The Last Day of October

By Author / Illustrator

Phil Hickes, Oriol Vidal

Genre

Horror

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN

9780008748517

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

09-10-2025

Synopsis

Bored with trick-or-treating, three friends venture into the woods on Halloween night to hunt for the haunted McBride House in this spine-tingling horror story from Phil Hickes.

If you go down to the woods today, you're in for a nasty surprise . . . Seeking creepy thrills instead of candy, Cody and his friends set out on Halloween to search for the ruins of the haunted McBride House in the woods near his home in Oregon.

The house has taken on a sinister legendary status after it burned down a hundred years ago with tragic consequences, and it's said that the ghosts of the family who lived there return each year on the last day of October.

But when they find the house, the truth of what is happening on this eerie autumn night is more terrifying than the three teenagers could ever have imagined . . .

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Reviews

Sue

The Last Day of October is a real spine-tingler of a tale! One Hallowe'en, three friends, Cody, Sean and Duri, decide to locate the ruins of the haunted McBride House, the scene of a tragic accident, deep in the woods. Finding the house turns out to be more terrifying than they could ever have imagined…

Brilliantly constructed, The Last Day of October is a completely captivating, riveting read with a suitable haunting ending that will leave readers gasping! Although a relatively short story, each of the friends has a distinct personality. Cody is behind the plan to visit the McBride House, determined to lead his friends on this adventure; Sean is far more cautious, but unwilling to let the others down; Duri is tempted by the idea of sharing their findings with others.

Their excitement about their spooky adventure is contagious and the atmospheric writing builds tension as they head off into the woods on their quest and the story reaches its chilling conclusion. The perfect spooky story!

96 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher