The Wildstorm Curse - Eve Werisock Morris

 

Kallie loves nothing better than to write and perform plays, and now she's off to spend part of her summer at a theatre summer camp it feels like her hard work is paying off. After arriving late, Wildstorm's camp director, Jackie, shows her to her tent and instructs Kallie to get a good night's sleep.  However, Kallie finds herself experiencing a very strange and vivid dream.  She tries to shake this, quickly making friends with Emilia.  Along with the rest of the cast, Kallie hears that they will be performing a play that was written in the 17th century by a witch called Ellsabet Graveheart.  Is it a coincidence that strange and scary things begin to happen?  Could they be linked?  And what is the shadow that has woken in the forests on the edge of the camp?

The Bird Singers was a wonderful debut novel last year and I thoroughly enjoyed it (as did my class who chose it as one of their daily reads), so I was very excited when a copy of The Wildstorm Curse arrived for me.

I adored Kallie as a main character: she is determined to follow her dreams but is by no means a perfect person; she is human and has worries and makes mistakes, and readers will be able to resonate with that.  I also loved that she doesn't allow her dyslexia to get in her way: woven into the plot are mentions of challenges she faces (reading aloud and getting her mum to check her spellings for example) but her determination not to let it define her is evident and will be wonderful for children with dyslexia to read.

I loved the idea of a summer camp and the notion of ancient curses awakening; the plot is gripping and scary enough to keep readers hooked and is a perfect read for any time of the year.  Interwoven into the main plot are chapters of the 'creature' awakening which helps to build the sinister feel that leaves questions in the reader's mind.  As the plot progresses, you will find it hard to put the book down.

With friendship, magic and the power of stories at the forefront of The Wildstorm Curse, this is a book that will be perfect for chasing away the post-Christmas blues.  Publishing on the 19th January, I know that this book will be in demand as soon as I take it into school.