Did you fail the English Test? Do you want to learn more about life or school in England? Here’s our list of recommended reading:

Brit-Think, Ameri-Think by Jane Walmsley
An irreverent and indispensable guide to understanding the great cultural ocean that divides Britain and America.

Understanding British English: Bridging the Gap Between the English Language and Its American Counterpart by Margaret E. Moore
“The list of cockney rhyming slang in the appendix is worth the price alone.”

Tom Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas Hughes
Published in 1857, this classic novel chronicles life as it used to be in the old days at Rugby, an English boys’ boarding school.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The classic Victorian romance about the passionate, strong-willed orphan who leaves boarding school and falls in love with the mysterious, brooding Mr. Rochester.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling, published 1998
This brilliant and magical book, the first in a series of seven (one for each school year) depicts Harry’s life at Hogwarts School and has won awards for its appeal to all ages.

Stand Before Your God— An American Schoolboy in England by Paul Watkins
An account first published in 1993 of growing up in a British school from an American perspective.

Letter of Proceedings by Jock Ritchie
A perceptive account (published in 1999) of how life at a British school instilled the values that governed the adult life of this Scottish naval officer and expatriate businessesman.

Have you read a good book or seen a movie about school or life in England which you’d like to recommend? Please submit your title with a 30 word description on the contact form and it just might be included in a future BAEF reading list!