Four twelve-year old phobic children travel to a remote Massachusetts summer school run by a wacky ex-beauty queen headmistress in an attempt to overcome their fears of bugs, confined spaces, death and water. Forced to follow strange rules and learn pageant etiquette the four must band together and face their individual fears after tragedy strikes the school. Daneshvari creates mildly believable characters with a strange setting for a story line reminiscent of the craziness of Lemony Snicket. Readers may enjoy visiting the School of Fear website.
3 of 5 stars - Recommended.
