book cover

Dread Wood

by Jennifer Killick

Interest age: 9 to 12
Reading age: 9+

Published by Farshore, 2022

  • Horror
  • Science fiction
  • Thriller

About this book

Detention on a Saturday! Could life get any worse?

As it turns out, life is about to get much worse.

As if it’s not bad enough to be missing out on the best bit of the weekend, you have to spend it with kids you don’t even like. But that’s the least of their worries once the caretaker lets Naira, Angelo, Gus and Hallie into the school grounds and locks the gate securely behind them.

One minute the PE teacher, Mr Canton, is giving out chores for the morning and the next he’s dragged underground by some unseen horror, leaving only his cap behind. And that’s just the beginning.

As the fear and dread build up in this tense thriller, a group of misfits is forced to work as a team to defeat the most terrifying of hidden attackers. Creepy things lurk in the shadows, indescribable nasties leap out when least expected and death, or worse, awaits anyone who dares to put a foot to the ground.

Not for the faint-hearted, this edge-of-seat horror is hard to put down, with many chapters ending on a cliff-hanger. But it’s the humanity and backstories that stay with you when the trauma ends.

About the author

Jennifer Killick is the author of the Dread Wood series, Crater Lake and the Alex Sparrow series. 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.

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