The School of Fear, by Gitty Daneshvari

Some people are afraid of bugs. And some people equip themselves with full-body protective suits, a mosquito-netting veil and enough repellent to down a hippo, and they refuse to enter a vehicle or room that hasn’t been completely fumigated.

Madeline was one such person. And her parents—decent, undeserving people—had pretty much had it up to their eyebrows, since that’s how deep the insect-repellent fog stood in their house. Having tried every other option—and I do mean every other option— Madeline’s parents are given one last straw to grasp, a name whispered in their ears by a secretive teacher in an inner office with a rug stuffed under the door:

The School of Fear.

Pretty soon, Madeline is on her way to this mysterious School, along with a boy who obsesses about protecting people from death, a girl whose fear of small spaces resulted in a full-scale riot at a museum, and a boy so terrified of water that his own sweat can send him reeling. Hopes are high that the foursome’s fears will be forever eradicated by this mystifying school and its baffling headmistress, but the children soon begin to wonder if they’ve been duped. Can a former beauty queen and a collection of eccentric rooms and devices, a gnome-like caretaker with the eyesight of a mole, and a dog named Macaroni (brother to the dearly departed Cheese) save these children from their own fears? And what about the Terrible and Dreaded Lawyer who lives in the basement?

As you may have already guessed, The School of Fear is a pretty fun ride, from the first few chapters introducing each of the characters to the surprise ending (which, I have to admit, I saw coming from a mile off, but that’s only because I’ve read too many books and it’s addled my brain. My sister didn’t catch on until about the fourth-to-last chapter which, I’m informed, is much more normal).

The book has an interesting flavor—it’s one of those "away-at-school" sort of stories that seem to come in waves of popularity, sparked in the last decade or so by the success of the Harry Potter regime and its many imitators. It has a kind of old-world British flair, shades á la Rudyard Kipling and James Barrie, but done with a modern panache—what it most reminded me of was a combination of Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Mysterious Benedict Society and the erstwhile-popular Series of Unfortunate Events.

Apparently to be the first in a series, The School of Fear tantalizingly tidies up 99.9% of its loose ends by the time you reach the endpapers, leaving just enough strings dangling to remind you to watch for more. Personally, I probably will—though I’m not going to go out of my way to get a hold of them, as I do other books. While a fun and entertaining read, it’s one that’s a reader can easily consume and move past. If one is looking for a fun and worth-while read for themselves, a sibling, or child, this is definitely a great place to start, but I would recommend getting it from a library or a used bookstore before paying the full price for it from the store.

The Brownie gives The School of Fear a satisfied four quills.