School of Fear (School of Fear Series #1)

by Gitty Daneshvari

Overview

For the first time—maybe ever—Madeleine, Theo, Lulu, and Garrison are not looking forward to the start of summer, and three little words are to blame: School of Fear. In what they're sure will be the longest and most terrifying six weeks of their lives, the foursome must face their phobias head-on as students of the exclusive and elusive school. There's no homework or exams. But if they don't conquer their fears by the end of the summer, they'll find out just how frightening failing can be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316033275
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/07/2010
Series:	School of Fear Series , #1
Pages:	339
Sales rank:	534,046
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Gitty Daneshvari was an average child, the kind who never made much of a mark academically, athletically, or socially, so it hardly came as a surprise when she was rejected from her school's Talented and Gifted Program. On the contrary, Gitty had long ago accepted that she simply wasn't "special," unless of course you counted her long list of phobias (please read School of Fear for further explanation). Luckily, as Gitty aged, she realized that while she lacked natural talent, there was nothing stopping her from figuring out what she enjoyed and then working hard to become better at it.

Gitty is the author of the series The League of Unexceptional Children, School of Fear, and Monster High: Ghoulfriends. She invites you to visit her online at GittyDaneshvari.com and @GittyDaneshvari.

Editorial Reviews

Imagine a humorous middle-grade novel by a less self-absorbed Woody Allen to get an idea of this intelligent and witty children’s debut. Daneshvari assembles a precocious cast of 12- and 13-year-olds with outsize fears, including Madeleine, whose obsessive fear of insects keeps her drenched in bug repellant; Theo, “the most dramatic, hysterical, and neurotic boy in the borough of Manhattan”; brazen Lulu, with crippling claustrophobia; and hydrophobic Garrison. Desperate families entrust these kids to Mrs. Wellington, the snarky “deranged beauty queen” of a headmistress at the secretive and fairly terrifying School of Fear (“Perhaps when the summer is finished you’ll write a letter to the board of camps to complain,” Mrs. Wellington tells the children when they learn they are the sole campers. “And please do not let the board’s hypothetical status deter you”). What ensues is tautly paced, spine-tingling and quite funny, as the children overcome their fears and learn to work as a team. The ending proves as clever as the premise and shows that while everyone is afraid of something, tremendous achievements can be won by facing fear head-on. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4–6—"Everyone is afraid of something." So begins each chapter of this unusual book (Little Brown, 2009) by Gitty Daneshvari. Madeline is so obsessively afraid of bugs that she lives in a cloud of repellent and will not venture outdoors. Neurotic Theodore is terrified of death, and outspoken Lulu is claustrophobic. Although he is a good-looking and successful sports figure at school, Garrison is so paralyzed by the mere thought of water that he breaks out in a cold sweat if he even sees a lake in the distance. These youngsters are sent to the School of Fear during the summer to overcome their phobias. The four "contestants," as they are called by the school's headmistress and only teacher Mrs. Wellington, have the scariest summer of their lives. Mrs. Wellington is an outrageous ex-beauty queen who hasn't the vaguest idea of how to teach students. The school is chaotic, secretive, and a terrifying conglomeration of the oddest doors and rooms you could imagine, including a "Fearnasium." Yet, by the end of summer, the four young people discover that they were wrong about Mrs. Wellington, the school, and themselves. Emma Walton Hamilton expressively reads the fast-paced action and witty repartee, giving each character a unique voice. The result is an amusing, intriguing, and slightly terrifying adventure, with a wonderful lesson for anyone who is afraid of something.—MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY

School Library Journal

The course of instruction at a school for phobic children turns out to be anything but conventional in this hyperbolically arch romp. Having carried their fears to such extremes that parents, counselors and doctors are powerless to help, Madeleine (spiders and insects), Lucy (claustrophobia), Garrison (water) and Theo (death) find themselves trucked off to an isolated Massachusetts mansion. Its facilities include a well-stocked "Fearnasium," breakfast consists of "casu frazigu" (maggot cheese) sandwiches produced by a blind and crusty octogenarian cook/caretaker and the teacher is Mrs. Wellington, an ancient ex-beauty queen who claims to be able to train cats. Daneshvari takes this setup and runs with it, injecting plenty of droll dialogue and plunging the four students into one challenging, chaotic situation after another. Gifford's fine-lined vignettes add suitably tongue-in-cheek visual notes. The children prove more resilient than even they expect, and the closing revelation that Mrs. Wellington's boast is actually true is just one of several surprises that the author springs at the end. Look for plenty of eye-rolling and head-shaking from urbane readers. (Fiction. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews

"Scott Brick is perfect as narrator-cool, calm, and collected through murder, theft, and conspiracy at the highest levels of society. The dialogue grips the listener as Brick's voice pulses with tension and deception."—AudioFile

From the Publisher

"Scott Brick is perfect as narrator-cool, calm, and collected through murder, theft, and conspiracy at the highest levels of society. The dialogue grips the listener as Brick's voice pulses with tension and deception."

AudioFile

Who would have thought being scared could be such fun? Four 12-year-olds whose phobias range from bugs to water go to the School of Fear for six of the worst weeks ever. They’re going to get cured or die trying! Emma Hamilton's handling of these characters ranges from snarky to hysterical—and is utterly enjoyable. Scary PHANTOM OF THE OPERA-type music sets the tone for each nasty adventure the school has in store for them. Kids will laugh out loud at the machinations the four go through to avoid confronting their fears. The highlight of the production is Hamilton's energetic and cheerful rendering of each character—she makes their obsessions charming additions to their personalities. D.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2010 - AudioFile