Guys, I found this! I have to admit it was totally by accident. I was browsing while my daughter looked through potential candidates for checkout at our public library, and this practically jumped out at me– it was right at my eye level (I’m short). The book is:

 The Cavendish School for Boys and Girls  by Claire Legrand

I was right on all the details, except that Victoria’s friend is named Lawrence, not Harris. And this is an even creepier book than I remembered it being. It’s over-the-top gothic and has a weird fiction feel to it as well. Edward Gorey would probably love it. If you have a tween who is into fantastic, creepy gothic stories, All Hallows’ Read is coming up soon.

This one’s for me. I am going bananas! I read this book just a few weeks ago and I can’t remember the name. A middle school girl, Victoria, who always does everything perfectly, is friends with Harris, who is awkward and embarrassing and plays the piano beautifully. One day Harris disappears from school and when she visits his parents they tell her he is visiting his grandmother, but something is clearly wrong. Kids keep disappearing from the school and even teachers seem frightened.

A boarding school has opened up on her street and when she goes to see if Harris is there, she is invited in by the proprietress who seems to think they’re alike. Eventually Victoria is trapped in the school and discovers Harris is there. It is a nightmarish, almost living building, and the job of the school is to mold everyone into behaving beautifully and identically. The cover was white with that kind of gothic look to the illustration and text that you see in a lot of children’s books now. I cannot remember the name of the book. The title was Miss or Mrs. ——- School for ——– or something similar. It’s a relatively new book. Can anyone place it?