Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
January 1, 2019/in Fiction 10-14 Middle/Secondary /by Ellie
BfK Rating:
BfK 234 January 2019
Reviewer: Clive Barnes
ISBN: 978-1474945660
Price: £7.99
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 10-14 Middle/Secondary
Length: 352pp
Buy the Book

The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods

Author: Samuel J. Halpin

‘Why hasn’t mum visited Gran for so long?’ Poppy wonders, when she goes to stay in the quaintly named village of Suds after her mother’s death. And why does Gran have such strange house rules? Washing must be brought in from the line before six p.m., wet or dry; all sugar cubes must be kept under lock and key; the windows are to be closed and locked at night, with the curtains drawn; and ‘NEVER, DON’T YOU EVER, dust the window sills.’ Poppy is already an anxious child but, it slowly becomes clear, there is a lot in Suds to make her downright terrified. Why do children apparently slowly fade away?  What is the old man feeding with cat meat through a door in the floor of his houseboat? And what is the mystery of the mill in Riddling Woods that floats such finely crafted cloth down to the village? Debut novelist Samuel J Halpin builds up the macabre atmosphere carefully, amidst the rather more mundane pains and pleasures of Poppy establishing herself at a new school. A mixed pleasure is her friendship with the extraordinary Erasmus Tall. This is a boy whose desire for answers and unshakeable belief in his capacity to find them, leads both of them further and further towards a horrifying confrontation. Halpin has a nice turn of phrase and this is an ingenious and original story. It intrigues and grips from the very beginning; and its final solution is suitably bizarre and disturbing, relieved only by the reader’s awareness that the author has his tongue firmly in his cheek.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Ellie http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Ellie2019-01-01 16:17:552021-03-23 16:19:18The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Effervescent, scintillating, riveting!’ Collection of ‘colossal’ word poems wins the CLiPPA

June 20, 2025

Winners of the 2025 Carnegie Medals announced

June 19, 2025

Inclusive Books for Children book-gifting scheme expands again

June 18, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
The Whispers Flight
Scroll to top