Description: "What happens when the classroom and the fantastic meet? When lessons cover spells and potions alongside science and language arts? Through fantastic school stories--works of fiction involving the intersection of fantasy and school--the familiar cycle of lessons, homework, exams, and graduation becomes new again, inviting us to consider what schools are teaching, who can be a student, and how knowledge is developed. Introducing a new, holistic framework for analyzing texts in the fantastic school story subgenre, this book examines texts including the Harry Potter series, Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy, Terry Pratchett's Discworld, and Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle, along with works by Jane Yolen, Nnedi Okorafor and Tracy Deonn. This holistic framework combines the methods of fantasy literature scholarship, the focus of school story analyses, and an awareness of hidden lessons taught alongside official subjects, allowing for nuanced examinations of topics such as standardized testing, apprenticeships, and access to education"--
Brief description: Megan H. Suttie completed her PhD at McMaster University in 2021, concluding over a decade of research in fantasy literature, education systems, and pedagogy. She co-owns The Bard and Bear Games Cafe in Hamilton, Ontario.
Review Quotes: "The exploration of the hidden curricula in the fantastic tales explored makes for an original combination of educational and literary analysis...particularly subtle and persuasive."--Elisabeth Gruner, professor of English and president of the Children's Literature Assocation (2021-2022)