As summer turns into fall, students are starting another year of school. Will it be smooth sailing or an emotional rollercoaster? Maybe it will depend on those who possess the most power at school, either officially or behind the scenes. Is it the richest kids? The smartest kids? The bullies? The teachers?

Hopefully, drama like this can be relegated to fiction and not the classroom! But for stories about people who rule the school—for better or worse—here is a selection of eight YA fiction books.
 

Waiting For Spring Vol 1 by Anashin
 

Mitsuki wants to make friends but is so painfully shy that it’s hard for her to talk to people. One day, four boys show up at the cafe where she works after school. They’re looking for her coworker, but they find Mitsuki by mistake.

This begins a very unusual friendship between a wallflower and four stars of the school basketball team. Mitsuki wants to enjoy being with these new friends, but also knows that if the other girls in school discover they’re spending time together, those girls will be consumed with jealousy!

 

S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett

Greer knew that when she applied to study at the prestigious St. Aidan the Great School, it might be hard for her to fit in as a scholarship student. But she never imagined they’d treat her like a total outsider. When Greer is invited to spend the weekend with some of the most popular students at St. Aidan’s, she feels her luck is starting to change. However, when she sees the rest of the guests are just as unpopular, she suspects this was no ordinary invitation.

 

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
 

Jerry is a high school freshman, which means he’s basically powerless at Trinity School. When the secret school society called The Vigils tells Jerry he must refuse to sell chocolates as part of a fundraising drive, he has to obey them.

But Jerry has more power than he realizes when he decides he’s brave enough to disturb the universe around him.
 

 

Poor Little Dead Girls by Lizzie Friend

Sadie knows it’s going to be hard fitting in at the exclusive Keating school. She knows she only got in because of a lacrosse scholarship, and that most of the other girls in school will be rich. When Sadie's father drops her off at the school, he jokingly warns her not to join any secret societies. But when Sadie is kidnapped by some of the most powerful girls in school and is inducted into their group, she soon discovers the closer she gets to them, the more her life is in danger.
 

Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley
 

One of Sam's brothers dares her to enter the prestigious Denmark Military Academy.  Why is it a dare? The school has operated without any female students for decades, and most of the school does not want Sam there now.  

But Sam is trying to prove a point, that she should be allowed to attend the school, as should any other girls who want to try. But she’s going to have a hard time figuring out who her friends and enemies really are.  

 

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

This is the story of Piddy Sanchez, a girl trying to cope with her family, her school, and her job. At her new school, Piddy wants to keep up with her honors classes and fit in with others, but her plans are derailed when a bully named Yaqui Delgado wants to teach her a lesson.  Piddy doesn’t know what she did to upset this girl, but is going to learn the hard way that Yaqui is a very dangerous person to have as an enemy. She'll have to make some tough decisions to get back control of her life.
 

People Like Us by Dana Mele
 

When Kay Donovan was a freshman at Bates Academy, she erased her past and reinvented herself. Now she’s a senior, and part of the group that rules the school. But when a student dies, the police investigation threatens to unravel Kay’s life and her reputation.

She will have to decide how much she’s willing to risk, and if exposing her secrets will mean losing her friends.

 

The Takedown by Corrie Wang

Kyla Cheng is part of the most popular crowd at an elite school, and is looking forward to becoming valedictorian. But Kyla's perfect future starts falling apart when a revealing video involving her and a teacher spreads like wildfire through the school.

Kyla is desperate to prove the video is fake, and her only hope is to find the person who tried to destroy her reputation, and get her own revenge.