School of Fear

School of Fear

by Gitty Daneshvari

2009

352 pages

"Everyone's afraid of something."

Summary: Madeleine is deathly afraid of bugs, Theodore is petrified of dying, Lulu is scared of confined spaces, Garrison is terrified of deep water; and for these four...things are about to get a whole lot scarier.

While everyone is afraid of something, very few let it control their lives like these four, so their parents decide to ship them off for the summer to the School of Fear, an apparent boot camp for phobias. However, when the four arrive they find that not everything is what it seems and if they are to survive the summer, they must unite and face their fears.

Review: While this book is technically for a younger crowed, I thought that some teen readers would really enjoy it, especially boys, reluctant readers, or just those looking for a fun light read. It’s quite long, but the chapters are rather short, and the pacing is fast which makes for a quick read. The characters are amusing, well developed and they each add a unique oddness to the group. For fun, each chapter begins with the definition of a new type of fear. However, what will undoubtedly draw readers is the witty writing. It is very tongue-and cheek and a few times I laughed out loud at the wacky ridiculousness of it. It was a lot of fun to read and I think it has a wide appeal.

You might enjoy School of Fear if you like books with: humour, wacky and crazy storylines, and multiple main characters, easy to read.

Also by Gitty Daneshvari: School of Fear: Class is Not Dismissed, a sequel available September 2010

If you liked School of Fear, you might also enjoy: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

School of Fear website: http://www.enrollinschooloffear.com/

Wikipidea article on Phobias

Author website: http://www.gittydaneshvari.com/

Rating: W4/4 C4/4 P3/4 O3.5/4 PP3/4 CR4/4
Grade: M