Wow, this was an incredible story. Carefully written and planned out. I loved the mystery element wound up in the magic this created. Original characters and a magical read. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I adored everything about Susie Bower’s enchanting debut! Bursting with magic and mystery, The School of Nobodies has all the makings of a classic - a fearless heroine in search of her past, a peculiar school and its class of ‘nobodies’, a mysterious and magical circus that harbours some buried family secrets, and an evil, fire-breathing villain seeking a sinister revenge.

Beautifully written and richly atmospheric, Bower’s story of family, friendship and courage gracefully twirls and twists between the pages, captivating your imagination and attention completely.

But under the spectacular circus Big Top and all its breathtaking descriptions, Bower exerts a heartfelt and sensitive account of adoption, and celebrates the value of individuality and belonging, even if it’s in the unlikeliest of places.

Five glorious and worthy stars from me!

Claudia is the adopted child of Sonia and Claude—whom she doesn't like very much. She loves circuses and craves to watch a show but her parents would never let her. One day she finds that her actual name is Flynn. She probes her parents for more info about her biological parents and understands that they died in a fire and that's how she got her scar on her face. That's when magic comes to help her and it promises to guide her to her twin—who did not die in the fire. Flynn is thrilled beyond words. When she is sent to a boarding school by her adoptive parents—thanks to her being super naughty—she realizes to her misery that she is sent to the school of nobodies, not exactly the school her twin goes to. She wants to find a way to communicate with her twin in the next door school—the nice school with junk food and swimming pools. Will she find her family?

What I loved:
The way it is told! It reads exactly like how a middle grade book should read. I enjoyed the pacing, Flynn's anxiety, her dream to be reunited with her twin, her confusion about magic mirrors and talking birds and also her dilemma on whom to trust and what is the truth. Even though this is a school for nobodies, it doesn't hit off as the 'perfect, we are all friends' kind of place. I loved that. The other children in the school are referred to by the name Flynn gives them-Custard, Rule Boy, Saddo and Feral and there's Miss. Cruet and Mr. Gold too. Flynn loves Mr. Gold's stories but soon has her doubts on how much of his stories are fabricated and what is the truth.

What I would've liked to be better:
Flynn is sad (understandable) about the huge burn scar on her face. She feels it is ugly and that she is ugly. While these sentiments are understandable, esp in a child, I wish there was a more pronounced statement at the end of the book that such marks do not matter. It would have made a powerful message.

Lovely read and would recommend it for your little ones.

3 acrobatic stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving this book 3 stars because whilst it was fun and entertaining, it just didn't wow me enough. The story is interesting but very predictable and the characters are fun and lovable but not necessarily explored in depth.

School for nobodies follows Flynn as she tries to uncover her past and the mystery surrounding her real family. She loves the circus and she would love to find out who her real parents were and what happened to them. After purposefully misbehaving, Flynn ends up sent to a boarding school where she believes her twin sister lives. Upon arrival, Flynn realises she was in fact sent to the School for Nobodies instead of being sent to the wonderfully rich boarding school her twin sister is meant to be at.

With the help of her three friends at the School for Nobodies and her teacher Mr Gold, Flynn works toward putting up a circus show at the school and also toward finding the truth about her past.

This is fast paced story, really easy read and highly entertaining.

Flynn is living under the name Claudia with two adoptive parents who clearly don’t want her and find her desire to experience the circus as ‘common’. When Flynn starts receiving mysterious messages, however, she discovers her real name and that she has a twin in Middlethwaite, prompting her to get herself sent to one of the two adjoining boarding schools that are located there.

On arrival, Flynn is sent to the ‘wrong’ boarding school, where they must follow three rules. They must give up their name until they earn it, no contact with the school next door and only one personal possession is allowed. The only problem is Flynn is convinced her twin is in the school next door and is determined to reach her. Together, she just knows they can be the circus stars they are destined to be.

I really loved the characterisation in the novel and felt Flynn was believable, often struggling to make the right decision. While there wasn’t that much to Miss Cruet and Flynn’s adoptive parents and they were pretty two-dimensional, they didn’t need to be anything more than what they were. Me Gold, a kindly teacher within the school , adds mystery to the plot as his background is gradually teased out and Feral is just the cutest little guy – I could see him so clearly in my mind! If you have ever seen Disney’s The Good Dinosaur, I imagined him to be a lot like Spot, the little cave boy.

There were some lovely lessons about friendship and how important it is to feel like you fit in. I love that Susie has created Flynn with a facial burn that she finds repulsive in the beginning of the novel and how, despite this, she finds her own way to shine and feel special. So many children need to hear that it’s cool to be different and you can find your own path regardless of your background.

School for Nobodies is a fantastic, circus themed journey about finding yourself and friendship in the unlikeliest of places and I absolutely adored it! Well done Susie on a wonderful debut novel!

School for Nobodies
by Susie Bower
Publisher: Pushkin Children's

Imagine not knowing your name or who you are until you're 10 years old? Sounds crazy, doesn't it?
'Claudia' was stuck living with Claude & Sonia & knew she didn't fit in their posh world. She had an eye-roll moment every time she heard things like *Pootlekins* & called them 'vomity names'!
Creating her own joy in a secret patch of garden & a tree as a best friend was all she had but Claudia made some shocking discoveries & her life would change forever.

A single red balloon with a message opened up a world of mystery even Claudia's vivid imagination struggled to embrace.
Where would Claudia end up after her three well-planned acts of mischief? Could she follow 3 rules?
Crazy meals of chunky chips dipped in porridge. Her new real-life or a bad dream?

In a decrepit school controlled by Miss Cruet (who 'had the sort of face you didn't argue with') & misfit school mates known by nicknames Antsy, Saddo, Feral, Custard & Rule Boy, this could never be an ordinary tale. Claudia had to try so hard to keep sight of her ultimate goal but what she found was truly magical. For one moment in the mirror, she saw herself as 'a beautiful stranger' & though she knew she couldn't hide under greasepaint forever, Claudia's future would be very different.

Susie Bower puts together such astonishingly intriguing characters & explores the magical wonder of being different in the world. We see how even the most unlikely people can navigate near-impossible situations with unexpected outcomes. The writing style keeps me eager for the next surprise or mystery every page & chapter. I didn't want this book to end!

Bravo, Pushkin!

Claudia is obsessed with the circus but her strict, adopted parents would never let her go somewhere so common! While they outwardly giver her everything a child could want, all she really wants is a loving family and affection.
I read this book in a day. I was caught up in Claudia's yearning to find out the truth about herself, her real name, and her family. It had such a lovely ending.

This is a totally magical story about being different and trying to find a way to fit in. Flynn has lived with adoptive parents for most of her life, but they have never told her about her real parents, or how she came to have a burn across most of her face. Then they decide that they can't manage her anymore and send her off to a very strange boarding school; it only has two staff and three other pupils and their are some very strange things going on. But when Flynn received a strange message saying that she has a twin nearby, she is determined to find her twin and discover the secret of her youth. This is an exciting, magical and mysterious story about family and creating friendship.

I was gripped from the very beginning and couldn’t put the book down! Flynn is such a relatable character who finds herself in very unfortunate circumstances. This book is full of twists and turns which will keep you guessing how all the pieces fit together until the very end, even as an adult. An excellent addition to any upper primary bookshelf.

It was such an entertaining children's book. I had a great time with it. Writing is fun and amazing.
I'd highly recommend it.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

School for Nobodies is an unusual adventure story, about a girl who doesn’t even know her real name, and how she finds it, and true family. It was a little too odd for my taste, but nonetheless it is well written, and enjoyable. The characters all have their own motivations, and I thought that the interactions of the children, in particular, seemed realistic.

I wouldn’t recommend this book for younger children, as there’s talk of people dying in fires, which may be a little too frightening. However, for older children, it would be an exciting adventure, with magic and a happy ending.

I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

A child whose origins are a mystery, a mysterious boarding school, long lost families, a menacing shadowy bad guy and a nicely happy ending - School for Nobodies has all the elements of a classic children's book. The characters are great - well drawn and recognizable. We all know kids like these - the kid who cant sit still, the kid who is afraid of everything, the over achiever. In many ways the story follows the same formula we see in many stories but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There is comfort in the familiar. We know how the story is going to turn out so we can concentrate on and enjoy the twists and turns along the way.
School for Nobodies takes a little time to get going but after that it flies along. I think independent readers of about 9 - 11 would really enjoy it. It would be a great read aloud book too.The bag guy is quite menacing and the imagery use to portray him is quite dark. The circus device is a bit different and the idea of a feral boy is a nice touch. I was fascinated by the idea of feral children when I was a kid.
Its a great story and I look forward to seeing it in hard copy in my local bookshop!
Thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the chance to read it in advance of publication

Energetic and active, adopted Claudia has never really felt she belonged with henpecked Claude and finicky Sonia, a feeling that is exacerbated by their refusal to discuss any of the circumstances of her past, especially when a cryptic message on her birthday reveals that her real name is hidden under her hair. As Claude accidentally lets slip that she had a twin, and a subsequent message suggests that her twin is alive in a village nearby, her sense of injustice bubbles over into bad behaviour and she is sent away to school.
Told from her point of view, the reader shares all of Claudia’s frustrations, misconceptions and exasperation, and unravels the mystery of her birth family along with her. This is no straightforward detective story however, as magic is involved, along with a cast of eccentric characters, each with their own unhappy experiences, and no-one is quite as they initially appear.
There is much warmth at the heart of this novel, as the characters reveal their true selves, develop friendships and learn the meaning of what it is to be a family, whilst a sense of menace that emerges as the mystery of the twins deepens. This is an enjoyable page-turning mystery that celebrates individuality and the value of friendship and trust.

My 9 year old daughter really enjoyed reading this book, she couldn’t put it down. She liked the characters and the settings of the story. She predicted the ending when she was about two thirds of the way through the book and couldn’t wait to see if she was correct. She would like this to be a series of books with the same characters.

What first drew me to the book was the synopsis - a girl who didn't know her own name till she was 10, mysterious notes about a twin Claudia never knew about and a boarding school for nobodies. I immediately expected some form of mischief as she tries to find out who she is as she cannot get anything out of her adoptive parents. I will admit it took me a while to get into the book as the build up was a little bit slow however i flew through the second half. I thought i knew where the story was heading and after a certain chapter i thought i had it figured out but i did not expect what happened in the last quarter of the book. Overall I enjoyed the story and the characters attitudes reflected the children you get in an average day to day school. in the future i will definitely be reading more by the author.

Claudia has been adopted by Claude and Sonia, rich parents with little love to share. Feeling more charity case than daughter, Claudia keeps to herself more and more. She has a burn mark on her face and this seems to keep friends away at school, and remarks to Sonia and Claude about their generosity in taking her on.
On the day of her birthday, Claudia is unsurprised to find she has nothing significant to open and enjoy. During her allowed time outside, Claudia cartwheels and somersaults down the garden to her tree. A tall ancient tree, Claudia spends time here pretending she is somewhere else. Up in the highest branches, Claudia spots a red balloon. Feeling sure it is meant for her, she climbs to get it- finding a little blue-grey dove there to help her.
"Look in the mirror, if you dare. Your name is hidden under your hair" this message appears on a little scroll in the balloon. Due to the burn on her face, Claudia never looks in the mirror but this propels her to have a closer look.
What she sees is completely shocking- a small tattoo with a name and date. Her name is not Claudia after all- but Flynn.
Promising not to give any spoilers, a few other key messages find Claudia at times over the course of a few weeks catapulting her into a family mystery- that which Sonia and Claude will not speak of. There is only one thing for Claudia to do- get herself sent away to boarding school. Believing she will find answers there she happily causes enough trouble to get sent away.
Claudia soon realises she has been sent to the wrong school- her answers lie in the posh school with a pool, cinema and friends- not the School for Nobodies where she has ended up. There are several rules in this place- no names, no contact with the school next door and one possession only.
With three other resident children, Claudia or Antsy as she becomes known, finds it a struggle knowing she is no closer to solving her family mystery. They argue, fall out and get sent to the Room of Reflection. Here Claudia gets contacted by a crow and a mirror- showing her just enough to keep her coming back for more information about her family. The rescue and arrival of a feral boy found in the woods adds an extra element of depth to the story and as the reader, we could see why but Claudia was blinded by her own mission.
Living in the house with the children and owner is Felix Gold- a former circus clown and very nice man. He starts coaching Claudia in circus skills and telling his own sad tale. When the school decide to put on a Halloween circus show, the children start working together and getting along.
Halloween is a notorious night for dark magic and the crow and mirror are at the centre of a dark plan involving Claudia, the feral boy and Felix Gold- someone is after revenge!
I cannot do justice to the incredible plot line of this book, the fascinating characters or the journey they must all travel while living at The School for Nobodies.
I was completely engrossed and found myself talking to Claudia and urging her to take a closer look at those around her, not to be blinded by promises and to make the connections before danger found her.
This is one not to be missed!