JF / Copies available to Reserve

There was a terrible mistake - Wayside School was built with one classroom on top of another, thirty stories high (The builder said he was sorry). Maybe that's why all kinds of funny things happened at Wayside- especially on the thirteenth floor.

I, Funny by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

JF / Copies available to Reserve or to check out on Borrowbox

Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest stand-up comedian - even if he always seems to 'choke' in the spotlight. When Jamie finds out about a contest called the Funniest Kid on the Planet, he knows it's time to face his fears and enter. But are the judges rewarding him out of pity because he happens to be in a wheelchair?

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy

JF / Copies available to Reserve

Mildred Hubble is a trainee at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches, but she’s making an awful mess of it. She keeps getting her spells wrong and crashing her broomstick. And when she turns Ethel, the teacher’s pet into her worst enemy, chaos ensues!

Wishing you all a happy new term from Fingal Libraries!