Books About Boarding Schools · 226 titles considered

The Best Boarding Schools Books for Kids

Looking for excellent children's books about boarding schools? This collection brings together Bookroo's highest-rated and most useful picks in one place.

Start with our editorial favorites, then browse recommendations organized by reading stage to find the right book for your reader.

The Shortlist

Our 10 Favorite Books About Boarding Schools

Sale price

$2849

Chapter Book · Ages 9–12 · 1997

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

By J.K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré (Illustrator) · Book #1 in the Harry Potter series

A boy discovers his magical destiny at a mysterious school, facing friends and foes alike.

Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (1997)FCBG Children’s Book Award (1997)Birmingham Cable Children’s Book Award (1998)Young Telegraph Paperback of the Year (1998)Carnegie Medal (1998)British Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year (1997)Sheffield Children’s Book Award (1998)Whitaker’s Platinum Book Award (2001)BookTrust's 100 Best Books for Children (2013)ALA Notable Children's Books (1999)Publishers Weekly Best Books (1998)Parenting magazine Book of the Year Award (1998)ALA/YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (1999)School Library Journal Best Books of the Year (1998)

320 pages· 78,436 words· Est. 8.5 hour read

7.0/7 Bookroo experts·4.5/5 Goodreads · 11,707,778 ratings

$29.99Save 5%

Sale price

$1899

Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2020

City Spies

By James Ponti · Book #1 in the City Spies series

A young hacker joins a secret spy team to stop a villain and save the world.

378 pages· 64,521 words· Est. 9 hour read

6.0/7 Bookroo experts·4.3/5 Goodreads · 18,589 ratings

$19.99Save 5%

Sale price

$574

Chapter Book · Ages 7–9 · 2018

Sophia and Rainbow

By Julie Sykes, Lucy Truman (Illustrator) · Book #1 in the Unicorn Academy series

A young girl named Sophia starts at a magical school for unicorn riders and must navigate friendships, rivalries, and a mystery surrounding the school's magical lake.

128 pages· 11,328 words· Est. 2 hour read

4.2/5 Goodreads · 1,193 ratings

$5.99Save 4%

Sale price

$759

Chapter Book · Ages 7–11 · 2010

Athena the Brain

By Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams · Book #1 in the Goddess Girls series

A young girl discovers she is the daughter of Zeus and begins attending Mount Olympus Academy, where she navigates her new life as a goddessgirl and tries to make friends and fit in.

108 pages· 18,795 words· Est. 2.5 hour read

4.1/5 Goodreads · 8,700 ratings

$7.99Save 5%

Sale price

$858

Chapter Book · Ages 7–11 · 1959

Danny the Champion of the World

By Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

A group of teenagers discover a hidden world of magic.

202 pages· 41,128 words· Est. 5.5 hour read

4.1/5 Goodreads · 74,152 ratings

$8.99Save 5%

Sale price

$1597

Chapter Book · Ages 8–11 · 1962

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

By Joan Aiken, Pat Marriott (Illustrator) · Book #1 in the Wolves Chronicles series

Two girls must escape a cruel governess to save their home.

181 pages· 42,609 words· Est. 6 hour read

4.1/5 Goodreads · 22,687 ratings

$16.95Save 6%

Sale price

$958

Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2013

The School for Good and Evil

By Soman Chainani, Iacopo Bruno (Illustrator) · Book #1 in the School for Good and Evil series

Two girls' destinies are reversed at a magical school, challenging their true natures.

488 pages· 105,682 words· Est. 14.5 hour read

4.0/5 Goodreads · 139,438 ratings

$9.99Save 4%

Sale price

$1697

Chapter Book · Ages 9–13 · 2017

Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls

By Beth McMullen · Book #1 in the Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls series

A girl must master spy skills to find her missing mother.

304 pages· 56,460 words· Est. 6.5 hour read

4.0/5 Goodreads · 2,541 ratings

$17.99Save 6%

Sale price

$1710

Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 1905

A Little Princess

By Frances Hodgson Burnett, Anna Bond (Illustrator)

A wealthy girl becomes a pauper at boarding school. Can kindness be her true wealth?

294 pages· 66,117 words· Est. 9 hour read

5.0/7 Bookroo experts·4.2/5 Goodreads · 334,329 ratings

$18.00Save 5%

Sale price

$2328

Chapter Book · Ages 14–18 · 2005

Looking for Alaska

By John Green

A boarding school adventure leads to love, loss, and life's ultimate questions.

256 pages· 69,004 words· Est. 6.5 hour read

4.0/5 Goodreads · 1,777,380 ratings

$24.50Save 5%

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Boarding Schools Picture Books

Illustrated read-alouds about boarding schools for preschool and elementary-age readers.

Sale price

$1799

Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code

Ages 9–12 · 2018

A young Navajo boy is forced to attend a boarding school where he is forbidden to speak his native language, but later uses it to help the US military during World War II.

Sale price

$2195

When We Were Alone

Ages 4–8 · 2016

A girl uncovers her grandmother's past in a residential school, revealing lost traditions.

Sale price

$1999

Christmas at Hogwarts

Ages 4–8 · 2024

Experience Harry's first magical Christmas at Hogwarts, filled with wonder and surprises.

Sale price

$995

When I Was Eight

Ages 6–7 · 2013

An Inuit girl defies harsh school conditions to learn to read.

Sale price

$1795

The Train

Ages 6–8 · 2020

A train once took children away, changing lives forever. Can hope and remembrance bring healing to a community's past?

Sale price

$1999

Madeline and the Gypsies

Ages 3–7 · 1958

Madeline and Pepito join a carnival with gypsies. What adventures await?

Sale price

$2099

Madeline and the Bad Hat

Ages 3–7 · 1956

Madeline faces a new challenge: a troublesome neighbor. Can they find common ground?

Sale price

$599

Comet's Big Win

Ages 4–8 · 2021

A unicorn must choose between a baking contest and a crucial game.

Sale price

$599

I Am Wednesday (Little Golden Book)

Ages 4–8 · 2024

A young sleuth unravels supernatural mysteries at a peculiar academy.

Sale price

$699

Unicorn Academy #12: Isla and Buttercup

Ages 4–8 · 2021

Can Isla and her unicorn stop a magical theft and graduate?

View all boarding schools picture books

Browse by age

Boarding Schools Chapter Books & Middle Grade

Longer stories about boarding schools for developing and independent readers.

Sale price

$2000

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Ages 14–18 · 2011

A young artist's mysterious past ignites a war between worlds.

Sale price

$1899

Anna and the French Kiss

Ages 12–18 · 2010

Can Anna navigate love and friendship at a Parisian boarding school?

Sale price

$2080

Code Talker

Ages 12–18 · 2005

A Navajo youth becomes a secret weapon in WWII, using an unbreakable code.

Sale price

$1199

The Name of the Star

Ages 12–18 · 2011

A teen sees a killer no one else can. Can she escape becoming his next victim?

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Sale price

$1299

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Ages 12–18 · 2006

A young spy faces her toughest mission yet: navigating love while keeping her true identity hidden.

Sale price

$1799

The Catcher in the Rye

Ages 15–18 · 1951

A teen escapes prep school, navigating New York's chaos and his own turmoil.

Sale price

$1799

A Separate Peace

Ages 12–18 · 1959

Two friends' bond shatters, mirroring a world at war.

Sale price

$550

Dead Poets Society

Ages 14–18 · 1988

A secret club tests the limits of freedom and individuality against oppressive authority.

Sale price

$1899

Vanished!

Ages 8–12 · 2017

A young detective must solve school pranks linked to the President's daughter.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Sale price

$3299

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Ages 9–14 · 2003

A young wizard faces new challenges at a magical school.

Sale price

$3299

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Ages 9–12 · 2005

A brewing storm at Hogwarts threatens the magical world.

Sale price

$599

Gretel Pushes Back

Ages 8–12 · 2016

Gretel must stop the E.V.I.L. Society in a magical forest.

View all boarding schools chapter books

Keep exploring

Books about spies Books about coding and programming Books about coming of age Books about cousins Books about death Books about escapes Books about falling in love Books about good and evil

Our 10 Favorite Books About Boarding Schools

Great books, picked for their age.

Boarding Schools Picture Books

Boarding Schools Chapter Books & Middle Grade

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