Scareground

Nancy isn’t especially privileged but she has a happy and comfortable life in with expert bakers Ma and Pa Crumpet. Even so, there are things about her that are different. She is never happier than when leaping over rooftops and she seems to be able to communicate with the sky (which is a better friend to her than the local children). Then there is the curious mark of a silver horse on her wrist.

When Skelter Tombola arrives in town with his famous fairground, Nancy's curiosity about the mark - and what it means about her past - catapults her into a spooky adventure full of frights and surprises as she sets out to investigate the secrets of The Scareground. How much is illusion and how much is genuinely dangerous in the realm of Skelter Tombola - and will Nancy be able to tell the difference in time to avoid disaster?

Scareground is a story about courage, identity and the need to belong, spiced up, like The Scareground, with mystery and the macabre. The author revels in the use of descriptive language and the part historical, part fantastical setting give her plenty of scope. This would be good for illustrating how figures of speech can be used to develop mood and for providing imaginative models to be adapted in writing lessons. It's quite long for a read-aloud, but some of the chapters would work as extracts.

For independent readers, it will appeal to those who enjoy a theatrical, sinister story and who read fast enough that the ornate description won't get in the way of following the complexities of the plot. One to share at Hallowe'en!

304 pages / Reviewed by Louisa Farrow, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+