Lykewise: A spine-tingling middle-grade novel

By Author / Illustrator

Darren Simpson

Genre

Horror

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Pushkin Children's Books

ISBN

9781782696209

Format

Paperback

Published

24-09-2026

Synopsis

Don't look to closely into the mirror. It might look back . . . Dunn Caulkner is no stranger to scary stories. The village of Harrowmere is plagued by danger and the unexplained: foggy boglands, eerie wraithlights and the terrifying legend of Grasping Jack. So how could Dunn ever have known that the darkest threat of all would come from a looking glass?

No one questions the arrival of a travelling salesman practically giving away his mirrors. Nor do Dunn and his friends think there's any harm in toying with a mirror ritual said to reveal your true self. For what could be dangerous about a reflection? But then the attacks and disappearances begin, and Dunn starts to grasp how very wrong he was...

Set in the same mythical world of THIRST by Darren Simpson, but for slightly younger readers, this is a stand-alone novel. A fantastically chilling middle-grade novel about cursed mirrors, perfect for fans of Gloam and The Haunting of Aveline Jones!

Reviews

Sue

Harrowmere is a village set deep in foggy boglands where visitors are rare, so when Digory Weade, a travelling salesman, arrives with a cartload of glimmering mirrors for sale, many locals are tempted by his wares. When friends Dunn, Hetty and Beah fall into conversation with Weade and learn of a tale to rival the local legend of Grasping Jack, Hetty is determined to find out whether there is any truth in his story and, in doing so, unleashes a 'Lykewise' on the village, a creature that will take the form of anyone who has recited a rhyme whilst standing between two mirrors, bringing out their deepest, darkest, most violent desire . . .

While horror stories are not really my thing, I do love a book by Darren Simpson, so I bravely picked up Lykewise on a wet afternoon . . . and simply could not put it down! Tight plotting offers a very well-paced read with plenty of tension as the reader is kept on the edge of their seat, trying to guess what will happen next. Even when it seems as if all will be well, the children learn something which hints that the threat from the Lykewise has not truly been eradicated, adding a final frisson of fear!

Occasional blood-thirsty details add to the 'horror' of the story, but the sense of tension and uncertainty created is what makes this such a chilling and compelling read! Dunn, Hetty and Beah are great characters. Very different personalities, their loyalty to one another is ultimately what helps to defeat the evil of the Lykewise and the story certainly makes you ponder about how things can be distorted, but how the 'light' in a person can be more powerful.

The writing is wonderfully atmospheric with vivid descriptions, making this perfect for readers of any (sensible!) age for a horror story.

256 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher