Have you ever seen the film Eight Legged Freaks? I wouldn’t blame you if you hadn’t. It came out in 2002 and was only okay, but this book is like a small scale version of that. The monsters are dog sized sliders, and they’re pretty cool. The explanation for how they became dog sized is nonsense, but it doesn’t have to be scientifically coherent for it to be cool, and these badboys are cool. Also, apparently Scarlett Johannsson was in Eight Legged Freaks. I suppose not even she is immune to being in a bad film.

Angelo and the rest of the 'Club Loser' gang notice that everyone is behaving more and more strangely every day - almost as if something is taking over their brains. And then there's the freaky app notification tune, nursery rhyme 'Pop Goes the Weasel...' when the music plays, players are powerless to resist its control. The Latchitts really upped their game in creepiness and how far they were going. Holy crap. They were already a couple to avoid in the previous book but dang this one? They really had no stops. They had plans and they were going for it. In this book we follow Angelo and he detention-mates, Hallie, Naria, and Gus (Gustav). They are having detention on this Saturday, you know, a few hours of doing stuff because of things they did. If only they knew what detention would really mean. I loved that while we follow Angelo because he is the MC, we learn about the characters along the way. We see a glimpse in each of their lives and it was just perfect. I really warmed up to all of these characters and I loved seeing them bond, get closer. See that each of them isn’t so bad. Even Gustav, a character most avoid, is actually a very sweet guy who will do anything for his friends/comrades. I was so sad to read that each of them haven’t had the easiest of times, especially Angelo.With the fair arriving in town, adrenaline and excitement levels are high. But who are the people behind the super-creepy clown masks? With fights breaking out and Flinch in full force, it’s time for the final showdown at the Fear Ground. Let the REAL games begin! It's basically the worst school detention ever. When classmates (but not mate-mates) Hallie, Angelo, Gustav and Naira are forced to come to school on a SATURDAY, they think things can't get much worse. But they're wrong. Things are about to get seriously scary. What has dragged their teacher underground? Why do the creepy caretakers keeping humming the tune to Itsy Bitsy Spider? And what horrors lurk in the shadows, getting stronger and meaner every minute . . .? Cut off from help and in danger each time they touch the ground, the gang's only hope is to work together. But it's no coincidence that they're all there on detention. Someone has been watching and plotting and is out for revenge....

The reason why one of the group wasn’t infected. I am sorry, but in this current age and day I don’t believe that just 1 person in a school of hundreds is vegetarian or vegan . It was just unbelievable and I think I would have rather had an other reason than this. Or have some other peeps visible that are walking around normally. The 'Flinch' app craze has swept through the students of Dread Wood High. The more you scare your friends, the more points on the app you get. At first it's fun, but soon fun is replaced by fear - especially when most rounds seem to start in the eerie Dread Wood, where the teens were forced to defeat killer spiders in the previous instalment of the horror series. Dread Wood High is an old manor house, with newer buildings added once it became a school. It has a field and gardens plus animals for the students to tend to. Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12... Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child...

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Yes, I get scared so easily. My older children make me watch movies that I peek at through my fingers and then still have nightmares about for months afterwards. They'll all be laughing while I'm hiding under a blanket. I have a massive problem with clowns. I watched the start of the original 'It' at a sleepover when I was thirteen and it ruined my life. My sister used to leave photos of that particular clown in my bedroom for me to find, and I'm still not over it. I have a weird obsession with zombies, being simultaneously fascinated and terrified of them. I also hate enclosed places like underground tunnels, demonic things from Ouija boards, and scarecrows. I could go on.. Trigger warnings: death, animal death, violence, gore, blood, falling down holes, SPIDERS (very big TW!!), revenge. Dread Wood brings sinister to another level: it’s a properly creepy, goosebump-inducing read, off-set perfectly by genuine laugh out loud moments. When four classmates are forced to attend a Saturday detention, the last thing they expect is to have to contend with is a disappearing teacher, two creepy caretakers and endless untold horrors. Can they make it out alive or will this detention be their last? The winners of the Diverse Book Awards 2023 have been announced, with one winner from each of the four categories announced: Picture book, Children...