Creepy

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )

not impressed.

School of the Dead is aptly named, not that our poor hero, Tony Gilbert, realizes that at first. This book is meant for readers aged 8 to 12. I'm 65, so I suspect my alarm bells were ringing earlier than theirs would. Tony's mother's uncle, Charlie, who is over 80, comes to live with his family. Great-Uncle Charlie and Tony grow very close. I would have enjoyed what they shared. He gives Tony a slackline for his 12th birthday. Does that cool present make up for Uncle Charlie's oddness driving away Tony's friends?

Uncle Charlie's death leaves Tony depressed -- until he sees his great-uncle again. The Gilberts move from the East coast to San Francisco that October. Uncle Charlie left some money so Tony could attend the same private school he did: the Penda School. At first the school is full, but then there's a vacancy and Tony is in. He starts on Monday, October 6th. That's the same month that contains Halloween and the school looks like a haunted house from a spooky old movie. Heh heh heh. In fact, Ms. Foxton, the headmistress, warns Tony that the other students will try to make him believe the school is haunted. Tony is a nice boy, so he doesn't tell Ms. Foxton about the boy he saw looking out from one of the school's four towers after she tells him they're off limits.

Tony tries to rationalize seeing Uncle Charlie in San Francisco. It's not a ghost, it's just his memory of Uncle Charlie. (Sure. Right.) Obviously that boy who looks like the portrait of the son of the Mrs. Penda's who founded the school in 1897 is just a modern student and it's a coincidence.

NOTES: (There are no chapters)

Pages 1-50:

a. Look here for a description of the outside of Penda School and an excerpt from the school brochure.

b. We hear about the Penda Boy, Mrs. Penda's son.

c. The school has clubs that meet on Wednesday. Students have to belong to one of them. Tony meets the members of the Weird History Club: Jessica, Mac, and Barney.

d. Tony was told that he got in because a student dropped out. His name was Austin.

Mentions: Anglo-Saxon Magic, Nepal, Tasmania, Chiapas, [Edgar Allan] Poe, [Robert Louis] Stevenson, [H. P./Howard Phillips] Lovecraft, 'Night of the Living Dead' movie, L. L. Bean, The Old Man and the Sea (book), Hartford, Connecticut; and the Salem Witch House

Pages 51-100:

a. Tony asks Jessica what happened to Austin.

b. Mr. Gilbert does not seem to know that Gabriel is an archangel, not merely an angel.

c. Jessica asks the history teacher, Mr. Boker, if he believes in ghosts. Mr. Bokor's reply leads into the origin of Halloween, without mentioning that Samhain (pronounced 'sow-win') was celebrated October 31 to November 1. The Catholic Church made October 31 'All Hallows Eve' and November 1st 'All Saints Day'.

Mentions: Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, the Legion of Honor art museum, Carl Sandburg & his poem about the fog, the Archangel Gabriel, Roman Empire, NFL [National Football League], Augustus Caeser, Thor, Algonquian Indian [Native American], Haiti, Taino Indian [Native American], the Caribbean, Anglo-Saxon, and the Gospel of Luke

Pages 101-150:

a. Tony looks up superstitions about eyes.

b. Tony and Jessica discuss the Penda Boy.

Mentions: the Black Death, the American Revolution, the Pilgrims, Plymouth Rock, and the University of Mexico

Pages 151-200:

a. The history of Penda School that Mr. Bokor gave to Tony contradicts the school brochure.

b. Penda School and the Weird History Club prepare for Halloween

Mention: the Muir Woods

Pages 201-250 Mentions: Marina Boulevard, Marina Green, The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells, Spider-Man, Darth Vader, Noah's ark, Godzilla, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Aristotle

I thought School of the Dead merely okay at first. The book improved the more I read. The last last half is definitely creepy and I loved the climax. I'm glad the librarians at my local library had this book among their display of spooky reads for Halloween. ( )

A fun, fast kid's read, which I enjoy, but ultimately not a lot of "there" there. Nice to have a deftly written page turner once in a while as a palate cleanser, but I wouldn't go out of my way to urge it on others. The emotional stakes were very low, and the uncle/nephew relationship didn't ring true to me (as a very fond uncle myself), and plot points were left hanging, as if forgotten.

(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!) ( )

Fun book. I just whizzed through it. It left me dangling for some time, unsure of who was a good guy and who was a bad one. I found many of the children at the new school very friendly. After reading a lot of YA books that seemed too good to be true. I much prefer the atmosphere of this book to those with harder hearts. Good adventure story for boys. I'm grateful to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for sharing this book with me in exchange for an honest review. ( )