By:
On:
In: Elementary Book Reviews, Middle Grade Reviews, Mystery & Suspense, Supernatural & Horror
With: 0 Comments

The four 12-year-olds who are enrolled in the summer program at the highly secretive, highly selective School of Fear have got some real issues:Madeline lives in abject terror of spiders and bugs; Theo is petrified by the thought of either himself or anyone in his family dying; Lulu’s claustrophobia overwhelms her and everyone around her; and sports star Garrison breaks out into an uncontrollable sweat at the thought of coming in contact with water.  Their parents, at wits end, all seek help from the School of Fear, reputed to be able to cure the most overwhelming, life debilitating fears in its students. Maddie, Theo, LuluRead More →

By:
On:
In: Multicultural (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
With: 0 Comments

Pat Lowery Collins’ The Fattening Hut is a lyrical novel, told in vivid and eloquent free verse, that hauntingly explores the ramifications of a ceremonial rite of passage in a tropical island culture. Our narrator, a smart, imaginative and free-spirited girl named Helen, is in her father’s fattening hut.  The fattening hut is where all early-teen girls of the tribe go to put on a lot of weight in preparation for their arranged marriages.  Helen prefers her own way to live – exploring the island with her childhood friend, being free to run and play and explore – and she doesn’t believe she’s ready to be marriedRead More →