Girls of Canby Hall Books in Order

The Girls of Canby Hall books are set at an old, leafy boarding school in Massachusetts where friendships matter just as much as grades. The series follows a group of roommates as they learn how to share small spaces, big feelings, and the intense crushes that come with living away from home for the first time.

At the heart of the early books are Shelley, Faith, and Dana, three very different girls thrown together in room 407. One is a midwestern transplant, one grew up in Washington, D.C., and one is a sharp New Yorker. Their clashes over clothes, music, and boys are balanced by a shared sense of loyalty, helped along by a cool housemother and a stern but fair headmistress who keeps everyone more or less in line.

Most of the stories revolve around everyday dramas: school plays, dances, late‑night talks, and the occasional prank that goes too far. Family news from home, rivalry on the playing field, and the arrival of new students all bring fresh challenges. Through it all, the books stay grounded in the small choices that feel huge when you’re a teenager—who to sit with, who to trust, and when to finally tell the truth.

In Julie Garwood’s contribution, What's a Girl to Do?, the roommates volunteer at the local hospital. On paper it’s a chance to give back and maybe pad a college application. In reality, each girl is distracted by her own worries: Shelley is focused on spring play auditions, Faith is wondering if a new romance is worth the risk, and Dana is anxious about a transfer student who may upend the comfortable rhythm of Canby Hall.

The book shows them juggling real responsibility for patients with the usual swirl of crushes and misunderstandings. Tempers flare, secrets are kept, and for a while it looks as if their problems might pull them apart. Instead, the experience pushes them to grow up a little, talk honestly, and remember why they wanted to be friends in the first place.

Overall, the series offers a cozy, slightly nostalgic kind of young adult drama. There are serious notes—illness, homesickness, and family change—but they’re handled with a light touch. Readers who pick up Garwood’s volume can expect boarding‑school atmosphere, quick pacing, and a reminder that sometimes the hardest part of growing up is learning to turn to your friends instead of turning on them.