Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books Set in a School

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.   

August is winding down and here we are at the last Top Ten Tuesday of the month. I love this week's topic, and knew exactly how I wanted to take it when I read we had a School Freebie. So, here are my...

Top Ten Books Set in a School

Hogwartz is just as much of a character as any of the students and faculty that resides within its walls. I could never tire of reading more about this magical school.

This is a sequel to A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It tells the story of the girls left behind at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies. The author was totally captivated by the characters in the original, and her passion for the material shines through.

As I said in my 2011 review of Vordak the Incomprehenisble: Rule the School, I don't suffer from writer envy, but I totally wish I wrote this one. Vordak wants to create a powerful ray to turn all the water to ice, but due to an unexpected error, he winds up at Farding Junior High. One of the funniest books I have ever read.

Nate Rocks the School is another funny story that I enjoyed. Now in fifth grade, Nate Rocks must step in when the class trip to New York City is in danger of being canceled. 

The Red Sheet is one of my all-time favorite YA novels. The main character, Bryan Dennison, a self-centered jock and obnoxious bully, wakes up one day a totally different person. He can't remember what caused the change or who he was before, but the target of his bullying isn't interested in anything the new Bryan has to offer. 

This middle grade novel tackles the topics of censorship and cyberbullying. The Truth about Truman School is a novel about what happens when two students, frustrated by the censorship of their meaningful articles for the school newspaper, start their own unofficial newspaper with few rules and a notice that there will be no censorship. This approach quickly creates a situation of cyberbullying and many lives are changed as a result. 

Sophie Washington: Secret Santa is a middle grade novel that primarily takes place at Sophie's school. A mysterious Santa has been mailing packages to Sophie, but there is no secret Santa exchange going on at school, so she can't imagine who it could be. A side plot includes the issue of bullying. 

This is one of my favorite middle grade novels. SLOB is the story of Owen Birnbaum, a genius inventor who created a TV that shows the past. A tragedy led him to overeating and now he is the target of bullies. A new kid that he refers to as the school psycho tortures him, and when Owen's cookies disappear from his lunch, he creates a new thief catching device. What Owen learns along the way, however, is that science doesn't have all the answers. 

When my girls were younger, I saw Dork Diaries as the female answer to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. My girls read both series, but I much prefer Dork Diaries because the characters grow and change more than Greg and his crew. The series starts off with Nikki Maxwell starting a new school, meeting her new soon-to-be BFFs, and clashing with a mean girl. 

Monster School is a poetry collection of zany seasonal happenings that reminded me of Shel Silverstein's work.  

What do you think of my list of books? What are some of your favorite books set in a school?