The Castle School for Troubled Girls

The Castle School for Troubled Girls by Alyssa Sheinmel is one of this years’ Rosie nominees. The novel follows the main character Moira Dreyfuss after her parents announce that they are sending her to an all-girls boarding school. Moira has barely looked at the school’s pamphlet before she arrives deep in the woods of Maine, isolated from the rest of civilization. She knows this is her parents’ way of punishing her for acting out after her best friend Nathan died. Beyond this, she knows that the Castle School is hiding something, and when she discovers another school exactly like this one, except for boys, she is determined to find out what it is. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it did a good job of shining a light on mental illnesses without glorifying them. It was an easy read and well worth it. (3.9/5 stars on Goodreads)