Posts Tagged 'boarding school'

So, This is Christmas by Tracy Andreen

Published December 13, 2025 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Holiday Romance

When Finley decides last minute to go home to her hometown of Christmas, Oklahoma from boarding school she finds that everything has changed and not for the better. Her parents have separated and her mother has been out of town for weeks and her father moved into her grandmother’s inn. Meanwhile her best friend is now dating her ex-boyfriend. It doesn’t help that she doesn’t feel like she has fit in at all in her new school. She has been bullied and struggled to keep up academically. She just doesn’t belong anywhere. Meanwhile, she had spruced up her town’s website so that her classmates wouldn’t realize how run down it has gotten and that led to a classmate and his aunt coming for the Christmas holiday. Arthur was none too pleased when he figured out that much of what she bragged about was unfounded as he is from England and was hoping to show his aunt a traditional American Christmas. Finely promises to do her best to plan some wholesome Christmas activities, but she isn’t sure how she is going to pull it all off. Plus, Arthur doesn’t seem as annoying as he had at school. Is there a chance they have anything in common? Is there any chance she can reconcile her parents? Should she return to school?

This holiday romance is a fun treat for romance lovers. Finley is a very relatable girl just trying to find her place in the world and feels like everything is just going wrong. The characters are all charming and developed, especially Arthur (the love interest), and her grandmother (who runs the inn). Even people who have never been to a small town at Christmas will be enchanted by the adventures they have because it feels right out of a Hallmark movie. The ending is satisfying and realistic, but with a lot of Christmas magic. Recommended for anyone looking for a fun holiday read.

The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman

Published July 1, 2025 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Mystery

Amy and her best friend, Sarah, have been looking forward to senior year (and more specifically) the week prior to the rest of the students coming where they get to set up their room, go to parties, etc. Things don’t go as planned, however, when Amy wakes up to find Sarah and her boyfriend stabbed to death in Sarah’s room. Quickly, things spiral out of control as Amy must account for how she could have slept through such terrible murders while she was in the same suite. Meanwhile, Liz, the outcast newspaper editor wants to be the first to break the story, but finds herself blocked everywhere she turns. She has never felt more like the scholarship kid/outsider than she does as she watches everyone close ranks around these terrible events. Eventually, Amy and Liz decide to try to work together in order to find out what truly happened that fateful night. Can they find out the truth? Will they ever find anyone who can truly be trusted? How well did Amy really know her best friend?

This mystery story is fast paced and exciting all the way through. The setup is described well so it is believable how this could have happened while Amy was so close by. The motivations of all the characters are also understandable and it is easy to see why it takes so long for all of the pertinent facts to come out. Senior year carries a lot of the stresses, insecurities, and questions about the future no matter if you go to a local public school or a fancy boarding school and this book does a nice job of showcasing that. The final reveal is very satisfying and exciting which will leave mystery lovers wanting to see more from this author. Recommended for those who enjoy April Henry or liked The Counselors by the same author.

If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

Published March 29, 2024 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Alice Sun has always felt motivated to do well at her elite boarding school because she knew that it was a struggle, even with a scholarship, for her parents to afford the costs. So, it is not totally unexpected when they tell her she can’t return after the current semester and she’ll need to find another school to attend at that time. Alice can’t imagine herself anywhere else and feels all of her hard work, including her bitter rivalry with the other top student, will have all been for nothing. When she discovers that she has started turning invisible for some unknown reason, she hatches a plan to earn enough money to pay her next semester’s tuition. She actually teams up with her rival to create an app that is completely anonymous where students can ask for favors that only a “ghost” could accomplish in exchange for a hefty fee. At first, it goes well and she starts a hefty savings, but as time goes on the requests get more and more difficult and many are something she doesn’t want to do morally. How far will Alice go to stay at this school? Is there anyone she can trust with the secret that she might not be able to return?

This thought provoking story really allows the reader to understand the main character and how she feels pushed to do these tasks in order to stay on her educational path. It would be easy to make parallels between her story and those of countless others who have gotten involved in dubious choices because they felt they had to in order to survive. It is never explained why she can suddenly turn invisible or if that will be something that happens to her forever, but it is an interesting plot point that makes the rest of her plan possible. Her relationship with her academic rival is also interesting because once she gets to know him better she realizes that his perception of their relationship was completely different than hers was. The ending is dramatic and believable and will leave readers with a lot to think about.

In the Study with the Wrench by Diana Peterfreund

Published October 1, 2021 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Genre: Mystery

Number of pages: 327

Still reeling from the murder of their Headmaster in the first book of this series, Orchid, Vaughan, Scarlet, Mustard, Peacock, and Plum have all returned despite the fact that they are now referred to on campus as the “murder crew.” All of them have their own reasons for wanting to return, but are not expecting it when another staff member is murdered. They also start getting mysterious notes that seem to just be targeting the six of them. There is also a new student who has been keeping an annoyingly close eye on the group and some of them don’t believe she’s a regular student. The school administration is trying desperately to keep things afloat after all this tragedy and do not want the students snooping around or making anything worse, but they feel they have a real need to find out what’s going on because they seem to be targets for whomever is behind these terrible events. Can they find out who is behind this new murder without getting hurt themselves? Is this murder unrelated to the murder in the first book? Can they trust each other or will their secrets get in the way?

This sequel to In the Hall with the Knife is a natural continuation of the first story and fans will want to keep going with these characters. In the first book, the reader learned how many secrets each character has and those were fleshed out a bit more in this one. The characters are all interesting and developed and it will be fun to see how they develop even more in the next one. Readers looking for a fun, lighter mystery will enjoy this title.

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Published December 19, 2011 RAC , Realistic Fiction 1 Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

# of Pages:  335

RAC:  No

Alex Patrick is date-raped after a night of drinking and partying.  She wakes up with no recollection of the night before, but quickly realizes how serious her situation is.  Her friends coax the news out of her and convince her that if she was not conscious she could not have consented, but Alex is reluctant to go to police or the boarding school administration because they have failed students on serious issues in the past.  She decides to seek the help of the student run justice system called “The Mockingbirds.”  They agree to try the case and things get complicated when the accused vehemently denies any wrongdoing and proceeds to spread vicious rumors about her.  Alex begins to wonder if she somehow led him on or was at fault in some way.  Does she have the strength to stand up for herself?

This book discusses a very serious issue in an open and honest way.  Alex’s flashbacks to that night help slowly piece together what happened and shed light on her mixed feelings regarding pressing charges.  Her friends and supporters help her overcome obstacles, such as eating in the cafeteria again, and slowly she begins to find the strength she needs.  The book is very frank about the nature of the crime and might be upsetting to some students, but it contains an important message and the student justice system is entertaining.

Dirty Laundry by Daniel Ehrenhaft

Published October 9, 2009 Mystery , RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre: Mystery/Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 229

RAC Book: yes

Carli is an actress who has just landed a role as a tough boarding school girl, which is a problem because she considers herself a “nerd.” Her agent sends her to The Winchester School, which is the boarding school where all the students who were rejected from other boarding schools go. They are called the “dirty laundry.”  Her agent’s son, FUN, is supposed to be Carli’s assistant and help her keep her undercover identity of Sheila Smith. On the first day of school a girl named Darcy goes missing and no one seems that worried about it. Carli and FUN decide to do some investigating on their own and start to worry about some of the people around them. Could some of their friends be possible kidnappers or even murderers? Or is someone setting others up to take the fall for their crimes?

This is a very lighthearted mystery in which there is a sinister plot going on, but it is very subtle and not always the focus of the story. The perspective changes from Carli to FUN throughout the story.  Both of them focus a lot on themselves and their own situations and observations of what is going on around them. Some students will feel it drags in the middle, but if they make it, will enjoy the ending. A fast and enjoyable, but fortgettable read.

Jet Set by Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman

Published October 6, 2009 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Romance 4 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  240

RAC Book:  Yes

Lucy Peterson is an army corporal’s daughter and a great tennis player.  When she decides that she is tired of moving around and wants to have a more stable high school experience, she decides to apply for a scholarship to the exclusive Van Pelt Academy boarding school in Switzerland.  She quickly discovers that these are by far the wealthiest and most powerful teenagers in the world, some of them are even royalty.  The three most popular girls are called the Diamonds and immediately dislike Lucy, so she befriends a girl named Sofia.   Sofia is nice enough, but seems too worried about gossip and pulling mean pranks on the Diamonds and Lucy starts to wonder what her true motives are.  At the same time she works hard at her tennis and gets to know two powerful boys.  One is a powerful prince that seems nice, but distant.  The other wants her attention, but Lucy can’t get over the fact that so many people have warned her about him.  Which boy should she try to get to know better?  Can she trust Sofia or is she going to be an enemy?  Can she ever learn to get along with the Diamonds?

Readers who enjoyed Bittersweet Sixteen and Summer Intern will not be disappointed with this new book by the same authors.  Teen drama, gossip, and of course fashion labels are all mixed together to create an enjoyable light read.  The characters are all unpredictable and interesting to watch as they grow and develop.  The ending is a bit predictable, but that’s what readers who like this type of book will want.

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