Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick

Book Summary

Turn the lights on. Lock the door. Things are about to get SERIOUSLY SCARY!

The brand new must-read middle-grade novel from the author of super-spooky Crater Lake. Perfect for 9+ fans of R.L.Stine’s Goosebumps

It's basically the worst school detention ever. When classmates (but not mate-mates) Hallie, Angelo, Gustav and Naira are forced to come to school on a SATURDAY, they think things can’t get much worse. But they’re wrong. Things are about to get seriously scary.

What has dragged their teacher underground? Why do the creepy caretakers keeping humming the tune to Itsy Bitsy Spider? And what horrors lurk in the shadows, getting stronger and meaner every minute…? Cut off from help and in danger each time they touch the ground, the gang’s only hope is to work together. But it’s no coincidence that they're all there on detention. Someone has been watching and plotting and is out for revenge…

Four very different kids get detention. They seemingly have nothing in common, in fact for some of them it is extremely out of character! At first it seems like it's going to be the usual tedious detention, all four kids just keeping themselves to themselves. Then their teacher disappears and its like they have found themselves in a horror movie. And then it gets REALLY creepy! 

Imagine Dread Wood being the name of your school, that alone is enough to let you know this is going to be CREEPY. This is the kind of book you want to read huddled up on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket and clutching your teddy bear for protection. 

I loved all four of the main characters, despite them definitely NOT being friends at the start, they all had great qualities and I could see them growing to care about each other and the way they learn to work together is impressive. Then there's the Latchitts, perfect horror movie villains. It was completely gripping, I constantly had to stop myself from jumping ahead to find out what would happen next. I enjoyed reading this so much, scary, funny and intriguing all at once. I've heard rumours of a sequel and I am crossing my fingers that they are true.

Dread Wood was published a couple of days ago so if you haven't got your copy yet, what are you waiting for???

Of course the cocktail to go with this book has to involve spiders, but don't worry, no spiders have been harmed in the making of this review! To make a Gin Spider, start by filling a tall glass with ice. Pour in 45ml gin, a dash of Angostura bitters and top up with ginger ale. Simple but tasty. Maybe throwing a few of these at the spiders might keep them at bay!