Book picks similar to
Barbara at School by Josephine Elder
school-stories
school-story
schoolgirls-british-and-beyond
vintage-girls
The Unteachables
Gordon Korman - 2019
Bixby’s Last Day.The Unteachables are a notorious class of misfits, delinquents, and academic train wrecks. Like Aldo, with anger management issues; Parker, who can’t read; Kiana, who doesn’t even belong in the class—or any class; and Elaine (rhymes with pain). The Unteachables have been removed from the student body and isolated in room 117.Their teacher is Mr. Zachary Kermit, the most burned-out teacher in all of Greenwich. He was once a rising star, but his career was shattered by a cheating scandal that still haunts him. After years of phoning it in, he is finally one year away from early retirement. But the superintendent has his own plans to torpedo that idea—and it involves assigning Mr. Kermit to the Unteachables.The Unteachables never thought they’d find a teacher who had a worse attitude than they did. And Mr. Kermit never thought he would actually care about teaching again. Over the course of a school year, though, room 117 will experience mayhem, destruction—and maybe even a shot at redemption.
You Go First
Erin Entrada Kelly - 2018
Erin Entrada Kelly’s perfectly pitched tween voice will resonate with fans of Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale and Thanhha Lai’s Inside Out and Back Again.Twelve-year-old Charlotte Lockard and eleven-year-old Ben Boxer are separated by more than a thousand miles. On the surface, their lives seem vastly different—Charlotte lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while Ben is in the small town of Lanester, Louisiana. Charlotte wants to be a geologist and keeps a rock collection in her room. Ben is obsessed with Harry Potter, presidential history, and recycling. But the two have more in common than they think. They’re both highly gifted. They’re both experiencing family turmoil. And they both sit alone at lunch.Over the course of a week, Charlotte and Ben—online friends connected only by a Scrabble game—will intersect in unexpected ways as they struggle to navigate the turmoil of middle school. You Go First reminds us that no matter how hard it is to keep our heads above troubled water, we never struggle alone.The acclaimed author of Blackbird Fly, The Land of Forgotten Girls, and Hello, Universe writes with an authentic, humorous, and irresistible voice. This engaging and character-driven story about growing up and finding your place in the world will appeal to fans of Rebecca Stead and Rita Williams-Garcia.
The Gawgon and the Boy
Lloyd Alexander - 2001
When David falls ill his tough old Aunt Annie offers to tutor him, and he soon grows fond of The Gawgon, as he nicknames her because of her resemblance to the terrifyuing Gawgon Medusa of Greek myth. Together they embark on exciting imaginary adventures rescuing King Tut's treasure, scaling mountains and outwitting master criminals.
Wedding in the Family
Rosamond du Jardin - 1958
She was delighted that her sister and Brose were so happy, and thrilled with the wedding festivities, but sad that Tobey would be leaving home. The best man, Johnny Randall--an older man-- catches Midge's eye. But Johnny's behavior and brotherly advice from Brose make her act her age. Later in the summer, Midge goes with her family and her friend Judy to the lake resort where the Heydons spend their vacations. It is there where Midge finds herself attracted to a good-looking, smooth, popular young man. Will she fall for this one or will her friend Tom Brooks help her see the light?
The Perfect Score
Rob Buyea - 2017
Not the students in Mrs. Woods's sixth-grade class, not even their teacher. It's not like the kids don't already have things to worry about. . . . Under pressure to be the top gymnast her mother expects her to be, RANDI starts to wonder what her destiny truly holds. Football-crazy GAVIN has always struggled with reading and feels as dumb as his high school-dropout father. TREVOR acts tough and mean, but as much as he hates school, he hates being home even more. SCOTT's got a big brain and an even bigger heart, especially when it comes to his grandfather, but his good intentions always backfire in spectacular ways. NATALIE, know-it-all and aspiring lawyer, loves to follow the rules--only this year, she's about to break them all. The whole school is in a frenzy with test time approaching--kids, teachers, the administration. Everyone is anxious. When one of the kids has a big idea for acing the tests, they're all in. But things get ugly before they get better, and in the end, the real meaning of the perfect score surprises them all.
Prelude
Madeleine L'Engle - 1968
As she learns how to accept the conflicts of her unorthodox home life and then her fellow students in a boarding school in Switzerland, we follow Katherine through all the torment, loneliness, and adorations and passions of a fifteen-year-old girl as she tries to realize her ambitions in the tumultuous world of the arts and make her own way to maturity.
Partly Cloudy
Tanita S. Davis - 2021
Moving in with her great-uncle, Papa Lobo, and switching to a new school is just the first step.It’s not all rainbows and sunshine, though. Madalyn discovers she’s the only Black girl in her class, and while most of her classmates are friendly, assumptions lead to some serious storms.Papa Lobo’s long-running feud with neighbor Mrs. Baylor brings wild weather of its own, and Madalyn wonders just how far things will go. But when fire threatens the community, Madalyn discovers that truly being neighborly means more than just staying on your side of the street— it means weathering tough conversations—and finding that together a family can pull through anything.
Back Home
Michelle Magorian - 1984
When she returns in 1945, she finds a country and a family she neither understands nor likes, and vice versa.
Educating Waverley
Laura Kalpakian - 2002
She is to be a student at Temple School -- banished because her features too closely resemble those of her mother's married employer. The headmistress of this all-girl school, Sophia Westervelt, has a mysterious past and a passion for education. She instills achievement into her students, confident that one day they will have dinner with the King of Sweden, because they will win the Nobel Prize. Under Sophia's direction, Waverley grows as her own abilities and vision expand. But far away in Europe, nations clash, and even isolated Isadora Island feels the impact. Sophia struggles to keep Temple School going, though formidable forces combine against her. And in the midst of this turmoil, Waverley experiences love for the first time -- a love so fierce that, like her education, it will shape the rest of her life.
Operation Frog Effect
Sarah Lynn Scheerger - 2019
. . what happens when a whole group of kids join together and act? Hi--It's us, Ms. Graham's class. We didn't mean to mess things up. But we did. We took things too far, and now Ms. Graham is in trouble--for something we did. We made a mistake. The question is, can we fix it? Ms. Graham taught us that we get to choose the kind of people we want to be and that a single act can create ripples. So get ready, world--we're about to make some ripples.Sincerely,Kayley, Kai, Henry, Aviva, Cecilia, Blake, Sharon, Emily (and Kermit, class frog)Everyone makes mistakes. But what happens when your mistake hurts someone else? Told in eight perspectives--including one in graphic novel form.
Beetle McGrady Eats Bugs!
Megan McDonald - 2005
She dreams of being brave and daring, and she will begin by ... eating an ant.It's dare double dare on the school playground, but will Beetle be able to live up to her dreams? Face to face –– or Beetle to ant –– will she be able tobite and chew and ... swallow? Gulp!If she does, what will the ant taste like? If she does, will the ant be crunchy or squishy? And if she can't, does that mean she's a chicken?
Flying Solo
Ralph Fletcher - 1998
"Fab" Fabiano's sixth-grade class. Mr. Fab is absent and a substitute never arrives. The class wants to prove that KIDS RULE, so they decide to run the class on their own. Super smart Karen leads the way in the class routines and most of the kids join in. But for Rachel White, this isn't just any other day. Rachel's been silent for six months and communicates by writing notes. Rachel knows today is exactly six months since their classmate Tommy Feathers died. In her own way, Rachel reminds the class about this--and for the first time, Mr. Fab's students reveal their true and sometimes hurtful thoughts. Where is Mr. Fab's class headed now? The school day isn't over yet. Will they keep flying solo or crash?
The Year of the Book
Andrea Cheng - 2012
But in any language, all Anna knows for certain is that friendship is complicated.When Anna needs company, she turns to her books. Whether traveling through A Wrinkle in Time, or peering over My Side of the Mountain, books provide what real life cannot—constant companionship and insight into her changing world.Books, however, can’t tell Anna how to find a true friend. She’ll have to discover that on her own. In the tradition of classics like Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy books and Eleanor Estes’ One Hundred Dresses, this novel subtly explores what it takes to make friends and what it means to be one.