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The Boy at the Window
- Author
- Lucy Strange
- Narrator
- Charlie Bateman
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 13 February 2025
- Run Time
- 45 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction and true stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Horror and ghost stories, chillers, or other scary supernatural stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Thrillers / suspense, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Historical fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Science fiction
What to expect
Will Hugo heed the pleas of the fog-shrouded figure at the window and welcome him inside? A spine-tingling ghost story from bestselling author Lucy Strange.
Folk say the fog plays tricks – that it shapes itself into little hands and frightened faces that press at people’s doors and windows, desperate to come inside. But Hugo is convinced the ghost he has seen at the window is no trick of the fog. The boy’s hollow eyes are haunting him. What would happen if Hugo were to open the door, and let him in? Brace yourselves for a chilling, wintery ghost story …
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.
Critics Review
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“A ghost-story masterclass” – Jennifer Killick
“Deliciously spooky” – Dan Smith
“A classic ghost story from a master of the craft” – Phil Hickes
“A truly haunting and beautifully written Gothic ghost story” – Tamsin Winter
"Probably best read outside on a hot sunny day in easy reach of a defibrillator … Absolutely superb" — Hilary McKay
"Strange unleashes her powerful imagination on this haunting, harrowing story which explores grief and loneliness with subtlety, insight and immense compassion. Brought to life by Eason’s stunning artwork and with a heart-thumping and heartbreaking twist that remains long in the memory, this wintry, wonderful story is destined to be a gothic classic." – Lancashire Evening Post
"Filled with a deep melancholy and a sense of shifting realities that make it truly haunting … Uncanny, sparely written, this is the kind of story that seeps into your consciousness to leave you feeling thoroughly unsettled." — LoveReading4Kids
"Thoroughly unsettling and eerie … Lucy Strange’s use of sound and silence is superb, sharpening the sense of claustrophobia and confinement. A story to haunt readers long after the final page." — Books for Keeps
"A punchy historical supernatural page-turner which will give you all the chills, and give readers insight into what it was like to live in our not so distant past when a family experiences the death of a parent during wartime." — Happy Reading Children's Bookshop
"This book stylishly ticks many of the boxes of the gothic genre: a creepy old house, sinister swirling fog, secrets, concealment, ghosts, doubles, a deliciously spooky atmosphere, and a narrative that unfolds slowly and with dread … an excellent introduction to the Gothic for readers in Upper KS2 and KS3." — CLPE
"The tension and sense of dread build slowly in this creepy and unsettling ghost story. With its roots firmly in the classic gothic genre, this is a tale that gets right under your skin and lingers long after the last page." — BookTrust
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Details
- Author
- Lucy Strange
- Narrator
- Charlie Bateman
- Duration
- 45 minutes
- Release Date
- 13 February 2025
- ISBN
- 9780008747732
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction and true stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Horror and ghost stories, chillers, or other scary supernatural stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Thrillers / suspense, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Historical fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Science fiction
Synopsis
Will Hugo heed the pleas of the fog-shrouded figure at the window and welcome him inside? A spine-tingling ghost story from bestselling author Lucy Strange. Folk say the fog plays tricks – that it shapes itself into little hands and frightened faces that press at people’s doors and windows, desperate to come inside. But Hugo is convinced the ghost he has seen at the window is no trick of the fog. The boy’s hollow eyes are haunting him. What would happen if Hugo were to open the door, and let him in? Brace yourselves for a chilling, wintery ghost story … Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.
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