School of Fear

School of Fear by Gitti Daneshavri is a fun read.  I think the younger set, probably fifth and sixth graders, would absolutely eat it up.  I would also like to applaud the vocabulary Daneshavri integrates.  It is absolutely fantastic; the book is filled with fantastically descriptive yet unfamiliar words.

In School of Fear, readers are introduced to one of the most dysfunctional casts of characters one could ever hope to meet.  That's the beauty of it.  You see, in order to qualify for the super secret School of Fear, a child's fears must be irrational and quite frankly over the top.  Madeline Masterson, Theodore Bartholomew, Lulu Punchalower, and Garrison Feldman certainly qualify.  This motley crew's fears range from confinement to death.  However, they all share one bond.  Their families are over it!  Thus leading them all to School of Fear.

When the students arrived, live begins to get even stranger.  The school mistress is the quite eccentric Mrs. Wellington.  Ahhh, Mrs. Wellington, the former beauty queen, wig wearing, maggot cheese eating Mrs. Wellington.  She is certainly worth investigating.

As you can see, inevitably, hijinks ensue leaving all to wonder just what kind of school this really is.  Like I said, this book is a fun read.  It's certainly worth recommending to younger readers.