School of Fear

School of Fear
by Gitty Daneshvari

School of Fear

Grades 5 & up

Realistic Fiction with a Fantasy Twist

School of Fear - trilogy
The League of Unexceptional Children

Book Summary:
Lulu might be incurably mean, but she’s also deathly afraid of confined spaces. And speaking of death, Theo can tell you how many people died from spider and insect bites in 2003, and why anything you might ever think of doing is dangerous to your survival. Garrison is a popular athlete, trying to keep his fear of water hidden from his peers. And Madeleine, who has an exterminator on speed-dial and never leaves home without a mosquito-netted veil and a healthy supply of insect repellent, takes arachnophobia to a whole new level. What do these four students have in common? They are sent to the very secret, very exclusive School of Fear. A word to the wise . . . don’t sample the Casu Frazigu.

Book Review:
Clever and funny, with lots of advanced vocabulary, this book is a great trip. Seeing the four main characters' outward strengths and inner fears instantly connects readers to the ridiculousness of images we try to present about ourselves, and the ways we magnify concerns.

There are two more books in this series - Class is Not Dismissed and The Final Exam

"If you don’t let me on the fire escape, I swear you’ll never see your kids again,” Lulu said in her best gangster impression.
“I don’t have kids,” the security guard said with a yawn.
“What about friends?”
“Not me. All I have is a goldfish.”
“Okay, loser,” Lulu said with a roll of her eyes, “if you ever want to see that fish again, I suggest you let me on that fire escape. Otherwise, I’ll be sauteing the little guy for dinner.”
“Threatening a man’s fish, that’s cold, but you still can’t go on the fire escape.”