School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari

Theo, Madeleine, Garrison, and Lulu

School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari is the story of four young people who enroll in a school over the summer to help them conquer their fears. The portrayals of the students and their phobias were the best part of the story. I especially liked Madeleine with her fear of insects and spiders. I am not a big fan of spiders either and can appreciate her fear of the little lurking eight-legged creatures. She wears a netted beekeeper's hat and carries cans of insect spray with her wherever she goes. She reads a lot and is very smart and constantly amazes her fellow phobics with her knowledge on many subjects.

The other students include Lulu and her fear of enclosed spaces, Garrison and his fear of large bodies of water, and Theo who worries constantly about death - both his and the members of his family. He is constantly reporting statistics on the many different ways people have met their end. He and Madeleine are the best drawn of the four students.

On the other hand, Mrs. Wellington, the owner of the school, her assistant Schmidty, and the sleazy attorney Mr. Munchauser, are just weird. It seems as if the author just loaded them up with quirks.

Anyway, it is a pleasant read - if somewhat drawn out - and the illustrations by Carrie Gifford are adorable. I can see how it would appeal to middle-school students.

Here's a bonus: Each chapter begins with the definition of a different phobia including this one that I had never heard of or imagined.

Arachibutyrophobia - the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.

Stash from the Stacks

Vintage postcard featuring my lovely library in 1919

Here are the books I scored in today's trip to the library:

School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari - In an effort to overcome their fears, four children enroll in the creepy school run by a slightly crazy ex-beauty queen, Mrs. Wellington. Madeline's fear of bugs has her wearing a beekeeper's netted hat and carrying cans of insect spray on her belt. Lulu has a fear of enclosed spaces and avoids elevators. Then there are the two boys: Theo is afraid of death (his own and any family member's), and Garrison fears large bodies of water. 

Each chapter opens with the definition of a different phobia. For example, did you know that logizomechaniophobia is the fear of computers?

The story was recommended to me by a fifth-grader and has adorable illustrations by Carrie Gifford.

Sleeping at the Starlite Motel and Other Adventures on the Way Back Home by Bailey White - More Southern delights from my new BFF and a perfect way to get in the mood for my upcoming Grand Southern Literary Tour 2013.

The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester - I mistook this book as a re-titling of Winchester's The Professor and the Madman which I read a couple of years ago and enjoyed. A commenter, Tullik, set me straight on this misconception, and in light of the recent explorations of my own stash of dictionaries (here and here),  I am really looking forward to digging in to this book about the famed OED.