Knightley Academy
by Violet Haberdasher
Mystery
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Henry Grim, 14, was a servant at the exclusive Midsummer School up until recently. When one of the Midsummer professors caught him borrowing textbooks, he decided to tutor him instead of reporting him to school administrators for theft. Henry Grim then became one of the most promising students Midsummer School never had the privilege of teaching! Encouraged by his tutor to take the entrance exams for Knightley Academy, Henry became the first commoner ever to be accepted as a student. His acceptance paves the way for 2 other unique first years – Adam (who is Jewish), and Rohan (who is of East Indian descent) – who become his roommates and best friends. While the boys study chivalry, military history, medicine, fencing, languages and other disciplines related to knighthood, they must put up with their classmates ridicule and scorn. As the pranks played on them become more serious, however, the boys begin to suspect that someone else is behind them – someone who will do anything (even committing murder) to get them out of Knightley. Will Henry be able to survive the year without landing in an early grave? I was up until 1am this morning finishing this – it was really that exciting! Although there’s no magic involved, this boarding school tale reminded me strongly of the Harry Potter series. If you’re like me and you wish there were more Harry Potter books, you’ll definitely want to try Knightley Academy. This is a great suspenseful read!
Reviewed by YA Librarian
