I have read a fair amount in this genre, and I expected something fluffy and fun. What I got instead was a deeper, more satisfying story.

There's definitely the sort of fun that young readers can relate to (the banter between brother and sister is pretty believable, and had me laughing a lot; the Harry Potter references brought a smile).
But there is also a somewhat deeper level of story as some siblings learn to like each other, and to be courageous, and as they come of age.

The ending has a nice payoff, and the language puzzle is a unique and clever feature. Very well done.

Creepy, but yet interesting! This is a middle grade book about aliens and boy did this author make this creepy! The text was so descriptive on the characteristics that it made my skin crawl! As a 29 year old, this book gave me the hibbie jibbies! Perfect book for young readers with interests of the universe beyond!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Very scifi for my taste but interesting anyways, ended differently than i thought but still pretty good i guess lol

The book was very entertaining and the story was fun to follow. I really wanted to know the next steps in their journey and the relationships were so strong in the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this audiobook. I liked this one. It was a solid fantasy with good writing. I think it would be a good novel for children who say they don't like reading. It has action and aliens.

What would you do if you went to school one day for the whole building and everyone in it to get magically zapped to an alien world? What if were your children who had disappeared? How would you react to the aliens that are now on Earth instead of the children?
This charming story covers how the children grow into independence along with how the parents strive to get their children back goes through a number of adventures on the way bringing the siblings closer as well as developing their friendships with the aliens. Well written and narrated this story kept me wanting to return to my listening time each day and wondering throughout the day what was going to happen to the characters. While it is at once a fantastical idea that a whole school could be magicked to another world it is written in a completely believable way that will have Middle graders and you'd adults enthralled in the adventures and exploration of the characters. I was really glad to have listened to the story as the language that is spoken and eventually picked up by the missing children sounds like it would be challenging to pronounce from reading, as such, I really hope there is a pronunciation guide in the printed / ebook version to support the less secure readers.

What a book! It just ended and left me to travel ahead in time to read Book 2. I love how the author crafted an entire world that collided with Earth. I could feel the pain of the students as they struggled to survive. It was a fun and intense journey of survival and success.

I enjoyed listening to this book. I found the story likable and the narrator enjoyable. There were a few slow parts but overall it is a good book..

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review.

School, written and narrated by Nathaniel Hardman is a middle grade sci-fi book about a school that gets transported to another planet. A plant with three headed dogs and other unique lifeforms.
The two main characters are 7th grader Jeff and his 8th grader sister Suzy. The story starts with them locating a 3 headed dog in their home, on Earth. While they do agree this is an oddity, Jeff is determined he can win the dog over and make friends. Yeah, a bit far fetched. I guess this is a middle grade book, but I would not recommend it for someone who is older middle grade or maybe a bit mature for middle grade. I just could not stay interested even by listening to the audiobook. Mr. Hardman did a really good job at narrating, but the book was just not for me. I like sci-fi, but these really lacked anything that grabbed me. I am giving this a 2.5 rounded to 3.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good sci-fi for middle school level readers. Hardman did a good job building the world and magic system. I do think it was a bit longer than it needed to be, but overall a good book.

The story itself was fine and I thought the message of understanding others who have a different background than you was an important one, especially for the middle school audience the book was geared towards.. The main characters were likable and relatable, particularly Jeff, again for the audience the book was geared towards. The plot of the story was fun and the references to the Harry Potter series were appropriate, an enhancement to the story line, and not so overwhelming that it would be off putting to those who had not previously read the Potter series. .

I did think there were parts where the book got a little bogged down and I wanted the pace sped up. However, in all honesty, that may not have been the story itself, and had I read the book instead of listening to it, may have not felt that way. Unfortunately, because this was an audiobook, narration matters. It can matter a great deal, in part because in an audiobook the reader’s tone, pace, and emotional interpretation can become more important to the audience’s reaction to the story than the words that were written. The dialogue wasn’t so bad but the narrative portion was painfully devoid of inflection/emotion. The author, it turns out, was the reader of this audiobook, which is always a mixed bag and in this case I don’t think it worked. As much as I hate saying it, I felt like parts of the narration droned. I tried increasing the audio speed through my devise, which did help some but then that created a problem when it came to the dialogue. Truthfully, it bothered me enough that I thought about just stopping the book several times and not finishing it. That would have been a shame because I think the story itself was worth finishing.

The bottom line is I would consider the actual book version for my classroom library but I definitely would not the audiobook.

I appreciate Nathanial Hardman, IBPA and Netgalley allowing me the opportunity to listen to the audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

A fun and solid middle-grade fantasy!

School is a middle-grade fantasy by Nathaniel Hardman. This story follows the siblings' Jeff and Suzie. Jeff is a seventh-grader who is struggling to be accepted by his classmates. Suzie is an eighth-grader, that is trying to become the first female student body school president. However, everything changes when their school is transported to an alien planet, and Jeff and Suzie find themself in a fight to save their school and the Earth.

Although I am not the targetted audience for this book, School is an enjoyable middle-grade fantasy. Jeff and Suzie are fun characters with strong personalities, and I enjoyed getting to know them. Furthermore, Hardman does a great job at making the reader engaged by repeatedly adding new and funny elements to the story. The best aspect of this story is the engagement between Jeff and the aliens. By showing respect and trying to understand the alien’s culture, Jeff is able to build a relationship with these alien creatures. Hardman emphasises the importance of understanding other cultures and how love and respect can build up friendships.

My only criticism is the pacing. Some of the middle parts are a bit too long for a middle-grade fantasy. By making this book 10% shorter, the story would have better pacing and keep the reader engaged throughout the story.

In conclusion, School by Hardman is a solid middle-grade fantasy with great characters and a fun plot. I can recommend this book to anyone in middle-grade.

4 / 5 stars.

My thoughts on the audiobook: Nathaniel Hardman narrates this story, and he does a great job. The characters felt distinct, and Hardman has a pleasant voice.

Thanks to Nathanial Hardman, IBPA and Netgalley for the audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the audiobook and the story. It is different from other science fiction book I've read so it was very great to discover the author.

My favorite was Suzy, I loved her and I also loved the Harry Potter references.

I'm really looking forward to read more books by Nathaniel Hardman.