If the kids’ return to school has you longing to go back to those days on campus, your escape is as close as the Barrington Area Library. Librarian Lizzy Klinnert is sharing her favorite novels to quench your thirst for more school with Books & Beyond, our series about great books, technology and the latest library news and events.
Boarding School Buzz
– by Librarian Lizzy Klinnert at the Barrington Area Library
I may not have participated in a first day of school in a while, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to the excitement of the beginning of a new school year. These days, when I feel that urge to make locker decorations and pose for a first day of school photo, rather than doing something silly like enrolling in a post-grad program, I turn to Young Adult books for my fix.
In particular, YA books set in boarding schools. There’s something about those ivy-covered buildings that never share their secrets… Or maybe it’s the feeling of independence and possibility that comes with a lack of parental supervision…
Either way, reading stories set in the exclusive world of boarding schools totally quenches my thirst for more school. We have a full list of boarding school books featured on our web site, but here are my top recommendations.
Not only is Anna away from home, she’s away from the United States, dumped into a French boarding school by her father. In Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, fitting in and learning French gets a lot easier when Anna meets Etienne, resident hottie. Though he has a girlfriend, and Anna has a crush back home, feelings grow as the two become best friends. Will Anna get her French kiss in the end?
Ryan Dean feels equally alone as the youngest student at his boarding school in Winger by Andrew Smith. He lives in the dorm for troublemakers, has a crush on his best friend Annie who thinks of him as an adorable little boy, and he must hold his own as the scrawniest kid on the varsity rugby team. With all the good, the bad and the gross, this is an honest coming of age story. Even the cover image will make you sympathize with Ryan…
Those are just a couple to try and we have lots more in print and as e-books. Remember teens, DO NOT procrastinate on homework. But if you do, might I recommend my favorite late night snack: peanut M&Ms, the perfect combination of protein and sugar. If you have any left over, feel free to drop them off at my desk the next time you visit the library (and you should visit the library, for homework help or just a great place to hang out and study). Just ask for me, Young Adult Librarian Lizzy.
About the Author
Meet your librarian, Lizzy Klinnert, at the Barrington Area Library.
Lizzy loves trivia and playing volleyball.
In her free time she reads lots of romance and young adult fiction.
Check out what Lizzy is reading right now at http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1651441-lizzy/.
