book cover

The Terror of Hilltop House

by Dan Smith, illustrated by Chris King

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 8+

Published by Barrington Stoke, 2023

  • Adventure
  • Chapter books
  • Horror
  • Science fiction

About this book

Best friends Pete, Krish and Nancy are always on the lookout for weird, unexplained events. They are intrigued when two sheep disappear from a local farm, leaving behind strange puddles of slimy gunk. Determined to solve the mystery, their investigation leads them to Hilltop House, a research centre which is developing organic bio-fuels and sustainable food crops. As they explore the facility, the friends discover the Vault, a restricted area which conducts secret experiments. When a powerful storm knocks out the electricity, something sinister escapes from the Vault. Can the plucky friends stop it before it reaches the village and destroys everything in its path?

This is the fourth, spine-tingling thriller to feature Pete, Krish and Nancy, and is just as gripping, fast-paced and scary as the previous books. The slender novel is divided into short, manageable chapters and edited to help reduce barriers to comprehension. Thick, off-white pages, a clear layout and a specially-designed typeface make it particularly suited to dyslexic readers. The descriptive language and atmospheric black-and-white illustrations help to set the scene and bring the characters to life. Ideal for less confident, older readers who enjoy horror and science fiction tales.

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