By Jennifer Killick (author) , Mathias Ball (illustrator)
"Thirteen terrifying tales to tingle the spines of horror fans of all ages"
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October 2023 Book of the Month
Jennifer Killick has carved herself a unique and successful niche of writing horror stories that are pitch perfect for pre-teens, genuinely scary, but also full of heart and humour and not just for Halloween!
Here she has curated a collection of 13 (it could, of course, be no other number) stories from a quite amazing range of talented authors, including Joseph Coelho, Elle McNicoll, Jasbinder Bilan, Sharna Jackson and Kirsty Applebaum to name but a few.
With writers of this quality, it can be no surprise that each story is a perfectly crafted, deliciously dark gem that will send shivers down your spine. The stories themselves encompass everything from carpets possessed by evil spirits to mysterious monsters lurking in lakes, ghostly graveyard discoveries to flesh-eating aliens that lurk in the shadows and the sort of birthday party that you really, really don’t want to be invited to.
Some of these are classic horror tropes, but others have more of a sci-fi dystopian feel, and all of them have memorable characters, vivid descriptions and page-turning tension. Short stories are perfect for reading aloud and some of these stories have the bonus of multiple parts which can be used to ratchet up the tension day by day! An absolute must have in the lead up the increasingly popular Halloween celebrations, but it will be a popular choice all year round.
A spooktacular collection of scary stories by thirteen of the most exciting authors in children's books today! Perfect for readers aged 9-12.
Read the full description
Do you dare to see what's lurking inside...?
A spine-tingling collection of horror stories that will chill, thrill and delight middle-great readers, keeping them on the edge of (or hiding behind) their sofas!
Read, Scream, Repeat brings together thirteen bestselling, award-winning authors: Kirsty Applebaum, Jasbinder Bilan, Aisha Bushby, Joseph Coelho, Rachel Delahaye, Kat Ellis, Phil Hickes, Polly Ho-Yen, Sharna Jackson, Jennifer Killick, Elle McNicoll, Dan Smith and J.T.Williams.
The collection is curated by Farshore's queen of middle-grade comedy-horror, Jennifer Killick. Read, Scream, Repeat is a truly diverse anthology that taps into everything young readers are looking for this spooky season.
Jennifer Killick has always wanted to be a writer, but really started when she applied for a Creative Writing MA at Brunel University, which is where she first got the idea for 'The Really Big Stink'. She lives in Uxbridge, in a house full of children, animals and Lego. When she has the time she loves to read, write, and run as fast as she can.
Jennifer's favourite things are books, trees and fluffy slippers, and her favourite place in the world is her home, where she can sit in her pyjamas with tea and cake, coming up with story ideas.
Dread Wood starts with kids from school who don’t normally hang out coming together for a detention. Which character did you most enjoy writing?
I'm really fond of all the Dread Wood characters, but my favourite to write is Gustav because he makes me laugh so hard. I'd love to have a friend like Gus.
We have to ask… Did you ever end up in detention at school?
I'm embarrassed to say that I was incredibly well-behaved at school. I don't enjoy being in trouble, or feeling like I'm doing something wrong, so if I'm going to break a rule, it has to be for something I truly believe in. The only time I got in trouble was in A-level history, and that blew up into an enormous drama that resulted in me withdrawing from the class and trying to teach myself the rest of the syllabus. I got a 'B'. And I stand by my actions!
We love the creepy endings to each chapter… how do you come up with cliff-hangers?
I want my stories to be real page-turners, so that my readers don't get bored at any point in the book. I imagine the chapters like episodes of a TV series, each ending with something that will make people gasp, whether it's in the action or a shocking revelation. I think about cliff-hangers I've read or watched that have left me utterly gripped and desperate for more, and I try to recreate moments like those within my stories.
Without giving too much away, Dread Wood features an incredibly scary spider. Did you base it on a real-life creature?
Yes! I watched lots of documentaries about different types of spider and combined some of their creepiest qualities for the creature in Dread Wood. The species I used the most was the trapdoor spider - such fascinating creatures, and perfect for what I wanted for this story.
Why do you think funny horror appeals to kids, and why is it important to you?
I think lots of people enjoy being scared in a fun way - enough to make them jump and gasp, but not enough to keep them awake for weeks afterwards. Mixing humour into horror diffuses some of the fear and tension and makes it more manageable. As an adult, horrorcomedy is one of my favourite genres - I love shows like Buffy and Stranger Things, and movies like Zombieland. Children now are growing up in a different world to the one I knew at their age. They have access to so many forms of entertainment, like movie streaming, YouTube, and online gaming, and often choose the options that will make them laugh, give them a rush of adrenaline, or that their peers are talking about. I want all children to be reading, and, for that to happen, we need to provide books that can compete with everything else on offer in terms of excitement and in giving them something to encourage playground chat.
Do you get scared easily? What are the top five things that terrify you?
Yes, I get scared so easily. My older children make me watch movies that I peek at through my fingers and then still have nightmares about for months afterwards. They'll all be laughing while I'm hiding under a blanket. I have a massive problem with clowns. I watched the start of the original 'It' at a sleepover when I was thirteen and it ruined my life. My sister used to leave photos of that particular clown in my bedroom for me to find, and I'm still not over it. I have a weird obsession with zombies, being simultaneously fascinated and terrified of them. I also hate enclosed places like underground tunnels, demonic things from Ouija boards, and scarecrows. I could go on..
And Jennifer passes on these tips to aspiring authors;
* Publishing is a competitive industry, so it's really important to use your unique talents to make you stand out. There are many brilliant books out there, and sometimes I read something that's so good that I try to emulate it and write something similar myself. This never works! Although it's great to magpie ideas and be inspired by other work, when you're writing, focus on telling your story your way. You will have your own thoughts, and style, and voice, and putting these into your work will make it truly special.
* One of the hardest things about writing a story is finishing it. Often I will start something full of excitement and energy, but then, as I'm writing, doubts start to nag at me and I lose confidence in the story. I usually think that what I'm writing is rubbish, and the temptation to give up on it can feel overwhelming. At times like these, it's so important to believe in yourself - to remember why you were excited about the idea, and that you'll never know what it can become unless you finish it. Ignore the doubts, keep working, and try to enjoy it. If you have fun writing a story, I guarantee that people will have fun reading it.
Best Children's Books for Halloween - Spooky, Funny and Scary Reads for Halloween
Read, Scream, Repeat...we hear from the authors of these scary short stories!
Jennifer Killick - our Guest Editor of the Month
the best books for 9-12 year olds · the best books for teenagers
The Vanquishers: Secret of the Reaping
Dead Good Detectives
Christmas Dinner of Souls
Thirteen is unlucky for some but Read, Scream, Repeat is a superbly spine-chilling collection of stories written by thirteen different authors - definitely recommend!
Thirteen is unlucky for some but this spine-chilling bunch of short stories written by thirteen different authors is such a great book. Read, Scream, Repeat features various writing styles that all have one thing in common: they make you shiver. My favourites are the stories by Jennifer Killick, Aisha Bushby and Elle McNicol. They are about creepy things like zombies hunting you down, a monster in the depths of a lake and a pond that forever sucks you down down down...... Read Full Review
Poppy Smithson-Zipfel
A spine-tingling brilliant book of horror stories by 13 talented authors. Read before bed if you don’t want to go to sleep!
Read, Scream, Repeat is a brilliant collection of terrifying stories. They are written by 13 different authors and each one is different. Some scared me more than others ('The Pond' by Jennifer Killick and 'Charlie’s Twelfth' by Sharna Jackson). 'A cry from the graveyard' by Jasbinder Bilan and 'The Glass House' by Polly Ho-Yen left me shivering with fright. This book has made me want to read more horror.... Read Full Review
Read, Scream, Repeat is a great book for those who are craving a bit of a fright. It contains a selection of spooky- ish stories from haunted houses to robotic humans who don’t even know they’re robotic. It’s sure to keep you wondering and guessing throughout.
Read, Scream, Repeat is a book full of spooky stories. From haunted houses to robotic humans who don’t actually realise they’re the weird ones, it’s a book full of surprises! I particularly enjoyed ‘Talos Springs’, one of the shorter stories from the selection chosen for the book. It centres sound a girl who lives in Talos Springs in a sort of children’s home. Observing the people who live over the road- The Magpies, she wonders why they appear different, strange, a bit weird! When one of the girls is ‘adopted’ by the Magpies, but then returns- something that never happens, she questions why. In a tale of twists, this story will keep you wondering right until the end.... Read Full Review
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Read, Scream, Repeat and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Read, Scream, Repeat features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Recommendations, Crime & Mystery, Adventure Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Horror & Ghost Stories, Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Science Fiction, Featured Books for 9+ readers
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
Read, Scream, Repeat was written by Jennifer Killick and published by Farshore an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Read, Scream, Repeat has 380 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.
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