Spectacularly spooky and entertainingly eerie, Haunted is a must read for Halloween!
What do you get when a bunch of favourite children’s authors join forces and create an anthology of ghostly short stories? Haunted – a spectacularly spooky and uniquely crafted book – is what you get!
Across eleven tantalising and thrilling tales, the gothic effortlessly collides with the future, and the chaotic courageously confronts the rational, as we encounter a horde of ghosts and creatures prowling within the deepest depths of the pages. In Jamila Gavin’s 'The Blood Line', a lost child lurks in the reflections of a centuries old mirror. Robin Jarvis’s exceptionally creepy 'The Beach Hut' tells of a drowned child who stalks the sandy shores, in search for their next someone to play with. And we meet a 21st century cyberghost whose date with death causes a technologic glitch in Eleanor Updale’s brilliant 'The Ghost in the Machine'.
Susan Cooper and co. have each put a fresh, innovative twist on the ever-popular ghost genre, and, as with the magic of short stories, this chilling collection of stories can be savoured in time or devoured in one, yet each will hook and haunt your mind long after the last page is turned. Whilst the back cover promises terrifying and spine-tingling stories that will make you scream, shiver and gasp, I’d only go as far as calling them entertainingly eerie and mildly menacing, perfect though for the intended 9+ audience.
Haunted is a must read for Halloween!
I had nightmares filled with ghost boys and spirit girls.
Shockingly scary, it haunts your dreams long after you've put it down, I had nightmares filled with ghost boys and spirit girls. My favourite one was the one when Drusilla the spirit girl tried to drown the boy at the beach hut.
The Witch Well was particularly scary I wouldn't want to be on night guard that day I would be petrified out of my wits!!
A chilling book of spooky, spine tingling tales. Perfect for Halloween or whenever you want to feel a chill in the air!
I loved this chilling book of spooky, spine tingling tales! I don't often read short stories but I really enjoyed this one as it meant I could dip in and out of the book whenever I felt like it and enjoy a bite sized bit of spookiness, then put it down again until I felt like some more! All the stories were interesting. Some had twists in the endings, some had funny or scary moments and some were really sad. My favourites were 'The Ghost Walk' by Matt Haig, as I loved the twist at the end, and 'The Castle Ghosts' by Joseph Delaney, as it was so horrifying! This book is dark, scary and very spooky... Perfect for Halloween or whenever you want to feel a chill in the air!
A, awesome collection of spooky stories by amazing authors. Perfect for Halloween!
Haunted is a collection of short and spooky stories. I loved scary stories as a child and this reminded me of the different episodes of 'Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids' I used to watch.
This collection from an amazing selection of children's authors are perfect to read either a short story at a time for a brief chill, or all at once for a seriously spooky night. With twists, jumps and even some haunted music this is a brilliant book to be enjoyed all year round, but especially for getting children in to the halloween spirit. A brilliant book for fans of horror and scary stories.
Compilation of spooky, eerie stories about ghosts. These are quick to read and they are clever stories with twists and turns.
This is a compilation of spooky, eerie stories about ghosts. These are quick stories to read and they are clever stories with twists and turns. I was keen to read the story written by Philip Reeve because he is my favourite author of all time and has written the adventure series ‘Mortal Engines’. His story was about a boy called Will and a ghost dog and was good although it wasn’t my favourite story in the end.
There is a story by Matt Haig about the Ghost walks around York which are real things and do happen. Lots of tourists walk around the city and hear stories of famous ghosts and happenings from the past. It mentions places I know as I live in York. I could imagine exactly where they were and I felt myself walking around the city standing alongside the ghosts. My real favourite story was 'The Beach Hut' by Robin Jarvis because it describes a boy who sees a girl in a beach hut at night times and there is a clever twist at the end.
The stories are not too scary and are suitable for children like me but I wouldn’t advise reading them at night time, especially around Halloween. Pictures you make in your head from reading the stories can stay in your head and you wouldn’t want to think of those when it’s dark. Someone does get eaten by a monster and another person gets pulled through a mirror. I wouldn’t normally choose this type of book, I prefer adventure stories but we are always encouraged at school to read lots of types of books and was glad I had read them. I think it’s quite hard to write short stories as you don’t have time to explain the characters or the setting. These are really great stories, they are quick and they are clever. Many of them have twists and sudden events which take you by surprise.
There is also a biography of the writers at the end which is good because you can find other stories by the same author. They also say why they wrote that story or if they believe in ghosts. I liked that. Be great to be able to Zoom the author of the best story and have them read it to you. That would be double-spooky.
They managed to create stories that kept me in a good cozy spooky mood for a while, giving me unexpected chills from time to time. It was a perfect Halloween read, and I am so glad I got the chance to read it!
Haunted is a collection of short ghost stories, written by multiple authors. The authors are the following: Joseph Delaney, Susan Cooper, Mal Peet, Jamila Gavin, Eleanor Updale, Derek Landy, Robin Jarvis, Sam Llewellyn, Matt Haig, Philip Reeve and Berlie Doherty.
It is incredible that these amazing children’s authors gathered together. They managed to create stories that kept me in a good cozy spooky mood for a while, giving me unexpected chills from time to time. It was a perfect Halloween read, and I am so glad I got the chance to read it! Even the author’s biographies in the end were a bit spooky. Below you will see a breakdown of my opinions for every story, in case you want to know more. I had to hold back on some information for some, to prevent spoilers. There are no spoilers in the next section, but if you’re planning to read the book, I would suggest you dive into it blindly. That way, you’ll get the full experience!
1. The Castle Ghosts by Joseph Delaney – ★★★★
When a young man starts a night shift at a castle full of prisoners, he has no clue of what’s about to happen. The castle is scary at night, and there are stories that it’s haunted as well. Then, unexpected things begin to happen. I enjoyed this story. It was engrossing and intense, but slightly too short to my liking. I liked the haunted vibe though, as well as the incredible ending.
2. The Caretakers by Susan Cooper – ★★★★
A beautifully written spooky story about a family that travels to Devon for a vacation. Anna doesn’t really get along with her brother James. And James has issues of his own, one of them being a complete disregard of social cues and people’s feelings. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but the amazing ending made up for it. I really enjoyed the love Anna has for her brother, even though he may not be able to see that.
3. Good Boy by Mal Peet – ★★★
Katie Callan has a recurring nightmare of a dog walking towards her. She has had this dream since she was a child. When she grows up and moves into another city, a dangerous situation will finally reveal why she has had this dream all along. I liked the story, but it didn’t intrigue me or spook me like the others did.
4. The Blood Line by Jamila Gavin – ★★★★★
This was so far my favorite story. It is longer than the others and it contains family drama with a spooky element of ghosts having unfinished business. I liked Freddie a lot as well.
5. The Ghost in the Machine by Eleanor Updale – ★★★★
This story was cool and unexpected. It was also a modern day one, where the ghost is in electronic form. I really liked that idea. The creativity and the way how it worked were put together very nicely. I just didn’t feel the spookiness.
6. Songs the Dead Sing by Derek Landy – ★★★★
A ghost story that was also heartwarming. Well, that’s a first. I enjoyed this one a lot. Maybe because it had a detective vibe, as well as intensity throughout the way. The ending made me smile.
7. The Beach Hut by Robin Jarvis – ★★★★★
This story is another favorite of mine. I loved that it was set in the summer. We usually associate scary stories with autumn, or cold weather, and this was a nice change to remind us that ghosts can appear in any season. I loved Bram and could relate to him a lot. He was a brave soul, who loved adventure and didn’t have many friends. I also loved the ghost story and how it ended. The plot twist was very unpredictable and I loved it so much!
8. The Praying Down of Vaughan Darkness by Sam llewellyn – ★★★★★
Another great story, this one written in the form of a diary. Connecting events of the past and the present – I really enjoyed the ending. It was very intriguing, and the story telling was spot on. I wanted to know a bit more about the ghost in the end.
9. The Ghost Walk by Matt Haig – ★★★★★
The Ghost Walk is my ultimate favorite. It is also the one story that I can’t say what it’s about without spoiling anything. But it was wonderful and it was intriguing. It kept me glued to the pages until the very end. It also gave me shivers a couple of times!. If you’re only going to read one story from this book, it should be this one.
10. The Ghost Wood by Philip Reeve – ★★★★
So adorable and sad. Especially the ending. And another story that I won’t reveal the synopsis of. It was a bit slow at the beginning and too descriptive for my taste. But the ending made up for it.
11. The Little Ship’s Boy by Berlie Doherty – ★★★★
Jez stays in Cornwall with his uncle and aunt. And there’s a story about a haunted ship that appears during big storms. But when Jez also sees a child, asking to be saved, he needs to do something. Filled with intensity and singing sailors, this story gave me the chills. There’s also a music sheet for the song as well, and I wish I was musically educated to be able to play it.
Stories from a wide range of authors using differing styles means that there is something for everyone here and the collection exposes the reader to the work of those they might not otherwise have encountered. A great collection of well written stories to chill and thrill!
An amazing selection of authors have contributed to this collection of eleven stories which range from shivery to terrifying. Each short story is powerful in different way- some are full of suspense, others contain the unexpected- all are perfect for this time of year.
The wide range of authors and differing styles means that there is something for everyone here and the collection exposes the reader to the work of those they might not otherwise have encountered. Joseph Delaney’s ‘The Castle Ghosts’, which opens the book, is a shorter story, directly told, using the first person. Its eerie atmosphere is chilling whilst ‘The Beach Hut’ by Robin Jarvis is longer and more descriptive, but equally sinister. ‘The Ghost Walk’ by Matt Haig is particularly enjoyable, full of sights familiar to those who know York, with a pleasing twist at the end.
None of these stories should be read after dark! A great collection of well written stories to chill and thrill!
11 spooky and quite scary stories written by 11 well know children's authors including a castle with a blood chilling secret and a ghost with unfinished business. All amazing and scary!
The book Haunted is a very interesting book and quite scary as well. The book consists of 11 spooky stories written by 11 well known children’s authors; Susan Cooper, Joseph Delaney, Berlie Doherty, Jamila Gavin, Matt Haig, Robin Jarvis, Derek Landy, Sam Llewellyn, Mal Peet, Phillip Reeve and Eleanor Updale.
A few personal favourites of mine are 'The Castle Ghosts' by Joseph Delaney which is about a castle that is a prison that is haunted, where the new guard, Billy Caulder, finds out about the castle's blood chilling secret. Will he come out alive? Another favourite of mine is 'Songs the Dead Sing' by Derek Landy which is a about a girl who dies mysteriously. She can only talk to one person, her best friend Wayne who needs to bring her to justice to let her soul rest and pass fully so that she isn't trapped as a ghost with unfinished business. 'Ghost Walk' by Matt Haig was also a great story. It's about a family holiday where they go on a ghost walk and their tour guide is rather odd, he walks off without them paying him and when they go to the main reception to pay, they find out a spine-tingling secret.
Those are just my personal favourite’s from the 11 stories in the book but honestly I recommend you to read all of them. They are all so amazing and scary on a scale. The novel is a very good read and gets you in a halloweeny mood.
11 scary stories in one book! I had to hide it in a draw at night! Spooky!
This book was bursting with scarey tales! I had to read this with my bunny to protect me. I'm a big girl (7 years) and I love a little scare. Get you blankets & torches ready!