For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a nice day.

I had some interesting and memorable teachers.  Two high school English teachers come to mind.  I had a sweet little old man that kind of looked like a Bassett Hound (old to me then, he was probably in his late 40's). He used to exaggerate the way words were said, saying at least every syllable, if not more.  Vegetable wasn't vegetable it was "veg-e-ta-ble".  Hey, it kept our attention.  Another English literature teacher was also the drama coach, he was a natural for both and there was no distinction between the two.  I remember reading The Old Man and the Sea, going around the classroom each person reading one sentence.  Then, he had little pieces of wisdom he wanted to impart.  I still remember him telling us that the words "certainly" and "surely" were interchangeable.  He would chant "When I say certainly, you say ..." waiting for us to say "surely".  When the classroom would respond he would jump up and give a kind of high pitched roar.  His feet would literally leave the ground.  Silly as it sounds today, he must have done something right because I still remember what he taught, and him.

I recently read For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing.  This is the story of a fancy private school and the people that teach and learn there.  We follow several people but mostly Teddy, who was recently named Teacher of the Year.  He is very concerned about making his students the best they can be, even those that really rub him the wrong way.  Given that this is a wealthy school, he feels that several of the students have an elitist attitude that they would be better served without.  But what happens when teachers start getting sick, then dropping dead?  

This book is fairly long at over 370 pages and worth every sentence.  As things start going bonkers at this ritzy school you kind of want to give a bit of an evil laugh, it's like stepping back in time and binge watching a wacked version of Knots Landing (a prime time tv show kind of soap opera from 1979-1993).  While you won't find Joan Van Ark here, you will find plenty of twists and turns.  The author tells us pretty early on who is responsible but that just adds to the fun as we get to see that persons planning as well as the ominous results.  This fun and frantic read features short chapters with many ending in questions or cliff hangers.  A perfect summer read.  My favorite of Samantha Downing's so far.

Beware, this may have you digging out your yearbook and giving your teachers a second look.