Title: Dark Forest School (Death by Adventure #1)
Author: Bradley Trevor Greive
Genre: Adventure
Publisher: Scholastic Australia
Published: 1st October 2026
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Price: $17.99
Synopsis: Enter the dark forest at your own risk.
When legendary wildlife adventurer Lord Greive advertises for a junior field trainee, thousands of children apply. After all, who wouldn’t want to risk being torn apart by wild animals just for the chance to work with their hero?
Only six finalists make it to the front doors of creepy Greive Manor in the remote Tasmanian Central Highlands. But before they can attempt the dangerous wilderness challenges the beastly Lord Greive has set for them, they must escape the vicious Tasmanian devil trying to hunt them down inside the manor. Who will make it? And if they do, what are their chances of surviving a week in the terrifying forest . . . ALONE? Where it’s dark, it’s cold and everything bites.
~*~
Lord Greive is a legendary wildlife adventurer, and he’s looking for a new junior field trainee. Thousands of children apply, but only six get the chance to compete at Greive Manor in the Tasmanian Central Highlands. Arlo, Anika, Alexandra, Clementine, Callagun and Joseph are the six main characters who will have to compete in a series of wilderness challenges in the Tasmanian wilderness.
From escaping Tasmanian devils, to caring for found animals and making sure they save those in need, the six kids will have their work cut out for them. Especially as only two can go ahead and become trainees. They just need to avoid being torn apart first. Fun, and easy, right?
Well…nah. It’s a terrifying week, where the six kids are basically competing in an Australian bush version of something akin to the Hunger Games or Survivor, but dialled up just a bit with an Australian flair. It’s premise is interesting, and the kids are intriguing characters. The setting is really what makes it work and come to life, because the Australian bush, wilderness, outback or ocean can become a character on its own, and it felt like in this one, it had a very big presence. It really made things work well, and I think came into its own by halfway, which is when I felt like things really picked up. The first few chapters did a great job of setting things up for the rest of the book, and the series. So I think it makes sense that things take a little while to make sense or come together in the first book.
Astute readers might pick up on the fact that the author’s last name is the same as Lord Greive, who feels like what people imagine they could be. A scarred warrior, an adventurer, someone who has been through so much and is never going to stop going because what is more pain? Another scar, another bruise? For those lamenting the lack of ‘boy books’, this might be what you’re looking for, and it looks like it is going to be a series, or at least a duology or trilogy depending on how long the apprenticeship goes for and what it results in.
It did feel like a self-insert for the author, but in a fun way as the story evolved, and at times, Lord Greive was very much bigger than life which will appeal to younger readers, I think. Sometimes, the things that seem outlandish work well. It’s all in how the author tackles it, regardless of the genre and target audience.
It did take me a while to engage with this one, as I did find the footnotes in a fiction book a bit distracting, but decided to ignore them so I could get the flow of the story better. I think the best way to read it is this way, as constantly checking the footnotes felt disruptive to me as a reader. Sometimes this can work well, especially when done sparingly and in fun ways.
This is a fun middle grade or young adult novel and start toa new series that will appeal to a wide range of readers who want an adventure story centred around the Australian landscape.
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