Shadowhall Academy: The Whispering Walls was trademark Phil Hickes and I loved every spooky moment. Having read and devoured The Aveline Jones series, I was thrilled to read this new offering where we join Lilian Jones as she becomes a boarder at Shadowhall Academy. She's nervous about making friends and finding her way around, but those turn out to be the least of her worries when strange things start happening at school. We the reader are quickly immersed into a spooky adventure where things are really not what they seem. The school is beset with unsettling tales of missing students and it is clear that the hallowed walls are haunted. Lilian is keen to uncover the secrets and unravel the mysteries that her school seem to be hiding.
A must read. This spooky mystery delivers just the right amount of chill factor and I cannot wait to read more.

Lilian is a first time boarder at Shadowhall Academy, interested in finding out more about the spooky goings on, and if there is anything to the ghost stories she’s been told by her room mates. When fellow room mate, Angela hears tapping through the wall near her bed, It's Lilian that opens up the panelling to find a little more than she bargained for. On a quest to uncover the truth and some of the history of Shadowhall, Lilian enlists the help of her friends (and, a little help from one of her teachers) to make some spooky discoveries, to save her friends and, hopefully, keep others at the school safe in the future.

Set in the 1980's Shadowhall Academy offers a nostalgic feel to adult readers (like me) who were raised during the time of Into the Groove (Madonna’s best era!?!?!?), and, when dad's pride and joy was his Ford escort. For younger readers, it offers a feel of Nevermoor and Hogwarts, with its dark hallways, dusty Library, school dining hall and eccentric teachers, capturing and setting the scene perfectly.

Written in Phil Hickes’s brilliant style you can't help but be captured by the ghostly tale and the intrigue to keep reading on at the end of each chapter. As a fan of Phil's ‘Aveline Jones' series this book didn't disappoint and I can't wait to find out what Lilian gets up to in future terms at Shadowhall Academy.

Thank you to Net Galley and Usborne for the opportunity to read Shadowhall Academy: The Whispering Walls prior to its release.

Spine tingling, creepy deliciousness at its finest. Tapping in the wall, ghostly figures and unexplained happenings, brilliantly intertwined in a historic boarding school setting. Definitely need a light on and a blanket to hide under to read this one!

This MG spooky book was so exciting!

I loved the setting of the boarding school, and this definitely gave it the spooky Malory Towers vibes that I was looking for!

I’m not normally a fan of spooky books, but this was the perfect combination.

Thank you!

This was a fun, lighthearted read. The protagonist was called Lilian, and the setting was a school called Shadowhall Academy. I remember that as a child, the idea of a boarding school seemed sinister to me, and yet, I think part of me wondered what it would be like to attend such a school, so that was something I thought about while I was reading. I thought the author brought the characters to life in a fun, amusing way. This seemed like the sort of mystery and adventure story that my 10 year old self would have really enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

A really spooky middle grade ghost story brought to you by the wonderful author of the Aveline Jones series, though this one has upped the spooky just a little bit.

Lilian has just started at Shadowhall Academy, a creaking pile in the countryside and Phil leans into the boarding school tropes and has fun with them, there’s the dodgy food, the cold dorms, the cliques, and the cross country runs. Though the run in this book does come with quite a bit of a difference…

Lilian joins up with Maz (Marian), Serena as dorm mates and another new girl, Angela also come in. This is when all the spookiness starts to happen, knocking on the walls at night is just the beginning which for me culminated in a feel of the liver man from the X-Files for a moment. Thankfully it didn’t go that dark

But the house and the grounds are full of the secrets and tragedies of the ancient family that owned the house before it became a school and these are still causing problems now.

Will the new friends be up for the challenges that are thrown their way and be strong enough to look out for each other? Who is the spooky apparition, is there more than one malevolent spirit? Is this all just a Scooby Doo mystery with nefarious humans behind it all?

Well you’ll have to read the book to find out, but it is so well worth a read!

Though this spooky story was wrapped up nicely there are still a lot of unanswered questions, why did the headteacher and librarian return to work in the school after being students at the school together so long ago, what other family secrets are lurking in Mr Bullens office, and what other secrets will Lilian, Maz, Serena, and Angela find?

Really looking forward to the continuation of this series, Shadowhall Academy: The Whispering Walls is released on the 1st of February 2024.

I received this from NetGalley for an honest review.

Honestly could not put this book down - well apart from the part when there were noises in the walls and it was windy outside - waited till the morning to read on!! Phil Hickes is an absolute master of spooky thrillers perfect for age 9 upwards.
Lilian Jones starts at boarding school and meets new friends, but soon learns about the dark past of Shadowhall Academy. But is she right to believe the ghost stories? And are the tales of missing students actually true. When she starts seeing mystery figures she has to investigate and Lilian and her dorm mates get to the bottom of what is actually happening.
A brilliant read and lots of children really love tense, spooky first thrillers so this will be a big hit.

Phil Hickes has been a favourite author of mine ever since I read his first Aveline Jones story. He is an author who does scary really well. Not a watered down, apologetic version. Proper scares.

Shadowhall Academy worried me a little. The title and blurb felt a bit Malory Towers. How wrong I was! Shadowhall Academy is Malory Towers gone horribly horribly wrong… in the best possible way! It’s a truly terrifying tale, set in a haunted boarding school. It’s unpredictable, unnerving and unapologetically scary. I adored it! I think young horror fans will love this one and I can’t wait to see where the series goes next.

I was incredibly excited to hear that Phil Hickes had written the first book in a new series, as I loved the Aveline Jones series so much. I thought that as it was based in a boarding school, it would be less chilling than the spooky Aveline books. I was wrong. Again, Phil Hickes has managed to write the perfect scary story for children.

When I was younger, I used to be scared of the dark. I slept with the light on and if anything made me jump, I would cry. However, I loved reading Point Horror books. They were chilling and exciting, and more importantly, never the cause for my fears. Because they were written for what we now call MG children and/or teenagers, the chills were perfectly pitched. Always enough to give me goosebumps but never enough to keep me awake at night.
Years later, when I became a teacher, there didn't seem to much around that was similar. Lots of children like scary stories and I didn't have much to offer them. Then Aveline Jones comes along with her The Ring-esque woman dragging herself out of the sea to steal a child and all was well in the world. That book, and the sequels, have been the first books I recommend to children when they want something a bit creepy.
With this book, Shadowhall Academy, Phil Hickes has done it again. This time, however, it's in a setting that I spent so much of my imagination in as a bookish child - a creepy boarding school. Here, Lillian and her dormitory friends, investigate children who have gone missing from the school over the years, after hearing noises in the walls. I don't want to give spoilers but I was genuinely spooked by some of the scenes in this book and the story behind the disappearances is wonderfully frightening. The characters are distinct, likeable and real, and the setting is gloriously gothic. I know children are going to love this book and I can't wait to share it with them.
A chilling, riveting read from the master of children's thriller books, this is a must-have. Thank you to Netgalley and Usborne books for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review. (I've already pre-ordered a hard copy for my classroom.)

"Shadowhall Academy: The Whispering Walls" by Phil Hickes offers a delightfully spooky adventure for young readers. Lilian Jones, navigating the mysterious halls of Shadowhall Academy, discovers more than just ghost stories as she uncovers secrets that put her new friends in danger. Hickes' strength lies in creating an eerie atmosphere with expertly crafted descriptions and a well-paced plot. While some note a bit of character development lacking in the group dynamic, the action-packed narrative keeps readers engaged. With a perfect blend of spooky vibes, whispers of ghosts, and a touch of history, this children's book delivers a thrilling, entertaining read that appeals to both young and adult audiences. The writing is superb, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a light fright any time of the year. "Shadowhall Academy" promises an immersive experience, leaving readers eagerly anticipating more from Phil Hickes in this captivating series.

This blew me away. It is a lot scarier than the Aveline Jones series. I love the way the friendship between the girls is portrayed. It is very well-structured and hence will keep you guessing.

It is a bit too scary to be used in class though.

I have really enjoyed the Aveline Jones series and I had high hopes for this book. As ever Phil Hickes’ strength is in the spooky descriptions and build up. With this book though I did notice that the character building was a bit lacking. I don’t know if this was because it focuses on a group of four, but I did feel that I would like to know a bit more about them all. It does mean that the action keeps moving and should appeal to those that struggle to read a longer book.

This was awesome!!!! The spooky vibes were spot on and the expertly crafted story has you so invested and eager to explore with our gang: Serena, Angela, Lilian and Marian. With spooky happenings, the whisperings of ghosts and history to the school which will have you excitably spooked!

Lilian moves to a new boarding school and with it, accompanies the worries of making new friends, will she settle in and can she make her parents proud? But it doesn’t just stop there, there may be ghoulish dangers lurking within the walls…

It was super entertaining and a brilliant children’s book (And for adults. I am not a child and I thoroughly enjoyed). The writing was fab and a really well created horror (without being too wet your pants scary). I couldn’t have put this book down if I tried and was immersed from the start. Perfect for Halloween or for anytime throughout the year when you want a little light fright! I could endlessly read books in this series and look forward to Phil’s future books!

A spooky tale set in a boarding school following a group of new friends as they investigate historical deaths and suspicious happenings.

I really enjoyed this book, it hurtles along and quickly had me rooting for Lilian and her new friends. The friendship is quickly formed in their dorm where they begin to experience paranormal happenings.

The deaths in the past are genuinely scary - early on they find out allegedly a girl got trapped in the wall playing hide and seek and died. It’s definitely not for kids (or adults!) easily spooked!

It's a ghostly thriller and there are mysteries to unravel along the way - such as why is Mr Bullen creeping round the island at night? - and it concludes in a perilous manner. I enjoyed the inclusion of folklore in the explanation of the paranormal.

Lilian is easy to root for and the brave protagonist of the tale. She meets Marian or Maz an aspiring goth who also serves as the responsible figure to the newcomers. Serena is initially intimidating but settles into being a snarky, cool character. And Angela is the other new girl - initially very shy but ultimately comes into her own.


As I'm assuming this is going to be a series, here are some of the things I'd like to see/didn't think quite worked as well as they could have.

The main thing for me was that the main group of friends exist in isolation a little. It's like the world around hasn't been fully filled in. In a girls school novel, I like to see all the other girls in class, I like to know some of the teachers, I like to see them in lessons. I enjoyed what I did see, but just wanted to see a bit more!

For example there were quite a lot of time skips to get us back to the dorm at night which i felt could've been filled with a lesson or activity to get to know our main characters a little better - particularly as late in the novel a day passes where Lilian cannot concentrate from worry. I think the contrast of the darker elements would work better with more lightness earlier on.

Sometimes Mr Bullen seemed to be the only person present in the school and it just felt more people could've led to some more interesting dynamics. I'd like to see more of Ms Strange and Miss Coates though, felt like there was some set up there. Also it did feel like they shouldve suffered more consequences for their shenanigans!

I think especially because the content is quite spooky it's probably to be recommended to the older end of 9-12 therefore it could afford to slow down a little and introduce some more characters to make the world feel a bit more bustling.

I did really enjoy this novel, I was hooked by Mary trapped in the wall and the ghostly appearances and I look forward to more.