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The Crooked Oak Mysteries #2
The Beast Of Harwood Forest
What’s hiding in Harwood Forest?
When Pete, Nancy and Krish arrive at Heathland Camp for a school trip, they’re in for an adventure – just not the kind they were expecting. Nearby sits the abandoned Harwood Institute. The crumbling buildings are out of bounds but strange screams come from the surrounding forest at night. Mystery shrouds the events that took place at the institute during the war, so Pete and his friends make it their mission to find out the truth. But the forest is hiding a sinister secret, and the trio could be in real danger ... Are some mysteries best left undisturbed?
When Pete, Nancy and Krish arrive at Heathland Camp for a school trip, they’re in for an adventure – just not the kind they were expecting. Nearby sits the abandoned Harwood Institute. The crumbling buildings are out of bounds but strange screams come from the surrounding forest at night. Mystery shrouds the events that took place at the institute during the war, so Pete and his friends make it their mission to find out the truth. But the forest is hiding a sinister secret, and the trio could be in real danger ... Are some mysteries best left undisturbed?
- GenresMiddle Grade
110 pages, Paperback
Published May 6, 2021
1 person is currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Dan Smith
314 books17 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 24, 2021
Another cool and creepy quick read from Dan Smith. A familiar campfire scary story becomes more real than expected for a group of friends. Chris King's intense illustrations boost the spooky atmosphere wonderfully. This book adds to Barrington Stoke's impressive range for encouraging young readers to engage with fantastic stories.
May 8, 2021
4.5 stars
FINISHED: loved this! Who doesn’t enjoy a good scary story? When Pete, Nancy and Krish go on a residential with school, they decide to snoop through the forest and come across something pretty scary! You wouldn’t find me creeping through the forest at night... I’m definitely not as brave as these guys! Dan Smith has written a proper banger here - my Y6s will love this!
FINISHED: loved this! Who doesn’t enjoy a good scary story? When Pete, Nancy and Krish go on a residential with school, they decide to snoop through the forest and come across something pretty scary! You wouldn’t find me creeping through the forest at night... I’m definitely not as brave as these guys! Dan Smith has written a proper banger here - my Y6s will love this!
August 19, 2021
Great, readable spooky story for middle grade up. I love these Barrington Stoke for slightly older and lower ability readers.
Read
December 17, 2021Another great short & spooky story from Dan Smith!
September 3, 2022
I saw the Resident Evil reference immediately and then they literally name the game at a different point 😂
Overall a fun spooky read for kids
Overall a fun spooky read for kids
May 16, 2021
Pete, Nancy and Krish are heading off on their Year 8 residential at Heathland Camp. As with all residentials, there's a mixture of excitement and intrigue coupled with the fact that the whole event will be closely monitored by strict teachers.
On the coach, Pete spies waist-high barbed wire fencing with a plaque stating 'Keep Out. Property of MOD. Danger of Death.' What is this place so near the camp and what might it be hiding from the locals? What are the strange, inhuman cries the trio hear at night-time? There's only one way to find out...
The second tale to feature Pete and his friends, The Beast of Harwood Forest reads part Room 13, part Beowulf and part Resident Evil. It's perfect as a creepy, engaging read for a whole class or for older readers who might be initially jumping into early chapters for the first time. I enjoyed it too - so there's also much to take from that.
As with all Barrington Stoke books, the presentation is dyslexia-friendly (but with no stickers on the front to put reluctant-readers off). The pace is good and the writing sound too. Fun, gripping with a nice twist to the Beowulf/Grendel riff.
On the coach, Pete spies waist-high barbed wire fencing with a plaque stating 'Keep Out. Property of MOD. Danger of Death.' What is this place so near the camp and what might it be hiding from the locals? What are the strange, inhuman cries the trio hear at night-time? There's only one way to find out...
The second tale to feature Pete and his friends, The Beast of Harwood Forest reads part Room 13, part Beowulf and part Resident Evil. It's perfect as a creepy, engaging read for a whole class or for older readers who might be initially jumping into early chapters for the first time. I enjoyed it too - so there's also much to take from that.
As with all Barrington Stoke books, the presentation is dyslexia-friendly (but with no stickers on the front to put reluctant-readers off). The pace is good and the writing sound too. Fun, gripping with a nice twist to the Beowulf/Grendel riff.
December 30, 2021
Wow, this is such a good and creepy story! Friends Pete, Nancy and Krish are on a school trip where they are going to stay at a camp for a few nights. While on the bus on the way to the camp, Pete spots what looks like some interesting abandoned buildings, and wants to explore them, but everyone tells him that they are strictly out of bounds. Pete is still curious though, and when he, Nancy and Krish begin to explore the forest to find the buildings it isn’t long before they come across something truly terrifying in the forest!
Wow, I just love a creepy story like this one! When Pete and his friends arrive at the camp, they enjoy some spooky stories and some fun activities, but Pete’s interest in the abandoned buildings won’t go away and he’s soon getting Nancy and Krish to help him explore the area. I just love what happens in this story and the details of what exactly the beast in Harwood forest is. The story follows the same three friends that I first read about in ‘The Invasion of Crooked Oak’ but you don’t need to have read that book to read this one and the story here is such a good standalone with a brilliant creepy vibe.
There is something scary lurking within the forest and the three friends soon end up lost in the middle of the dark woods at night. I won’t reveal the details of what happens but I just love the creepy and eerie feeling in this story and how great the writing and descriptions are that they really helped to bring the scary atmosphere to life in such a vivid way. I like how this story has some more detail to it than just the scary creature in the forest and there’s actually something interesting revealed about it towards the end.
The ending is a really good one and I like what the three friends do at the end and what happens with the scary thing that lurks in the forest. It’s such a good story and ending that it felt both creepy and also a little poignant too. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in a good creepy and interesting story. The book isn’t too long, at just over one hundred pages and is perfect for all readers but being a Barrington Stoke book it’s especially made to be dyslexia friendly with yellowed extra thick pages and a special font that makes it easier to read (and paragraphs spaced out too).
The illustrations in this book are so good, they occur on several pages throughout the story and help to enhance the already creepy vibe of the tale, especially when the three friends enter the woods. Each picture is in black, white and grey and I just love how all of the characters have such expressive faces and just how scary something appears in the woods, later in the story!
Overall this is such a great book for both dyslexics and also anyone who just wants an easy, shorter read, but one that is so creepy and fun! I really enjoyed reading ‘The Invasion of Crooked Oak’ but after reading this book I think this one is now my favourite in the series so far! It’s just a brilliant and creepy read and a perfect one for this time of year. Definitely a book I’d recommend at any time of year but especially now during the spookiest month of the year!
-Thanks to Barrington Stoke for a free copy for review.
Wow, I just love a creepy story like this one! When Pete and his friends arrive at the camp, they enjoy some spooky stories and some fun activities, but Pete’s interest in the abandoned buildings won’t go away and he’s soon getting Nancy and Krish to help him explore the area. I just love what happens in this story and the details of what exactly the beast in Harwood forest is. The story follows the same three friends that I first read about in ‘The Invasion of Crooked Oak’ but you don’t need to have read that book to read this one and the story here is such a good standalone with a brilliant creepy vibe.
There is something scary lurking within the forest and the three friends soon end up lost in the middle of the dark woods at night. I won’t reveal the details of what happens but I just love the creepy and eerie feeling in this story and how great the writing and descriptions are that they really helped to bring the scary atmosphere to life in such a vivid way. I like how this story has some more detail to it than just the scary creature in the forest and there’s actually something interesting revealed about it towards the end.
The ending is a really good one and I like what the three friends do at the end and what happens with the scary thing that lurks in the forest. It’s such a good story and ending that it felt both creepy and also a little poignant too. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in a good creepy and interesting story. The book isn’t too long, at just over one hundred pages and is perfect for all readers but being a Barrington Stoke book it’s especially made to be dyslexia friendly with yellowed extra thick pages and a special font that makes it easier to read (and paragraphs spaced out too).
The illustrations in this book are so good, they occur on several pages throughout the story and help to enhance the already creepy vibe of the tale, especially when the three friends enter the woods. Each picture is in black, white and grey and I just love how all of the characters have such expressive faces and just how scary something appears in the woods, later in the story!
Overall this is such a great book for both dyslexics and also anyone who just wants an easy, shorter read, but one that is so creepy and fun! I really enjoyed reading ‘The Invasion of Crooked Oak’ but after reading this book I think this one is now my favourite in the series so far! It’s just a brilliant and creepy read and a perfect one for this time of year. Definitely a book I’d recommend at any time of year but especially now during the spookiest month of the year!
-Thanks to Barrington Stoke for a free copy for review.
February 12, 2024
A school camp set in the English countryside gets the Year Eights excited. As the bus drives through the forest, Pete sees a keep-out sign. That catches his interest. Maybe this camp will be more interesting than usual. The camp instructors tell Pete the disused building with the keep-out sign is an old research centre and strictly off-limits.
Pete convinces his friends that it is the place to explore, given it is off-limits. The forest turns out to be darker, bigger and scarier than the three friends envisaged. They are chased out of the forest by a monster, but not before one of the group finds a folder of research data. What do the friends find? What or who was the monster?
I enjoyed the fast-paced story. The large font, pale cream paper and lots of white space make it suitable for reluctant readers and those struggling with the usual novel format. Some of the vocabulary reflects the English setting and publishing house.
Recommended for readers aged 8 to 12 years.
Pete convinces his friends that it is the place to explore, given it is off-limits. The forest turns out to be darker, bigger and scarier than the three friends envisaged. They are chased out of the forest by a monster, but not before one of the group finds a folder of research data. What do the friends find? What or who was the monster?
I enjoyed the fast-paced story. The large font, pale cream paper and lots of white space make it suitable for reluctant readers and those struggling with the usual novel format. Some of the vocabulary reflects the English setting and publishing house.
Recommended for readers aged 8 to 12 years.
February 2, 2023
WoW vilken härlig, Underbar, Spännande & Välskriven Bladvändare👍
Vi njöt av varje Sekund av denna Perfekta, Läskiga Pärla.
Allt vi kan göra är att Rekommendera den till er andra som älskar
Zombier Bara WoW🧟♂️
Vårt Betyg blir helt klart
🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♂️ av 5st Smittade🧟♂️💕
Vi njöt av varje Sekund av denna Perfekta, Läskiga Pärla.
Allt vi kan göra är att Rekommendera den till er andra som älskar
Zombier Bara WoW🧟♂️
Vårt Betyg blir helt klart
🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♂️ av 5st Smittade🧟♂️💕
May 31, 2021
Really enjoyed this. A great read when you have a spare hour. Love that it’s dyslexic friendly too.
July 25, 2021
Cracking stuff, blasted through in one sitting. Reminds me of the Alfred Hitchcock and the three investigators books I used to read in the caravan in deepest darkest Cornwall as a boy.
August 20, 2021
Another great book from Dan Smith. Great Hound of the Baskervilles vibes in this story with an eerie setting and a looming mystery.
November 25, 2024
Read with a learner reading group. It was alright, very seasonal 🎃
June 11, 2023
Fun and spooky.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews