The Haunting of Old Splinter

LoveReading4Kids Says

A village steeped in spooky legends and a mansion in a state of disrepair serve as the ominous settings for John Mackay’s The Haunting of Old Splinter. Melding contemporary context and family dynamics with a creepy mystery, it rings with the age-old “be careful what you wish for” adage as it rises to a climax Edgar Allan Poe would be proud of.

Like his mum, Adrian loves reading horror comics, and both he and his step-brother Peter love listening to enigmatic, local eccentric Alfie tell strange stories. One such story is that of a creepy Wishing Claw connected to Old Splinter, the ruined mansion Peter’s stepdad is renovating. When Peter makes a succession of scary discoveries in Old Splinter, he starts to wonder whether Alfie’s stories might be true, and whether the Wishing Claw could be called upon to fix some of his family’s problems...

Alongside being a suspenseful adventure that escalates into a full-scale horror story, The Haunting of Old Splinter explores themes of bravery and finding freedom from mistakes. In the words of one character, “It’s easy to let our mistakes haunt us…That’s what ghosts are, I suppose.

But we can’t let them chase us forever”. There’s also coverage of learning to love being different (“What’s ‘normal’, anyway? Weird is good”), and authentic handling of blended family dynamics, including a heart-warming representation of how close step-siblings can be, and an honest depiction of Peter’s complex relationship with his dads.

Above all, though, The Haunting of Old Splinter is an electrifying story for fans of scary mysteries and all-out horror.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen is a writer, reviewer and workshop presenter whose lifelong love of books began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
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