#bookreview Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick


Hello and welcome back to the blog,or if you are new hi and welcome.

Today is my stop for the Write Reads Ultimate Tours book tour of Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick



Genre: MG Horror

Length: 304 Pages

Publishing: 31th March 2022

Amazon 

Goodreads


Blurb


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…

My review:



⭐⭐⭐⭐


Having detention sucks, having detention on a Saturday is even worse. And for our four students it is down right scary.

Dread Wood High is an old manor house, with newer buildings added once it became a school. It has a field and gardens plus animals for the students to tend to. 

It also home to a pair of creepy grounds keepers. Who seem to get more and more sinister as the book progresses.  Why do they keep humming the Itsy Bitsy Spider? 

There is something scary happening under the ground at that school. And if it wasn't for Angelo, Hallie, Gustav and Naira having detention on that Saturday no one would ever know. 

A mssing pig, a teacher who disappears when the ground opens up swallowing him whole. Strange sticky white substance. What is going on?

Will these kids survive detention?

Dread Wood captivated me from the start. It is very fitting to be compared to RL Stine. I felt like I was watching an episode of 'Are you Afraid of the Dark?' 

Normally when authors use modern slang in their books I am kind of iffy about it because it can take me out of the story but for this book it actually worked in its advantage. Because it a group of preteen kids and that's how they talk. It also wasn't forced in and if flowed well for me.

 I found Dread Wood to be a very quick read and I know could easily be read I one sitting if I hadn't have had to work.  I enjoyed the set up of the 4 kids, finding out the connection they all had in common other than classmates, because they were not friends. And what actually caused them to have detention. There is more going on then just kids acting up. I love that from the start I was getting creepy vibes and I wanted to know more of what was happening. I guessed correctly with one part of the storyline but it wasn't until other events happened that I figured things out. 

I honestly can see middle-graders, those that read MG aswell as those that don't typically read MG really enjoy this book. When an author can write something that will universally appeal to all age ranges that is a wonderful sign that you are getting a great story. 

I really am looking forward to The Fear Ground and anything else Jennifer Killick writes. Time for me to check out her backlog.


About the Author


Jennifer Killick is the author of Crater Lake, the Alex Sparrow series, and middle-grade sci-fi adventure Mo, Lottie and the Junkers. She regularly visits schools and festivals, and her books have three times been selected for The Reading Agency's Summer Reading Challenge. She lives in Uxbridge, in a house full of children, animals and Lego. When she isn't busy mothering or step-mothering (which isn't often) she loves to read, write and run, as fast as she can.


Twitter: @JenniferKillick



Happy reading 


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