Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Best Friends Forever by Lisa Williamson. My review is still to come but for now enjoy a guest blog from the author herself about stories set in schools!
From remote boarding schools on the rugged Cornish coast, to magical schools for trainee witches, books about school life have always helped me navigate my own experiences. They’re also a big part of the reason why I jumped at the chance to make Best Friends Forever the first in a school-based series, with every title exploring the life of a student in year 7 at the Henry Bigg Academy.
Here are 8 of my very favourite school-based stories:
Malory Towers by Enid Blyton
As a child in landlocked suburban Nottinghamshire, the thought of getting to swim in a pool carved into the rocks was about as glamorous as you could get! Although I suspect I actually would have hated the reality of boarding school, reading about the antics of Daryl Rivers and her friends made me long to pack my bags and join them on an odyssey of outrageous tricks, midnight feasts and dips in that magnificent-sounding swimming pool. The popularity of the (brilliant) recent BBC TV adaption only cements the series’ timeless appeal.
Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens
Another boarding school set series! Deepdean School shares a lot of similarities with Malory Towers, apart perhaps from the worryingly high body count! There’s enormous fun to be had as young detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong investigate a number of mysterious deaths across ten thrilling titles.
The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow (illustrated by Joe Todd Stanton)
A beautiful and moving novel written in free verse that explores 10 year-old Nate’s experiences as he enters his final year in primary school. Separated from his best friend PS, Nate flounders when PS befriends the school bully. The prospect of the transition from primary to secondary school can feel monumental for children. The Final Year examines this tricky time with respect, sensitivity, depth and great kindness.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Our hero is Junior, a budding cartoonist who leaves his local school on the Spokane Indian reservation where he lives to attend a predominantly white school in a wealthy neighbourhood. Set over the course of a school year, it’s touching and courageous, covering such topics as grief, racial identity and poverty with great warmth and insight. It’s also very, very funny!
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
This gorgeous novel charts the experiences of three girls as they navigate seventh grade with one firm rule in place – ‘no fighting!’ However, when Emily starts to develop curves and attracts the attention of an older boy, her friendship with Bridge and Tabitha is thrown into disarray. Stead captures all the complexities of being thirteen with such tenderness and grace. One of my favourite books of all time!
Blubber by Judy Blume
‘Blubber’ is the cruel nickname that a group of sixth-graders give to one of their fellow classmates (Linda) after she gives a presentation on whales in class. Narrated by her classmate Jill, the book charts the campaign of hate against Linda, with Jill participating without remorse. I’d never read a book written from the point of view of a bully before and was fascinating by the shift in dynamics and power play as the story unfolded. A great conversation starter that doesn’t shy away from just how cruel some children can be.
The Friends by Rosa Guy
I read this at school and think of it often. Phyllisia and Edith are both loners. Phyllisia is a recent immigrant from the West Indies who is bullied by her new classmates, while Edith is shunned for being poor and untidy. Initially resistant to Edith’s offer of friendship, Phyllisia is forced to face her own prejudices as she their bond slowly grows. Quietly powerful, this book has a massive impact on me growing up.
The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
Long before Hogwarts, there was Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches! The series (featuring eight books in all) focuses on Mildred Hubble, a well-intentioned but often rather clumsy young witch who gets herself into all manner of scrapes, often with her good friends Maud and Enid (plus her cat Tabby) in tow. With the perfect villain in the shape of snooty Ethel Hallow (incidentally loose inspiration for the character of Cleo in Best Friends Forever), it’s impossible not to root for Mildred on her quest to prove she’s not the ‘worst’ witch after all.
My Shelves Are Full 