Brainstorm 182: If Hogwarts didn't come through...other literary boarding schools

Boarding schools have been around in literature for quite a while. David Copperfield and Jane Eyre both suffer through miserable ones, the boys in Little Men give Jo (March) Bhaer a taste of her own childhood antics, Sara Crewe experiences the highs and lows of boarding life in The Little Princess, and the setting seems to be one that alternately horrifies and enchants readers with the possibilities. In more modern history, it seems everyone is waiting for their invite to Hogwarts. But Hogwarts is not the only option. So, if you’re keen to slip away to life at boarding school, and you’re a bit bitter about Hogwarts’ lack of communication, here are some other options.

Click on the titles for my full summaries and reviews of the titles (if there’s a series mentioned, the link will take you to the first book in the series). The two letters after each blurb indicate the target reader interest level. YA=Young Adult, MG= Middle Grade (3rd-8th), LG=Lower Grade (K-3rd)

Magical Boarding Schools

Life needs a little more excitement in it. Give me a school where dragons, fairy tale characters, or magic gone awry can keep things interesting.

Cheshire Crossing by Andy Weir, ill. by Sarah Andersen
Claim to have been to some fantastical world during those days your family couldn’t find you? You just might end up sent to this school along with Dorothy Gale, Wendy Darling, and Alice Liddell. YA

Dark Mirror series by M.J. Putney
Part of the Regency era gentry and scandalized your family by letting it slip that you have magical abilities? You might be sent here to be reformed…or if you choose to find your way to the secret group underground, you could get better at your magic and be called on to help rescue friends in a different time period. YA

Dragon Slayers’ Academy series by Kate McMullan
Tired of the stink of the family cabbage farm and all your brothers? Want to earn riches beyond your wildest dreams? Head off to learn some dragon slaying…it’s perfectly safe. Mostly. Ok, maybe not, but it IS hilarious. LG

The Magisterium series by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Super, duper bummed that you didn’t get into Hogwarts? Want to hang out with a chosen one hunted by a dark lord in an underground school? Then sign up for magic classes and meals of fungus. MG/YA

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton
Would you like the full, miserable, classic British boarding school experience with dashes of humor? Eager to hang out with a precocious author and her characters? How do you feel about secret government operatives? YA

Spy Schools / Schools Laden in Mystery

No one knows what goes on at these schools, and if anyone finds out they might not live to tell about it.

The Mystery at Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel
If you’re looking for all the atmosphere of Hogwarts minus the magic, you might need to try to get into Wellsworth. Old buildings, a mixed bag of teachers and students, LOTS of secrets, and some jolly good football. MG

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry
Ever dreamed of running a school when the headmaster dies in his soup? Keen to solve a murder mystery with your classmates? Prickwillow Place may be many things, but it is never dull. YA

Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs
Do you have what it takes to save the country or world without anyone knowing? Maybe see if you can just survive the classes here first. MG

Scifi Schools

Go far, far, FAR away for school. Like outer space. Or just hang out with aliens.

Dark Energy by Robison Wells
Want some fairly normal prep school stuff, new friends, and a front row seat to the first alien encounter? YA

The Nikola Kross series by Eliot Sappingfield
Are you a certified genius who has been bored all your life in school? How do you feel about parahumans?  Prepare for a wild and wacky educational experience at The School. MG

Project Terra series by Landry Q. Walker, ill. by Keith Zoo
If you want to attend the elite terraforming school in the universe, this is where you go. Just be prepared to solve some mysteries with your alien friends in between your quantum physics experiments. MG

Seventh Grade vs the Galaxy by Joshua Levy
Attend school in space aboard PSS 118! Only, summer vacation may get a little bit interrupted and your heroic services may be required. MG

Realistic Schools / Historically Realistic Schools

Life is difficult enough, let’s skip the magic, aliens, and spies around every corner.

Bloomability by Sharon Creech
Want to experience life oversees? Go to Switzerland and attend the school your Aunt and Uncle teach at. MG

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
Don’t want the full boarding school experience? How about befriending some people who attend one and get dragged into some of their school events? Also, be prepared to live and breathe Jane Austen. YA

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
Need to go somewhere to deal with grief? Head to Maine and learn unexpected things with an unusual friend. MG






There are lots more boarding school books out there. What's your favorite? Share it on social media with the hashtag #myhogwartsalternative