Book picks similar to
Jean of the Fifth by Winifred Darch


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school-stories
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Irina the Wolf Queen


Leah Swann - 2012
    With her long hair and bright eyes, she is beautiful, but she can see in the dark, hunt better than any farmhand and communicate with the creatures of the forest. One day in the woods, Irina meets the ancient wise-woman Raizel, who reveals the truth: Irina is a princess, the long-lost daughter of King Harmon and Queen Chloe of Ragnor. Unsure of her place, Irina returns home, only to find her kingdom threatened by a wicked magician intent on revenge. Yet in the coming days of battle, could it be that a princess with the courage of a warrior and the instincts of a wolf is exactly what Ragnor needs?

Moon Runner


Carolyn Marsden - 2005
    Even more surprising is the way running seems to lift Mina up and make her happy. When Coach chooses her to run the fifty-meter against Ruth, Mina is torn. Should she slow down and let Ruth hold on to the spotlight? Or let herself soar? With subtlety and insight, Carolyn Marsden explores the delicate subject of competition between friends.

New Girl


Carmen Reid - 2008
    Her solution is to send Gina to Scotland, to the same boarding school she attended. Suddenly taken from a world of malls and mobile phones, Gina is forced to find her way through games of hockey, communal meals and showers, horrible Public School boys and stuffy housemistresses. Will she ever survive?

Three Cave Mountain, Or: Grandfather and the Wolves


Per Olov Enquist - 2003
    Her tired parents don't recognise the seriousness of the situation, but Mina's Grandpa knows what to do. He takes Mina, her sister, and their cousins on a dangerous journey up Three Cave Mountain.

The Deadly Dare Mysteries


Malorie Blackman - 1995
    The rules are simple: write a dare, put it in the bag and take turns to pick one out. But on the night Ricky does his dare and enters the deserted warehouse, he disappears. What really happened to Ricky - and how much does new girl Angela know? Theo needs to find the answers before it's too late . . .There's nothing unusual about getting emails from your dad . . . unless he died a few months ago. In Computer Ghost Jade asks Theo, Ricky and Angela to help her find out what's going on. Could the mysterious, desperate messages really be from a ghost? One thing's for sure. Whoever is behind them wants something badly - and they'll stop at nothing to get it . . .Theo, Ricky and Angela have to become Lie Detectives to uncover the truth about top inventor, Darius Marriott, after he comes to give a talk at school and collapses. Who is out to get him, and why does their friend Bullet seem so involved? They're determined to get to the bottom of it all - but that could prove to be much more dangerous than they think . . .Three gripping mysteries by bestselling Malorie Blackman.

The Dragonfly Pool


Eva Ibbotson - 2008
    And all because of the stupid war. But Delderton Hall is a far more" "unusual and " interesting" place than Tally ever imagined, and she soon falls in love with its eccentric staff and pupils. Now she's even organizing an exciting school trip to the kingdom of Bergania . . . although Tally never expected to meet the "prince."Prince Karil hates his life at the palace and he is only truly happy when he escapes to the dragonfly pool, a remote spot in the forests of Bergania. Then Karil meets a feisty English girl who brings the promise of adventure. But his country is under threat, and the prince soon looks to his new friend Tally for survival as well as friendship . . .

Autumn Term


Antonia Forest - 1948
    Twins Nicola and Lawrie arrive at their new school determined to do even better than their distinguished elder sisters, but things don't turn out quite as planned.

The Curse of the School Rabbit


Judith Kerr - 2019
    Even if he is getting more pocket money for feeding it and might be able to afford a new bike after all…And with a sick sister left in bed, a snobby actor left with suspiciously damp trousers, and no rabbit anywhere to be seen, Tommy can see his hopes of a new bike disappearing as fast as Snowflake.Will Snowflake turn up, and turn out to be more good luck than bad? Or are Tommy and his family DOOMED by the curse of the school rabbit?A fantastically funny and exquisitely illustrated new young fiction title from the iconic Judith Kerr, this is the perfect story for boys and girls of six plus to read alone or with their family.

Ruth Fielding of the Red Mill; or, Jasper Parloe's Secret


Alice B. Emerson - 1913
    Ruth is greatly disappointed in the cold reception she receives. Uncle Jabez seems to care very little about her, and all that he has to say is that she must earn her keep. Uncle Jabez grows even more difficult after his cash box disappears during a flood.Ruth becomes friends with Helen and Tom Cameron, who are the children of a wealthy merchant. Ruth also visits a lame girl, Mercy Curtis, at her home. Mercy is a very disagreeable girl who resents her disability and takes it out on everyone else. Ruth kindly endures Mercy's taunts, and even promises Mercy that she can someday come stay with her at the Red Mill. There stood the miller, upright and silent, plying the whip.In time, Ruth's cheery disposition softens Mercy's attitude, and she does visit the Red Mill. Soon, a doctor examines Mercy, and it is determined that she may have hope of recovery after an operation. Uncle Jabez's cash box is found, thanks to Ruth, and Uncle Jabez gradually softens towards Ruth.

Family Grandstand


Carol Ryrie Brink - 1952
    Not only can they watch the university’s football games from the tower of their house on College Avenue, but now Tommy Tokarynski, who mows their lawn, is famous. He’s Midwest University’s star quarterback. There’s only one problem: Tommy’s grades are dreadful, and he might get kicked off the team before the homecoming game. With a little ingenuity, Susan, George, and Dumpling team up for a season of fun as they set out to save their beloved quarterback, outsmart their naughty neighbors, rescue animals, and start a new business that just might help out the whole family. It’s never a dull moment when the Ridgeway kids are involved!The adventures of the Ridgeway family in Family Grandstand and its sequel, Family Sabbatical, were inspired by Carol Ryrie Brink’s own family and their life together in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

A Candle for St. Jude


Rumer Godden - 1948
    Jude is the tender, evocative tale of a London ballet school, the heroic taskmistress who is its guiding force, and the young dancers whose passionate devotion to the dance fill the school with buoyant hopes, clashing temperaments, and the vibrant energy of youth.As the Madame and her students prepare for a forthcoming recital to commemorate her fifty years of dedication to the ballet, the reader shares in their special world...the unique relationship between Madame and the brilliant youngsters she trains, the backstage tensions and onstage triumphs, the tender loves and the burning frustrations of youth.

Boy Bites Bug


Rebecca Petruck - 2018
    But when his friend Darryl called new kid Eloy Herrera a racial slur, Will did it as a diversion. Now Will is Bug Boy, and everyone is cracking up inventing insect meals for him, like French flies and maggot-aroni and fleas. Turns out eating bugs for food is a real thing, called entomophagy. Deciding that means he can use a class project to feed everyone grasshoppers, Will bargains for Eloy’s help in exchange for helping him with wrestling, but their growing friendship only ticks off Darryl more. Will may have bitten off more than he can chew as crickets, earthworm jerky—even a scorpion—end up on his plate, but insects are the least of his problems. When things with Darryl and Eloy heat up, Will wrestles with questions of loyalty, honor—and that maybe not all friendships are worth fighting for.

A Little Bush Maid


Mary Grant Bruce - 1910
    Norah's prim and proper aunts, who live in the city, consider she is in danger of "growing up wild" - riding all over Billabong on her beloved pony, Bobs, helping with mustering, and joining in all the holidays fun when Jim and his friends come home from boarding school. A fishing trip results in unexpected drama when they discover a mysterious stranger camped in the bush. Who is this stranger and why is he there? Norah's resourcefulness is tested to the full!

New Chronicles of Rebecca


Kate Douglas Wiggin - 1907
    The rich color of the brick house gleamed and glowed through the shade of the elms and maples. Luxuriant hop-vines clambered up the lightning-rods and waterspouts, hanging their delicate clusters here and there in graceful profusion. Woodbine transformed the old shed and tool-house to things of beauty, and the flower-beds themselves were the prettiest and most fragrant in all the countryside. A row of dahlias ran directly around the garden spot; dahlias scarlet, gold, and variegated. In the very centre was a round plot where the upturned faces of a thousand pansies smiled amid their leaves, and in the four corners were triangular blocks of sweet phlox over which the butterflies fluttered unceasingly...

A Girl Called Justice


Elly Griffiths - 2019
    For a fearless girl called Justice Jones, super-smart super-sleuth, it's just the start of a spine-tingling first term at Highbury House Boarding School for the Daughters of Gentlefolk. For fans of Robin Stevens, Katherine Woodfine and Enid Blyton. When Justice's mother dies, her father packs her off to Highbury House Boarding School for the Daughters of Gentlefolk. He's a barrister - specialising in murder trials - and he's just too busy to look after her alone. Having previously been home-schooled, the transition is a shock. Can it really be the case that blondes rule the corridors? Are all uniforms such a charming shade of brown? And do schools normally hide dangerous secrets about the murder of a chamber maid? Justice takes it upon herself to uncover the truth. (Mainly about the murder, but perhaps she can figure out her new nemesis - the angelic Rose - at the same time.) But when a storm cuts the school off from the real world, the body count starts to rise and Justice realises she'll need help from her new friends if she's going to find the killer before it's too late ...