Gloam

Since the death of their mother, Gwen and her younger brother and twin sisters have been left with their step-father, Henry. Instead of thinking about how things have changed, she focuses on looking after her family until they move to The House, the former home of their late grandmother. When Henry announces that he has a job interview, he asks local baby sitter, Esme, to watch the children, much to Gwen’s annoyance. Although everyone else seems to like her, Gwen finds the babysitter slightly sinister and takes an immediate dislike to her.

As creepy things start to happen, Gwen quickly realises that she will have to take action. As Esme’s power grows, Gwen is forced to face her nightmares to save her family.

I made the great mistake of reading this at night, in a strange room whilst away from home! The spooky setting, evil villain and the building sense of malevolence all combine to make this a chilling and compelling read for those who like a good scare!

Having shouldered much of the responsibility for looking after her younger siblings, Gwen is outraged when Henry suggests that he will be finding help to look after them. Capable and responsible, she is the only one who doesn’t initially take to Esme Laverne, the pretty, practically perfect help babysitter, who appears in their home. With her concerns dismissed by everyone else, Gwen is determined to unmask the evil of this woman who has wheedled her way into their home and the affections of her family, finding the inner strength and resourcefulness needed to show everyone she (Esme) is really a monster.

Devious and calculating, Esme makes a chilling opponent! Proving that beauty on the outside does not equate to beauty on the inside, her actions are calculated to divide and conquer the family, seeking to isolate and punish any defiance. Just the sort of villain readers will love to hate!

Perfect for children who love a scary read!

Gloam

Jack Mackay

Rock the Boat ISBN: 978-0861549528

Published 14th August 2025

The Hive

Having picked this one up at FCBG Conference, I couldn’t wait to read it!

Feldspar awaits execution. As shield to an ascendant, a member of the Hive’s royal family, she should have died when her charge, Euphemie, was murdered, but she survived. Expecting no clemency, Feldspar is surprised when a member of the royal family, Niko, comes to her defence and starts investigating. They have three days to prove Feldspar’s innocence, three days to catch a killer- and in doing so, destroy everything she has been raised to believe.

‘The Hive’ is an excellent murder mystery, set in a dystopian society which bases its structure on that of a bee hive. At the top are the queens, the Apex or council made of of members of the royal family, and their children, ascendants, known by the position of their birth. Each ascendant has a shield, with whom they are bonded at birth. Shields are conditioned to protect their ascendant above all else- the death of an ascendant results in the death of their shield. So when Euphemie dies, Feldspar should have died as well. Her survival is seen as treason. This chilling society is well imagined and developed.

Feldspar is a compelling and complex character. Initially racked with guilt and grief over her survival and Euphemie’s death, her feelings gradually change as she learns more about her world and begins to question everything she has been brought up to believe. It is easy to empathise with her turbulent emotions, making her a very sympathetic character, challenging readers to reflect on her situation and the importance of individuals being allowed to choose for themselves, rather than live in restricted dictatorships.

The murder mystery is extremely well handled and as the days pass, the reader is kept guessing to the very end, with various false starts and red herrings along the way. My only quibble with this story is the ending. For me, everything ended very quickly so I hope that there will be another story set in this world, showing what happens to Feldspar and Niko next.

A gripping and pacy read!

The Hive

Anna February

Chicken House ISBN: 9781915947277

Under a Fire-Red Sky

Stuck on a train full of younger children being evacuated, there are four who do not want to go. Gradually, each comes to realise that they could simply get up and leave the carriage- and so they do. First to go is the Gremlin, followed by Lawrence, Olive and Franklin. Linked by this experience, they form an unlikely friendship as they face the Blitz in Greenwich.

Trying to summarise a book by Geraldine McCaughrean is almost impossible! Drawing on her firefighter father’s experiences of the London Blitz, ‘Under a Fire-Red Sky’ is a story driven by the experiences of these four unlikely friends as they cope with family life and changing relationships against the backdrop of the horrific events of the war. All their hopes and dreams are ruined as the world they knew drastically changed.

The Gremlin is a runaway, trying to escape her abusive father, ending up living in an abandoned van with her dog, Mutt. Despite being too young, Franklin is desperate to join the fire service. Described by his teacher as ‘rather intense’, Lawrence is determined to finish his secret ‘project’ and Olive, dutiful, well-behaved daughter, really doesn’t want to leave home. Although Olive and Lawrence vaguely know one another from school, the four teenagers are strangers to one another, yet are now bound together by their decision to leave the train.

Meticulously research and thus rich in historical detail, ‘Under a Fire-Red Sky’ is a compelling and absorbing read, conveying a strong sense of what life must have been like in London during the Blitz, with beautifully written, powerful descriptions throughout. Both content and style make this one for older readers as the lives and experiences of the four main characters and various events in the book are hard hitting, presented without sentimentality, yet made all the more poignant by this.

Geraldine McCaughrean is a master storyteller. This is one not to be missed.

Under a Fire-Red Sky

Geraldine McCaughrean

Usborne ISBN: 978-1836040774

The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet

Mizzy dreams of being a detective - ‘think Sherlock Holmes crossed with Rachel Bailey’- and is determined to let nothing stand in her way, not her Down syndrome nor her very protective family. Whilst staying with her cousins, Mizzy longs for a mystery to solve and finds one in the shape of her great aunt Jane’s missing diaries which seem to indicate that lady died in suspicious circumstances. Mizzy is on the case…

I love a good mystery and ‘A Skeleton in the Closet’ fits the bill perfectly!

Mizzy is a fabulous character. Resilient and determined, she knows she has good instincts for detective work and is positive that she can succeed. The first person viewpoint allows readers an insight into her inner worries: her fears about swimming and escalators; her frustrations- her clumsiness, her family treating her ‘like a baby’; and her memories of people like Judy Mitcham at school who laugh at her for being different, encouraging empathy and understanding of this lively, loveable girl. Every time her investigations lead her to a dead end, she picks herself up and starts over, claiming to her family that she is doing a school project on her family. Resourceful and tenacious, Mizzy keeps going, even in the face of opposition. A great role model for all aspiring detectives!

Any Agatha Christie lover will quickly spot the similarities between Great Aunt Jane Maypole and Miss Jane Marple. Not only are their family trees full of familiar names, but place names - St. Jude’s Junction (St. Mary Mead), Such Pelham (Much Benham), Gossington Avenue -play on the originals too.

The plot is full of twists and red herrings, ultimately leading to a very satisfying conclusion which neatly ties everything together and proves that Mizzy the Marvellous is not to be underestimated! I really look forward to finding out what she gets up to next!

The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet

Claire Hatcher-Smith

Farshore ISBN: 978-0008645571

Watts and Whiskerton: Sabotage at the Fete Cake Bake

Watts is looking forward to seeing Pearl again at the Little Gossip Village Fete where his parents, the world’s greatest detectives, are judging the cake baking competition. However, disaster strikes when cake mix explodes out of the ovens and accusations of sabotage start flying around. Can Watts and Whiskerton crack the case?

I really enjoyed Watts and Whiskerton’s first case and so was delighted to read ‘Sabotage at the Fete Cake Bake’. Highly illustrated and colourful, this story is every bit as enjoyable as the first!

Watts and Pearl are very different personalities, but together, they make a great team, working together to solve this mystery. Pearl is impulsive and full of confidence whilst Watts is more cautious and methodical, but each contributes to solving the case and together, they expose the culprit. Having kept his detective activity secret from his parents, Watts - or rather Pearl!- shares this with them and is delighted by how supportive and encouraging they are.

The illustrations are an absolute joy, adding much to the appeal of the story and so much detail to linger over. They are completely integrated into the story, with speech bubbles being used. The teacher in me loves using stories like this to teach how to punctuate speech, using the illustrations to decide on what type of reporting clause to use to convey the action.

Watts’ notes at the end of each chapter help to summarise the action, allowing children to keep pace with the mystery and solve it alongside our two heroes. Let’s hope there are more adventures for Watts and Whiskerton to come soon!

Watts and Whiskerton: Sabotage at the Fete Cake Bake

Meg McLaren

Piccadilly Press ISBN: 978-1800786615

Published 24th April 2025

You can read my review of ‘Buried Bones and Troublesome Treasure’ here.