Southland Academy for Supernatural Youth by Sandra Tentler and Brooke Tentler – Review by Francis O’Sullivan

Southland Academy for Supernatural Youth by Sandra Tentler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Southland Academy for Supernatural Youth is an exciting children’s book by Sandra and Brooke Tentler. It’s aimed at confident KS2 readers but would also be enjoyed by KS3 readers (and beyond!).
The story switches between the perspectives of different students at Southland Academy. They’re all different types of supernatural being – a werewolf, vampire and a witch amongst others – and none of them are particularly good at what they’re supposed to do. The werewolf keeps getting stuck with the most awkward parts of both human and wolf. The vampire faints at the sight of blood. Their families hope that sending them to the academy will help them learn to control their abilities (and in the meantime, the proximity to an infirmary is a plus…).
My favourite character is Sheba, a witch’s familiar who can disappear and reappear at will. She has the frustrating task of trying to help a shy witch achieve her potential without interfering tooo much.
For me, this is a five star book. I would have loved it as a child and really enjoyed it now. It’s a great story of unlikely friendships, with a mystery to solve along the way. It would appeal to fans of the Children of the Red King series and other children’s fantasy.

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