Thirteen Chairs
ISBN13
9781910200162
Review published
22/09/2014
By Reviewer
Dorne
Star Rating
By Author / Illustrator
Dave Shelton
Age range(s)
11+
Review
Jack is drawn to the old house, maybe he shouldn't go inside, but he is a curious boy and can't turn away. Inside he finds 13 chairs, all but one are occupied and Jack is encouraged to take the empty one as there are stories to be told. Are the storytellers alive or dead? Well, each has a ghost story to tell. As their story is told they move their chair into the darkness beyond and the room becomes increasingly darker. Some of the storytellers tell their own story, whilst others tell tales they have been told or overheard. Some of the stories are sombre and others darkly funny but each storyteller has their own unique voice. Maybe the stories are true and maybe they aren't, but as each story is told, the lights go out drawing the narrator and the reader further into the darkness. Finally the narrator is all alone in the dark and outside another storyteller is curious about the house. A very different book from the authors 'A Boy And A Bear In A Boat'. A collection of short, pithy ghost stories that gradually draw the reader into the book and the house. Enjoyable to read alone but would also work well for reading aloud with a group. 256 pages / Ages 11+ / Reviewed by Dorne Fraser
