Shiver Point: It Came from the Woods is a good start to a new MG horror series, though I did find it quite hard to get into. It was a bit slow to start with, but it soon picked up and turned into a story straight out of an 80s section of a video shop.

Fans of Goosebumps and Scream Street should find this book right up their alley, and no doubt it’ll fit well with young up and coming fans of the horror/sci-fi genres. There are several references to older films that might go over the target audience’s heads, but at least it’ll start a conversation about classics still to discover.

I found the characters to be quite one-dimensional, and I didn’t find myself overly attached to any of them. That could be down to this being the first book in a series; there’s always lots to establish and introduce, and I’m sure the protagonists will become more fleshed out as the series continues.

Overall, It Came from the Woods is a short, enjoyable story, and one that will definitely find a fan base amongst 8+ readers. I look forward to seeing which creatures and monsters are included in future instalments, and which films they’re in honour of. What a great way for the author to show an appreciation of the best genre out there!

The number of authors who can write both Middle Grade and YA horror fiction successfully is relatively few, but you can add Gabriel Dylan to that exclusive list. In 2020 Ginger Nuts of Horror listed their favourite fifty horror novels of the previous decade, ranking Dylan’s superb Whiteout (2018) at 37, published on the excellent Red Eye Series. It Came From The Woods is the first book is a projected quartet called Shiver Point and now that this Invasion of the Bodysnatchers inspired opener has set the scene for the ‘Shiver Squad’ I cannot wait to see what the team of twelve-year-olds get up to next. There is a lot of terrific Middle Grade horror around at the moment and this new series is very much in the same vein as Jennifer Killick (Dreadwood) and Lorien Lawrence (Fright Watch trilogy) who have featured in previous roundups. It Came From The Woods was a very easy to read pageturner and is an absolute perfect gateway horror novel, with a splash of science fiction, for kids who do not want to be scared too much at the top end of primary or first year of secondary school.

Twelve-year-old Alex is new to the small town of Shiver Point and has struggled (refused even) to make friends with his single parent mum often working long hours. One night he spots a meteorite plummeting into the local Howelmoor Forest and goes to investigate, only to find four other kids from his class, Oli, Sophia, Mo and Riley, with the story covering them all in the narrative. Before long lots of weird things begin to happen in the town and the group realise that what fell to the ground definitely was not a meteorite. It Came From The Woods does not break any new grounds, but it was an engaging fun read and would be perfect for kids to get lost in for a few hours. The characters are nice and diverse, many will relate to Alex’s struggle sitting into his new school, and there are lots of nice horror jokes scattered here and there (the dog was called Cujo). In the end friendship triumphs and the ‘Shiver Squad’ gear up for another adventure. Bring it on! AGE RANGE 8-12