Shivers

by Bali Rai

A Terrifying ghost story...

Meeting Cassie was the best moment of Sam's life. So why has everything fallen apart since? Can he really trust her at all?

Sam hates life on the council estate - everyone knows why he and his mum had to move there and they won't let him forget it. When he meets the beautiful and mysterious Cassie he quickly falls head over heels.

But when Sam's devotion starts to cloud his judgment and his life begins to spin out of control, he still can't seem to walk away. Will the truth about Cassie be more than he can bear?

With a reading age of 8+ this is also suitable for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic teens.

Genres: Young Adult

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2013

About the author

Bali Rai was born in 1971 and grew up in Leicester. As a child, Bali wanted to be a footballer or to write stories. Always an avid reader, he hails Sue Townsend, Douglas Adams and Robert Swindells as his writing heroes. Bali grew up reading Dr Seuss and Meg and Mog and his first book purchase was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. He realised he wasn't good enough to play for Liverpool F.C. and after gaining a politics degree in London he returned to his home city and combined a variety of jobs in pubs and clubs with completing his first novel. Bali set about writing a story he had been thinking about for many years. He wanted to write accessible material for children of all ages and backgrounds and realising there were no British Asian authors writing for children, he saw a gap. Bali hopes his novels capture the unique ethnic mix of the UK, of which he is proud to be a part.

Bali writes stories inspired by his working class Punjabi/Sikh background, but his aim was always that his writing should be enjoyed by readers everywhere, irrespective of class or culture. His has the ability to tackle the harsh realities of growing up in the UK and blend this with humour and often a overriding optimism. Bali visits schools and libraries in every major UK city, averaging 70 school and library events a year.

His first book, (un)arranged marriage, created a huge amount of interest and won many awards, including the Angus Book Award and the Leicester Book of the Year. It was also shortlisted for the prestigious Branford Boase first novel award. Rani and Sukh and The Whisper were both shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize.

All of Bali’s teen titles have been short-listed for awards across the UK, including twice making the Booktrust Teenage Prize shortlist. His third novel Rani and Sukh has represented the UK at the International IBBY awards and this title has its own Facebook tribute group set up by fans. Bali’s first three novels appear in The Ultimate Teenage Book Guide. Bali also writes shorter novels for Barrington Stoke, his first book, Dream On, was selected for the Booktrust’s inaugural Booked Up list. He also writes the hugely popular Soccer Squad series for younger readers.

Reviews

[Annika Samuelsson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sam träffar Cassie en dag när det är kallt och snöar massor. Snön faller så tätt att hela höghusområdet känns spöklikt och Sam halkar och slår i huvudet. När han vaknar så stirrar han in i ljusgröna ögon. Första mötet med Cassie.
Sam får sin första vän. Han lovar att hjälpa henne med en ska hon inte kan göra själv och i gengäld hälper Cassie Sam att bli av med sina mobbare. Om han bara vetat vad det löftet kommer kosta honom...

Berättelsen är bra och det är en väldigt tydlig röd tråd. Det finns inte några utsvävningar utan berättelsen är centrerad kring det centrala händelseförloppet. Det är en lättläst berättelse som är skriven för ungdomar med dyslexi. Bokens slut gör det också möjligt att diskutera boken ur ett #metoo perspektiv. Det enda negativa som jag kommer på direkt efter läsningen är att jag upplever den som lätt att förutsäga. Det kan beror på att jag inte tillhör målgruppen även om jag själv är dyslektiker. Dels för att jag har läst mycket skräck genom mina år som berättelseälskare.

[Sfulbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book for teenagers but if you are looking for a short very interesting book i recommend to adults as well.

[Miloo · Rating 5 out of 5]

💕Jag tycker att boken är lättläst och väldigt spännande samt med en Vidrig Scen. 
Det är en Mystisk  Kapitelbok
Som är Riktigt, riktigt bra skriven den är full av överraskningar på ett Udda sätt
Men jag bara gillar hur man fängslas och Inte kan slita sig ifrån den och detta gör
den till en perfekt Bladvändare
Jag gillade Upplösningen
till 100%...
🧡💚💛❤️💙 av 5st💕

[Elu · Rating 3 out of 5]

En lätt läst bok. Helt okej faktiskt. Plot twisten på slutet var väldigt bra.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a twist!!! Damn I had a feeling she was a ghost but the ending was a shock. Read it in an hour.

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm normally a big fan of Bali Rai books, but this time the story was a little too obvious to me. I know it's a dyslexia-friendly book, which I don't have an issue with, and I know this makes it difficult to hide the twists and turns of the story. That being said, I could figure out what the ending was as soon as Sam went into the flat to get the bag.

Did I like this book? Yes. Do I think it's Bali Rai's best book? No. For me (and at this point, I haven't read many of Bali Rai's books), my favourite is (Un)arranged Marriage. If you want a Bali Rai book with twists, turns and something to make you gasp 'Oh my GOD!!!', read The Angel Collector. I promise you, you won't regret it.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but would like to know what happened after this book finished.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this book, once I started reading it I didn't want to stop. it has a great twist in the middle of the story and a good ending.