When your school's motto is "Life is dangerous," you know that anything can happen--and everything does! This raucous tale of education gone awry is rife with "disgracefully dangerous high-octane fun," according to the
The Guardian, which awarded
Ribblestrop the Children's Fiction Prize. There's no school that's quite like Ribblestrop, complete with roofless dormitories, distracted teachers, and a perilous underground labyrinth. And then there are the students! You'll meet Sanchez, a Colombian gangster's son hiding from kidnappers; Millie, an excluded arsonist and self-confessed wild child; Caspar, the landlady's spoiled grandson; the helpful but hapless Sam and his best friend Ruskin, plus a handful of orphans from overseas who are just happy to have beds--even if they are located in a roofless part of the building. With the "crazy-school appeal of Hogwarts and the grim humor of Lemony Snicket" (
The Independent), Ribblestrop is sure to delight the most mischievous among us.