The Beast of Harwood Forest

Pete, Krish and Nancy are excited about their Year 8 geography field trip to Heathland Camp. They can’t wait to try out the massive zip-wire and are particularly looking forward to a night walk through the woods. The three friends love a good mystery, so when Pete spots a derelict Ministry of Defence research centre in the nearby forest, they decide to investigate. Unperturbed that the crumbling buildings are strictly out of bounds, they sneak out in the dead of night, armed only with torches and their burning curiosity.

As they pick their way through the trees, they lose their way and what started as an exciting adventure quickly becomes a terrifying ordeal. Convinced they are being pursued, the children stumble deeper into the woods, and make a discovery which is beyond their wildest imaginations.

This creepy, dyslexia-friendly tale is the follow-up to The Invasion of Crooked Oak, although it could easily be enjoyed as a standalone novel. The short chapters are accompanied by crisp black-and-white illustrations, which help readers to visualise the characters and setting. Full of danger and tension, this sinister page turner is not for the faint-hearted.