The Abolition of Man
By C.S. Lewis
The Abolition of Man was Lewis’ criticism of the education system during his time, though many of his critiques are applicable today. Lewis mainly talks about training children to be critical thinkers, and that logic is needed, not just a feeling heart.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
By Louis Sachar
Wayside School is great for both kids and adults with its clever jokes and hilarious stories. The book is about a school built 30-stories high with only one classroom on each floor, focusing mostly on the class of Mrs. Jewls. The characters are quirky and relatable, and it’s just a fun book all around.
Giant Days
By John Allison
Giant Days follows three young women starting college, all with their own struggles and goals for their newly independent lives. The series is filled with hilarious missteps, relatable dramas and touching friendships while all three discover more about themselves and each other.
The Amulet of Samarkand
By Jonathan Stroud
Nathaniel is training to be a magician, as part of the ruling class of Britain. Bartimaeus is a djinni that Nathaniel engages as a servant, despite his master’s caution and instructions. This series has a bit of everything thrown in from political intrigue and class struggles to coming-of-age experiences and fervent revenge plots, all permeated with the magic of the setting and the humorous commentary by Bartimaeus.
A Great and Terrible Beauty
By Libba Bray
After the sudden death of her mother, Gemma Doyle is sent from India to England to attend Spence boarding school. With spirits, frightening visions and secrets about her mother’s past coming to light, Gemma gets a more varied education than expected. This historical fantasy novel is full of dark twists and turns perfect for anyone who likes their history with a bit of magic.
Bruiser
By Neal Shusterman
Classmates voted loner Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty,” but that does not stop Brontë from dating him, much to the annoyance of her twin brother Tennyson. Things get out of hand when the siblings learn about Brewster’s strange power that causes him to absorb the pain of anyone he cares about. Bruiser is a strange and, at times, dark coming-of-age story about how painful emotions and connections can be.
2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas
By Marie-Helene Bertino
At 9 years old, Madeleine Altimari attends Catholic school in Philadelphia, smokes cigarettes, mourns her recently deceased mother and dreams of being a jazz singer. This book is a quirky, funny, bittersweet and tender read, filled with unusual characters, surreal little episodes and genuine emotion between parents and children, teachers and students, and reunited prom dates.
A Madness So Discreet
By Mindy McGinnis
Take one part criminal psychology, one part torrid family drama, and one part debate on what is and isn’t insanity, and you get the endlessly fascinating historical novel A Madness So Discreet. Grace, the protagonist, begins the book locked away in a cruel Boston psychiatric hospital but finds her way out by becoming the assistant to a visiting doctor with new ideas about solving crimes.
Dandelion Wine
By Ray Bradbury
Bradbury is best known for such science fiction classics as Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, but in Dandelion Wine he remembers the nostalgic summer of 1928 in a small American town with warmth, fondness, lyricism and a touch of fantasy. Each chapter is one self-contained story, but 12-year-old Douglas Spaulding serves as a recurring main character who wants to hold on to the innocence and joy of summer and life.
Village Japan: Everyday Life in a Rural Japanese Community
By Malcolm Ritchie
In Village Japan, Ritchie, a British poet and writer, chronicles stories about the various people, histories and events he encountered while living in the village of Sora on the Sea of Japan coast. Through his anecdotes and haiku, he depicts a simple, hard-working yet rewarding way of life in touch with nature and history that is being phased out by the modern world.
