Am I the only one who loved the feeling of going back to school? Don’t get me wrong, I always mourn the end of summer – of long days full of freedom and sunscreen. But, for me, there is truly nothing better than fresh notebooks, a full pencil case, and an entire year ahead of you. To get you in the mood, here are 11 novels I love (and two I have yet to read) that will fill you with that campus feeling.



Click on a title to read its synopsis:
- For the adventurer: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- For the believer in magic: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
- For the English major: Old School by Tobias Wolff
- For the one who geeks out over dystopian worlds: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- For the quiet student: We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
- For the secret keeper: The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon
- For the captain of the sailing team: The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont
- For the theater geek: Drama High by Michael Sokolove
- For the lover of citations and bibliographies: Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
- For the asker of questions – both personal and political: The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
- For the linguistics nerd: The Idiot by Elif Batuman