Another fantastic book following the adventures of Aveline Jones. I love how we find out more about her as I read each book in the series. Phil Hickes is a fantastic author - incorporating enough spookiness and cliff edge chapters. I love the illustrations too. Would highly recommend this book and the other books in the series.

I love the Aveline books. They hit the spot for young readers' desire for something ghostly and scary without being too scary. Also Eveline and Harold make a good team opening the readership span to boys as well as girls..

Aveline always seems to get herself into scrapes and this adventure is no exception. Joined again by her best friend Harold, they find themselves caught up in a faerie world whilst looking for her missing archeologist uncle who had been researching supernatural happenings at an ancient burial mound. Other villagers have also disappeared and Aveline is determined to get to the heart of the mystery. But this time, has she gone too far?

We all love Aveline Jones adventures in my school library and this latest one was brilliant. I'm a sucker for the portrayal of sinister fairies rather than frilly fancy flowery ones so this story was totally on target for me. The Aveline Jones stories are a perfect length for their target audience, creepier than you might think from the cover (always a good thing- a creepy cover and non-creepy story is a disappointment, the opposite a delicious surprise) and straight down the line in terms of linear, clear plot with no slack. I also applaud the lack of heavy moralising or linking to the curriculum that seems to have permeated a lot of recent MG fiction. Young readers who read to escape, have fun and be more than a bit creeped out will be very grateful to you! Please write more in the series.

Oh! I just love these Aveline Jones stories. I hope the author has many more in store. In the previous two stories we have seen Aveline face a ghost and a witch. In this tale she faces an even trickier foe, as she and her friends try to discover what happened to her uncle, who disappeared many years ago whilst researching the history of an ancient burial mound. Yet another unputdownable, spooky tale. Highly recommend this series!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love this series and it’s one I thoroughly recommend if you like something spooky but fun! I loved the mystery element in this one and the descriptions of the faeries and scenery were amazing, I was definitely spooked throughout! I’d love to read more from this author and more of Aveline and Harold too.

This is another hit in the Aveline Jones series and I hope they keep coming.
Aveline’s uncle has long since disappeared under very mysterious circumstances. Her mum and aunt decide it is now time to sell his house and they head there, with Harold in tow, to get it ready for sale. Whilst there, Aveline and Harold uncover some strange findings. Her uncle is not the first person to disappear in his village and there seem to be supernatural forces at work. Luckily, that’s Aveline’s speciality…

This is a perfect series for Upper Key Stage 2 children who enjoy spooky stories and I have been heartily recommending this new instalment. I really enjoyed the eerie undertones and evil fae lurking within the pages of this story and it will certainly keep children on the edge of their seats.

This eerie/mystery series is my absolute favourite. Sammy was a fantastic new addition to Harold and Aveline's voyage. I finished reading this in one day since the plot was so engaging and well-paced.
I sincerely hope that there will be a new one soon!

Just as great as the others in the series. I would have loved these books as a kid, and I love them as a 42 year old! Perfectly pitched spookiness, great settings that take an historical event or place and utilise the eerie aspects - in this case barrows and faeries - and likeable characters. Can't get enough - next please!

An engaging, atmospheric spooky tale for middle grade/senior primary readers aged 10+ who enjoy horror/fantasy stories.
This is the third in the Aveline series but it works very well as a standalone read. The characters are relatable and the plot is interesting and suspenseful from the very beginning.
I would happily include this, and more from the series, in my classroom library for those readers who enjoy a darker, creepier read!
Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and Usbourne publishing for the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

trigger warning
<spoiler> child disappearance, grief, being held hostage </spoiler>

Years ago, Aveline's uncle disappeared. The police did not even find a single clue as to his whereabouts, and now his sisters, Aveline's mom and aunt, have decided to sell the house.

Short and atmospheric fantasy adventure with illustrations, perfect for middle-graded readers and older fans of fairytales alike.

There are allusions to the previous books but you need not have read them to be able to get into this tale. I myself have only read the Haunting of AJ so far, but will pick up book one when I come across it one day.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

Phil Hickes is an amazing author and the Aveline Jones series showcases his talents superbly.
When Aveline, her mother and her aunt make the trip to clear out their brother’s house, a new mystery emerges that Aveline must solve. Can she find her missing uncle and discover the secret the small village holds? With Harold is tow, Aveline delves deep into the world of the fairy folk to unravel her latest case.

Phil Hickes has done it again, and this is, in my opinion, his best work yet.

I love Aveline as a character, and have done from the first book. She’s fiesty while also very logical, and is unashamedly who she is. With the support of Harold and her family, she sets about to investigate the unsolved disappearance of he uncle. And of course, with this being an Aveline Jones mystery, things just aren’t as simple as that. Soon, Aveline, Harold and their new friend Sammy are swept into a whirlwind of scares of tricks, courtsery of the wicked fey that live at the Long Barrow.

As always, Hickes has created situations where the characters have to prove themselves, not just to us the reader, but to themselves, and and the trust they have to find in one another as well as individually is beautifully demomstrated.

It was a genuinely spooky read, and this is a prime example of “never dismiss children’s fiction”, because I spent the rest of the evening after I had finished jumping every time I heard an unexpected noise. And this is what I love about this series. Hickes writes in a way that doesn’t underestimate what children are able to cope with, and understands that there are some, like I once was, who adore being scared. Tying it all together with a (mostly) solved ending yet leaving enough threads to keep you thinking, these books are an absolute splendor.

I absolutely loved this. Phil Hickes has done it again. The basis of the story woven with folklore and the dark twists were everything I'd hoped for. Aveline Jones doesn't half get herself into trouble! A resilient and inspiring heroine.

Another episode in an enthrallingly haunting series.

This time Aveline ventures into a labyrinthine faerie realm in search of a long-lost uncle and confronts a malevolent supernatural foe. Eerie premise, atmospheric storytelling and down-to-earth courageous characters.

✨Brilliant!

Aveline goes with Mum, Harold and Aunt Lilian to Uncle Rowan's house. Uncle Rowan disappeared from his village and hasn't been seen or heard of since and they have to sell the house. Aveline and Harold want to get to the bottom of it! They are aware of a strange mound (called Long Barrow) on the outskirts of the village, and it seems Uncle Rowan was looking into the disappearances of other people from the area who are all connected to the mound. On the first night in the house Aveline is awoken by a strange noise on the stairs. When they investigate they meet a boy called Sammy who is as interested in the paranormal as they are. He warns them not to go to the mound alone, so he goes with them to look around, and tells them an old story of a farmer who farmed the land, it's not a happy one!
When they return to the house a flyer is put through the door, about the Festival of the Long Night, that day. But when they leave, they text Sammy but he doesn't answer straight away and when he does he knows nothing about it. But Aveline doesn't get this reply until it's too late...
What happens to them? It's called the Vanishing of Aveline Jones, does she really?

I'm a terrible dreamer - but this was less terrifying than the last book - despite the reappearance of some of Aveline and Harold's past problems! I think this is a fabulous series and this book is great. I would love this in school.

Phil Hickes has done it again! Another creepy and exciting tale following Aveline and her friends and family. Wonderful writing that leaves you desperate to read more and find out what will happen next. Excellent read for children in Year 5 and above as well as a great text for adults to read too. Perfect class story during the autumn term and one that will be a firm favourite .

The third in the Aveline Jones series sees Aveline, her friend Harold, her mum and Aunt Lilian traveling to Aveline's uncle's house. Uncle Rowan disappeared a while ago and Aveline is determined to find out what happened to him.

With Harold's help, she sets out to investigate Uncle Rowan's investigation and the links to the mysterious Long Barrow. Will the winter solstice help them to solve the mystery?

This was another great adventure and showed the strong friendship between Aveline and Harold. Any children who enjoyed the first two books will devout this one!

Thanks to Usborne Publishers and Net Galley for this advance copy.

I love this series! Aveline and Harold are great characters and this time they must confront particularly unpleasant faeries in a long barrow. With a new friend, Sammy, they face some genuinely horrible and creepy situations which test their skills as well as their ability to know what is real from what is illusion. The pace as ever is great and the story unfolds particularly well, maintaining the tension to the end. I had been looking forward to this since i finished the last book, and it didn't disappoint!

Of course, we are on another trip with Aveline. This time with Harold, her Mum and Aunt to the house of her Uncle Rowan.

Rowan has been missing for years now and they are clearing out his house to sell, however, Aveline wants to try and uncover the secrets behind his disappearance.

Rowans home is in the village of Scarbury where there is an ancient site that her Uncle was investigating, as it may have links to some disappearances over the years, in all likelihood it also is linked to her Uncles disappearance too.

Definitely the creepiest of the book so far and Aveline and Harold also make a new friend along the way who is local to the area and knows the old tales.

I throughly enjoyed this third Aveline Jones story, think it's definitely my favourite so far.

Another fantastic entry into the Aveline Jones series. As always, this was a genuinely spooky and creepy book, incredibly atmospheric and I love how the story is rooted in real British legends, history, and fairy tales. Really looking forward to any more adventures of Aveline.