Move over, Twilight! These 9 books set in schools that don’t have vampires are equally compelling YA fiction reads.

1. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

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“The Chocolate War made its debut in 1974, and quickly became a bestselling—and provocative—classic for young adults. This chilling portrait of an all-boys prep school casts an unflinching eye on the pitfalls of conformity and corruption in our most elite cultural institutions.”

2. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

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“Read the cult-favorite coming of age story that takes a sometimes heartbreaking, often hysterical, and always honest look at high school in all its glory.”

3. Reading Blue Devils by Jon Bennett

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“To Hell with high school! The American education system is turned inside out when a frustrated teacher incites his students to stage an uprising. In a poor suburban community in southern Ohio, Dieter Vogel is a failing English teacher at a high school populated predominately by minority students. He is bullied by the basketball coach, neglected by the principal, ignored by his crush, Esther, and pressured to workout with Jose, the art teacher. At the end of the first day back after summer break, Dieter is visited by Satan, who takes the initial form of a Twinkie. Satan convinces Dieter to overthrow the school mascot, Gretel the Pretzel, so that the Devil can take its place. Dieter is promised Esther’s love and the position of principal in return. All Dieter has to do is follow the Devil’s advice and use classic literature to manipulate the students into a racially charged frenzy against the mostly white staff.”

4. The Gold Bat by P.G. Wodehouse

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“The novel tells of how two boys, O’Hara and Moriarty, tar and feather a statue of the local M.P. as a prank. They get away with it, but O’Hara had borrowed a tiny gold cricket bat belonging to Trevor, the captain of the cricket team. After the prank, the boys discover that the trinket is missing. Schoolboy honour is at stake as Trevor and his friends conceal the loss of the gold bat until, through a stroke of luck, they find it. The novel deals with events during that term, including inter-house rugby matches and the dastardly actions of a mysterious society called ‘the League’.”

5. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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“In Laurie Halse Anderson’s powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.”

6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

“Clay Jensen returns home from school one day to find a mysterious box with his name on it, outside his front door. Inside he discovers a series of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker – his classmate and crush. Only, she committed suicide two weeks earlier. On the first tape, Hannah explains that there are 13 reasons why she did what she did – and Clay is one of them. If he listens, Clay will find out how he made the list – what he hears will change his life forever.”

7. My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

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“In My Friend Dahmer, a haunting and original graphic novel, writer-artist Backderf creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psyche—a shy kid, a teenage alcoholic, and a goofball who never quite fit in with his classmates. With profound insight, what emerges is a Jeffrey Dahmer that few ever really knew, and one readers will never forget.”

8. High School Society of One by Antranig Dereyan

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“Follow Sevag Hopefulian as he steps out of middle school Special Education and into a tumultuous start to high school where he quickly establishes himself as class rebel. His darkly witty narration of the gritty day-to-day reality of high school is like a descent into Hell illuminates as he struggles with the kids who have bullied him for years, but stumbles into a sideways acceptance by the Cool Kids. His comedy of errors escapades as he sleeps through, cuts and disrespects his classes intensify as he not only dates the Cool Kids’ “Virgin” Mary, but manages to fall into an after school job as an apprentice drug dealer and a college-aged girlfriend in New York City. Sevag’s own drug experiments take him into dangerous territory with some serious side effects. No one told him high school would be this consequential.”

9. Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

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“There’s bad news and good news about the Cutter High School swim team. The bad news is that they don’t have a pool. The good news is that only one of them can swim anyway. Bestselling author Chris Crutcher’s controversial and acclaimed novel follows a group of outcasts as they take on inequality and injustice in their high school.”

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