Nightmare Stairs

Narrated in the first person by thirteen-year-old Kirsty with dramatic directness and a keen sense of drama of the 'If only I'd have known then ...' style of chapter endings, this novel is another junior horror title. Kirsty has nightmares which recall her grandmother's death falling down stairs. The drama unfolds as Kirsty realises that this death was not the accident it seemed. Her nasty Aunt must be to blame and so Kirsty sets a trap to catch her. This novel is not plausible in plot or telling but works in its tabloid fashion making mock horror with narrative naivety. I prefer the Swindells of the teenage books. This one may keep some readers going and set them up for those more solid treats.