Written by: Gitty Daneshvari
First line: A bell is not a bell.
Why you should read this: Written with a quasi gothic
sensibility (an atmosphere reinforced by illustrations reminiscent of Edward
Gorey’s) this middle-grade novel follows the unlikely adventures of a quartet
of fearful kids, brought together, some forcibly, at Mrs. Wellington’s School
of Fear, for the purpose of learning to overcome their crippling phobias. Miss Wellington is an aging beauty queen who seems to know nothing
whatsoever about children, education, or behavioral conditioning, and there are
definitely all sorts of questionable secrets hiding in the walls of
Summerstone, the crumbling mansion housing the school. Still, hundreds of
former students and prominent persons attest to the efficacy of Mrs.
Wellington’s unorthodox methods, so the children have no choice but to submit,
until tragedy strikes, leaving them on their own, with their fears, and a new mission.
Why you shouldn’t read this book: While it presents as a
sort of horror story, it’s really unspeakably silly. The nonsense is almost overwhelming at times.
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