Flock Horror: New for 2023, a funny young horror adventure from the author of Crater Lake. Perfect for kids aged 9-12 and fans of Stranger Things and Goosebumps!: Book 3 (Dread…
£7.00£7.60 (-8%)
The brand new must-read middle-grade novel from the author of super-spooky Crater Lake. Perfect for fans of R.L.Stine’s Goosebumps.
Angelo and his friends know that together they can handle any pretty much anything – including giant mutant spiders or snake-like parasites that burrow into your brain. But when a terrifying new enemy attacks from above it seems they have met their ultimate match . . . how can they defeat giant vampire birds that are after BLOOD?
With summer term in full force – and sports day and prom night on the horizon – the whole school is in danger. The gang need a plan to bring safety to the skies!
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Additional information
| Publisher | Farshore (2 Mar. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 368 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0008538549 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0008538545 |
| Reading age | 8 – 12 years, from customers |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 2.3 x 19.8 cm |
by LN
Anyone who has read my previous reviews of the Dread Wood series knows by now that I am a walking contradiction: I’m a self-confessed wimp, whilst simultaneously being a massive Jennifer Killick buff. I’ve found myself in the awkward quandary of being a horror fan, who hates horror. What you don’t yet know is that my all-time biggest fear – bigger than my fear of heights, snakes, death, or spiders – is a fear of birds. I have an extreme case of ornithophobia!
So picture this… The latest book in the Dread Wood series lands on my doormat. And it’s called Flock Horror. It is a testament to the quality of Jennifer’s writing that even me, a bird-fearing, horror-hater could not wait to rejoin Club Loser for their latest Latchitt battle. And boy did it not disappoint!
Angelo and his friends are just regular tweens. Battling spots, embarrassing parents, mega crushes, mutant spiders and brain eating parasites (yes, you did read that right), what could possibly faze them? Their forthcoming prom? Summer examinations? Blood sucking vampire birds?
The latest book in the Dread Wood series has all the charm of its prequels. It’s laugh out loud funny, it has heart and the characters face genuine peril. I love how Killick gives backstories involving real situations that young adults face – things like health issues, family problems and poverty. This means that despite the vampire birds, Flock Horror is relatable. Each character feels like they could lead as they are all well-developed and multi-faceted. The villains are delightfully wicked – the stuff of nightmares.
Flock Horror is a brilliant balance of funny and scary. Killick gets the tone just right, yet again. It’s a book that will ‘fly’ off any classroom bookshelf and I can’t wait to see where Club Loser end up next.
by YesIlikeGin
Read with my daughter, great book! I believe it’s not the first in the series, so we’ll have to get the others!
by Paul Tapner
A horror novel for younger readers. This is the third in a series called ‘Dread Wood’. All about a group of kids at a British school who deal with encounters with monsters and the like. First in the series was ‘Dread Wood’. I hadn’t read either of the first two before reading this, but I did find it had enough exposition relatively early on such that I was able to get into it pretty easily.
It runs three hundred and fifty four pages. It has thirty two chapters. And reasonably large print, so it will be quite easy reading.
Our lead character is Angelo, a boy who narrates in first person present tense. He and his four friends are club loser. They have banded together and become friends to deal with the machinations of a couple who were originally school caretakers. They’ve already defeated said couple twice. But then a new threat appears. Birds who feed on people’s blood….
Recommended reading age says eight to eleven. I’m going to say ten and up. That’s down to the general level of the writing, and some mildly scary bits. But I don’t think it will give anyone nightmares. Mind you I can see a review from someone who mentions someone a bit younger liking it, so who knows.
This is as much about the five main characters and their bonding together as the horror. Also their relationship with one of their teachers, who might just be the help they need. I did find this a bit slow to get into, but that might come from getting into the series this late. For about the first sixty five pages it never quite came to life for me. Although the exposition did mean I wasn’t at all lost. And nobody but Angelo and the teacher were really standing out as characters at all.
But then when the first creepy bit begins, it suddenly clicked. And after that it developed rather nicely. The narrative, the ongoing plot, and the character relationships and how they grew and developed together, were really pretty good.
It’s not desperately scary, but some attempts at making scenes initially unsettling are pretty good. So as it then went along, I was turning pages very nicely. And the teacher I really mentioned does become a great creation.
It does a satisfactory resolution to the plot of this volume. Characters managing to use their brains towards that, which worked well. But it doesn’t appear to be the end, as another volume is promised on the last page. This is a good volume in it’s particular series, so I am glad I read it. And I think fans will like it also.
by 5759alext
Enjoyable book , we enjoyed even though not read the other series
by Maya Rushdie
The latest in this trilogy – Flock Horror by @jennifer.killick.56 is out now.
I hadn’t read the first two so it was an absolute treat to binge read them all! I normally steer well clear of any books that could potentially give me nightmares! But I am so glad I read this trio of books!
This series gave me vibes from stranger things and the old classic- Goosebumps.
Set in a small town with a group of friends by chance, Angelo, Hallie, Gustav and Naira, are thrown together in the worst school detention ever! They have faced clown masks, apocalyptic fair grounds and parasites, now they have to overcome suspicious adults and giant vampire birds! – full Hitchcock! I have never been a fan of birds anyway but now I will be steering WELL CLEAR of crows!
The characters are brilliant and very relatable. Each are individual with their own quirks. Even though they are not ‘meant’ to be friends, the relationships they build with each other is endearing.
The stories would be for Year 4 upwards (9+)
by Miss Caddick
Absolutely love the Dread Wood series. This third book in the series has ramped up the threat level and evil ingenuity of the world’s most malevolent grandparents , the Latchetts, against Angelo and the gang. There is (right at the very edge of your seat) genuinely nail biting fear and tension cut through brilliantly by the humour , sarcasm, attitude and verbal sparring of the young group as they fiercely fight off flocks of vampire birds thirsty for their blood.
There is blood and gore at just the right level to freak out and delight the intended MG reader and just the right helping of blossoming romance and solid rock friendship loyalties to soften the grotesque scenes and warm the heart.
So, so fabulously, joyously written .