The House in the Woods

Eve, Clovis and Tom decide to liven up their Halloween night by visiting an old, abandoned house in the forest with a Ouija board. They get more than they anticipated when it becomes clear that something has followed them all home. What follows is a series of crazy events and a journey into ghost hunting.

A thrilling and exciting tale of ghosts and ghost hunting that would appeal to both young and old audiences. Reminds me a bit of the old point horror ghost stories, but with more of a ghost hunting element to it. A good read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

On Halloween night Eve, Tom and Clovis make plans to visit an old abandoned house in Epping Forest to carry out their first 'ghost hunt'. They don't think any harm can come from using a ouija board to contact spirits but when a spirit follows them home, chaos follows. With the help of Uncle Rufus, the group investigate further.

I have to start by saying I am a huge fan of Yvette Fielding and I was so excited to read this book. Thankfully I was not disappointed. This has the feel of those old Point Horror books I used to read under the covers as a kid, I really enjoyed it!!

The abandoned house is the perfect creepy setting for this story and features some really freaky ghosts (does anyone else have an irrational fear of a ghost in a gas mask?? Just me???).

For any 'Most Haunted' fans, this book features all the gadgets and that opening chapter...well, you can hear Yvette reading it to you in your head.

I honestly look forward to reading the next book in the series!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy!!

Eve, Tom and Clovis are best friends who decide to do something spooky on Halloween - find a haunted house and try out a ouija board.  Only they don't realise what they are in for.  A ghost makes contact with them with a simple message "HELP ME" and follows them home - are they ready to be ghost hunters?


Well, I understand this is classed as a children's book but I want to enthusiastically say that if your child is not as brave as a Knight then perhaps this isn't for them! I'm 31, I've had some paranormal experiences in my life and I love creepy history but I was crapping myself.  I love Yvette Fielding and I was an enthusiastic viewer of Most Haunted, especially those live episodes over a few days at Halloween, so when I see that the Queen of Ghost Hunting had written a book I had to request it! 

I love every character, well, maybe not the dude in the mask, but everyone was loveable, especially little Boris! There wasn't anything that I didn't enjoy about this book so it's a sure 5 star read for me.  And my one parting gift to you, in the voice of Yvette, is her famous ending - 'Sleep tight...'

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but actually I really really enjoyed it. I loved the characters, the story, it’s quick paced so you don’t get bored, the story itself is exciting and interesting and really well told! I finished it in a few hours and couldn’t put it down.
I do think it needs a little bit more horror, however I am aware it’s probably more aimed at middle schoolers. I will definitely be reading the next book!

In the UK Yvette Fielding is a popular television personality best known for her Most Haunted series which has run for almost two decades and over three hundred episodes, as well as a host of other documentaries and programmes with a supernatural theme. If the endnotes Fielding claims to have had many genuine run-ins with ghosts and other supernatural, should this be the case then it’s a pity her debut children’s novel The House in the Woods does not have the same level of scares! However, it is a very solid and readable debut, but considering it was written by somebody connected with the supernatural for many years it came across as very safe with a familiar story. In a nutshell, three best friends mess around with an Ouija board on Halloween night and then something bad comes knocking. Interestingly, Amazon lists this as an 11+ book, I would pitch it a bit lower and it should not be mistaken for YA horror and would be good for children at the top end of primary and a solid Middle Grade read.

The blurb notes “Stranger Things meets Point Horror” but this is an easier read than most of those books and I would pitch it slightly above the Goosebumps books. I enjoyed the fact that the story was set in East London, with a nicely diverse group of three best friends, Clovis, Eve and Tom, who are all very different but stick together. Eve lost her parents the previous year and lives with her uncle, Clovis comes from a Caribbean family, whilst Tom is very sporty but does not get on with his dad. Combined the three characters carry the story nicely, ably supported by the eccentric inventor uncle and a dog called Boris which farts all the time. After fooling around with the board the kids quickly realise whatever they summoned has followed them home and there were some nice poltergeist style scenes when they realise something is trying to contact them from the other side which is both distressed and determined, perhaps not necessarily trying to harm them. This novel is being billed as the Ghost Hunter Chronicles book 1 and I would suggest that if it is going to succeed then Yvette Fielding needs to ramp up the fear factor. Children enjoy being scared and although this was an enjoyable first effort from the “First Lady of the Paranormal” older kids might find it slightly mild, but the story moves along at a nice pace and catches the imagination. Scare us Yvette; I dare you! AGE RANGE 10-12.