boarding schools

One of the best things about working in a library is the regular opportunity to talk about books (and other media) with people. Often, I can provide a recommendation for something else to read or try in those conversations, but it isn’t always a one-way street. Sometimes, patrons put books on my radar that I overlooked, either because the cover or description didn’t grab me, or it’s just outside my usual genre preferences. One of these books was Simone St. James’s The Broken Girls.

As a story with a historical fiction subplot and an intrigued journalist starring in the other main plotline, Th

Ryan Dean West, Winger to his friends, is determined to take control of his junior year. In the Venn diagram of life, most people overlap, or at least most junior guys at Winger's school, it is that little crescent outside that makes us stand out. For Ryan Dean, it is that he is a 14 year old junior, two years younger than his other classmates. That means he doesn't need to shave, hasn't hit his growth spurt, and has no skill with the ladies.



Winger's junior year gets off to a rocky start when he is placed in Opportunity Hall, a dorm for delinquent boys. His year continues to spiral downward

Orphan Jane Williams has lived her entire life in the foster care system. This has given her a particularly hard outlook on life, but her determination to better her surroundings makes Jane work hard for what she has earned. Jane manages to win a scholarship to the prestigious Birch Grove Academy, where she is able to fit in for the first time in her life and find people who are like-minded to herself. However, as time progresses, Jane comes to realize that not all is at it seems at Birch Grove Academy. People are dying and others are acting especially malicious towards her for no reason. Jane

For those readers who enjoyed P.C. Cast’s House of Night series here’s another young adult paranormal series by C. C. Hunter which is set at the Shadow Falls Camp/school.  At Shadow Falls all kinds of paranormals, not just vampires, learn not only about themselves and their unique talents and abilities but also about how they can learn to live among the human population.  Shadow Falls also fosters understanding between the different paranormal species in an effort to foster good will and peace within the paranormal community. 

Kylie Galen finds herself at Shadow Falls without any clue as to

Tobias Wolff, who teaches creative writing at Stanford, has led an interesting life. His success comes despite a precarious childhood, from which he escaped through a combination of quick wit and good luck. So it’s no surprise that his novel Old School, which draws on his personal experience, is a fascinating exploration of the precarious nature of class and social status.

During his last year at an elite prep school, the nameless narrator in the novel is desperate to win one of three contests. The winner gains an exclusive audience with a visiting writer. The narrator fails to impress Robert