Saying Goodbye to Summer: Boarding School Books

We all want people to see us as more than we are. We hope the cute guy who sits next to us in geometry finds us more beautiful than we find ourselves. We hope that a teacher or friend or stranger will discover our darkest secrets and see potential in us anyway. We hope that a magical envelope will appear to whisk us away to a life better than the one we have. Maybe that's why so many books involve boarding school--a specialized school allows us to be rich/smart/talented in a way we never saw ourselves before.

So without further ado, here are a list of some of my recently read boarding school books:

The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale: In the small village of Mt. Eskel, ordinary girls leaning how to be a princesses in hope to marry the prince of Danland.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling: Hogwarts teaches special children about the importance of friendship, the continuous battle between good and evil, and the exciting possibilities of the wizarding world.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce: Born a lady of the realm, Alanna disguises herself as a boy to learn the royal palace of Corus disguises herself as a boy to train as a knight.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter: The Gallagher Academy has a long history of teaching talented girls the art of being a spy.

Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L.A. Meyer: Only the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls can turn a pirate into a lady.

Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs: From ordinary to extraordinary, the Academy caters to the modern decedents of the Greek god.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: Attending boarding school in Paris means exploring the City of Lights, discovering foreign cinema and finding a boy to share a real French kiss with.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: Gemma Doyle soon discovers there's more than meets the eye at the Spence Academy for Young Ladies.

Looking for Alaska by John Green: Miles Halter goes to Culver Creek Preparatory School hoping to find the Great Perhaps.

Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn by Sarah Miller: Something unexpected is going on at Midvale Academy when a girl is able to see into the mind of one Gideon Rayburn.