The Haunting of Aveline Jones - Phil Hickes.

When Aveline Jones discovers she has to spend October half-term with her slightly aloof Aunt Lilian in Malmouth, a deserted seaside town, she’s far from happy; however, her love of ghost books and all things spooky is fed when her aunt leaves her at a musty old book shop. Here she discovers a book of local ghost stories that once belonged to a girl from Malmouth, Primrose Penberthy, who went missing on Halloween many years ago. After finding the final story in the book blacked out, and then being given Primrose's diary by Mr Lieberman who found it in his shop, Aveline is convinced there is more to her disappearance than meets the eye, but can she discover what happened? Is there a link to the past and why on Earth do so many of the locals have creepy child-like scarecrows in their gardens?

The setting for this book is just perfect for such a spooky story: a deserted seaside town with stormy, roiling seas; an old musty bookstore piled with long-forgotten second-hand books, and old cottages that creak and groan with age. If you then add into the mix Aveline whose love of ghost stories means she reads more into bumps and knocks in the night, you've got the perfect setting for a ghost story!

The tension and suspense builds from the very beginning of this book and doesn't let up. I read it I one sitting as I couldn't put it down! I was desperate to discover what was going to happen next and yet, at the same time, had my fists clenched in fear and was hugging the nearest cushion!

At 224 pages, this book will be perfect for children who like shorter novels yet still like thrills and brilliantly written plots. I'd recommend The Haunting of Aveline Jones for those aged 9+, as well as those who enjoyed VE Schwab's City of Ghosts, Ross Montgommery's Christmas Dinner of Souls and Jennifer Killick’s Crater Lake.  

The Haunting of Aveline Jones is brilliantly eerie and deliciously spooky and a book to read in a stormy night by torch-light ... if you dare!