What's your favourite fictional school? - discussion

Why is it that schools in books generally seem so much more appealing that the real life versions? Earlier this year, Hogwarts was overwhelmingly voted the fictional school that most people would like to go to, with Ronald Searle's chaotic St Trinian's following in second spot. Enid Blyton's Malory Towers also placed, though much further down the list, as did Professor X's school for mutants from Marvel's X-Men comics. One thing this disparate group of academies have in common is that they're all boarding schools - which might explain much of their attractiveness. For many children and adults - regardless of their own school set-up - the boarding schools of fiction are romantic places in which you can battle villains, overcome personal obstacles, eat midnight feasts and generally get up to hijinks surrounded by your best friends. Of course, fictional schools aren't always places of fun, games and the vanquishing of evil. Mildred Hubble, aka The Worst Witch, certainly didn't relish her time at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches - although her trials pale in comparison to Jane Eyre's miserable experience at Lowood. Holden Caulfield spends the entirety of The Catcher in the Rye berating the "phoney" Pencey Prep, and during Percy Jackson's short stint at Yancy Academy (warning: spoiler imminent!), one of his teachers turns out to be a torturer from the Underworld. But even the most unromantic, realistic of schools can seem like great places to be if it means you might get to befriend your favourite characters from fiction. Who wouldn't risk a day at Crossland High School to hang out with everyone's favourite wimpy kid, Greg Heffley? So do you spend your maths lessons wishing you were in Professor McGonagall's transfiguration class instead? Or do you go into school each day grateful that you don't have to attend Lemony Snickett's Austere Academy? We want to hear all about your favourite fictional schools - and those that you think you would hate to attend. Just email us your thoughts at [email protected] and we'll publish the comments below! Your favourite fictional schools Madeleine Has to be Malory Towers or St Clares! What more can you want with swimming pools and midnight feasts! Although Whyteleafe comes close... (all by Enid Blyton) Heather: My favorite fictional school is Louis Sachar's Wayside School. I have such fond memories of one of my teachers reading Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger to us aloud and wishing I went to a towering school with hilarious students, quirky teachers, and Louis the recess teacher. Rushda: Does it count if it's not a school but is schoolish? Camp Half-Blood from Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series? I hope it counts. They learn stuff there. Paula: As a little girl I wanted to go to St Clare's, one of Enid Blyton's other boarding schools. As an adult, I have rediscoved Billy Bunter and spend many happy hours at Greyfriars watching the footer, feasting in the tuck shop and assisting in the apprehension of the substantial number of criminals who venture into the school's environs. It's a boys' school, unfortunately. But perhaps I could be one of the Cliff House girls, visiting for Sunday tea? And even Bunter wouldn't try to cadge ten bob from a girl. Stephen: Yes, Hogwarts may be a leading fictional boarding school, thanks to Enid Blyton, for as Eva Rice in her book, Who's Who in Enid Blyton, suggests that "after all, isn't Harry Potter just Malory Towers and the Enchanted Wood mixed together?" Giles: battle school - enders game! Richenda It would have to be the Chalet School! I must express scepticism at the person who mentioned Battle School in Ender's Game. The book was fantastic and extremely gripping, but I don't believe anybody could genuinely want such a pressurised, competitive and ruthless school environment! Laura: My favorite school is, of course, Hogwarts (What could be better than the Gryffindor common room or the Great Hall?) @NikkiYeo Malory Towers @Kim_Ridley Hogwarts of course...all that food..flying around... big dorm rooms. who could ask for more @chaletfan The Chalet School! Can't beat that heady mix of mattress turning and falling off mountains! :-) @katiecollins Great hashtag! Can't decide between Chalet School, Whyteleafe or Bunter's Greyfriars (for comedy) #faveschool @MyaKOnstanti Phillip Pullman's Jordan College. Daemons, skulls, academics @EditorEmma #faveschool Back before the days of Hogwarts: Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches. @oneredflower Kingscote from Antonia Forest's books but I suspect every1 would be horribly racist. #faveschool @pixiecake I died to be at The Naughtiest Girl in the School's Whyteleafe. I wrote it on my exercise books instead of actual sch name @Alib68 The Chalet School, without doubt, when it was in Austria pre-WW2. @ooteeny I always liked the pool at Malory Towers #faveschool @helenrcrawford I always wanted to go to Whyteleafe. Would entertain myself on supermarket trips with hunt for appropriate tuck #faveschool Sami: Obviously, Hogwarts would be my favorite. But after that, Wexford Cassandra: Hogwarts always wins the fictional schools contest, but runner up is Maureen Johnson's Wexford from Name of the Star. Barry: Wexford from Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star Mashael: Wexford! Krista: Wexford, or Hogwarts they both sound AMAZING! Emily: Wexford is amazing - I'd love to have gone to boarding school in the UK. My school was so uneventful! Kathryn: My favourite fictional school is Wexford! It's the school from The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson (the first book in her Shades of London series). If Wexford was real I wish I could have gone there! Irene: I vote Wexford as my favorite fictional school Ishbel: Wexford seems like the place for me! Iggy: My favourite school would be Gallagher Academy (Ally Carter books). It is a school for spies, so as long as you attend you are a spy and you will be sent on real scary missions that test your daring and verve