Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I finished listening to Gitty Daneshvari’s School of Fear this morning, and I have to say, that book is seriously odd.  The premise–4 children with extreme phobias go off to a semi-secret school designed to cure children of such things–feels like it could go in a number of different directions.   What it ultimately becomes, however, is a sort of hybrid of Roald Dahl, “The Weakest Link”, and “Miss Congeniality”.

Sound weird?  Try reading it.

It’s the sort of book where the characters trade zingers back and forth and the absurd just keeps happening; it was wildly entertaining but not necessarily lovable for me, but I expect my 12-year-old to find it fabulous.  If you’re looking for a book that’s entertaining from the get-go, full of semi-likable (but not lovable) characters, and ends by setting up a sequel, look no further.  On the other hand, if you’re in the mood for predictable, well–this isn’t going to be your best choice.