School of Fear

School of Fear

Citation: Daneshvari, Gitty. School of Fear. Little, Brown, 2009.

Plot:

Garrison, Madeline, Lulu, and Theo all have paralyzing fears of water, insects, confined spaces, and death (respectively). These fears are crippling to the point where they cannot function normally in society. As a last stitch effort, their parents decide to send them to the elusive, secretive 'School of Fear' for the summer. Upon arriving, the kids notice immediately something isn't right with the old house (with no phone lines). Mrs. Wellington and Schmidty are the only people running the school, and appear to have a few screws loose. Mrs. Wellington focuses on beauty pageant tips and Schmidty is busy with his comb over. Just as the kids are sure they will get to help, the old lawyer Munchauser shows up with terrible news: Mrs. Wellington's one failure is back. This news (allegedly) kills Mrs. Wellington, she leaves her fortune to her dog Macaroni, and Munchauser tries to steal the dog (and effectively the fortune). The kids are sent on a wild goose chase after the disgusting Munchauser in an attempt to rescue the dog (and the fortune) for Schmidty. However, the kids all have top confront their fears along the way in order to save the dog. Can they succeed?

Review:

I thought this book was a little ridiculous. I also thought that there were many extended scenes and plot details that were completely irrelevant to the story, and I found myself slogging through the entire middle of the book. The end got interesting, and it was engaging to watch the kids confront their fears. Younger tweens will enjoy the book, and all the ones I know do enjoy the book. It is part of a series, and it is very popular in the 5th and 6th grades. It is appropriate, sometimes funny, and tweens will relate to the social dynamic that forms between the kids in the story (including the crush between Garrison and Madeline).

Reading Level: 9 and up






Series Information:

Followed by School of Fear 2: Class is Not Dismissed



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