The four 12-year-olds who are enrolled in the summer program at the highly secretive, highly selective School of Fear have got some real issues:Madeline lives in abject terror of spiders and bugs; Theo is petrified by the thought of either himself or anyone in his family dying; Lulu’s claustrophobia overwhelms her and everyone around her; and sports star Garrison breaks out into an uncontrollable sweat at the thought of coming in contact with water. Their parents, at wits end, all seek help from the School of Fear, reputed to be able to cure the most overwhelming, life debilitating fears in its students.
Maddie, Theo, Lulu and Garrison meet on the first day of summer school as they ride on a shuttle through a deep, dark forest to the mansion that houses the school. From there, they’re in for one bizarre episode and encounter after another: a blind 80-something caretaker and cook; a massive bulldog named Macaroni; a scary, shadowy man haunting the mansion; and Mrs. Wellington, the aged, eccentric former beauty queen who runs the school. From a Fearnasium filled with every horror imaginable, to food laced with Casu Frazigu (maggot cheese), to a library full of the worst smells ever, the students have never experienced anything like the School of Fear.
The kids are plunged into one crazy, chaotic adventure after another, arguing with each other and battling their individual fears the whole time. Full of surprises and outlandish situations, reminicent of The Series of Unfortunate Events, Gitty Daneshvari’s School of Fear has fun with four kids who end up realizing they’re more resilient (both individually and as a team) than they ever thought they were.
- Posted by Cori