Dust ‘n' Bones

Illustrations play an important part in this picture book format collection of ten ghost stories for older children. Full colour spreads alternate with black and white drawings which are particularly appealing and which manage to convey, through detail and shading, just the right atmosphere of horror and gore. Some of the stories are classics, adapted by the author – among them Washington Irving’s ‘Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ and Edith Nesbit’s grim ‘Man-Size in Marble’ – and the rest are original tales. Varied in style and content, here are stories of the supernatural and real-life horror, set along lonely roads, on board ship and in abandoned rooms, with either unexpected twists or predictable outcomes, but all of them bathed in the darkness of night. Though some are more bloodcurdling than others, they are all sufficiently hair-raising to rouse even the most fearless of readers. The vivid writing style with its formal tone and patterned language makes this a satisfying collection and a pleasure to read aloud.