Dread Wood: New for 2022, a funny, scary, sci-fi thriller from the author of Crater Lake. Perfect for kids aged 9-12 and fans of Goosebumps!: Book 1

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Trigger warnings: death, animal death, violence, gore, blood, falling down holes, SPIDERS (very big TW! The four of them soon discover that horrors are lurking within the school, getting stronger by the minute. I didn’t expect a lot of the plots and the revelations were well done and definitely surprised me as I would have never expected the direction it went. We work closely with publishers and authors to ensure that we offer the best books on the market for your child.

Not only did the group of children in this story get detention, but they got a Saturday morning detention, which turns out to be a day from hell. Four children turn up for a Saturday morning detention after an incident in the dining hall that week. One of the best thriller horror kids books I’ve read - I loved the characters in this, particularly the main character. I loved that it felt like slightly older children but accessible for readers aged 9-12 (who don’t mind a scare! There's the main character, Angelo comes from a working-class family and is strong-willed and headstrong, naturally taking leadership where he can, but he doesn't necessarily excel in school.

Middle Grade Horror is a sub-genre that I’ve been meaning to read more of for a while so, when I found out about Dread Wood I was instantly both intrigued and drawn into it. For me, Jennifer Killick is the best there is at writing genuinely tense and scary horror, but with the knowledge that things are never going to go too far (though there were some points in this book where I was crossing my fingers and hoping the thing I was worried might happen, wouldn't actually happen!

The glass children for example, another horror book for children, manages to have interesting characters and keeps me, as an older teen, on the edge of my seat. Their teacher Mr Canton doesn't seem angry that his Saturday is taken up with hosting their detention.

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Despite this being a horror, there were several comedic moments throughout that brought a lighthearted feel to a terrifying situation. Somehow, I misread the blurb of this story completely and went in expecting a ghost story, not a sci-fi featuring REALLY BIG SPIDERS. All of her characters embody the idea that you shouldn't judge someone at face value because you might never know the struggles they are going through privately.

The setting is nice and claustrophobic, as all good horror settings have to be, if the characters can just walk away it ruins the plot somewhat. I didn’t have a preference when I started reading this book, but now I definitely love them as a whole and through their moniker “Club Loser”.