S.C.R.E.A.M: Carnival of Monsters

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Andrew Beasley

Interest age: 10 to 12
Reading age: 10 to 12

Published by Usborne, 2017

Funny
Ghost story
Horror
Mobility/wheelchair

About this book

There are no such things as monsters, mummies or zombies, Bunny assures her little brother Arthur on the way home from the carnival. Likewise, the legend of the terrifying winged ‘demon dog’ is nothing but superstitious nonsense. If Bunny is right, how is it that Arthur disappears that night, carried away from their house by something horrible, dark and clawed?

Thankfully, paranormal crime-solving duo Charley Steel and Billy Flint are on hand. Taking on the case of disappearing schoolboys, they come up against some pretty terrifying creatures, as well as uncovering the fact that bullying and revenge has a sizeable part to play in the mystery.

Spooky supernatural activity is mixed here with plenty of humour to create the right balance of action, fun and thrills. Sharp-witted Charley makes a spectacular wheelchair-using protagonist, alongside streetwise partner Billy.

One of a series of S.C.R.E.A.M titles, but sufficiently self-contained to be read as a stand-alone.

About the author

Andrew Beasley was born in Hertfordshire, and has spent most of his life with his nose buried in a book. As a student, he read law in Bristol, but was disappointed to discover that life as a lawyer wasn’t as exciting as books had led him to believe. He then spent a number of years travelling extensively across Europe for work, although he didn’t see much of it because he was usually reading a book. Andrew is now a primary school teacher, where he shares his passion for storytelling with his class. Andrew lives in Cornwall with his wife and their two children, Ben and Lucy.