Tales of Scary Beasts

Divided into six chapters plus some Tips for Mystery Investigators, this is a fantastic book which young detectives will devour eagerly. To give you a flavour of the scary beasts to be found between the covers, here are the chapter titles: Strange Man-beasts, Alien Big Cats, Sea Monsters, Lake Lurkers, Flying Horrors and Awesome Amphibians. With lots of maps, diagrams, historical facts and loads more information it is evident that the team behind this publication has put in many hours of research.

Each chapter ends with a spread entitled ‘Let’s Investigate’ which gathers together evidence, eyewitnesses and main theories so the young investigator can weigh up what has been happening regarding each type of beast. I was particularly scared by the Sea Monsters – huge sea serpents, colossal squids and beasts with massive suckers abound! I enjoyed reading newspaper reports and eyewitness accounts from sailors and fishermen who knew the oceans well.

A substantial part of Chapter 4: Lake Lurkers is given over to the legend of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. Whilst most readers will have come across this beast it is fascinating to learn of similar aquatic monsters found all over the world. (See pp.62-63.)

A great feature of this publication is the highlighted definitions of useful words which the reader comes across in the course of the investigations. ‘Abominable’ (p. 15), ‘sceptical’ (p.43) and ‘extinct’ (p.75) are just a few examples of the way this book is a great educational resource for building the vocabulary of young readers.

This colourful and well laid out paperback has been created by a talented team who understands how to produce something children will love. It’s a real page turner which includes helpful tips at the close of the book to aid eager investigators. This book will leave a big impression on young people and will likely help to produce booklovers, investigators and detectives further down the line.