Hazeldene, a school with a secret set deep in the heart of rural England.
Dominic Atwell, a boy who finds it difficult to fit into school life.
But when he is expelled from yet another school, his parents take steps to send Dominic to a special school. A school designed to take only the most special and unique children. A school, that doesn’t ask questions. A school, which will take anybody for a price: A school that offers the highest in education…a school for Apes.
What is the secret behind the doors of Hazeldene, a school where nothing is what it seems…and for Dominic nothing will be the same again.
School For Apes is a novel I was desperate to read ever since discovering it and caught my attention right away thanks to its description which alludes to a mysterious school which intrigued me. Now and then a reader will come across that one book that blows them away, it is a somewhat generic term, but that is what School For Apes did to me even though it is a book for children mostly. That is why I am already going to recommend School For Apes to you lovely readers, and yes, it may be early on in my review, but School For Apes is a novel not to be missed!
School For Apes for me was thrilling, captivating and addictive right from the start and I felt this from beginning to end. School For Apes was captivating to me from the start thanks to the unique premise of the story and the bewitching literature courtesy of the author, Andrew McDonald who from the start hooked me with his unique story that was unlike anything I have read before.
School For Apes is a breathtaking novel that will introduce the reader to the star of the book, Dominic Atwell, a young boy who struggles to fit in at school. Dominic has been expelled from ‘yet another school,’ and so he is sent to a special school known as Hazeldene, a mysterious school harboring a secret in the ‘heart of rural England.’ It is here that the secrets in its walls will change Dominic’s life forever and this book lovers is the premise of the sensational School For Apes!
The premise of School For Apes is exceptional, original and unlike anything I have read before. I loved the many themes and elements explored throughout the book, and all themes are explored by McDonald wonderfully, and he does this by lacing these interesting themes throughout the text flawlessly and weaving them with the story. The result of this makes School For Apes a highly addictive and fascinating read that is never once lackluster or predictable.
Andrew McDonald is a phenomenal writer who knows how to grasp his reader’s attention from the first page. McDonald instead of writing long, drawn-out builds up which are commonly found in novels, decides to ditch this approach and thrust his reader into the heart of the story straight away so that the reader is instantly captivated and immersed. I personally love this approach, what is the point of having a long build-up with little excitement? This is only necessary if the author in question can’t develop the characters in the story quickly, but with School For Apes, the reader will not encounter this issue because McDonald instantly develops his characters and makes the reader invest in not only them but also their journey.
Andrew McDonald is not only a brilliant writer for his ability to captivate the reader’s attention straight away, but he is also an excellent author for his ability to lace exceptional twists and turns throughout his story that genuinely had me shocked at points! The combination of McDonald’s shocking twists and his explanatory powers will immerse the reader in the story and make them be able to visualize every detail, no matter how small. This writing approach is one of my favorites because it makes the reader feel included in the story and make the reader feel as if they are in the same situation as the protagonists of the novel.
Overall School For Apes is a thrilling, compelling and thought-provoking novel that will easily entertain readers for many days and nights and so I, of course, have to award this stellar gem of a book five stars! If you are a reader who loves intriguing stories then I implore you to read School For Apes; it is a fast-paced, action adventure that should not be missed so have a read of the preview below and get reading!
Thank you so much for reading book lovers! I appreciate it so much, I love discussing wonderful books with all of you so please comment below and let me know your thoughts on School For Apes. Do you see yourself reading this book? Do you love the genre? Please let me know your brilliant thoughts below and I will be sure to comment back. Thank you so much again for reading!
Goodbye for now book lovers,
P.S. Here is a preview of the book for all of you lovely readers to enjoy! Please have a read of the preview and if you find that you have loved what you have read then all you need to do is follow the links below!
Below I have attached some links about the author and this wonderful book so if you would like to learn more about the author and the book then please have a browse. Thank you so much again for reading book lovers, I can’t wait to read your thoughts on this book!
Amazon U.S. – Amazon U.K. – Goodreads
Andrew McDonald: YouTube – Publisher
Thank you so much again for reading!
Thank you for this lovely review and I am glad you enjoyed my story. I loved writing this book and it does mirror some of the incidents that happened to me when I was a child, not all of them I should add and I certainly wasn’t sent to a school anything like Hazeldene, although some of the other children there…well who knows. I hope your readers enjoy the review and are inspired to buy the book and read the plight of Dominic!