Gloam

About this book

Following the loss of their mother, 13-year-old Gwen and her three younger siblings move to the tiny, remote island of Gloam with their kind but hapless stepdad. The family take over their late grandmother’s empty house; a house which used to echo with happy memories of summer, but which now looms over their lives like a brooding shadow. 

Tension mounts when sickly sweet new childminder Esme arrives and strange and horrible things begin to occur in the house. Gwen suspects Esme is at the heart of it, feeding on their terror. 

As the horror intensifies, the children must each face their deepest fears to break free of her nefarious plans.  

This gothic horror by debut author Jack MacKay is wonderfully tense and eerie. Readers are transported to the desolate island of Gloam and the macabre setting of the old house through excellent descriptive passages and a gripping storyline.  

There is lightness among the horror too, with Gwen eventually coming to terms with the feelings she has suppressed since her mother’s death and realising the power of familial support. 

A superb book for fans of gothic horror and an excellent class read to demonstrate atmospheric descriptions in KS2 and above.