Go to Boarding School with Alyssa Sheinmel and R.I.P. Eliza Hart and 5 Other Must Reads!

So when I started writing R.I.P. Eliza Hart, I knew exactly where I was going to set it: at a fancy boarding school in Big Sur, California (which also happens to be my very favorite place). The story begins when Eliza Hart, the most popular girl at the Ventana Ranch boarding school, is found dead on the cliffs outside her dormitory. Ellie Sokoloff—Eliza’s former best friend—is determined to figure out what happened to Eliza. Never mind that ever since Ellie arrived at school Eliza has spread terrible rumors about Ellie, calling her a liar and a stalker, when all Ellie wanted to do was rekindle their old friendship. Or that Ellie’s claustrophobia limits where she can go and what she can do. Or that Ellie’s suitemate, Sam, is the only one who will help her . . . because to everyone else, Ellie looks like a top suspect.
Writing this book, not only did I find myself researching claustrophobia and mental illness, Big Sur and redwood trees—I also had to research boarding schools. And one of the best ways to do that kind of research was reading other stories set at boarding schools. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Tragedy Paper, by Elizabeth LaBan
This story takes place at the prestigious Irving School in upstate New York. Tim just wants to get through his senior year unnoticed, but he finds himself falling for Vanessa—who also happens to be the girlfriend of Irving’s most popular male student. A year later, a student named Duncan finds a “treasure” of audio CDs in his dorm room—CD’s that Tim made the year before. Duncan doesn’t want to listen—for reasons the reader has yet to find out, Duncan feels guilty about the way things ended between Tim and Vanessa. Duncan really should be working on his “tragedy paper,” a sort of thesis that every senior at the Irving School is assigned, but he finds himself unable to ignore the CDs. As The Tragedy Paper alternates between Tim’s and Duncan’s perspectives, readers will discover just how far these characters will go to keep their secrets.

Looking for Alaska, by John Green
A new John Green book may have just hit the shelves, but that’s no reason not to go back and read an oldie—and a goodie. In this award winner, Miles “Pudge” Halter starts attending the Culver Creek Boarding School and his life has just become a lot more interesting—because at Culver Creek, Pudge lives down the hall from Alaska Young. Alaska isn’t like anyone Pudge has ever met before: she’s beautiful and funny, smart and sexy—and she has a dangerous self-destructive streak. Pudge’s life goes from dull to thrilling—he survives a hazing, plots his revenge, and has a new group of friends, including Alaska. But one night, after an upsetting phone call, Alaska sneaks off campus. The next morning, the school announces that she was killed in a car accident. Pudge is certain that there’s more to the story—and he’s determined to find out what really happened the night Alaska died.

A Study in Charlotte, by Brittany Cavallaro
This first book in the Charlotte Holmes Trilogy introduces a new crime-solving duo: the teen descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Jamie Watson knows that his great-great-grandfather worked closely with Charlotte Holmes’s great-great-grandfather Sherlock, but when the two end up at the same Connecticut boarding school, Charlotte makes it clear she’s not interested in being friends—no matter how close their ancestors may have been. Jamie decides it’s best to keep his distance anyway; it seems that Charlotte has inherited not just the Holmes’ name but Sherlock’s unpredictable moods as well. But when one of their classmates dies under suspicious circumstances, Jamie can’t keep his distance any longer. Jamie and Charlotte must work together to solve the case of their murdered classmate—just like their great-great-grandfathers did before them.

Belzhar, by Meg Wolitzer
This novel, from New York Times bestselling author Meg Wolitzer, introduces readers to Jam Gallahue, who would much rather be home in New Jersey with her handsome British boyfriend then stranded at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in middle-of-nowhere Vermont. But Jam’s boyfriend Reeve has been gone for almost a year—and Jam is still mourning. So here she is in Vermont, signed up for an exclusive, supposedly life-altering class that focuses entirely on the works of Sylvia Plath. Jam would rather be anywhere but here—until an assignment leads Jam and her classmates into a mysterious other world called Belzhar, a world where Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once more. But how much is Jam willing to give up to be with Reeve again?

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart
Boarding school books don’t have to be all doom and gloom! This award-winning novel from bestselling author E. Lockhart is sharply funny. Frankie Landau-Banks has gone from unassuming to attention grabbing over the summer. Suddenly, she has a new figure, a new attitude, and a new set of goals for her sophomore year—namely, to make some changes at her elite (and old-fashioned) boarding school, Alabaster Preparatory Academy. Her gorgeous and popular boyfriend, Matthew Livingston, belongs to a long-standing secret society on campus called The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. The group is famous for outrageous pranks—and its male-only membership policy. Frankie plots to infiltrate the group and make a statement about the school’s sexist and classist environment.
So there you have it, just a few books that helped get me in a boarding school frame of mind while I was writing R.I.P. Eliza Hart.