School of Fear 3: The Final Exam
In the third and apparently final installment in the School of Fear series, a forthcoming tabloid exposé threatens to shut down Mrs. Wellington’s fear-busting academy. Naturally, the five students from the previous books unite to combat the reporter stalking the school and to settle the feud between Mrs. Wellington and her stepson. The plot has the same breezily haphazard quality of the previous outings, and the dialogue is packed with choice insults delivered by both students and staff, but the book also introduces a worthy new character: Basmati, the headmaster of the Contrary Conservatory, whose contradictory approach helps to restore harmony. Gifford’s illustrations add the usual nice and creepy touch. Grades 4-7. --Abby Nolan