Great Escape

Mary-Jane placed her small bag of belongings in the little rowing boat that rocked on the lapping water at the edge of the jetty. She had brought her favourite things; her fluffball-topped pen, her unicorn notepad, and the jewellery box with the dancing ballerina. She only had to make it to the island. One and […]

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Rating 3.5/5 Blurb: Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down. In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the […]

Trick or Treat

It was supposed to be a joke. But the wailing sirens and flashing blue lights told a different story as the ambulance and police car crammed into the tiny cul-de-sac. Young Teddy Hamilton stood over the lifeless body of Mrs Fenwick, unsure whether to run or try pummelling her chest again. As the policeman approached, […]

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

Rating: 4/5 stars Blurb: When a creature dies, its spirit can go looking for somewhere to hide. Some people have space inside them, perfect for hiding. Makepeace, a courageous girl with a mysterious past, defends herself nightly from the ghosts which try to possess her. Then a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard […]

Half Done

You insist on doing the button of your polo shirt yourself. It takes long seconds and I am impatient. Come on, I have to get to work. Wait, Mummy, wait. I bundle you out the door, the button half done. A quick kiss at the school gates. Mummy loves you. The train station is heaving […]

Preppers

‘People are gonna want what we have. It’s inevitable. Look at this here water, no one else will have a supply of clean water like this.’ The water looks dirty to me, but Grandpa keeps digging, huffing and puffing. ‘But Johnny Peters whispered the word “prepper” to Maggie Griggs and I didn’t like that. I […]

Seance

There are twelve of us sat around table which dominates the small wood-panelled room. It is covered in a thick red velvet cloth. Heavy curtains block the watery twilight. At the centre, a huge crystal bowl holds our belongings – a watch, a wedding band, a pendant … Why is it always jewellery? ‘Hold hands.’ […]