7 Books for High School Students to Develop Logical Thinking Skills (For Essay Writing)

Last updated: 2025/04/02

This series, [Practical Writing], provides lectures on practical techniques for creating essays, compositions, and statements of purpose, which I, Shinono, an instructor of essay and composition writing, teach during my regular correction and grading sessions.

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(You can view Shinono's self-introduction here.)

A Book Guide for "Developing Logical Thinking Skills in Preparation for Essay Writing"

Recently, I posted an article titled “5 Books for High School Students to Think About ‘What is Work’ and Connect it to ‘Future Dreams’ (For Statement of Purpose)” as a guide for writing statements of purpose, and it was read by many people. Thank you to everyone who read it. I believe this article is likely the one that “received the most likes at the fastest speed” among all my articles. Since it was well-received, I am “getting carried away” and providing another book guide article this time (laughs).

That is half a joke, but in reality, when I am correcting essays for high school students in my daily work, I often think, “Perhaps the foundation of basic logical thinking has not been built.” Therefore, I have been thinking that someday I would like to introduce books that will help high school students develop their logical thinking skills.

Simply put, there are many essay answers that “fail to argue.” In the aforementioned article, I listed several examples of poor answers, but in the first place, they are often effectively unable to “make a claim based on evidence,” or in other words, “argue.” As a “way to write an essay,” they are merely “placing” concrete examples or reasons in a manual-like fashion, but the content does not actually constitute a “logical proof.” And I believe this is because their understanding of “thinking logically” is insufficient. Therefore, in this article, I would like to introduce several books that are useful for “developing logical thinking skills.”

Note that since there are a great many books on the theme of logical thinking, including not only study reference books for examinees but also new books (shinsho), academic specialized books, business books, and self-help books, I have decided to introduce books that meet the following criteria this time.

The Definitive Edition of “Logical Thinking Skill Development Books”! “Logical Training (Philosophy Textbook Series)” by Shigeki Noya

The definitive book for developing the “ability of Japanese speakers to logically read and construct Japanese sentences.” As proof, the first edition was in 2006 and it is currently in its 26th printing. It is a long-loved book for developing logical thinking skills. The author is philosopher and logician Shigeki Noya. I read the old version thoroughly when I was in my 20s, just starting out as a cram school and prep school instructor, and this is the new version. It is my top recommendation for this article (laughs). Although it is called “Logical Training,” what it covers is content that is strictly “pre-logic,” such as “how to use conjunctions” and “basic methods of argumentation.” A book that allows you to acquire the “foundation of logical thinking skills” necessary for reading modern Japanese and writing essays. Since it was originally written as a general education textbook for teaching university students, high school students should be able to read it as well.

A practical problem collection for the aforementioned “Logical Training”! “101 Logical Training Problems” by Shigeki Noya

If the aforementioned “Logical Training” is a “reference book,” this is, so to speak, the corresponding “problem collection.” It is better to purchase it as a set with “Logical Training.” The aforementioned “Logical Training” also contains several “problems to acquire logical thinking skills,” but this book is specialized for those problems. You can train your logical thinking skills by solving the 101 problems. Together with the aforementioned book, it can be said to be a good book that practically develops basic and universal logical thinking skills.

A practical textbook for developing “Japanese language proficiency”! “Read Correctly, Think Deeply: Japanese Logical Training” by Koichi Nakai

This also has “Logical Training” in the title, but it would be better to call it a book that develops so-called “Japanese language proficiency” for “reading Japanese sentences correctly and thinking deeply.” The author is a graduate of Kyoto University and an educational journalist who also runs a specialized Japanese language cram school. It practically explains the logical development often handled in critical essays and expository texts. Perhaps because it is a “new book for adults,” it has a title that leans toward such universal themes, but there is absolutely no problem for high school students to utilize this book as “an aid for modern Japanese (logical Japanese) and essay writing measures.” In fact, the content can be said to be one for that purpose.

A book for “preparatory learning” before acquiring logical thinking skills! “Core Skills of Logical Thinking” by Ryo Hatogashira

In recent years, “logical thinking skill development books” have been published and praised not only for students but also in the world of adults (business people). The author is a graduate of the University of Tokyo and is a management consultant and economic critic. This book is also one of the logical thinking development books for business people. After providing a basic explanation of logical thinking, it explains three “core skills” that are indispensable for developing such thinking. Although it is for adults, the content is “faithful to the basics,” so it is a book that high school students can also find very useful.

Build the thinking circuit of “Concretization” and “Abstraction”! “’Concrete ⇔ Abstract’ Training: 29 Questions to Dramatically Improve Your Thinking Skills” by Kou Hosoya

This is a book that captures logical thinking activities as a "reciprocal movement between 'concretization' and 'abstraction'" and organizes them around that theme.Providing concrete examples to substantiate your argument is "concretization," while conversely, deriving your argument from concrete examples is "abstraction." Therefore, this is not a theme unique to the author but something widely known; however, the book focuses on this theme to explain "what practical logical thinking is," and the intention of this book is to help you master this "reciprocal movement between 'concretization' and 'abstraction'" by solving problems.Note that the author has written several books on this theme, but I found this one to be the easiest to understand.

Understand the "weaknesses of the human mind" and acquire "appropriate scientific thinking"! "Thinking Skills Improvement Drill: From Critical Thinking to Scientific Thinking" by Ryo Uehara

While explaining basic logical thinking (critical thinking), it helps you understand the "weaknesses of the human mind" that tend to lead to logical fallacies (errors), and based on that, explains how to cultivate "appropriate scientific thinking." It is a book with the intention of helping you master this by solving problems. For example, it can be said that this is a book for correcting the biases of the human mind that easily lead to erroneous thinking, such as cognitive bias (the psychology and thinking habits that cause us to make incorrect judgments due to intuition or preconceptions), so that we can correctly derive inferences in scientific thinking. The author is a university professor specializing in the philosophy of science. It can also be said to be a book for correctly bridging logical thinking and scientific thinking. It is also recommended for high school students who want to utilize their inquiry activity achievements and results for comprehensive selection admissions.

A practice book for that Toulmin argument model! "The Best Textbook for Logical Thinking: Exercises for Understanding Arguments and Becoming Sensitive to Fallacies" by Kazuyoshi Fukuzawa

Based on the "Toulmin model of argumentation" that I also introduced in my aforementioned article, it simplifies and explains how to construct arguments. Building on that, it is a book that aims to enable you to perform accurate argumentation through solving practice problems. The author is Kazuyoshi Fukuzawa, who translated Stephen Toulmin's "The Uses of Argument."

(For reference only... "The Uses of Argument" by Toulmin, translated by Kazuhisa Todoyama and Kazuyoshi Fukuzawa)

However, looking at book reviews, it might be hard to call it beginner-friendly (though I found it interesting). It might be better to read it after having read various books on logical thinking methods to some extent. It is for intermediate to advanced learners who want to step up.

Summary: I recommend using the books introduced above as a reference to develop logical thinking skills for essay writing.

There were really so many books on this theme this time that I had a very hard time selecting and narrowing them down (laughs). I hope this helps university entrance exam students (high school students) with their essay writing studies, even if only a little.

Although it is often written in books for business people, "logical thinking skills" are a lifelong asset. It is useful not only for writing essays but also for interviews, and furthermore, when you become an adult and go out into society to work, this "ability to reason correctly and logically" becomes necessary. Therefore, rather than just as exam preparation, I want you to use these books as an opportunity to acquire universal "logical thinking skills" that will be useful in your future life, including university entrance exams.

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For those worried about "how to write a statement of purpose," I recommend this "Shimeno-style Template Statement of Purpose Creation Method"! (Price reduced on 2025/03/25!)

5 points to keep in mind when creating a statement of purpose for those aspiring to medical school (and medical-related departments)!