It’s Academic
This time of year, I often long for the simple school days of my youth. Fortunately there are some novels to remind me just how miserable school can be.
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami 
A group of 42 students from Shiroiwa Junior High School are on what they believe is a normal study trip but soon discover that they are the latest contestants on The Program, a reality television show where they must kill or be killed.
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
Thirteen year old Jason Taylor is subjected to the casual cruelty of his adolescent classmates in this semi-autobiographical novel.
Brutal by Michael Harmon
When she realizes that some students in her new school can get away with anything, Poe Holly decides to stand up to the bullies and fight the system.
Carrie by Stephen King
The cool kids in her high school target poor, friendless Carrie White for a particularly cruel prank at the prom in Stephen King's debut novel.
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier 
In this novel, the protagonist Jerry Renault refuses to participate in his school's chocolate sale, incurring the wrath of the school administration and also of the secret society that really controls the school.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding 
In probably the worst school outing in literature, a group of youngsters is stranded without adult supervision after their plane crashes on an island.
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